FASE, Inc. is a non-profit originally created in 1978 by the famous pedagogue, Dr. George Bornoff. His laser-focused commitment to provide the best opportunities for teachers through training led him to create an incredible institution that provides financial support for teacher education through grants and scholarship programs. Over the last thirty-five years, Lyle has helped realize Bornoff’s vision as an educator and FASE board member.

Debbie Lyle has been involved in the Bornoff teacher workshops as far back as 1978 at the National String Workshop (started by Dr. George Bornoff and Dr. Marvin Rabin) in Madison, WI. It was through these incredible experiences that she became acquainted with other influential masters in the field such as David Becker, Dr. Bob Culver, Dr. Gerry Fischbach, and Dr. William LaRue Jones. During that time, first as a student and then as a young teacher—going by the name Debra Ankney—Lyle began her teacher training career working with colleagues from across the country and Canada at Bornoff’s main training camp in Hanson, MA, the Bay State String Camp.

Accomplishments

The Founder and Director of the Arcata Summer Strings camps for students and Bornoff Week-long Workshops, Lyle hosted the camps with Dr. Bornoff and his core of top instructors in attendance in Minnesota in the 1990s. In the early 2000s after Dr. Bornoff’s passing, she continued the tradition in Charlottesville, VA with lead teacher Jennie Chan—Dr. Bornoff’s right-hand assistant for over forty years—as well as with other Bornoff specialists from around the country.

While in Minnesota, Lyle also served as chair of the Fine Arts Department as well as Orchestra Director at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. She founded the S-SM Jazz String Festival and took her student ensembles to participate as a “wire choir” to jazz band festivals in the Mid-West, coming away with honors such as one of the “Top Big Bands” at the University of Mary Jazz Festival in North Dakota. Lyle was also the principal conductor for the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestra and the Cannon Valley Youth Orchestras, Newsletter Editor for the American String Teachers Minnesota Chapter’s quarterly magazine, and co-founder of the Minnesota Youth Orchestra Festivals. She received a 1998 Downbeat Magazine Award as director of the “Best Classical Chamber Ensemble,” and the MN ASTA’s “Meritorious Orchestra Program Award” 1999.

While living in Minnesota and since her move to Charlottesville, VA, Lyle has been a clinician and presented student ensembles in performance for many colleges and string education conferences and workshops, most notably: National American String Teachers Association’s yearly conferences since 2012, ASTA state conferences, NAfME bi-annual and state conferences, the Institute for Innovation in String Education, the International String Workshop, the International Association of Jazz Educators conference, Texas Orchestra Directors conference, and more.

Early Education

Lyle attended the Hartt School of Music while she studied violin and string pedagogy privately with George Bornoff. Her studies included private violin lessons and pedagogy with Jennie Chan and Raphael Bronstein, cello with Bornoff specialist Brenda Chambers, and conducting with Jere Lanz.

She dedicated ten months to an independent study with George Bornoff during her sophomore year at Hartt. Lyle moved into his neighborhood and worked with him in his home each day. Her studies included daily private lessons and a guided practice schedule of 50 hours per week. She studied the Bornoff methodology as she honed her own performance skills under his tutelage. In addition to her studies with Dr. Bornoff, Lyle also taught at two after-school programs under the direction of Jennie Chan. She eventually took over Chan’s classes and several private students, and her teaching was evaluated under the strictest tenets of the Bornoff Approach.

After her year in Newton, MA with Dr. Bornoff, Lyle returned to the Hartt School to study with Raphael Bronstein. Bronstein was a great supporter and friend of George Bornoff and took Debbie into his studio to continue her work on violin pedagogy at advancing levels.

Felipe Morales-Torres

Assistant Director & Program Manager
FASE Latin America and FASE Diverse String Teachers Fellowship
Felipe is an award winning conductor and educator with a passion for empowering the next generation of musicians and teachers. He has conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras’ Concert Orchestra since 2015, working with staff and students to develop a unique ensemble experience that explores a diverse range of repertoire and its social contexts. Under his direction, the Concert Orchestra was named a national finalist for the 2019 American Prize in Orchestral Programming and was selected to open the 2020 Ohio Music Education Association State Conference in a featured ensemble performance. Mr. Morales also coaches chamber ensembles for the Cincinnati Symphony Nouveau Program, which supports student musicians from Black, Latinx, and Native American descent.

