Who We Are

Praised as “new and exciting” by The Daily Iowan, the award-winning Wild Prairie Winds promote accessible chamber music through community outreach, education, imaginative programming, and creative concert settings.

In an effort to be as accessible as possible to audiences, the quintet performs in libraries, city centers, public parks, schools, nursing homes, and local theaters. Their newest venture, the annual Iowa Great Lakes Summer Chamber Music Festival, brings music to public venues in the Okoboji, Iowa area.

As advocates for chamber music education, the Wild Prairie Winds incorporate innovative clinics and outreach into their residencies. Most recently, they presented public school performances and instrumental masterclasses in Quincy, Illinois and Nevada, Missouri. In 2021, they created a High School Honor Wind Quintet, which gave five outstanding young Des Moines musicians the opportunity to perform alongside the Wild Prairie Winds.

The Wild Prairie Winds were awarded First Prize in the Professional Division of the 2020 Gates of Hope International Chamber Competition and the 2024 Kings Peak International Music Competition. They have appeared as guest artists at the University of Arkansas, Truman State University, St. Ambrose University, Western Illinois University, Cottey College, and the Conference of the International Double Reed Society. In their 2024-2025 season they performed at the Icicle Creek Performing Arts Center in Leavenworth, Washington, and the Quincy Civic Music Association in Quincy, Illinois. The 2025-2026 season will include residencies at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas and Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Wild Prairie Winds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

CURRENT MEMBERS


  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Katey Jahnke is a passionate hornist, educator, and advocate for women in music. She is Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Arkansas, where she leads a vibrant studio and performs with Lyrique Quintette and Arkansas Brassworks. Her teaching career spans institutions  across Iowa and Ohio including Grand View University, Central College, Muskingum University, Marietta College, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Her private students have earned accolades in youth symphonies, all-state ensembles, and prestigious summer programs.

    An accomplished performer, Dr. Jahnke has appeared worldwide as a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber artist. Recent highlights include performances with the Lyrique Quintette in Thailand and Panama, principal horn roles with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas Philharmonic, and solo appearances at the International Horn Symposium and International Women’s Brass Conference. She frequently collaborates with Magnolia Brass, Sapphire Brass, and the award-winning Wild Prairie Winds.

    A dedicated advocate, Dr. Jahnke mentors through the International Women in Brass and serves as Treasurer of the International Alliance for Women in Music. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa and actively champions female composers, premiering and recording new works celebrating women’s contributions to music.

    Contact Katey at

    katey@wildprairiewinds.org


  • DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

    Flutist John Ross is an accomplished soloist, educator, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. He is on the faculty and administration of the Portland Conservatory of Music in Maine and has served on the faculties of Cottey College and West Virginia State University. He also performs in the summers with the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, MO and has taught on the faculties of Sparrow Music Camp in High Springs, FL, the Florida State University Summer Music Camps, and Music for the Sake of Music (MFSOM) in Green Bay, WI.

    A versatile performer, Dr. Ross has given numerous performances throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, and central Europe, and in such venues as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and the Lucerna Great Hall in Prague, Czech Republic. He is currently the flutist with Wild Prairie Winds, a professional wind quintet. He has also been principal flute of the orchestra for MFSOM, the Italian-American Opera Festival Orchestra (CA), the Charleston Chamber Orchestra (WV), and has also performed with the Topeka Symphony, the Muncie Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, and the Charleston Light Opera Guild.

    Dr. Ross has appeared as faculty soloist with the WVSU Wind Ensemble, the Cottey College Wind Ensemble, and the orchestra of MFSOM. He has also been a featured soloist with the FSU Symphonic Band and the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra in Hamilton, OH. His flute ensemble Silver Lining Flutes toured around Costa Rica in Spring 2017, performing and giving masterclasses as part of the Promising Artists of the 21st Century series. His folk trios, Cuttin' Bracken and Rakish Ramblers, have performed throughout northern Florida, including multiple performances at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, FL.

    Dr. Ross attended West Virginia University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, studying with Joyce Catalfano, Thomas Godfrey, Francesca Arnone, Mihoko Watanabe, and Eva Amsler. He is also pursuing a certification in body mapping through the Association for Body Mapping Education, studying with Amy Likar.

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    Contact John at john@wildprairiewinds.org.


  • DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

    Dr. Jenna Sehmann is the Assistant Professor of Oboe and Music History at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She holds degrees from the University of Iowa, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Eastern Kentucky University. Professionally, Dr. Sehmann performs regularly as a with the Longview Symphony, Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, and Wild Prairie Wind Quinet, and the Stone Fort Wind Quintet. Previously she has held teaching positions at Southeast Missouri State University, Mount Mercy University, and Cornell College.

    In addition to performing and teaching, she enjoys spending time with her retired racing greyhound, Peggy Sue. You can learn more about Jenna on her website, jennasehmann.com

    Contact Jenna at​jenna@wildprairiewinds.org.


  • DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

    Dr. Moria Tunison Pieper currently works in arts administration as the Scheduling Specialist at the Jacobs School of Music. Her former faculty positions include Affiliate Instructor of Clarinet and Woodwind Methods at Bradley University, Adjunct Instructor of Clarinet at Illinois Wesleyan University, and Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
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    An active performer, Moria has performed with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, the Franco-American Vocal Academy Opera Chamber Orchestra in France, the Urbana Pops Orchestra, the 2017 National Intercollegiate Band, and with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra as the 2010 Concerto Competition Winner.
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    Studying with J. David Harris, Moria received her Doctorate in Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance and Literature, with a cognate in Musicology, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her Master’s in Clarinet Performance from Michigan State University, where she studied with Dr. Guy Yehuda, and her Bachelor’s in Clarinet Performance and her Bachelor’s in Instrumental Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, where she studied with Dr. Magie Smith.
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    More information about Moria’s latest projects and performances can be found at evelynmoriatunison.com

    Contact Moria at

    ​moria@wildprairiewinds.org.


  • DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

    Keegan Hockett is the Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and St. Ambrose University. An active musician across the Midwest, he has appeared with the Des Moines Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Keegan is a DMA candidate at the University of Iowa and graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he earned his MM as a Henry Mancini Fellow. When he's not teaching or performing, Keegan produces sheet music at Just a Theory Press in Iowa City, IA.

    Contact Keegan at

    keegan@wildprairiewinds.org