Director of Bands
Matthew Bo Sodders is the Director of Bands at Alan C. Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia. The Pope Wind Symphony was a featured ensemble at the 2020 and 2024 Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference in Athens, Georgia, 2023 University of Georgia "JanFest", and the 2021 University of Tennessee Chattanooga Honor Band Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prior to his engagement at Pope High School, Mr. Sodders was the Director of Bands at John McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Originally from Lima, Ohio, Mr. Sodders graduated cum laude from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio with an instrumental and elementary specialist degree in Music Education. While at BGSU, Bo Sodders studied with trumpet professor Mr. George Novak and conducting with Dr. Emily Freeman Brown.
Mr. Sodders is active in the drum and bugle corps activity, currently serving as the Brass Caption Head of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from Madison, Wisconsin. Sodders previously has worked with with Phantom Regiment, Blue Knights, Troopers, Spirit of Atlanta, Southwind, Teal Sound Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Sodders is a five-year veteran of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle corps from Toledo, Ohio, where he served for two seasons as drum major.
Mr. Sodders was a staff member of the 2016 and 2017 United States Army All-American Marching Band. Sodders’ professional affiliations include membership in the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educator Association, MENC, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu 'International Bandmasters Association'.
Associate Director of Bands
Mr. Josh Rudolph is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Alan C. Pope High School and went on to earn a Bachelors of Music degree from the University of South Carolina. As a senior in High School, Mr. Rudolph was the inaugural recipient of The Revelli Award, a national award given to a single graduating senior going on to pursue music education as a career.
Mr. Rudolph spent six years as Director of Bands at Carolina Forest High School. Prior to that, he was the Director of Middle School Bands at Carolina Forest for two years. While in Myrtle Beach, Mr. Rudolph was the founder and conductor of the Carolina Youth Wind Symphony, an organization for advanced musicians of the greater Grand Strand area. He has been selected for inclusion in the 2002 and 2004 editions of "Who's Who Among American Teachers". The 2006 the Carolina Forest Symphonic Band was selected to perform for the South Carolina Governor's Inauguration.
Mr. Rudolph has served as a guest clinician, conductor, and adjudicator in several states throughout the Southeast and also remains active as a trumpet player. His professional affiliations include GMEA, MENC, Kappa Kappa Psi, and NBA.
Mark Anthony Kapral
Director of Percussion
Mark Anthony Kapral
Patrick Wright
Visual Program Director
Patrick Wright has served as the Visual Program Director at Alan C. Pope High School since 2007. His responsibilities include teaching fundamental technique and choreography in addition to assisting with show design and rehearsal flow. He is also a three year veteran of Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps.
Patrick has a masters degree in music education and spent 10 years teaching music with Paula Williams at High Meadows School in Roswell, GA. He now teaches privately and serves as a clinician at local schools, including The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA. He lives in Powder Springs with his wife and four kids.
Ravan I. Durr
Jazz Band Director
Born and raised in Marietta Georgia, Ravan Durr graduated from Marietta High School and attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama to earn the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Ravan continued on to The University of Georgia and earned his Master of Music degree in Saxophone Performance. He has extensive teaching/performing experience in concert band, jazz ensemble and chamber ensemble. He retired from the Cobb School System after 24 years of service as a band director for middle and high school. Ravan and his wife Sheila have four grown children and reside in Marietta Georgia. Three of his children attended Pope High School and were members of the Pope Band.
Color Guard Director
Aaron Kava began his color guard career as a Freshman at Georgia State University for the 2016 Winter, Fall 2016, and Winter 2017 seasons. Immediately following, Aaron became a member of the Atlanta CV Drum and Bugle Corps in 2017, 2019 and 2021, where he was a part of the color guard when they won the High Color Guard award in his first two seasons. The winter of 2018 was his first season as a part of Divenire Youth Performing Arts family as a staff member, then as a member for 2019, and on staff again for 2020. Aaron has now been the Co-Director of Divenire’s Independent A Winter Guard for 2 years. He has been the director of the Thompson High School Color Guard for 2 years and worked with them for 5. Under his direction, Thompson was a 3-time WGI Virtual Finalist, 5 time SCGC Champion and 4 time Alabama State Champion, along with one appearance in WGI World Championship Finals in Scholastic A.
