Mandy Fara Boonshaft
Conductor
Honor Band Mandy Fara Boonshaft, conductor of the Nassau-Suffolk Honor Band since its inception in 2010, is a member of the music education faculty of the Syosset Central School District. She is currently a band director at South Woods Middle School. Prior to her appointment in Syosset, she was a band director at both Commack Middle School and George W. Hewlett High School.

Mrs. Boonshaft is a graduate of Hofstra University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education with a concentration in flute performance, graduating cum laude with departmental honors. Mrs. Boonshaft also holds a Master of Arts degree in Wind Conducting from Hofstra University, where she served as the Graduate Conducting Associate from 2005-2008, conducting both the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band.

Ensembles under Mrs. Boonshaft’s direction have received numerous Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Major Organization Festivals, have been invited to perform at the New York State Band Director’s Symposium, and have performed at clinics and workshops for composers and conductors such as Robert W. Smith, Christian Wilhjelm, and Sean O’Loughlin. In addition to performances on Long Island, The Nassau-Suffolk Honor Band has commissioned and premiered works by renowned composers Richard Saucedo and Randall Standridge and was chosen to perform at the prestigious National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A composer of works for concert band and percussion ensemble, Mrs. Boonshaft is currently 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 a number of 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 an active member of the Nassau Music Educators Association, the New York State Band Directors Association and the New York State School Music Association, for which she is a certified Major Organization and Woodwind Adjudicator. Extremely active as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator and workshop presenter for band festivals, universities, schools and conferences, she has served as guest conductor for the Hampton Music Educators Association High School Honors Band Festival, Suburban Council (Albany) Music Festival, Suffolk County Music Educators Association Division 2 East All-County Band, Orange County High School All-County Band, the Bristol Township School District Honors Band in Bucks County (Pennsylvania), the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Region 10 Middle School Band 1, and most recently, the Sweetwater District Honor Concert Band in Chula Vista, California. She has served numerous times as an adjudicator for the prestigious Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival in Sydney, Australia; was a session presenter at the Sydney Music Education Conference, Maryborough Music Conference, New York State Band Director’s Symposium and the New York State School Music Association Conference; and presented masterclasses in flute performance in Queensland, Australia. Mrs. Boonshaft was the featured artist on the KHS America Academic Alliance Reference video for Jupiter flutes. In addition, she is an educational clinician for KHS America, Jupiter Band Instruments and Azumi Flutes. Mrs. Boonshaft resides in Garden City, NY with her husband Peter and their two kitties, Graham and Emerson.