Susan Fain performs locally as a free-lance musician in the DallasFort Worth area. She completed a Master of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and Musicology at Eastern Washington University followed by a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Fain also earned a clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy and has several years experience working in orthopedic physical therapy out-patient clinics. Her DMA dissertation, An Application of Anatomy, Physiology, and Neurology to the Balancing and Playing of the Flute, brought together her interest in music and medicine, and won the National Flute Association’s 2010 Dissertation Competition. Dr. Fain has performed with the Great Falls Symphony, the Chinook Winds (its resident woodwind quintet), and the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as schoolaffiliated orchestras as part of her higher education degrees. She is an active member of the E. Clyde Whitlock Music Club which is part of the Fort Worth Woman’s Club. Dr. Fain has performed for a variety of civic organizations including the Friends of Jane Austen, the Jane Austen Society of North Texas, the Women of Rotary-Arlington, and various clubs within the Fort Worth Woman’s Club. As an “evangelist” for classical music, she enjoys reaching audiences not only through performances, but also in lectures and workshops. Dr. Fain thoroughly enjoyed teaching Senior Seminars at the University of Oklahoma and TCU on subjects related to music history. She has presented at several national flute clubs on the importance of health awareness among musicians. A lifelong learner, Dr. Fain still studies flute with Patricia George, one of the flute community’s most respected pedagogues. Her current project is developing the newly created Fort Worth Medical Orchestra and the Fort Worth Medical Flute Choir. Dr. Fain is married to yet another Dr. Fain (MD). They have five adult children, nine grandchildren, and thankfully no pets.

Matthew Lovelace currently serves as Director of Orchestras at The Colony High School in Lewisville ISD. He is a student of Dr. Germán Gutiérrez at Texas Christian University and will graduate with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting in May. He also serves as the inaugural conductor of the Fort Worth Medical Orchestra, the first ensemble of its type in the DFW area, dedicated to connecting those in the medical profession through music. He was named a finalist for the 2021 American Prize in Conducting – College/University Orchestra Division. He previously served as Music Director for Texas Hill Country Opera and Arts where he conducted annual performances of the company’s New Year’s Eve production of Die Fledermaus. Additionally, he conducted the world premiere of the chamber version of the one act opera Lady Bird: First Lady of the Land by composer Henry Mollicone and librettist Sheldon Harnick. Before attending TCU, he was a public-school orchestra director for five years. Previous conducting posts include Orchestra Director of the Trinity University Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the University of Texas at San Antonio Symphony. Lovelace earned a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Texas at San Antonio where he studied conducting with Eugene Dowdy and violin with Stephanie Westney. His undergraduate degree is from Tarleton State University where he studied percussion with Rich Bahner and piano with Leslie Spotz. Before beginning graduate studies at TCU, he was active as an actor and music director at Circle Arts Theatre in New Braunfels, TX. He is an inaugural member of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts Leadership Council of Tarleton State University and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda.

Music Director

Mitchell Manlapig is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at Texas Christian University under the tutelage of Dr. Germán Gutiérrez. He serves as assistant conductor and manager of the TCU Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he closely collaborates with TCU Opera, having most recently conducted their full production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In addition to his studies at TCU, Mr. Manlapig holds a job shadow with assistant conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Taichi Fukumura. He also serves as assistant conductor to the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra. Prior to his studies at TCU, Mr. Manlapig attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he received a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, summa cum laude. During his final year of study at UWM, Mr. Manlapig served as acting student director, principal rehearsal conductor, and manager of the UWM Symphony. His position as acting student director led him to close collaborations with esteemed conductors, having assisted Ken-David Masur (Principal Conductor – Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Music Director – Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) and David Bloom (Co-Artistic Director – Contemporaneous and Present Music). His time in Milwaukee also led him to work with the University Community Orchestra of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Philharmonic. During his undergraduate studies at Oklahoma Baptist University, Mr. Manlapig served as assistant conductor for the OBU/Shawnee Community Orchestra. Upon graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, he received both the Outstanding Senior in the Division of Music and the W.P. Blake Award, the highest award given to a senior at OBU. Not only an orchestral conductor, Mr. Manlapig also held several choir directorships throughout his time in Oklahoma. He is excited to join the team at the Fort Worth Medical Orchestra.