Jennifer Apsel has 30 years of experience teaching students of all ages and abilities, from beginners, to conservatory students and graduates, to adult amateurs. Ms. Apsel is a highly dedicated and ...
Jennifer Apsel has 30 years of experience teaching students of all ages and abilities, from beginners, to conservatory students and graduates, to adult amateurs. Ms. Apsel is a highly dedicated and caring pedagogue. Her comprehensive approach to teaching has helped students gain confidence, deep musical understanding, inspiration, and healthy technique. Under her guidance, students have successfully participated and won awards in national competitions.
Jennifer began studying the piano at the age of 12 with her mother, and after one year was accepted with scholarship as a freshman to the North Carolina School of the Arts. Shortly after, she received first place and other awards at competitions at the Peabody Conservatory. She began teaching at age 15, and at 16, was accepted with early entrance to the University of Washington, where she also worked as an accompanist. Her teaching studio grew during this time, and by age 19, she had a full studio of students.
She later moved to New York City and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Since 2010, she has taught adults and children at the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School (FMDG Music School), a community music school dedicated to students who are blind and visually impaired, and she also maintains a private studio.
Israeli-born pianist Avner Arad has performed throughout North America and Europe as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Performance highlights have included engagements at Amsterdam’s ...
Israeli-born pianist Avner Arad has performed throughout North America and Europe as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Performance highlights have included engagements at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Cologne’s Kölner Philharmonie, Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts, the Kennedy Center, 92nd Street Y, Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, as well as festival appearances at Ravinia and Schleswig-Holstein.
Mr. Arad was a recipient of Carnegie Hall’s Distinctive Debuts Award. He performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations for his New York recital debut as winner of the Koussevitzky Memorial Competition, made his Lincoln Center debut with the Juilliard Orchestra and embarked on his first European tour as winner of the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition. He twice won the Juilliard School’s Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.
His critically acclaimed recordings include Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the complete waltzes by Chopin and an all-Schumann CD on MSR Classics, the complete piano works of Janáček on Helicon Records and Bloch’s complete works for violin and piano with Latica Honda-Rosenberg for OehmsClassics.
After receiving the Sharett Scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, Mr. Arad worked with Barry Snyder at the Eastman School of Music. He graduated from the Curtis Institute as a pupil of Seymour Lipkin and received his master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with the late Rudolf Firkušný and Emanuel Ax.
Website - AvnerArad.com
Reviews of Avner Arad’s J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations CD
Pianist Nora Bartosik has performed internationally as a soloist and in chamber ensembles in the United States, Europe and Asia in venues including the Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the Konzertha ...
Pianist Nora Bartosik has performed internationally as a soloist and in chamber ensembles in the United States, Europe and Asia in venues including the Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Gesellschaft für Musiktheater in Vienna, the Théâtre de la Ville in Valence, France, and the Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal. She is the first prize winner of international competitions in France and Germany and was a Piano Fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Festival. She has also performed in international festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Saoû Chante Mozart Festival and the Festival des Nuits d’été in France, the HARMOS Chamber Music Festival in Portugal, and the Max Reger Forum in Bremen, Germany.
Nora is a devoted educator who has taught piano students of all ages for over a decade. She is on the faculty of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in Manhattan for students with vision loss, Opus One Music in Manhattan, and the Point CounterPoint summer chamber music festival for students ages 11-18 in Vermont. She maintains a small private studio and teaches music theory and ear training to students of all levels. She has served on the jury of the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation Piano Competition on Long Island and given recitals in Harvard University’s Sanders Theater to benefit afterschool arts programs for children in the Boston area. From 2010-2012, she was on the artist roster of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Germany, an organization with the mission to bring live music to audiences who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience it.
Nora holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and German Literature from Harvard University, a Master of Arts in piano performance from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, and a Konzertexamen (Artist Diploma) degree in solo piano from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig. She also attended the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover upon the invitation of noted piano pedagogue Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. Her primary teachers have included Jacques Rouvier, Gerald Fauth, Patricia Zander, Robert Levin, and Jan Jiracek von Arnim. Nora is currently completing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at The Graduate Center, City University of New York as a student of Ursula Oppens.
Zelma Bodzin, pianist, has performed in recital, as soloist with orchestra, chamber musician and collaborative pianist with singers, instrumentalists and choruses, appearing in New York at Weill Ha ...
Zelma Bodzin, pianist, has performed in recital, as soloist with orchestra, chamber musician and collaborative pianist with singers, instrumentalists and choruses, appearing in New York at Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall with the New York Chamber Orchestra and Carnegie Hall. She is a coach, artistic consultant, producer and teacher. Ms. Bodzin has an international reputation as an adjudicator and jury member, from Bulgaria to Ireland, the French Caribbean and New York City. Colleagues have sought out and critics have recognized her "acute ear and intriguing ideas" (New York Times).
A native of New Jersey, Ms. Bodzin began concertizing at the age of five, and went on to study with Eugene List, Dieter Weber, Rosalyn Tureck, Wilhelm Kempff, and Arminda Canteros. She was a member of the Haffner Ensemble in Vienna, Austria. While her reputation as a performer of Bach grew — "those who were there must be deeply grateful", according to The Irish Times review of Ms. Bodzin's performance of the "Goldberg Variations" —she also included 20th century American repertoire. Leonard Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety" received critical and public acclaim on tour in Texas.
Ms. Bodzin has given master classes in Finland, Bulgaria, Ireland, Malta and Guadeloupe, as well as New York, Texas, Connecticut and Florida, and composers who have worked with her have won commissions in New York and Washington, D.C. She is a member of the faculty of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College/CUNY. She initiated the Ensemble Piano course at the Mannes College’s Diploma Program and is on the faculty there. Ms. Bodzin is a member of the faculty at the 92nd Street Y School of Music, on the Board of the Leschetizky Association and is a Past President of the New York State Music Teachers Association. She has recorded music of Beethoven and Ravel for feature films, including Spike Lee’s Crooklyn.
Dr. Joanne Chang, originally from Ipoh, Malaysia, is a distinguished pianist, educator, coach, and entrepreneur, renowned for her captivating and poetic musical interpretations. She has performed a ...
