Stetson School of Music faculty and alumni joined forces in the orchestra pit for Athens Theatre’s Holiday Inn.

Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn—a heartwarming holiday treat packed with show-stopping dance numbers, dazzling costumes, and a treasure trove of timeless tunes. When Broadway performer Jim leaves the bright lights behind for a quiet Connecticut farmhouse, he ends up transforming his home into a seasonal inn, open only on the holidays. But with love in the air, rivalries heating up, and performances for every festivity, the holidays get a lot more exciting than he ever imagined. Featuring 20 beloved Irving Berlin classics—including “White Christmas,” “Happy Holiday,” “Blue Skies,” and “Cheek to Cheek”—this delightful musical delivers all the laughter, romance, and seasonal sparkle of a Christmas card come to life.

Sara Pyburn (’24 BME) is featured on the Reed I part, covering piccolo, flute, alto flute, clarinet, and alto saxophone. By day, she is the band director at Umatilla Middle School in Lake County, where she teaches beginning band, symphonic band, and jazz band. This school year, 50% of her students who auditioned for the District 19 All-District Band were accepted into the group. She also performs regularly with Southern Winds, Mount Dora Jazz, and the Daytona State College Jazz Band.

Dennis Scaccia (’83 BME) is featured on the Reed II part, covering flute, soprano saxophone, and alto saxophone. He is a recently retired band director after more than 32 years of teaching in multiple counties, including Volusia, St. Johns, Independence (Arkansas), and DeKalb (Georgia). Currently, he performs, writes, and arranges music and marching band shows. He is also a well-known adjudicator and guest clinician, and co-founder of the Lakeside Jazz Festival in Port Orange, Florida.

Dr. Aaron Witek, Stetson faculty, is featured in select performances on trumpet. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist, performer, educator, clinician, and author. He serves as Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Coordinator of Brass and Percussion at Stetson University. He has performed across the U.S. and internationally in Australia, Bangladesh, China, and Mexico. His students have earned awards from organizations including the International Trumpet Guild and the National Trumpet Competition.

Sean Strott (’16 BME) is featured on bass. He is currently the orchestra director and guitar instructor at Deltona High School. He has been a regular performer at the Athens Theatre since 2014, including in 9 to 5, Escape to Margaritaville, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, and Grease.

Professor Craig Uppercue (’04 BME/’25 Ed.S.) is featured on percussion. He currently serves as a Fine Arts Specialist for Volusia County Schools and as an Adjunct Professor of Music in Elementary Music Education at Stetson University. Previously, he taught for 20 years in the Florida public school system. He is the Director of Community Relations at the Athens Theatre and the Music Director of the Off-Broadway national tour The Rock & The Rabbi.

We love seeing Hatters making music together—Go Hatters!