Abby Finkelstein is excited to join the Mandarins in 2027 as a Visual Instructor. She is a band director at Moon Area Middle and High Schools near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has served as Assistant Director of the Moon Area High School Marching Band since 2017. Abby has been involved with the MAHS Marching Band for over a decade, during which time the program has achieved finalist status at every Bands of America regional competition it has attended since 2016 and set school records in championship scores in the PIMBA circuit. Most recently, Abby spent the 2025 and 2026 drum corps seasons on the visual staff at Santa Clara Vanguard.
As a performer, Abby has a diverse background in drum corps and winter ensembles, including Spirit of Atlanta (2013), where she was a featured soloist; Carolina Crown (2014), including an international tour in Japan; Rhythm X Winds (2015), WGI Independent World Class Champion; and Slippery Rock University Winterguard (2014), TRWEA Collegiate Regional A Champion.
Abby holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Slippery Rock University and a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Duquesne University, where she served as a graduate assistant in Brass Techniques. She resides in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh, with her husband, Evan, their cat, Pepper, and their dog, Remington.