Dr. Joanne Chang, originally from Ipoh, Malaysia, is a distinguished pianist, educator, coach, and entrepreneur, renowned for her captivating and poetic musical interpretations. She has performed at prestigious events such as the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase, and with ensembles including the AXIOM ensemble, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of China. Joanne has collaborated with musicians from The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and other major orchestras.
A dedicated educator, Joanne is on the teaching staff at The Juilliard School and serves as piano faculty at 92NY and Nightingale-Bamford School. She has previously taught at Western Illinois University, University College Sedaya International, Florida State University, and Indiana University. Her accolades include the 2018 recording album Díalogos and serving as Chair for the 2022 MTNA National Conference Pedagogy Saturday track for Young Professionals.
Joanne founded the Indiana University Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Chapter and frequently presents at MTNA National Conferences. Her research interests include new music, works by female composers, creative entrepreneurship, and career development mentorship.
Joanne holds a doctorate in Piano Performance and Literature from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with minors in Music Theory and Arts Administration. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School, Florida State University, and Kent State University, having studied under notable teachers such as Karen Shaw, Menahem Pressler, and Jonathan Feldman. Based in New York City, Joanne continues to be an influential figure in music education and performance.
Jiuan-Jiuan Chiou, a native of Taiwan, is a pianist as well as piano instructor. She has long been devoted to piano pedagogy and musical learning in addition to having performed throughout Asia and ...
Jiuan-Jiuan Chiou, a native of Taiwan, is a pianist as well as piano instructor. She has long been devoted to piano pedagogy and musical learning in addition to having performed throughout Asia and the United States. She is a co-founder of the Aquarius Duo, which has given recent performances for audiences in New York City, performing the works of Brahms and Debussy among others. Ms. Chiou has been teaching for twelve years and has worked with a broad range of age groups, from preschoolers to adults. Her students compete in nationally renowned competitions and have gone on to give solo performances at venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, Steinway Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Conservatoire Russe de Paris Alexandre Scriabine - Paris, Centre de Russie pour la science et la culture à Paris, Bösendorfer Hall at Mozarthaus in Vienna, and Palace of Grand Duke Vladimir in St. Petersburg. For her contributions to music education, Ms. Chiou was honored with the Norman Stanley Smith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Piano Pedagogy. She is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and a certified Dalcroze teacher.
Simona Frenkel established herself as a versatile international performer.
She is a winner of numerous international competitions, including Concertino Prague, Czech Republic and Lysenko ...
She is a winner of numerous international competitions, including Concertino Prague, Czech Republic and Lysenko International competition, Kiev, Ukraine. She was named Merited Performing Artist of Ukraine, one of the most prestigious musical awards in Ukraine.
Simona Frenkel began her solo career at the age of eight with her solo debut at the Hall of Columns of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. Since then, Ms. Frenkel is frequently heard in recitals in the United States and Europe. She is in demand as a chamber musician and soloist in New York City, performing most recently at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University, The Riverside Church in the City of New York. She has made numerous television appearances and radio recordings.
Simona Frenkel has made the mentoring and supporting of young musicians a major focus. She is a founder and artistic director of the Concertino NY chamber ensemble. Founded in New York City in 2011, Concertino NY showcases some of the finest young professional musicians in the greater New York area.
Simona Frenkel was a faculty member of the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, where she taught and coached numerous notable young performers, national and international competition winners. She presented master classes, workshops, and lectures at professional conferences and universities throughout Ukraine, Russia, and Israel.
Currently, she has been on the faculty of the NYU/ HUC School of Sacred Music, where she has been coaching professional singers and teaching Music Theory Classes. She joined the 92Y School of Music faculty in 2018.
A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Ms. Frenkel holds a MM degree in performance from the Juilliard School of Music, Tallinn and Kiev Conservatories, and a Ph.D. in musicology from the Kiev Conservatory. Her principal teachers have been John Weaver, Hugo Lepnurm and Igor Riabov. While at Kiev Conservatory she received valuable impulses through coaching with renowned Russian pianists Michail Voskresensky, Alexander Jocheles, Alexander Satz and Vladimir Nielsen.
Olga Gurevich is enjoying her career as a concert pianist, chamber musician, accompanist, and a piano teacher. Her concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the ...
Olga Gurevich is enjoying her career as a concert pianist, chamber musician, accompanist, and a piano teacher. Her concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Symphony Space in NYC, Smirna Opera Theatre in Delaware, Westport Concert Series in Connecticut, Scuola Civica in Cagliari, Italy, and many others. Her performances were broadcasted by National Television in Azerbaijan, First TV Channel in Russia and RAI Tre in Italy.
Olga has been affiliated with Manhattan Symphonie, Richmond County orchestra, New York Session Symphony orchestra, Riverside Opera Company, New Opera Company, and performed as a member of numerous chamber music ensembles. She has been a pianist in residence for Silver Bay String Quartet since 2015, performing at Silver Bay Festival and at Marcella Sembrich Museum concert series every summer. Olga’s solo piano recordings of Chopin’s music as a part of Musopen project can be found at musopen.org. Ms Gurevich has been the principal accompanist for the Riverside Opera Company since 2010, and collaborated with many singers, including Met Opera bass singer Mikhail Svetlov. In September 2019, Olga started working as an accompanist for Shireinu Choir in Great Neck, Long Island, specializing in Jewish secular vocal compositions.
Olga Gurevich earned her Master's degree in Piano Performance, Piano Accompanying and Piano Pedagogy at Gnesin Academy of Music, and then finished her post graduate studies at Maimonides State Academy in Moscow, Russia with DMA in Piano Performance. Olga is a winner of international piano competitions both in solo and piano four-hands divisions (XIII Piano International competition in Salerno, Italy, and Ragusa Ibla Foundation International Piano competition in Ragusa, Italy).
Besides being an active solo and chamber music performer, Olga has been a devoted educator for over two decades. In addition to teaching at 92Y School of Music, Ms. Gurevich is on the piano faculty of Bloomingdale School of Music in NYC and Suzuki Virtuoso Academy in Mineola, NY, as well as a Steinway Hall teacher.
