Ethan Linklater plays flute in the Great Lakes Wind Symphony. He is currently studying with Dr. Naomi Seidman at Penn State as part of the Professional Performance Certificate program. In 2024, Ethan graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education from James Madison University where he studied with Dr. Beth Chandler Cahill. He currently performs as a member of the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra.

Dr. Sheila DuMont is a versatile flutist, educator, and musicologist whose career blends performance, scholarship, and community leadership. Born and raised in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, she has established herself as both a dynamic performer and an engaging clinician, appearing with ensembles and organizations across the region and beyond. Sheila performs with the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, the Great Lakes Wind Symphony, and has been featured as traverso soloist with the Penn State Baroque Orchestra in a performance broadcast on WPSU’s In Performance at Penn State. Her chamber music activities include performances with her professional flute quintet, Blue Ridge Flutes, which was recently invited to perform at the Chinese Embassy’s New Year Gala in Washington, D.C.. She is also founder and director of the Williamsport Flute Choir, which she established in 2013. Now celebrating its twelfth year, the ensemble has become an important part of the region’s musical life, providing a creative outlet for flutists of all ages while strengthening community connections through music. In addition to her performing career, Sheila is an active clinician and educator. She serves as professor of flute at Lycoming College, has been a regular faculty member at the Pocono Flute Society’s summer programs, presented masterclasses at Penn State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has been a guest clinician at Mansfield University’s flute camp. Dedicated to mentoring the next generation of musicians, she maintains a thriving private studio where she teaches students of all ages and abilities. As a musicologist, Sheila’s research explores underrepresented voices in music history. Her primary areas of study include women composers of the Baroque era and French interwar repertoire, with a particular focus on the flute works of Claude Arrieu. Sheila holds a BM in Flute Performance from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, an MM in Flute Performance, and an MA in Musicology from The Pennsylvania State University, and a DMA in Flute Performance from the Conservatory at Shenandoah University.

Samantha Cohen plays piccolo with the GLWS. Samantha is from Hawley, Pennsylvania. She’s a graduate from Wallenpaupack Area High School and is a current student at Commonwealth University-Mansfield pursuing a B.M. in Music Education. She currently works for OneWell as a DSP working with adults with disabilities, and as the percussion instructor for the Delaware Valley School District Marching Warriors. Samantha is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi and is a 2025 national recipient of the J. Lee Burke Student Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to college bands and the fraternity.