Gail is in her thirtieth year as the conductor of the award-winning West Michigan Concert WINDS.  Under her direction, the WINDS received the John Phillip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Silver Scroll Award, America’s most prestigious community concert band award.  She has organized five international tours with the WINDS, most recently to Scotland and Ireland. She has had the privilege of conducting the WINDS in Chicago’s Symphony Hall, as well as the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City.   Before becoming conductor, Mrs. Brechting was principal trombone with the WINDS and performed with many area music ensembles including the Traverse City Symphony, the Lansing Concert Band, The Lake Effect Brass, and the West Shore Symphony.  She has just returned from the 2025 European Tour as conductor of the Lifelong Arts International Community Band with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

From 1996-1999 Mrs. Brechting represented MSBOA as the State Representative for the Michigan Youth Arts Festival.  For over forty years, she has been an active district and state level adjudicator for low brass, band and orchestras as well as teaching private trombone and tuba lessons to students of all ages.

Mrs. Brechting is the 2019 & 2022 recipient of the Harry Begian Conductor Scholar Award, through Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She has been the guest conductor with the Acadia Winds in Louisiana, Hot Springs Community Band in Arkansas, was the featured conductor with the Louisiana MS Honors Band.  She has also had the honor to be a guest clinician and conductor with the Winter Park High School in Florida, the 2024 All-New England Band Festival, New Hampshire, and the 2024 Three Rivers Honor Band of Purdue University Ft. Wayne.

Mrs. Brechting is the Past President of the Association of Concert Bands, an international organization serving adult community bands, serving two previous terms on their board of directors. She is the Lifelong Arts Program Director with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, serving since 2019.  Gail conducted the Blue Lake International Community Band the Summer of 2025 on a four country European tour. She is an Associate member of the American Bandmasters Association, a member of the National Band Association, an Emeritus member of Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, P.E.O. and the Women Band Directors International.  She was the first woman selected by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to serve on the Sudler Silver Scroll Award selection committee, and is presently the chairwoman.   She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree from Western Michigan University.  Mrs. Brechting is a past music faculty member of Muskegon Community College. She retired in 2019, after a 40-year public school music education career, 34 of those with the Reeths-Puffer Schools in Muskegon, MI.  In her spare time, she trains to compete as a US Masters swimmer, loves to play golf and travel.

Mrs. Brechting lives in Spring Lake with her engineer/pianist husband Frank.  Their daughter Annelise, is a Physician Assistant in Greenville, SC.

Brian J. Olian is currently in his twenty-first year at Reeths-Puffer Schools in Muskegon, Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University (2004) and a Master of Music Degree from Sam Houston State University (2010). Mr. Olian is the current conductor of the Reeths-Puffer Middle School Bands. During his time at Reeths-Puffer, he has been the Director of the High School Symphony Band, assistant Director of the Marching Band, and has overseen the growth of the beginning band program at Reeths-Puffer Intermediate School. In addition to his work with the students at Reeths-Puffer Schools, Mr. Olian has been an active member of the conducting faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a position he has frequently held since the summer of 2005. In 2011-2012, Mr. Olian was honored to be selected as the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Harry Begian Conducting Fellowship at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Mr. Olian has also been a guest conductor with the West Michigan Concert Winds and has conducted the Winds at both the Red Cedar Festival and the Motor City Brass Band Festival, and in 2016 he guest conducted the Winds at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Mr. Olian has also served as the conductor of West Michigan Concert Winds’ Summer Sousa Band. In 2008, he was chosen as the conductor of the District 7 Middle School Honors Band, and in 2009 a recipient of the ASBDA’s Outstanding Potential Award for early career excellence in band education.