Piano (Continuing Beginner)
Dr. Calvin Hu is a pianist, chamber musician, and active photographer in both SF and NYC.
A passionate educator, Calvin was the 2019 recipient of the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation Sch ...
A passionate educator, Calvin was the 2019 recipient of the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation Scholarship, and has most recently served as an instructor and chamber coach at Stony Brook University’s undergraduate music program. He has also previously been on faculty at the Young Artist’s Program and maintains a private studio.
In the 2021-2022 year, Calvin was a recipient of the Silicon Valley Chamber Music Festival Fellowship program, and worked on a pilot program in conjunction with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music for multi-month residency outreach music program.
As a chamber musician, Calvin has been mentored by pianist Gilbert Kalish through his Chamber Music Piano Intensive, as well as members of the Emerson String Quartet. In recent summers he has received fellowships from Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival and has performed recently alongside Alan Kay, Carol Wincenc, James Austin Smith, and David Requiro.
Calvin completed his undergraduate studies with Antoinette Perry and Inna Faliks at UCLA and his Master’s of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance at Stony Brook University with Christina Dahl.
American pianist Ryan Jung is currently based in New York City and enjoys performing repertoire of diverse backgrounds and genres. He is especially dedicated to new music, and has collaborated with ...
American pianist Ryan Jung is currently based in New York City and enjoys performing repertoire of diverse backgrounds and genres. He is especially dedicated to new music, and has collaborated with renowned composers such as Tyshawn Sorey, Jorg Widmann, Nico Muhly, and Thomas Ades. He has also worked with Richard Goode, Sō Percussion, the Emerson String Quartet, and The Aeolus String Quartet. Jung was also a recent candidate of the 2024 Orleans Competition and 3rd Prize winner of the 2022 Wadsworth International Piano Competition. He made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall in 2021 and has since performed at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, the Yellowbarn Festival, Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen Music Festival, among many others.
As a dedicated teacher, Jung has taught piano privately for several years under various private studios within the Tri-state area and was awarded a teaching fellowship at Juilliard. He briefly served as a guest lecturer at Thurgood Marshall Academy, City College Academy of the Arts, and George Jackson Academy. In particular, he is interested in the pedagogy of practicing and performance psychology.
Mr. Jung completed his MM at the Juilliard School with Jerome Lowenthal and Hung-Kuan Chen, and received his BM from the New England Conservatory with Haesun Paik. He is currently pursuing his doctorate at the CUNY Graduate Center with Jeremy Denk, Conor Hanick and Ursula Oppens. Jung holds a staff position at Juilliard under the Music Advancement Program, and was recently appointed music faculty at the 92NY.
Moscow native Anna Khanina started her musical education at the age of five, and in 1996 she graduated with honors from the famous Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. She holds Masters Degrees from ...
Moscow native Anna Khanina started her musical education at the age of five, and in 1996 she graduated with honors from the famous Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. She holds Masters Degrees from both the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow and the University of Music, Drama, and Media in Hannover, Germany, as well as a Performance Diploma from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In 2014 Ms. Khanina became a Doctor of Musical Arts after completing the Doctoral Program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she was a full-scholarship student of Gilbert Kalish.
Ms. Khanina’s performing career spans the continents of Asia, Europe, and North and South America, where she regularly appears as a soloist and with chamber music ensembles. Her concerts were broadcast on WFMT Chicago (2007, 2011, 2014), The Voice of Music radio from Jerusalem Music Centre (2008), McGrow Young Artists Showcase WQXR New York (2011), and wiox.org (2011). Anna Khanina’s long list of awards include the prizes at Val Tidone International Piano Competition, the Second International Piano Competition in Panama, the Seventh International Competition Ciutat de Carlet in Valencia, the Grieg Competition in Oslo, and the Classica Nova Competition in Hannover, just to name a few.
Along with her performing career, Ms. Khanina remains a dedicated teacher. She is currently on the faculty at 92Y and Bloomingdale School of Music. Her students have appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and successfully participated at numerous national competitions.
Her playing described as “elegant” in the New York Times, pianist Arielle Levioff has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Hall, Merkin Hal ...
Her playing described as “elegant” in the New York Times, pianist Arielle Levioff has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Hall, Merkin Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. As a collaborative artist she has performed throughout the Eastern United States, as well as in London, France, and Italy. Her concerto engagements include the Rapides Symphony (LA), the Lower Merion Symphony (PA), the Astoria Symphony, the Christ Church Festival Orchestra in Oyster Bay (NY), and the Seniors Orchestral Society of New York. From 2005 to 2009 she was the artistic director of Goliard Concerts (Queens, NY), an organization dedicated to community outreach and the commissioning of new chamber works by young composers. Ms. Levioff was a finalist in the 2009 Sorel Medallion Competition in Collaborative Piano and was subsequently invited to join the coaching faculty of the Daniel Ferro Vocal Festival in Tuscany the following summer.
A dedicated educator, Ms. Levioff has taught undergraduate master classes at Stony Brook University and various colleges throughout the Southeastern United States. She has been a teaching artist at the 92nd Street Y School of Music in Manhattan since 2004, and also teaches piano and gives lectures and performances in the Art of Listening to Music series for the 92nd Street Y’s Himan Brown 60-Plus senior program. Ms. Levioff is the music director of the annual Point Counterpoint chamber music workshop for adults on Vermont’s Lake Dunmore, and also co-directs Point Counterpoint’s new “Pianos on the Point” workshop with her husband, Michael C. Haigler. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Phillip Kawin, and recently completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts at SUNY Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Gilbert Kalish. Find out more about her at www.ariellelevioff.com.
Himan Brown Piano Lessons
Luke Marantz is a New York City based pianist and composer from Texas. Born to a musical family, his studies began at an early age with piano, voice, saxophone and visual art. A graduate of the Boo ...
Luke Marantz is a New York City based pianist and composer from Texas. Born to a musical family, his studies began at an early age with piano, voice, saxophone and visual art. A graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Marantz was awarded multiple national jazz awards during his time there including seventeen Downbeat SMA awards which led to him being featured in the publication three times.
