Meet the Team
Adella Carlson is a performer and entrepreneur passionate about increasing the social relevance and accessibility of classical music while improving the working lives of contemporary musicians. As the founder and CEO of Adella Carlson Studios, LLC, Adella is actively engaged as a clarinetist, music educator, and a virtual assistant for musicians, The Musician’s Assistant.
Through The Musician’s Assistant, Adella partners with entrepreneurial musicians who are building unique, cutting edge careers in the classical music industry. Adella works with coaches, composers, conductors, performers, and studio owners to build sustainable, profitable businesses with more ease. The Musician’s Assistant currently supports 20 clients worldwide.
Equally at home in solo, chamber, and large ensemble contexts, Adella is a member of the Chaos Incarné Clarinet Trio and the Piedmont Wind Symphony, and plays regularly with orchestras throughout North Carolina. Adella has been invited to play at the American Single Reed Summit, the inaugural HERo Conference, ICA Low Clarinet Conference, and numerous Clarinetfest conferences. Chaos Incarné was one of the first two ensembles to receive the ICA's Loren Kitt Memorial Award, which is given to emerging ensembles demonstrating excellence in chamber music. Adella has spent summers studying with Steve Cohen and Ricardo Morales at Brevard Music Center and the Philadelphia International Music Festival, respectively, and her primary clarinet teachers include Christopher Howard, Andy Hudson, and Anthony Taylor.
Virtual Assistant, Band: Together
Adella Carlson
Sophia Elliott
Percussion Instructor, Band: Together | Pittsburgh
Sophia Elliott is a percussionist and music educator in the Pittsburgh area. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Music Education in December of 2025 from Slippery Rock University. She has taught and composed for several high school marching bands and is currently teaching music at the elementary level.
Ally Germ
Ms. Ally Germ is a Western Pennsylvania native, and a graduate of Slippery Rock University. She currently serves as Director of Bands at Cornell School District in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. She is passionate about developing confident student leaders, and creating meaningful music experiences that inspire growth, collaboration, and community engagement.
Ally’s teaching experience spans grades 4-12 in both marching and concert band, and general music settings. Outside of the classroom, she has extensive knowledge and experience organizing events and being a manager. She has organized, coordinated, and served as a lead instructor for Slippery Rock University’s annual Drum Major and Color Guard Camp for several years, working closely with Dr. Jonathan Helmick. In addition, Ally spent a couple semesters helping organize and rehearse the ensemble for Dr. Amanda Morrison’s Steel City Clarinet Day.
Ally is excited to be a member of the Band Together: International team, and helping to foster musical excellence, leadership, and lifelong learning through instrumental music.
Manager, Band: Together
Rebekah Heltzell
Rebekah Heltzell is a recent graduate of Slippery Rock University with a degree in Music Education. She enjoys performing on clarinet with local community bands and sharing her love of music with students of all ages. Currently, she serves as a day-to-day substitute teacher in several school districts throughout the Pittsburgh area, gaining valuable experience in diverse educational settings while seeking a full-time position in Music Education.
She is excited to be the Manager and Librarian for Band:Together, where she helps organize music, coordinate resources, and support events hosted by the organization. She especially values the opportunity to work alongside the dedicated volunteers whose commitment and enthusiasm make these events possible.
Operations Manager, Band: Together
Tilly McLaughlin is a junior Music Education Major minoring in both Marching Arts and Small Chamber Music Performance at Slippery Rock University, and serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for Band: Together. Within the realm of Public Relations, Tilly has taken on roles such as SRU Marching Pride Assistant Social Media Director, SRU PCMEA Historian, and she has also had the opportunity to serve as a Social Media Intern for PMEA during the 2026 PMEA All State Conference.
Outside of her PR work, Tilly serves as the Vice President of both the SRU Clarinet Choir and SRU Marching Pride. She has also served as a Clarinet Section Sergeant in past seasons for the Marching Pride. In addition to these roles, she has also been the Director of Operations for Steel City Clarinet Day since 2025.
Public Relations, Band: Together
Tilly McLaughlin
Reilly Vroman is from Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, and is currently a student at Slippery Rock University, majoring in Art Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Art History.
During her time at SRU, she has been an active member of the Art Society, Marching Pride, Trombone Choir, and the Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, and serves as a Peer Leader for the First-Year Seminar Program.
Reilly also serves part‑time in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard with the 28th Infantry Division Band as a 42 Romeo, Army Musician on Trombone. In the summer months, she performs with the Bellefonte Community Band and works as a seasonal Design/Marketing Intern for Fortissimo Productions, LTD., selling Dinkles marching band shoes to programs across Western and Central Pennsylvania.
When she’s not designing or performing, Reilly enjoys hiking, attending professional sporting events, oil painting, scrapbooking, and spending time with her three cats — Izzy, Ziggy, and Hank.
Graphic Designer, Band: Together
Reilly Vroman
Movement Educator, Band: Together | Pittsburgh
Presenting the session "Movement for Musicians"
Sarah Zielinski
A Pittsburgh native, Sarah Zielinski attended Point Park University and graduated with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Theatre. After graduating she moved to New York City, where she worked with the NYC Metropolitan Opera, Doug Varone, Jessica Taylor of DamageDance, Awakening Movement, ZviDance, Caleb Teicher & Company, Lorena Egan, Michael Mindlin, Gibney Dance GRIT and Shining Light. Other credits include: National Tour of The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Starlight Express, Thoroughly Modern Millie and West Side Story as Anybodys. Sarah was also a dancer with Attack Theatre from 2016-2023. In addition to extensive theatrical training, Sarah is dedicated to teaching and sharing movement studies to all levels through dance, Pilates and other somatic movement explorations. Sarah is a compassionate Licensed Massage Therapist & Movement Educator through Pilates & GYROTONIC® systems. She is dedicated to promoting health, healing, balance and wholeness through therapeutic massage techniques and Myofascial Release.
Sarah will be presenting a session titled "Movement for Musicians" at Band: Together | Pittsburgh. This 45 minute session will offer ways to help your body stay just as tuned as your instrument. Being that musicians spend much of their time sitting or holding a particular position for long periods, this session will provide some anatomical insights, movement tips and self massage techniques to help counter any repetitive strain the body may experience while playing your instrument.