Our coaches are passionate chamber musicians, themselves! Keep an eye out for updates as well, we may have the opportunity to collaborate with more musician/teachers as the program nears.
Meet Our Coaches
David Bell
Clarinet
David retired in June, 2023 as Professor of Clarinet at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. Before coming to Lawrence, he held faculty positions at the Oberlin Conservatory, Baldwin-Wallace University, the University of Akron, West Virginia University, and Western Illinois University. Altogether, his teaching career spanned over forty years. His former students perform with major orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world, while others hold appointments at colleges, universities, and secondary schools both in the United States and abroad. Currently, David is Principal Clarinet of the Weidner Philharmonic, and performs with the Fox Valley Symphony. He has held Principal chairs with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Ballet Orchestra, and Akron Symphony Orchestra, and recently retired from the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra after playing with them for 41 seasons. He continues to be a frequent performer, guest teacher and clinician nationally and internationally. David holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and the Milwaukee and Baltimore Symphonies. He has toured internationally with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Solaris Wind Quintet, and has traveled as far as Beijing, China to perform and teach.
Kaira Rouer
Flute
Kaira is MUSE’s Executive Director and cofounder. She also performs and teaches flute and piccolo in Sturgeon Bay, WI. She has achieved a Master of Music in Flute Performance at the University of Denver in the Lamont School of Music, having studied under Julie Thornton of The Colorado Symphony. She received her Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University at the Conservatory of Music, majoring in Music Performance (Flute) under Dr. Erin Lesser.
While studying at Lawrence, Rouer helped her parents to start and manager Rouer’s Roadhouse, LLC, a Door County bar and grill, as the event and operations manager. After graduating from Lawrence, she continued to manage her family’s business while diving into freelancing, starting her own teaching studio out of the Tambourine Lounge building in downtown Sturgeon Bay, where still teaches flute and piccolo today.
As an active musician, Rouer performs with local community groups ranging from the Peninsula Symphonic Band (where she also serves on the board) to the chamber group The Door County Northwinds (of which she is cofounder)a cofounder) and with Country Rock band Belgian Silo Experience, where she also contributes with voice. Rouer has taken her expertise in performance, education, and business to serve her community, leading the Muse team and working to sustain a positive impact on the Door County Community through musical enrichment.
Gary Ciepluch
Clarinet
Gary was the director of bands and associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and the conductor of Cleveland Institute of Music’s University Circle Wind Ensemble from 1988-2016. In 1989 founded the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies. His university teaching responsibilities were in the disciplines of conducting and music education. He has his undergraduate and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. In 1980 he began his summer residency in Door County and moved here full time in 2016. He currently plays clarinet and bass clarinet with the Peninsula Symphonic Band, performs recitals locally, and is one of the founders of the Door County Northwinds Chamber Ensemble. In addition to performing, he guest conducts Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles both Nationally and Internationally. Gary serves on the Board of Third Avenue Playworks and is President Emeritus of the Board for MUSE. He brings a lifelong background and commitment to the Arts that will hopefully translate into a rich artistic experience to both the residences and guests of Door County.