His studies were continued at the New England Conservatory of Music from which he graduated in 2013. During his time there Marantz had the opportunity to work with, among others, Fred Hersch, Jason Moran and Veronica Jochum.
During his young career, Luke has performed with the likes of Jeff “Tain” Watts, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Tierney Sutton, Ingrid Jensen, Antonio Hart and many others. He has been featured as a sideman on the recordings of trumpeters Jason Palmer and Billy Buss as well as saxophonists Matt Marantz and Gianni Gagliardi alongside musicians such as Dayna Stephens, Gilad Hekselman and Walter Smith III. He has also co-led multiple recordings including joint projects with his brother, Matt Marantz, and their band “The Primary Colors”. His debut solo piano record is scheduled for release in the summer of 2017.
Marantz has performed across the country and internationally at such venues as the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, New England’s Jordan hall, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Vail Jazz Festival, the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference and the Boston Jazz Week Festival.
For more info visit www.lukemarantz.com.
Katherine is an active solo performer as well as chamber musician based in New York City. She has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious halls including the Weill Recital Hall at C ...
Katherine is an active solo performer as well as chamber musician based in New York City. She has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious halls including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as well as Boston’s Jordan Hall. Katherine has won numerous honors including NEC’s Piano Honors Competition, a prize in the American Protégé competition as well as many scholarships.
Katherine is a frequent performer of new music and music written by women and minorities. She believes that music is the most essential form of human communication and works to create a more inclusive concert experience. She believes this can best be achieved by creating a more diverse and innovative concert program. To further this goal, Katherine was awarded a grant in 2016 to create the Boston Women’s Music Project and premiered a feminist songbook, The Well-Tempered Woman, in 2019 with composer Stefania de Kenessey and Soprano Eugenia Dante.
As a teacher, Katherine’s goal is to equip her students with the ability and desire to make music throughout their life. She has worked with students of all ages, ranging from 3-60+. Katherine has been teaching for around 5 years. She emphasizes the importance of performance with her students and has prepared many of her students to participate in recitals throughout the city. Katherine’s prepares her students to feel confident expressing themselves musically and sharing their music with audiences of all sizes.
Katherine wants all of her students to experience the joy of expressing themselves through music. Every student finds a different aspect of music to be most fulfilling or exciting, and she encourages her students to find and follow their interests through our lessons. For each of Katherine’s students, she determines which aspects of music performance are meaningful to them and helps them achieve this at the piano. In addition, she strives to expose them to other aspects that she finds exciting and meaningful, broadening their experiences in music. Katherine encourages her students to take an active role in selecting what they want to work on and guides them to take an active role in their learning. Katherine always makes sure her students feel supported and encouraged and that she wants them to do the best that they can do. She believes this supportive atmosphere is crucial to the learning process so that students are comfortable taking risks and growing in their music making.
Katherine earned her Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory where she studied with Bruce Brubaker and her Master of Music degree from Mannes School of Music where she studied with Thomas Sauer. Other major teachers have included Arkady Aronov and Dina Khudayberdieva. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music at Stony Brook University, studying with Christina Dahl.
Pianist Zach Mo has had a wide-ranging variety of performing and teaching experiences around the globe. His performance engagements have taken him to Europe, Asia, as well as the United State ...
Pianist Zach Mo has had a wide-ranging variety of performing and teaching experiences around the globe. His performance engagements have taken him to Europe, Asia, as well as the United States, as a solo recitalist, a chamber musician, a choral accompanist, and an orchestral pianist. An avid collaborator, Zach has served as faculty for music schools, festivals, and competitions, including 92Y School of Music, Point Counterpoint, and Weill Institute of Music and Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he has been an adjunct faculty member of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Baruch College in New York City.
As a teacher, Zach Mo has instructed students of all ages and skill levels, from pupils of age three becoming newly acquainted with music to advanced pianists preparing for auditions and competitions. He has been invited to China as a guest instructor at the Piano Arts School in his home province of Hunan, teaching students and presenting recitals in the Yueyang city's new and only music school. Zach has been teaching over 10 years and considers education the greatest gift a person can give. He helps students discover and decode the magic and mystery in music while approaching it logically by developing solid practice habits, theoretical understanding, and musical creativity.
Mr. Mo is currently a doctoral candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center, studying under Alan Feinberg. He has received his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 2008 under the tutelage of Daniel Epstein. He has also studied at Northwestern University, the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he the recipient of the Lucille Kimball Scholarship. Furthermore, he has had the privilege of participating in master classes with such great pianists as Yefim Bronfman, Murray Perahia, and Barry Snyder.
Jarred Morehead is a pianist and teacher in New York City. His festival performances include the Beethoven Institute (NYC), International Academy of Music (Italy), and Cerdanya Music Festival (Spai ...
Jarred Morehead is a pianist and teacher in New York City. His festival performances include the Beethoven Institute (NYC), International Academy of Music (Italy), and Cerdanya Music Festival (Spain), among others. He was a semifinalist in The American Prize Competition, and he won First Prize at the Cerdanya Music Festival Competition.
In addition to performing in New York City regularly, he has performed in Israel, Hungary, Spain, France and Italy, as well as various states in the Southeastern part of the Unites States. Jarred maintains his own private studio and is a faculty member at the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain, where he performs and teaches each summer.
He has degrees from The University of South Carolina at Columbia (BM), The University of Texas at Austin (MM) and Mannes College The New School for Music (PSD).
Born in Istanbul, residing in Brooklyn, Derin Öge brings a worldly and eclectic view to the music that she plays. With a classical and contemporary training, she is at home on the concert stage and ...
Born in Istanbul, residing in Brooklyn, Derin Öge brings a worldly and eclectic view to the music that she plays. With a classical and contemporary training, she is at home on the concert stage and in the club. Ms. Öge was trained at Mimar Sinan University, and holds a masters degree from Purchase Conservatory under the tutelage of Paul Ostrovsky, where she later served on piano faculty. She has played extensively with Piano Music Trio, a chamber ensemble that performs arrangements of Impressionist and Romantic songs for trumpet, piano and cello. Derin Öge is also a founding member of Occasional Noise Trio with William Lang, trombone and Cesare Papetti, percussion.
