About Us
Praised as “new and exciting” by The Daily Iowan, the award-winning Wild Prairie Winds promote accessible chamber music through community outreach, education, imaginative programming, and creative concert settings. In an effort to be as accessible as possible to audiences, the quintet performs in libraries, city centers, public parks, schools, nursing homes, and local theaters. Their newest venture, the Iowa Great Lakes Summer Chamber Music Festival, brings music to public venues in the Okoboji, Iowa area.
As advocates for chamber music education, the Wild Prairie Winds incorporate innovative clinics and outreach into their residencies. Most recently, they presented public school performances and instrumental masterclasses in Quincy, Illinois and Nevada, Missouri. In 2021, they created a High School Honor Wind Quintet, which gave five outstanding young Des Moines musicians the opportunity to perform alongside the Wild Prairie Winds.
The Wild Prairie Winds were awarded First Prize in the Professional Division of the 2020 Gates of Hope International Chamber Competition and the 2024 Kings Peak International Music Competition. They have appeared as guest artists at the University of Arkansas, Truman State University, St. Ambrose University, Western Illinois University, Cottey College, and the Conference of the International Double Reed Society. In 2024, they will perform at the Icicle Creek Performing Arts Center in Leavenworth, Washington, and the Quincy Civic Music Association in Quincy, Illinois. The Wild Prairie Winds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Current Members
John Ross, flute
Director of Research and Development
Portland, ME
Flutist John Ross is an accomplished soloist, educator, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. He is on the faculty and administration of the Portland Conservatory of Music in Maine and has served on the faculties of Cottey College and West Virginia State University. He also performs in the summers with the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, MO and has taught on the faculties of Sparrow Music Camp in High Springs, FL, the Florida State University Summer Music Camps, and Music for the Sake of Music (MFSOM) in Green Bay, WI.
A versatile performer, Dr. Ross has given numerous performances throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, and central Europe, and in such venues as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and the Lucerna Great Hall in Prague, Czech Republic. He is currently the flutist with Wild Prairie Winds, a professional wind quintet. He has also been principal flute of the orchestra for MFSOM, the Italian-American Opera Festival Orchestra (CA), the Charleston Chamber Orchestra (WV), and has also performed with the Topeka Symphony, the Muncie Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, and the Charleston Light Opera Guild.
Dr. Ross has appeared as faculty soloist with the WVSU Wind Ensemble, the Cottey College Wind Ensemble, and the orchestra of MFSOM. He has also been a featured soloist with the FSU Symphonic Band and the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, OH. His flute ensemble Silver Lining Flutes toured around Costa Rica in Spring 2017, performing and giving masterclasses as part of the Promising Artists of the 21st Century series. His folk trios, Cuttin' Bracken and Rakish Ramblers, have performed throughout northern Florida, including multiple performances at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, FL.
Dr. Ross attended West Virginia University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, studying with Joyce Catalfano, Thomas Godfrey, Francesca Arnone, Mihoko Watanabe, and Eva Amsler. He is also pursuing a certification in body mapping through the Association for Body Mapping Education, studying with Amy Likar.
Contact John at john@wildprairiewinds.org.
Jenna Sehmann, oboe
Director of Operations
Nacogdoches, TX
Dr. Jenna Sehmann is the Assistant Professor of Oboe and Music History at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She holds degrees from the University of Iowa, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Eastern Kentucky University. Professionally, Dr. Sehmann performs regularly as a with the Longview Symphony, Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, and Wild Prairie Wind Quinet, and the Stone Fort Wind Quintet. Previously she has held teaching positions at Southeast Missouri State University, Mount Mercy University, and Cornell College.
In addition to performing and teaching, she enjoys spending time with her retired racing greyhound, Peggy Sue. You can learn more about Jenna on her website, jennasehmann.com
Contact Jenna at jenna@wildprairiewinds.org.
Moria Tunison Pieper, clarinet
Director of Education and Outreach
Noblesville, IN
Dr. Moria Tunison Pieper currently works in arts administration as the Scheduling Specialist at the Jacobs School of Music. Her former faculty positions include Affiliate Instructor of Clarinet and Woodwind Methods at Bradley University, Adjunct Instructor of Clarinet at Illinois Wesleyan University, and Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
An active performer, Moria has performed with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, the Franco-American Vocal Academy Opera Chamber Orchestra in France, the Urbana Pops Orchestra, the 2017 National Intercollegiate Band, and with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra as the 2010 Concerto Competition Winner.
In addition to teaching and performing, Moria has published and presented on topics related to the clarinet. She presented “Creating a Meaningful Studio Class for a Small Studio” at the 2021 NACWPI conference. Her publications include her article, ‘Lefèvre’s Third Concerto Viewed Through the Lens of His Méthode de Clarinette: An Argument for Historical and Pedagogical Performance Practice’ (published in the March 2021 edition of The Clarinet journal), her editorial ‘Creating a Meaningful Studio Class for a Small Studio’ (published in the Spring 2021 edition of the NACWPI journal), and her article ‘Teaching Younger Students During Covid’ (featured as part of the “Clarinet in the Time of Covid Series” on The Clarinet [Online]). Moria was also chosen as a Finalist in the 2020 International Clarinet Association Research Competition for her research on Jean Xavier Lefèvre and his Third Concerto.
Studying with J. David Harris, Moria received her Doctorate in Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance and Literature, with a cognate in Musicology, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her Master’s in Clarinet Performance from Michigan State University, where she studied with Dr. Guy Yehuda, and her Bachelor’s in Clarinet Performance and her Bachelor’s in Instrumental Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, where she studied with Dr. Magie Smith.
More information about Moria’s latest projects and performances can be found at evelynmoriatunison.com
Contact Moria at moria@wildprairiewinds.org.
Dana Brink, bassoon
Director of Marketing and Communications
Morgantown, WV
Bassoonist Dana Brink enjoys a varied musical life in West Virginia, where she is an Adjunct Instructor of Woodwind Pedagogy and Music Theory in the School of Music and Instructor of Bassoon, Chamber Music, and Music Theory in the Community Music Program at West Virginia University. Passionate about chamber music, she is a co-founder of the Bridge Bassoon Duo, specializing in contemporary classical music for two bassoons. She also regularly performs with orchestras throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Dana is dedicated to expanding the repertoire for bassoon chamber ensembles, especially by composers historically underrepresented in the Western canon. She is the creator behind the Bassoon For All YouTube channel, an archive of recordings of the many excellent works for solo and small ensemble bassoon which previously lacked high-quality, easily accessible recordings.
Dana earned a master’s degree in bassoon performance from the Yale School of Music as a student of Frank Morelli and dual bachelor’s degrees in bassoon performance and political science from the Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester, where she studied with George Sakakeeny and John Hunt. Read more about her latest projects at brinkbassoon.com.
Contact Dana at dana@wildprairiewinds.org.
Katey Jahnke, horn
Executive Director
Fayetteville, AR
Hornist Katey Jahnke’s vibrant personality and passion for music inspire both as a teacher and performer. Residing in Northwest Arkansas, she is currently Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. At home on the concert stage, she has performed as a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber musician throughout the world. In the recent years she has performed in Bangkok, Thailand with the Lyrique Quintette, as principal horn in the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and as a soloist for the International Women’s Brass Conference. She is currently the horn player and Executive Director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Wild Prairie Winds, and the Treasurer for the International Alliance for Women in Music.
Learn more about Katey at her website, kateyjahnke.com.
Contact Katey at katey@wildprairiewinds.org.