Sophia Butler:

Ms. Sophia Butler holds degrees in music and teaching from St. Olaf College and the University of Alaska Southeast. She started her teaching career in 2016 with El Sistema inspired JAMM (Juneau Alaska Music Matters), where her values of access and equity in education were matched with a passion for creating community through orchestra. In 2017, she accepted a Fulbright grant to teach in Sarawak Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, where she got to learn the music traditions of the Bedayu and Iban people. For the last 8 years, Sophia taught band, orchestra, and jazz at South High School in Minneapolis, which included projects such as writing and recording an original album and developing Hip Hop orchestra curriculum. This fall also marks her second season conducting the String Orchestra with Minnesota Youth Symphonies. Other recent accolades include earning an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute in 2023 and being a semi-finalist for MN teacher of the year in 2026. 

Additionally, Sophia regularly performs as a violinist and violist in the Twin Cities area. She is a member of the Linden String Quartet, and has performed with the Blue Water Kings, Rogue Tango, and in several local pit orchestras. She particularly enjoys playing jazz, tango, and other folk styles, which she performs with her quintet, Mill City Caravan. Ms. Butler enjoys bringing these and other various styles of music into her teaching, through guest artist features and collaboration with community members. When she is not teaching or performing, she is gardening at her south Minneapolis home, trying out new restaurants, or enjoying a state park with her partner and dog.

Nick Gaudette (sectional coach, chamber director):

Renegade bassist and musical maverick, Nick Gaudette is a low-end string slinging legend who seamlessly weaves conservatory-trained precision with unbridled creative chaos. Nick holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Minnesota Mankato. Drawing on this background, he has developed a distinctive co-teaching curriculum that reimagines orchestral education for the 21st century. His model set on the traditional high school schedule weaves together upper and lower string technique, music theory, Dalcroze eurhythmics, all solidifying the foundation of the traditional ensemble rehearsal process creating to create cohesive and holistic learning experience.

Nick has been a staple of the Twin Cities music scene on upright bass, jazz clubs, rock venues, folk circles, tango nights, recording sessions. His genre-hopping resume includes everything from rock to Bach, pit orchestras to postmodern experiments and he can be seen performing across many established venues like Chanhassen Dinner Theater, The Children's Theater, The Ordway, and the Walker Arts Center. His current performing groups include the Orange Mighty Trio, Tamarack Stylites, Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet, and The Lake Minnetonka String Quintet.

Where Nick truly breaks the mold is in his collaborations with modern dance, particularly with choreographer and life partner Maggie Bergeron. Together, they co-created the Hear, Here! Live Music and Movement Festival, pairing composers with choreographers for new interdisciplinary premieres. His bass becomes both narrative instrument and kinetic prop within the context of movement and soundscapes.

Recognition includes: Minnesota State Arts Board recipient, Grammy Music Educator Quarter Finalist, Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalist, MMEA Wall of Honor inductee, and EdFund grant recipient. With four studio albums and countless film and commercial placements, Nick proves artistic integrity drives success across multiple genres.

When not attempting to revolutionize music education or push artistic boundaries, Nick lives in South Minneapolis with Maggie, children Gus and Lola, and their dog Fawkes—always ready to recharge in nature’s outdoor venue.