Ms. Öge has played internationally and locally at such venues as Cornelia Street Café, Mozarteum University, Peter de Grote Festival, The Stone, Flushing Town Hall, Barbes, the Roerich Museum and Symphony Space, among others. In addition, her performance of Mozart’s Sonata in B flat Major has been recorded for the European Broadcast Union.
Derin Öge’s recent recordings are distributed by System Dialing Records.
Derin’s performance career is coupled with her active and passionate work in teaching. She currently leads our terrifically popular Music FUNdamentals class for 4-year-olds, and two classes for kids ages 5-7: our group keyboard class, and a brand new rhythm-themed Saturday class, Rhythm is Gonna Get'cha! Derin is an expert in the areas of piano, movement and theory, and she is personally dedicated to the development of every young music maker.
Mark Pakman, M.M., Moscow State Conservatory; Certificate, International Institute for Chamber Music, Munich. Studies with Vladimir Natanson, Maria Grinberg, Nina Svetlanova. Masterclasses: Demus, ...
Mark Pakman, M.M., Moscow State Conservatory; Certificate, International Institute for Chamber Music, Munich. Studies with Vladimir Natanson, Maria Grinberg, Nina Svetlanova. Masterclasses: Demus, Badura-Skoda, Jansen. Performances at major New York concert halls and on radio stations WQXR, WNCN, WNYC. Tours: North America, Russia. Russian vocal coach for Samuel Ramey and Beverly Morgan and a Board member of the Leschetizky Association. Adjudicator: Juilliard Precollege, DMA recitals at MSM. Program notes: Russian Disc, Consonance. Faculty: Manhattan School of Music (Associate with N. Svetlanova) and Precollege, Montclair State University (Assistant Professor), Amati Festival and 92nd Street Y.
Pianist Luba Poliak made her professional debut at the age of eleven with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, she has appeared on four continents as a soloist, recitalist and chambe ...
Pianist Luba Poliak made her professional debut at the age of eleven with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, she has appeared on four continents as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Luba has performed recitals in prestigious venues and series including 92nd Street Y in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, Dudley Hall in Houston and the Embassy Series in Washington, D.C. Her performances have been broadcast worldwide, on stations including Chicago’s WFMT, ABC Classical FM in Australia and Kol Hamusica, the national classical music station in Israel.
As a chamber musician, Luba has performed with acclaimed musicians from the Metropolitan Orchestra, New York City Opera and A Far Cry. Festival appearances include Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, Long Island Chamber Music Society, Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players and the Houston Piano Institute.
Luba began her studies at the age of six in Novosibirsk, Russia. After immigrating to Israel, she continued her studies and graduated magna cum laude from the Rubin Academy in Tel-Aviv under the tutelage of Michael Boguslavsky. After additional studies at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and the Verbier Academy, she received her Masters Degree with Honors from the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Patricia Zander and Gabriel Chodos. Luba then earned her Doctorate at Stony Brook University with Gilbert Kalish. She currently resides in New York City, where she teaches at 92nd Street Y and the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Dina Pruzhansky is an NYC based, award-winning composer, pianist, and educator. Born in the former USSR and Israeli-raised, Ms. Pruzhansky enjoys a diverse international career in various genres, r ...
Dina Pruzhansky is an NYC based, award-winning composer, pianist, and educator. Born in the former USSR and Israeli-raised, Ms. Pruzhansky enjoys a diverse international career in various genres, ranging from classical to musical theater and from liturgy to cabaret. As a composer-performer, she has been featured in many of New York's renowned music venues, such as Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Bargemusic, Le Poisson Rouge, Symphony Space, The Kosciuszko Foundation, YIVO, Opera America Center, and others. Her music has been broadcast on WQXR in an exclusive 'Young Artist' program with the renowned host Robert Sherman. Ms. Pruzhansky holds a postgraduate degree from The New School for Music at Mannes College in collaborative piano, where she was awarded a continuous scholarship of merit. Her MA in solo piano performance, summa cum laude, is from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel-Aviv University, where she studied with the pupil of H. Neuhaus, Prof. Victor Derevianko. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History. Following the successful premiere of her Hebrew opera SHULAMIT in 2014, additional production was enabled by popular demand in 2016. The opera was also presented in part at the Aspen Music Festival 2019. An alumna of the BMI Advanced Musical Theater Workshop, Ms.Pruzhansky was nominated for the Fred Ebb Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre writing and was selected as a finalist for the 2019 NY Musical Theater festival with her musical for children CENTRAL PARK. She has served as a liturgy composer-inresidence at Temple Israel of Northern Westchester and Temple Shalom, Dallas. A passionate educator, Ms. Pruzhansky is the author of the I Can Play Chopin series — a collection of easy piano arrangements for beginners.
Steve Sandberg is an Emmy-nominated Composer, Pianist and Teaching Artist who specializes in creative piano (and composition, theory, improvisation) lessons for children and adults of all ages. He ...
Steve Sandberg is an Emmy-nominated Composer, Pianist and Teaching Artist who specializes in creative piano (and composition, theory, improvisation) lessons for children and adults of all ages. He shares his passion for and broad knowledge of music in a gentle and approachable way, and tailors his teaching to the individual needs of each student. He has given classical recitals, toured internationally with well-known Latin, jazz and rock artists, and written extensively for TV and other media. He enjoys sharing the benefits of music with young people and adults alike!
He began classical piano studies at age 4 and won a BMI composers award before attending Yale University, where he majored in musical theory and composition. At Yale, his studies with noted African art theorist Robert Farris Thompson inspired him to immerse himself in the world of Afro-Caribbean music. Upon returning to NYC he played with, arranged and composed for some of the great salsa artists of the 1970s and 1980s, including Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades and Tito Puente. A highlight of this period was an appearance in Rio and São Paolo opening for the legendary João Gilberto in a duo with vocalist Bebel Gilberto. He also toured with David Byrne as keyboardist and vocalist.
Steve has conducted and arranged on Broadway and for many regional and Off-Broadway theaters, including the New York Shakespeare Festival.
