Artistic Staff
Meet Our Artistic Staff
Symphony Orchestra: Nick Eggen
Nick Eggen has been a Director of Instrumental Music at Viera High School in Brevard County, Florida since 2008. He earned the BME & MME from the Florida State University and previously taught at middle and high schools in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
Mr. Eggen currently also serves as chairman of the Florida Bandmasters Association’s Sightreading Committee, and has previously served on the Florida Music Education Association Executive Board as the technology chairman and member at-large. He regularly works with the FMEA Conference Planning Committee to coordinate the annual Professional Development Conference in Tampa each January.
Mr. Eggen serves on the Brevard Public Schools Music Leadership Team and served as the All-County Band Coordinator for 10 years. He is a conductor of the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra, having worked with the organization since 2018.
His professional affiliations include the Florida Bandmasters Association, Florida Orchestra Association, Florida Music Education Association, the American School Band Directors Assoication, the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. Mr. Eggen was elected to the Omega Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, an International Bandmasters Fraternity, in 2017.
He resides in Melbourne with his wife Michelle, the Orchestra Director at Melbourne High School; his daughters Mary & Helen and sons Benjamin & William.
Festivo Orchestra: Michelle Eggen
Michelle Eggen is the Orchestra Director and IB Music Instructor at Melbourne High School in Melbourne, FL and has been a conductor of the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra since 2014. Previously, she also taught chorus at Melbourne High and strings classes at several Brevard Public Schools as a string consultant. While at “Mel High”, the chorus and orchestra programs quickly doubled in size. The orchestras at Melbourne High School consistently earn superior ratings at District and State Music Performance Assessment. Recently, the Melbourne High Chamber Orchestra performed for the 2021 Florida Music Education Association State Conference President’s Concert and at the 2022 and the 2023 American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festivals.
As a professional cellist, Mrs. Eggen performs with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra while maintaining an active private studio. She served as a past Florida Orchestra Association District Chair for District 10 and served as the Florida Orchestra Association Ethics Chair. She is in demand as an adjudicator, presenter, and clinician across the state of Florida.
Mrs. Eggen holds a Bachelors and Masters of Music Education from Florida State University. She enjoys traveling, collecting Polish Pottery, and spending time with her husband Nick, son William, daughter Helen, and miniature schnauzer Hans.
Chamber Orchestra: Ethan Hasker
Ethan Hasker holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education: Instrumental Music having graduated Magna Cum Laude from Liberty University in 2020. Currently, Mr. Hasker is the Music Specialist at Columbia Elementary in Palm Bay, Florida where he has taught since 2020.
Mr. Hasker completed his entire K-12 education in Brevard Public Schools attending Meadowlane Elementary schools, Central Middle School, and Melbourne High School. During his time as a BPS student, Mr. Hasker also participated in BSYO for multiple seasons on his primary instrument of violin. Mr. Hasker has transitioned from BSYO student to BSYO Director of the Chamber Orchestra during the BSYO Season 39 in Fall 2022.
In addition to teaching at Columbia and directing for BSYO, Mr. Hasker maintains an active private studio of both violin and viola students. Mr. Hasker continues to perform professionally and plays weekly in his church’s orchestra. In his spare time, Mr. Hasker enjoys seeing the latest movies, reading books, going to Disney, and trying new local restaurants.
String Ensemble: Rebecca Simons
Rebecca Simons is a professional violinist and private instructor local to Melbourne, FL. Mrs. Simons graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Florida State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Instrumental Music Education in 2008. While at FSU, Mrs. Simons studied violin with Eliot Chapo and string pedagogy with Dr. Michael Allen. After graduation, Mrs. Simons moved to Clearwater, where she taught Orchestra at Largo Middle School for 5 years before returning home to Brevard County. She spent 3 years teaching orchestra at Heritage High School before leaving public school teaching to be home with her first son. At that time, she directed her attention to developing her private studio and began training with the Suzuki Association of the Americas for which she is now certified through level three. Mrs. Simons maintains an active performance career in orchestras and small ensembles throughout Central and South Florida. Among her many and varied experiences, Mrs. Simons feels that her most important achievement is the continued nurturing of her four children: Graham, Logan, Vera, and Jacob.