In addition to his roles with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Felipe previously served as the orchestra director for Anderson High School and Winton Woods City Schools, and he also played a part in several community music programs, including the Louisville Youth Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic's Q The Music. The Anderson orchestras were known for their focus on symphonic orchestra literature, but Felipe also helped students engage in a variety of new musical outlets, such as feature-length film concerts, staged ballets, and the Anderson Contemporary Ensemble (ACE). During his tenure at Winton Woods, the orchestra program doubled in size and offerings expanded to include electric ensembles, summer camps, frequent guest artists, and multicultural performance tours. He was recognized with the district’s Most Influential Teacher Award twice, in 2015 and 2017.

Felipe started his musical life as a violist, but eventually pursued bassoon performance and music education at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. In 2019, he completed a Masters degree in Music Education and Orchestral Conducting, earning the UC Excellence in Teaching Award for his work with undergraduate music education majors. He has participated in a number of professional conducting fellowships since 2015, working with Diane Wittry (Allentown Symphony), Gzegorz Nowak (London Philharmonic), and Leonid Grin (National Symphony of Chile). In 2022, he received CCM’s Young Alumni Award for his contributions to music education in Cincinnati and beyond.

Jacob Hermsen

Board Chair
Jacob Hermsen holds postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Viola Solo and Orchestra Performance from the Conservatory of Amsterdam, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and the Musik Hochschule ‘Carl Maria von Weber’ Dresden where he studied with Nobuko Imai (Vermeer Quartet), Vladimir Bukac (Talich Quartet), and Michael Gieler (Principal Violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam). For more than 15 years, Jacob has been professionally engaged with orchestras and opera houses in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and is currently residing in the USA. He plays regularly with the North Carolina Symphony, Opera Carolina, Carolina Ballet, Carolina Philharmonic, Mallarmé Chamber Players among others. Jacob is a passionate chamber musician and co-founder of Vida Strings: a string quartet combining Music & Medicine through concerts, research, and workshops.

When he is not busy performing, Jacob is a chamber music coach at NCCMI, a regular guest teacher at various string summer camps including Lamar Stringfield Music Camp, the CODA Strings Camp, and works with local (youth) orchestras for sectionals and workshops. He is a (former) viola teaching artist with El Sistema programs such as Kidznotes, The Raleigh Music Collective, and he is the founder of NC Strings Studio. Currently serving on the Board of Directors for Triangle Youth Music, and former Board Chair of the NC Bach Festival.

LAUREL EVANS

Board Secretary

Laurel Evans is a professional cellist and licensed massage therapist. She holds a degree in Music Performance from Western Michigan University, where she studied under Bruce Uchimura. Since, Laurel has performed with several small orchestras, theater companies, and chamber groups, including the Mercury Theater of Chicago and her chamber ensemble, the Mountain Larks.

Laurel moved to Charlottesville in 2013. Soon after, she began working with Debbie Lyle in her 5th and 6th-grade orchestra classes and received her Level 1 certification in teaching the Bornoff Approach in 2015.

In addition to the Mountain Larks, Laurel performed often with her band, Larkspur, as well as the Matthew McAllister Band. She had a small studio of private students and taught group sectionals at the Charlottesville Waldorf School.

She moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2020 and plays with the Redwood Symphony.

DARCY FORD-JAMES

Board Member

Darcy Ford-James is a public school strings educator with twenty–three years of teaching experience.  She received her undergraduate degree in Violin Performance from the University of the Pacific and her Master’s Degree in Cross-Cultural Education from National University.   Concerned by the emphasis on the Western Classical Canon in the study and performance of music, and with a desire to provide alternative options to her students, Darcy co-founded Stockton Soul. Stockton Soul is a nonprofit Soul Orchestra dedicated to educating,  empowering,  and inspiring audiences through the performance of Black American Music.  Since its inception in 2021, Stockton Soul has conducted a school outreach program; educating students about the History of Black American Music through a live and engaging musical presentation.  Stockton Soul has reached over 7,000 students at 12 different schools in the Central Valley Region of California. In addition to its work in the schools, Stockton Soul organizes several yearly large-scale concerts and a wellness fair for the local community.  Darcy serves on the board of the Foundation for the Advancement of String Education and presents clinics on Black American Music for Strings at Music Education Conferences.  

BRYANNA PORTER

Bryanna Porter is the lead orchestra director at Tays Junior High in Katy, Texas. She is a former student of Debbie Lyle and began her own teaching career during high school tutoring younger violin students using the Bornoff Approach. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from  Texas Tech University.  In addition to her busy school schedule, Bryanna is a frequent judge and clinician for state events and an active freelance violinist in the Houston area.  Bryanna lives in Katy TX, with her husband Matthew and their three daughters.