Most recently, he was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his work as Musical Director and Composer for Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
Pianist Alexandra Saraceno has established herself as an avid performer in solo recitals and collaborative concerts as well as a sought-after teacher for private study and group classes. After rece ...
Pianist Alexandra Saraceno has established herself as an avid performer in solo recitals and collaborative concerts as well as a sought-after teacher for private study and group classes. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in piano performance at Western Connecticut State University as a student of Russell Hirshfield, Alexandra completed her master’s degree and advanced certificate in piano performance and piano pedagogy at New York University as a student of Marilyn Nonken.
As a piano instructor, Alexandra advocates for a holistic course of study integrating aural skills, technical facility, theoretical analysis, and historical knowledge while incorporating repertoire spanning the classical canon to contemporary composers, within and beyond the Western European tradition. Alexandra has cultivated this comprehensive approach through her work at the Center for Creative Youth at Wesleyan University, the School of Visual and Performing Arts at WCSU, and the Steinhardt School at NYU. In addition to her private studio, Alexandra also teaches at the Greenwich House Music School.
www.alexandrasaraceno.com
Steinway Artist Tania Tachkova has been praised by critics for performances that are “white-hot” and “very impressive.” She has appeared throughout the United States, E ...
Steinway Artist Tania Tachkova has been praised by critics for performances that are “white-hot” and “very impressive.” She has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand as a soloist and in chamber concerts at such venues as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall New York, Wiener Saal at Mozarteum, Henri Selmer Hall in Paris, Grand Bulgaria Hall and the National Palace of Culture in Bulgaria, Centro de Bellas Artes and Museo del Arte in Puerto Rico to name a few. She has been featured as a soloist with the Orchestra of the State Academy of Music in Bulgaria, Shoumen Philharmonic, Razgrad Philharmonic, and the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra. Festival appearances include Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and New Music on the Bayou Summer Festival. Tachkova’s performances have been broadcast on radio and television, including WQXR, WITF, WPRB, and Bulgarian National Television. Her recordings include two critically acclaimed chamber music CDs released by MSR records and extensive solo and four-hand repertoire for Steinway Spirio. As a chamber musician she has performed with members of the Berlin and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Locrian Chamber Players, Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players, and Schweizer Oktett. Tachkova’s most recent project, duo per se (with clarinetist Scot Humes) has performed in recital in Washington D.C., New York City, Paris (France), as well as being a featured ensemble at the New Music on the Bayou Summer Festival. duo per se’ s recent engagements included recitals in Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand as well as a recital and a master class at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia. Tachkova’s students consistently earn many accolades, winning various international and national competitions as well as receiving a national gold medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music Development Program. Her students have performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill and Zankel recital halls as well as Steinway Hall New York as competition winners. In addition, she has presented numerous master classes and has adjudicated various international and national competitions in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Tachkova holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance from Stony Brook University.
Known for her exceptional technique, musicality and her programme versatility, Taiwanese-British musician Shu-Wei Tseng has won numerous prizes on both piano and cello. Concert performances have ta ...
Known for her exceptional technique, musicality and her programme versatility, Taiwanese-British musician Shu-Wei Tseng has won numerous prizes on both piano and cello. Concert performances have taken her across the UK, Europe, Russia, USA, and the Far East in major concert halls such as London‘s South Bank Purcell Room, Barbican Hall, St. John’s Smith’s Square, St.Martin-In-the-Fields, St James’s Piccadilly, the Wigmore Hall, and the Carnegie Hall in New York City, USA. Recent performances include visits to Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Thailand and Russia.
Alongside her performance career, Shu-Wei is also an avid educator, holding over 25 years of teaching experience across three continents, working with students of all ages from beginner to professionals. Previous teaching positions include working at the Royal institutions of the United Kingdom, The Yehudi Menuhin School, City of London School for Girls, Chamber Music course leadership at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Head of Keyboard and Strings, and Director of Music positions.
Shu-Wei holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder (She is also a Global Ambassador for the University sine 2022), previous degrees and LRAM on both piano and cello from London’s Royal Academy of Music, a permanent teacher qualification from the United Kingdom (PGCE + QTS), NPQSL, as well as a MSc. in Psychology. She arrived in the UK as a young student after winning first and second prizes at the National Taiwan competitions on the cello and piano where she received double scholarships to study at the Wells Cathedral School, one of the four specialist music schools in the United Kingdom.
Besides performing as a soloist, Shu-Wei specialises in Strings and Keyboard-related chamber music on both her instruments, as well as conducting string orchestras. With the ability to teach in English, Mandarin and German, Shu-Wei held residencies and fellowships, gave masterclasses and workshops, as well as serving as a juror member for competitions, working with beginners up to taught Masters degree in the UK, Central Europe, Russia, America, and the Far East.
Her playing has been described as radiating a “passionate, energetic, researched, and committed personality with a powerful, fluid and beyond reproach technique” and producing “characters, colours, dynamics …. seldom heard in concerts.”
She held a Research Assistantship and lectureships on the piano and cello at the University of Colorado at Boulder, during which she received various performance and research prizes for her research in the ensemble issues between strings and keyboard instruments in sonata partnerships. Upon her DMA completion in 2010, Shu-Wei started teaching in Germany and has joined the faculty of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland since September 2010.
Since 2016, Shu-Wei has represented the Taipei Consulate and Taiwan Ministry of Culture in the UK on various occasions, such as being the first featured musician at the Taiwan Cultural Salon music series, as well as the first artist to represent Taiwan for the Embassy and Cultural Institute Series at the St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. In 2019, Shu-Wei gave an Australian solo debut on her two instruments and opened the 75th D-Day Commemoration Concert at the Notre Dame de Coutances Cathedral.
Early 2023 highlight included solo piano and chamber music appearance at the award-winning New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck’s sold-out European debut week, Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends, at London’s Sadlers Wells Theatre in March, followed by performances on her two instruments in the following week in New York. In September 2023, she appeared as a guest artist at the special event, celebrating Vietnam-UK 50th year diplomatic relationship before relocating to New York, where Dr Tseng has since performed as a solo cellist at the Consulate General of Poland as part of the XXV International Chopin and Friends Festival’s Final Promenade, and the National Opera Center on the piano.
