Meet the Directors

Debra Ellis is a music educator in Caldwell, Idaho, at Vision Charter School where she teaches elementary general music and 6th-12th grade orchestras. Debra holds a B.A. in Music Education from Northwest Nazarene University and an M.Mus. in Music Education from Kent State University.

She loves the variety that music can bring to life and is truly passionate about providing as many quality music experiences as possible for students. While teaching at Vision Charter School, she’s taken groups to Disneyland twice and enjoys taking students to Idaho universities to meet music professors and get information on how music involvement can assist them with goals later in life.

Debra believes in using music education to help students become great humans who will do things to improve our world. In addition to being an educator, Debra has been a member of the Boise Philharmonic second violin section since 1997. She loves playing with this professional group, keeping her own skills alive and being able to use the advice she gives students for practicing to improve.

At the community level, Debra conducts the choir at her church, Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, and serves as a music director and on-stage performer with the Music Theatre of Idaho.

Nathan May, assistant director for the Canyon County Youth Symphony, began learning guitar from his father, violin from his sister, and piano from his mother at age 5. Eventually, his middle school orchestra teacher asked him if he would like to switch to playing the double bass. He accepted and discovered a great love for the instrument.

He began taking lessons with Dr. Aaron Miller at Brigham Young University – Idaho in 8th grade. In his last two years at BYU-I he studied composition with Dr. Sue Niemoyer. He completed his bachelor’s in double bass performance at BYU-I in 2018.

During the summer before his senior year, he attended the Domaine Forget Music Festival in Quebec, Canada. There he studied with bass luminaries such as Francois Rabbath, Paul Ellison, and Scott Dixon. He was then accepted to the Double Bass masters program at Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Scott Dixon, bassist with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Following his master’s degree, he began subbing with the Boise Philharmonic and taught middle school. He now teaches high school orchestra in Nampa, Idaho including traditional and rock ensembles. He writes chamber music and records his own music.