MEET THE STAFF

Larkin Sanders Executive Artistic Director

Dr. Larkin Sanders is a native of Branson, Missouri, and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri where she is the clarinet instructor at Washburn University, owns the Clever Clarinetist (a clarinet specialty store), is the Executive-Artistic Director of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, and is an active performer. As a chamber music and entrepreneurship specialist, she manages and performs with Porch Music KC, the Bluestem Faculty Quintet at Washburn University, and more. In addition to a variety of chamber ensembles, she also performs with the Springfield Symphony, Topeka Symphony, and other regional orchestras. Dr. Sanders serves on several nonprofit boards such as the American Single Reed Summit (Vice President) and Charlotte House Series. Dr. Sanders is a performing artist for Henri Selmer Paris, D’Addario & Co., Brian Corbin Clarinet Products, and she is a Silverstein Pro Team Artist.

In addition to her activities as a clarinetist, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Sanders is also a composer and author who has a fondness for songs and unique chamber ensembles. Larkin has had her works performed in a variety of settings. Her works are inspired by the talents of her friends and colleagues, and the genres of her works span from chamber operettas, art songs, children’s music, and more. She is also the author of The Creation of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra: The Performer’s Field Guide to Music Festival Foundation and The Clever Clarinetist’s Daily Scale Method: Scales and Exercises for Everyday Use, used by The Florida State University and other studios as their official fundamental method.

Dr. Sanders completed her Doctor of Music degree in clarinet performance and a certificate in arts administration at Florida State University in 2015. At FSU, she studied clarinet with Dr. Frank Kowalsky and Dr. Deborah Bish while teaching a course in clarinet fundamentals for first-year undergraduate students. Larkin also holds a master of music degree from Michigan State University where she studied clarinet with Dr. Justin O’Dell and composition with Dr. Ricardo Lorenz. Previously, she earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Kansas while studying clarinet with Dr. Stephanie Zelnick and Dr. Larry Maxey.

In addition to her exciting musical activities, Dr. Sanders is an aquatic enthusiast who enjoys sailing and scuba diving, and she is an avid craftswoman who enjoys graphic design, sewing, furniture rehab, and other creative adventures. In her free time, she enjoys creating things, going on adventures, reading, and spending time with her family & friends, her Norwegian forest cat, Miles, and her dogs, Miko and Dopey.

Patti Sanders

Development Director

Born and raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Patti Sanders graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Marketing. Her husband, Sandy, is a drummer and professor of English; and daughter, Dr. Larkin Sanders, is a free lance musician in Kansas City. The Sanders family has resided in Branson since 1992. Patti is the Mama of the orchestra, and always looking for housing, food and funds. So, she could use your help! When she’s not playing orchestra Mama, she’s playing with the neighborhood kids, sailing with Sandy or walking Rufus, her sweet English Cocker Spaniel.