…this is A D A S T R A
Conductors
Sheri Cain
Gemini Orchestra Conductor & Ad Astra Co-Founder
Sheri Cain has been a public school educator since 1996. She also serves as a clinician and adjudicator across the Midwest for middle-level orchestras and festivals.
Currently, Sheri teaches in the Blue Valley School District in Kansas. With the philosophy that performing should be enjoyable, she finds her students actively seeking out other performance opportunities.
Her ensembles actively participate in district-level orchestras and the community. Many of her students participate in area youth orchestras across the city. Sheri’s students at Prairie Star were an enormous influence in creating Ad Astra Youth Orchestra. She wanted to provide a performance opportunity that emulates what they enjoy about her class.
There have been a few opportunities for Sheri to serve as a mentor to fellow teachers in the area. She serves as one of the Orchestra Facilitators for the Blue Valley School District. She has been the Middle Level Orchestra Chair for the ECKMEA and is currently the Orchestra Mentor for KMEA.
Sheri was honored as the Elementary Educator of the Year by the Missouri Chapter of the American String Teacher Association in 2018. She was also the Blue Valley Teacher of the Year 2021 for Prairie Star Middle School. Most recently, Sheri was selected by her orchestra peers as the ECKMEA Outstanding Middle Level Orchestra Educator for the 2024-2025 school year.
Sheri and her husband, Michael, have two daughters. Maddie is a band teacher in Wichita, Kansas, and Becca is an environmental scientist in Olathe, Kansas.
Contact: shericain@adastrakc.org
Matthew Imber
Ad Astra Cello Ensemble Conductor & Rehearsal Assistant
Matthew Imber is a composer and private cello teacher based in Overland Park. He has performed with orchestras in seven countries and at New York’s historic Carnegie Hall. He studied music at Grinnell College in Iowa before returning to the Kansas City area. Matthew is a classically-trained but nontraditional musician who likes to introduce audiences and young musicians to the possibilities of the cello in different genres and styles such as pop, rock, metal, bluegrass, and jazz. He performs with the Olathe Community Orchestra and Lenexa Community Orchestra and is a proud member of Ad Astra’s Music Education Advisory Board.
Madeline Smith
Aurora Orchestra Conductor
Madeline Smith graduated from the University of Missouri Kansas-City in 2023 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Madeline currently teaches 5th and 6th grade strings in the Shawnee Mission East area. She has been teaching private lessons since 2019. In addition to her teaching, Madeline plays in various orchestras around the Kansas City and plays in a quartet. As a violinist, she has collaborated with young composers on a variety of recording projects. Madeline believes that any student is capable of learning a string instrument and wants to provide various opportunities for students to have a wide range to collaborate on making music!
Russ Pieken
Apollo Orchestra Director & Ad Astra Co-Founder
Russ Pieken has been a music educator for over 30 years.
He has taught elementary, middle and high school orchestra as well as on the collegiate level.
Groups under his direction have been invited to perform at such prestigious events as the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop, Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, National Association for Music Education, and the American String Teachers Association. Performance venues include Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the jewel of them all....our very own Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
In 2007 he was awarded the National Music Educator of the Year Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony. This included a five week residency with the NSO and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
His most honored musical experience was conducting the Olathe East HS Orchestra for the opening and dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
Russ’s grandfather served and was a prisoner of war during the majority of the conflict. For 30 years Russ has dedicated every single performance to him.
Throughout his entire career he has always wanted to do the best for the kids he has been lucky enough to teach. He truly believes that all students are to be respected and valued as unique human beings. Each student, regardless of their musical level or skills, brings something valuable and important to the ensemble and program.
Russ and his wife Laurie will be celebrating their 30th anniversary this October!
Laurie is an art educator in the Olathe School District at Meadow Lane Elementary School. Their son Joe lives in Kansas City and is an active photographer, video editor, and director. Their daughter Norah lives in Lake Tahoe, California living the dream of working on the slopes!
The Piekens also have two dogs. Bowie and Pepper.
They love McGriddles....
Lauren Martens
Gemini Orchestra Rehearsal Assistant
Lauren Martens is a proud graduate of the University of Kansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree. She has been teaching orchestra in the Blue Valley School District for the past eight years and is deeply rooted in the Overland Park community. In addition to her role in public education, Lauren maintains a thriving private studio and frequently freelances throughout the Kansas City metro area.
Outside of teaching and performing, Lauren enjoys spending time at Lake Stockton with her family, relaxing with her cats, exploring new restaurants, catching live music, and making memories with her close friends. She is thrilled to be part of the Ad Astra Chamber Orchestra team and to help inspire the next generation of young musicians.
Anna Dishman
Ad Astra Librarian