South Carolina Governor's School Music Department

Soprano Laquita Mitchell gave a masterclass for our voice students last Thursday. Students worked on classical selections from oratorios, opera, and art songs. Ms. Mitchell also performed selections from Porgy and Bess with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra this past weekend.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Lilith Wolsleger began playing clarinet in sixth grade and has continued since then. Clarinet is her primary instrument, though she enjoys playing many others with her favorite being bass. Lilith is particularly grateful for the people she has met through music, especially herself.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Zoë Grace Winston is an expressive mezzo-soprano dedicated to storytelling through music. With experience in operatic, choral, and musical theatre repertoire, she is recognized for her refined diction, compelling characterization, and emotional nuance. A passionate collaborator, Zoë brings authenticity, curiosity, and empathy to every performance.

Classically trained since sixth grade, Zoë began her formal music studies at the Charleston County School of the Arts, where she majored in Voice. There, she built a strong foundation in music theory, choral performance, and artistic discipline. She has been selected for the South Carolina Music Educators Association (SCMEA) All-State Choir (2022–2026) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Southern Regional Honor Choir (2024).

Throughout her training, she has worked with distinguished conductors and composers, including Dr. Alissa Rowe (Louisiana State University), Marques L.A. Garrett and Dr. Allen Hightower (University of North Texas), Sydney Guillaume, and Dr. Dustin Ousley (Charleston Southern University), among others. Beyond classical performance, Zoë has appeared in numerous musical theatre productions and was named a 2025 Semi-Finalist for South Carolina’s Next Broadway Star. This spring, she took on the role of Persephone in her school’s production of Hadestown: Teen Edition.

Deeply committed to social justice, Zoë is a passionate advocate for Black and Brown musicians pursuing professional careers in music. She plans to continue her artistic journey by majoring in Voice Performance at the collegiate level this fall.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Caley Wilder is a senior vocalist at South Carolina governor school of the arts and humanities. She enjoys using her versatile vocal range to deliver crowd moving performances in multiple genres of music. She prefers to study and sing classical pieces. Caley has participated in solo performances, ensembles and theater throughout her school career that started at Georgetown County School District. Caley intends to continue her education in performing arts after high school in any sort of vocal performing arts. She hopes to be able to keep the beauty of classic arts alive and shed light on the artists who came before her.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Cooper White is a first year senior vocalist at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. Coming into senior year, he had mainly concentrated on performing musical theatre stylings, but has taken this year as a chance to branch out and experience many new genres that he otherwise would not have had many opportunities to explore. Whilst studying at SCGSAH, he has had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses for faculty and guest artists, in collaboration with other musicians, and plenty more. Through the course of this year, Cooper has truly had the chance to fully explore the world of music, having a healthy level of challenge and new ideas to help hone his technique and artistic abilities. Cooper’s time spent at SCGSAH has helped build a well-rounded, versatile singer that, with a new lens on his artistic world, cannot wait for any chance to dive into music and perform it for others.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Dylan Thompson is a third-year flute student at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where he studies with Dr. Lauren Vaughn. He has performed in a wide range of settings, including orchestral ensembles, chamber groups, and solo performances. He received an Honorable Mention at the SC MTNA competition. In addition to his work on the standard flute, he has a particular passion for the bass flute and low flute repertoire and enjoys exploring the unique colors and possibilities of these instruments. He is also a self-acclaimed "beatbox flute player," having performed in chamber groups using beatbox techniques and having participated in a masterclass with Greg Patillo, the world-famous beatbox flutist. Following graduation, Dylan plans to continue studying flute at the collegiate level and pursue further growth as a performer and musician. He would like to give a huge thank you to his family and friends for all the support they have given him along his musical journey. He would also like to give a personal thanks to his inspiration, Dr. Lauren Vaughn, for pushing him to be the best musician and person he can be.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Santiago Vazquez is a student from South Miami with the goals to pursue a career as a plastic surgeon. He began to learn the viola in eighth grade as a dare from a peer in his orchestra. Once he entered SCGSAH, he started taking the viola seriously and started learning from the foundation. With stable determination, Santi learned the beauty of music and the depth of knowledge it takes to phrase and perform (and to practice slowly). Now as a senior, he plans to become a plastic surgeon while still carrying his love for music.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Marlie Sisk is a senior cellist at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She began her musical journey at the age of eight on the violin before transitioning to the cello at eleven. During her time at the Governor’s School, Marlie has developed a deep appreciation for performing in a wide variety of ensembles, both in and outside the classroom, while continuing to grow in her musical expression and artistry.

Before joining the Governor’s School, she performed in several ensembles, including the Richland Northeast Chamber Orchestra and the Richland Northeast Jazz Orchestra. Throughout her middle and high school years, Marlie also participated in string trios, duos, and octets that performed around the Columbia area. She has developed a wide-ranging repertoire, including both well-known cello works and lesser-known pieces. Marlie plans to go to college and seek opportunities to perform and explore diverse and engaging music.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Brayden Ryan is a senior pianist at the Governor's School. With 6 years of piano experience, he hails from Sumter, South Carolina. After 2 years of independent study, he began private instruction with piano teachers at Freeway Music, and later went to study with Dr. Montgomery at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities where he performs in student recitals, ensemble recitals, and performs with chamber groups. While attending the school, he also participated in many auditions like the South Carolina Music Teacher’s Association District and State auditions, where he attained the rating of outstanding both times. He also participated in masterclasses with college professors like Dr. Mathew Manwarren and Dr. Michael Langer. In the future, he hopes to continue his musical path, and study piano performance at the doctoral level to become a professor.

🎓️2026 MUSIC SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Kennedy Parker is a first-year flute student at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, where she studies under Dr. Lauren Vaughn.

Throughout her years playing the flute, she has performed in a variety of ensembles across middle and high school, including wind ensembles, youth orchestras, chamber groups, and as a soloist. She has been selected for several prestigious ensembles, including spots in the 2024 SCBDA Clinic All-State Band, the 2025 SCBDA Senior All-State Band, and the 2026 Honor Band of America at the Music for All National Festival. She was also named a finalist in the SCBDA Master Recital.

Kennedy enjoys performing solo and orchestral music from the Classical and Romantic eras, as well as contemporary wind band literature. She plans to attend the University of South Carolina where she will major in flute performance, and aspires to pursue a career as a professional musician.