Woodwind Faculty
Cara Hachten
Saxophone & Flute
Cara teaches in person and remote lessons on Mondays from 2-8pm.
Cara (Kinney) Hachten is a saxophonist, woodwind musician, and arts administrator. A versatile performer, Cara is passionate about curating connections, collaborating with other musicians, and inspiring audiences through music. Originally from Maine, Cara participates in ensembles, chamber groups, and musical theater productions across New England. She can be seen performing with the Firebird Pops Orchestra, Opus One Big Band, and the Boston University Saxophone Ensemble. Cara received her master's degree in saxophone performance from Boston University and completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia, where she double majored in music performance and communication. She has participated in recordings as a member of the Fredonia Saxophone Ensemble and the Boston University Wind Ensemble. Her primary teachers include Joe Kingston, Dr. Wildy Zumwalt, Bruce Johnstone, and Dr. Jennifer Bill.
Outside of performing, Cara enjoys sewing, skiing, hiking, and being outdoors. Cara and her husband, Jeremy, recently relocated to Southern New Hampshire. To learn more about Cara and see her upcoming performances, visit carakinney.com.
Dr. Tim Skinner
Clarinet & Saxophone
Tim teaches in person and remote lessons on Thursdays 2-8pm.
Dr. Timothy Skinner has been teaching and playing professionally for over 10 years. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas, a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico, and a Bachelor of Music degree from California State University in Northridge. After finishing school in 2015, Dr. Skinner won the audition for bass clarinetist of the New Mexico Philharmonic, a position he still holds today. In addition to his time with the NM Phil, he has performed on soprano, bass, and e-flat clarinet with the Santa Fe Opera, the Dallas Winds, the Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe ProMusica, and the Del Sol String Quartet.
Dr. Skinner has held several teaching positions throughout the United States, including as a lecturer at the University of New Mexico, and currently teaches at the Campus School of Smith College in addition to his work here at NCMS. His favorite non-musical activities include reading books of all kinds, skiing and hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and watching (too many) food and travel videos on YouTube.
Jarod Apple
Saxophone and Clarinet
Jarod teaches in-person and remote lessons on Tuesdays from 2-8pm.
Jarod Apple is a Saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and Educator currently based in Massachusetts with a passion for new music and expanding the saxophone’s role in classical music.
As a performer, Jarod has been featured with various orchestras, wind ensembles, jazz orchestras, chamber ensembles, and as a soloist across the country. Jarod was a Performance Fellow at the 2023 Cortona Sessions for New Music hosted in Cortona, Italy and in competition, Jarod placed Second in the 2023 London Classical Music Competition, won the Bergen Philharmonic Young Artist Competition and was the winner of the 2024 Rutgers University Graduate Concerto Competition. As a chamber musician, Jarod is the Saxophonist for the Voyager Reed Quintet. The ensemble was awarded the Ensemble Forward Grant through Chamber Music America and was a Semi-Finalist at the 2024 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
Jarod is a Doctoral Candidate in Classical Saxophone at Rutgers University - studying under Dr. Paul Cohen. Jarod holds a Master of Music Degree in Classical Saxophone from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Education from Arkansas Tech University, studying saxophone, with Mr. Ken Futterer, and voice, with Dr. John Clements.
Jarod is a Silverstein Works Artist and plays on exclusively Silverstein Works Ligatures.
Devin Morin
Flute
Devin teaches in person and remote lessons on Wednesdays 5-8pm
Devin (they/them) is excited to be returning to NCMS! They began working at NCMS in high school and are thrilled to be back as a flute instructor. Devin graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2024 from the University of New Hampshire. They are currently an elementary school music teacher and love working with students of all ages.
Devin has been playing flute for over ten years and has been teaching lessons for the last four years. They have experience teaching students from a wide variety of backgrounds and work to make music more accessible to everyone. Devin identifies as queer and enjoys performing music that engages in social justice advocacy. When they aren’t teaching, Devin enjoys creating art, reading, and watching medical dramas!