With his training in both classical and jazz piano, Cyrus von Hochstetter straddles the musical worlds as a pianist, composer, educator, lecturer and presenter. As a pianist, he has performed inter ...
With his training in both classical and jazz piano, Cyrus von Hochstetter straddles the musical worlds as a pianist, composer, educator, lecturer and presenter. As a pianist, he has performed internationally and with various ensembles such as the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, toured the US and produced records with diverse musicians including Larry Campbell, Ryan Keberle, Stéphane Wrembel and David Taylor. He has composed music for the stage and for commercials and has brought his 7-piece ensemble the ‘Hat Music’, to Joe’s Pub in New York navigating a musical spectrum encompassing arrangements of music by Arnold Schönberg, Duke Ellington, and Cyrus von Hochstetter’s own compositions. With a passion for storytelling, he frequently speaks about the language of music and introduces audiences into the deeper fabric of classical music through his YouTube video series My Music Notes. He was invited to present at the University of Oregon and for the Oregon Music Teachers Association.
Cyrus von Hochstetter is the founder of ‘Piano on Park’ a non-profit concert series, where he curates and presents intimate living-room concerts with some of New York’s most accomplished musicians. The series has included performances by David Krakauer, JP Jofre, Rob Schwimmer, Stéphane Wrembel, Daniel Schnyder, David Taylor, Mark Peskanov and generates support for many up-and-coming young musicians. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the series streamed concerts by musicians recorded in their own living room, offering one of few opportunities for musicians to perform and connect with audiences during that time.
As the director of the Two Bridges Music program in 2017 and 2018, Cyrus von Hochstetter launched a free concert series for New York’s Lower East Side community and also designed an innovative composition curriculum teaching children as young as seven years old how to write music from scratch. Within two years of enrollment in the program, these students were writing pieces for string orchestra. The ensuing collaborations with InterSchool Orchestras of New York, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of NY and Third Street Music school orchestras led to public performances of the young composer’s pieces including a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His composition curriculum at Two Bridges Music received funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and he was invited to speak about the programs’ success at a convention of the New York State Council of the Arts.
A Manhattan School of Music graduate under jazz pianists Garry Dial and Jason Moran, he expanded his education in classical piano with Zitta Zohar and complemented his training with studies of counterpoint and composition. In addition he earned a Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Cyrus maintains a private studio in Manhattan where he teaches piano, composition and theory.
American-born Korean-Chinese musician Liza Wu is a classical pianist, organist, music director, chamber musician, and educator based in Manhattan. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Ca ...
American-born Korean-Chinese musician Liza Wu is a classical pianist, organist, music director, chamber musician, and educator based in Manhattan. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and internationally in Canada, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland. Liza is affiliated with esteemed institutions including Barnard College/Columbia University, New York University, and the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
An experienced educator, Liza is on the piano faculty at 92NY and Bloomingdale School of Music, partnering with The School at Columbia and The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine. Pedagogically, she has trained and taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Preparatory Piano Program, Oberlin College Conservatory’s Piano Lab, School for Strings (Suzuki), and Diller-Quaile School of Music in NYC. Liza’s teaching specialties include concert and competition preparation, collaborative and chamber music coaching, sight-reading, vocal diction, and technique for students ranging from young beginners to professional musicians.
Liza holds performance degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (MM), Oberlin College Conservatory of Music (BM), and has studied privately at The Juilliard School. Her notable teachers include Olga Radosaljevich, Anne Epperson, Russell Miller, Joela Jones, Joseph Schwartz, Lydia Frumkin, and Victoria Mushkatkol. Liza continues to nurture a successful piano studio and remains a prominent figure in music education and performance.
Rebecca Wuu is a Taiwanese-American pianist and music educator based in New York City. At age 13, she made her concerto debut performing Mozart Concerto no. 20 with the Oakland Civic Orchestra. She ...
Rebecca Wuu is a Taiwanese-American pianist and music educator based in New York City. At age 13, she made her concerto debut performing Mozart Concerto no. 20 with the Oakland Civic Orchestra. She is an active performer and has played in venues throughout the US and participated in festivals in Italy and China. Rebecca graduated from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Recording Arts and Master of Arts in Audio Sciences. She earned her Master of Music at Mannes in New York under the tutelage of Professor Eteri Andjaparidze. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Musical Arts at SUNY Stony Brook, studying with Gilbert Kalish.
Rebecca has been teaching piano since 2013 and has extensive experience teaching students as young as 4 to adults. She has served as a teaching assistant at the Peabody Preparatory program as well as piano faculty at Valley Christian Schools and Apostles Lutheran School in San Jose, California. Her students are active performers and have placed in events such as the American Protege competition, US International Music Competition and US Open Music Competition. Currently, she teaches undergraduate piano at Stony Brook University and is piano faculty at the Bronx Conservatory and 92NY School of Music.
Rebecca is passionate about teaching and focuses on helping her students become confident, independent musicians. She believes in a holistic music education that encompasses history, theory, ear training, technique, and artistry.
Peter Yarin is a NYC-based pianist, whose unique approach to teaching, writing and performing, bridges classical, contemporary and jazz styles. Featured on the Grammy-winning recording Music fr ...
Peter Yarin is a NYC-based pianist, whose unique approach to teaching, writing and performing, bridges classical, contemporary and jazz styles. Featured on the Grammy-winning recording Music from Boardwalk Empire, Vol. 1 with 1920s vintage jazz orchestra, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, Peter has performed stride and jazz piano at such venues as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Town Hall, "Late Night with Conan O’Brien," "A Prairie Home Companion" and the Newport Jazz Festival. He has worked with and accompanied such artists as Garrison Keillor, Michael Feinstein and Leon Redbone. In addition to "Boardwalk Empire," you can hear him on the soundtracks of "The Knick" and Amazon's "Z"; as well as the films Carol, Bessie and Mildred Pierce. An accomplished composer, Peter Yarin is currently developing several projects for musical theater; recent work has been seen at Tokyo’s New National Theatre. He has been published in the BMI Musical Theatre Songbook and Directory of Musical Theatre Writers.
