Stephanie Koppeis Merten
Adjunct Lecturer
Fields of Study:
Music Education
Biographical Information:
Stephanie Koppeis Merten is an adjunct lecturer at Queens College. She has been a professional violinist/violist and music educator for over 25 years, a career that has included extensive experience in both K-12 and university settings.
Since 2011, Ms. Koppeis Merten has served as the Orchestra Director at Syosset H.S., where she directs the Chamber Orchestra and Concert Orchestra. In 2025, her Chamber Orchestra won the title of Grand Champions at the National Orchestra Festival at the ASTA conference in Atlanta, GA. Her orchestras have consistently earned Gold and Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Major Ensemble Festivals. She also advises the Full Orchestra and the Chamber Music Club, which has prepared ensembles for competitions such as the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society’s Young Musicians Program, with her students performing at Alice Tully Hall.
Stephanie’s earlier teaching roles included adjunct positions at the State University of New York at Oswego and Syracuse University, and high school orchestra teaching at Liverpool HS in upstate NY. She has guest-conducted numerous festival orchestras across the state, including All County and Area All State ensembles, and has served as a conductor for the Metropolitan Youth Orchestras of Suffolk and Nassau.
Ms. Koppeis Merten’s professional performance career directly influences her teaching. As a violinist, she has performed in professional orchestras in Germany, Ireland, and the U.S. under conductors like Marin Alsop, Charles Dutoit, and Joanne Falletta. She was a tenured first violinist with the Syracuse Symphony and continues to perform with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra in Ohio, a role she has held for over two decades. Her diverse performance background includes a national tour with the production of Oliver!, orchestral performing in Europe, Asia, Greenland, India, and Scandinavia with a diverse list of artists that includes Cheryl Crow, Judy Collins, Randy Travis, the Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Bolton.
Ms. Koppeis Merten is currently an active member of professional music organizations, including LISFA, ASTA, NMEA, NYSSMA, and NAfME.