Multi-Level Community Ensemble

Christopher B. Badgett

Christopher B. Badgett is an accomplished music educator and performer with over a decade of experience in teaching and leadership. He currently serves as Band Director at Lucy Addison Middle School and Assistant Band Director for the Marching Colonels at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Virginia. Previously, he directed choral and general music programs in Amherst County and worked extensively with the Amherst County High School Marching Lancer Band.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg) and is pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education at Boston University. During his undergraduate studies, he served as principal clarinetist for multiple ensembles, including the Con Brio Woodwind Quintet, wind symphony, and orchestra, and earned honors such as the Helen Pesci
Wood Award in Music Performance and the Mu Phi Epsilon Senior Achievement Award. He also placed in state and national competitions, including the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition.

An active performer, Christopher has appeared as a tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Opera Roanoke and sung in productions such as Gianni Schicchi and Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Opera on the James. He is a Young Artist with Opera Roanoke and performs regularly with Winds of the Blue Ridge, Southwest Virginia’s premier wind ensemble. His instrumental repertoire spans works by Gershwin, Copland, Debussy, Weber, and Stravinsky.

Christopher is the recipient of numerous awards, including the WSLS/Blue Eagle Credit Union Educator Impact Award and multiple scholarships from Mu Phi Epsilon. He is passionate about equity and community engagement in music education, coordinated programs and taught private lessons, ukulele classes, and instrumental masterclasses. As the newly appointed conductor of the RSO Multi-Level Community Ensemble, Christopher brings a dynamic vision to unite musicians of all backgrounds through artistry, collaboration, and a shared love of music.

Virginia Willis

Virginia Willis, Director of Education & Community Engagement for the RSO, and conductor for the RSO’s String Ensemble and Symphonia, as well as the Salem Strings After-School program, will coach our string players and support overall program coordination. Previously, she served as the orchestra teacher at James Madison Middle School and Fishburn Park Elementary in Roanoke, VA. Virginia holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

As an alum of the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra, Virginia is excited to introduce this adult education program through the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. “We need a place for adults who used to play an instrument or want to learn an instrument to learn and make music together. There are many music education opportunities for students under 18, and places for professional musicians who dedicate their lives to practicing and performing on their instrument, but the vast majority of musicians are people who work in other fields and have families. I am excited to provide a place for those people to come together to make music in a low pressure, fun, and educational environment.”