Mandy Fara Boonshaft

Mandy Fara Boonshaft is currently on the faculty of South Woods Middle School in Syosset, New York. Before her appointment in Syosset, she was a band director at Commack Middle School and George W. Hewlett High School. In addition, Mrs. Boonshaft is the

conductor of the Nassau-Suffolk Performing Arts Honor Band, a select ensemble comprised of the finest seventh and eighth-grade instrumentalists from across Long Island, New York.

Mrs. Boonshaft holds a B.S. in Music Education with a concentration in flute performance (cum laude with departmental honors) and an M.A. in Wind Conducting from Hofstra University, where she served as Graduate Conducting Associate from 2005-2008, conducting the University Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.

Bands under Mrs. Boonshaft’s direction have consistently earned Gold with Distinction ratings at Major Organization Festivals and have performed at such prestigious events as the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Eastern Division Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the New York State Band Directors Association Symposium in Syracuse, New York. Additionally, they have performed at clinics and workshops for such composers and conductors as Robert W. Smith, Christian Wilhjelm, and Sean O’Loughlin. The Nassau-Suffolk Honor Band has commissioned and premiered works by renowned composers Richard Saucedo and Randall Standridge.

Mrs. Boonshaft is published by Row-Loff Publications. In addition, she continues to keep an active performance schedule. She is a founding member of the Long Island Flute Quartet and has performed with numerous regional orchestras and ensembles. She has

studied flute and piccolo with Carol Wincenc, Patricia Spencer, Susan Deaver, Mindy Kaufman, John Oberbrunner, Ted Mordoff, John Littlefield, and John Wion.

Mrs. Boonshaft is a certified Major Organization and Woodwind Adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association. She was the featured artist on the KHS America Academic Alliance Reference video for Jupiter flutes. In addition, she is an educational artist for KHS America, Jupiter Band Instruments, and Azumi Flutes. Mrs. Boonshaft is highly active as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and workshop presenter for universities, schools, festivals, and conferences across the United States and Australia. She resides in Garden City, NY, with her husband Peter and their two kitties, Graham and Emerson.