By the time she began studying classical piano in rural Australia at age four, Fiona already showed an emerging ability to improvise and play by ear. Completing the Australian Music Associate Diplo ...
By the time she began studying classical piano in rural Australia at age four, Fiona already showed an emerging ability to improvise and play by ear. Completing the Australian Music Associate Diploma in piano performance in her teens, she turned her attention to popular music by joining the jazz fusion band Nexus. Thus began a lifetime of studying different forms of music in depth, and passing her knowledge on to her students.
Before moving to New York in 1991, Fiona had also completed the Associate Diploma in Jazz Performance at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, and worked for a decade as a jazz musician in Sydney leading her own trio and quartet, as well as performing twice as a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. The need to deepen her knowledge led her to relocate to New York, where she has studied for many years with bebop master Barry Harris, and with Sophia Rosoff, a renowned teacher of the Abbey Whiteside principles. Fiona has written articles for The Piano Stylist (now known as Piano Today), and has authored two jazz tutorials introducing students to the Barry Harris approach, which are now available on Barry’s website.
As a natural teacher, Fiona has always sought to translate her knowledge into a form useful and enlivening to her students. Her deep knowledge of jazz principles enables her to pass on authentic rhythmic, harmonic and melodic ideas to all levels of students. Her approach to classical study engenders an emotional connection which lifts the music easily off the page, and can give the music a spontaneous feeling, as if improvised. She has also developed a unique way to access students’ innate musicality and listening skills using the ancient Greek modes.
Fiona is excited to be joining the faculty at 92nd Street Y after teaching in her studio in Brooklyn for the past 25 years.
Jamie Reynolds is a freelance jazz pianist in New York City. He has taught group and private jazz piano and composition lessons at the 92nd Street Y since 2005.
Jamie is very active ...
Jamie is very active on the jazz scene and performs regularly with some of New York's finest musicians. He has toured across Canada and the United States and Europe and can be heard regularly in clubs around the city.
Jamie received a Bachelor of Music with honors in jazz performance from the University of Toronto.
Playing by Ear: Functional Piano and Music Theory
Dan Rosengard is a pianist and keyboardist, music director, conductor, arranger, composer and producer. One of the busiest musicians in New York City, his versatility has enabled him to work with a ...
Dan Rosengard is a pianist and keyboardist, music director, conductor, arranger, composer and producer. One of the busiest musicians in New York City, his versatility has enabled him to work with a wide variety of prominent artists, in virtually every area of the music business: live performance, studio recording, film, television, Broadway and production.
Dan is perhaps best-known for his stint as a member of the creative team at NBC’s Saturday Night Live, where he composed and arranged special musical material for the comedy sketches. In this capacity, he worked closely with cast members including Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Tracy Morgan, as well as with a vast array of renowned entertainers who appeared as guest hosts.
Recent activities include live performances with Stevie Wonder, Sting, Jimmy Fallon and Melissa Manchester; producing the CD Pop! Goes The Easel for MoMA, featuring Broadway/Pop vocalists Sutton Foster, Kelli O’Hara, Jessie Mueller, John Leguizamo, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ben Vereen, Richard Kind and Andrea Martin; playing in and conducting the house band for Friars Club tributes to Robert De Niro, Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise and Smokey Robinson; playing solo piano at a private dinner hosted by Lionel Richie; acting as pianist/arranger for From Moses To Mostel, a musical revue starring Robert Klein, presented by The Town Hall; and performing as the pianist in From Shtetl To Stage, a concert in Carnegie Hall’s 2019 Migrations festival, alongside luminaries from the Yiddish, classical, and theater worlds.
An experienced voice teacher for kids of all ages and adults alike while also appearing widely as a performer in musical theater productions and on TV, Tiffan is the protegée of Dr. Florence Birdwe ...
An experienced voice teacher for kids of all ages and adults alike while also appearing widely as a performer in musical theater productions and on TV, Tiffan is the protegée of Dr. Florence Birdwell, described by The New York Times as the “fairy godmother voice teacher to Kristen Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara” and with whom she studied for 18 years, a duration that included her time at Oklahoma City University where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Musical Theater. Tiffan is honored to pass on Dr. Birdwell’s principles, first-rate vocal technique, love of words and communication, and artistry through song. Additionally, Tiffan is a certified teacher of Andrew Byrne’s Vocal Athlete Method. Tiffan infuses principles from both of these mentors into her teaching to help students feel knowledgeable and empowered in the studio. She believes the best artists are inspired artists and works with singers of all levels to find them their ‘song.’
For the past 12 years, Tiffan has specialized in Gifted & Talented Vocal Prep with Acting Out: Brooklyn’s Premiere Acting School, championing more than a hundred students to earn a better middle and high school education through their art, successfully gaining admittance into LaGuardia Arts, Frank Sinatra, PPAS, Mark Twain, and Edward R. Murrow School. Her students have gone on to perform leading roles on the Broadway & National Tours of Les Miserables, White Christmas, A Bronx Tale, and Falsettos. She has taught on the voice faculty at Concordia Conservatory and Lyric Theatre Thelma Gaylord Academy, and as a Music Teacher at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School.
Tiffan has paved a performance career portraying iconic vocalists for Musical Theater of the ‘50s & ‘60s, leading National Tours as ‘Patti Page’ in Flipside: The Patti Page Story, ‘Dyanne’ in Million Dollar Quartet. Most recently, she portrayed ‘Doris Day’ in Doris Day: My Secret Love Off-Broadway with Emerging Artists Theatre. She has been seen on Television guest starring on Sweetbitter, Law & Order: SVU, and The Loudest Voice in the Room.
She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing where serves on their board for Musical Theatre Development.
Jazz vocalist Vicki Burns has been performing and teaching steadily since her arrival in New York City in 2009 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her MA in Music in Improvised Music Stud ...
Jazz vocalist Vicki Burns has been performing and teaching steadily since her arrival in New York City in 2009 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her MA in Music in Improvised Music Studies from San Jose State University in 2000 and performed in many Bay Area venues including The San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA, and many clubs in San Francisco including sold out performances at The Plush Room and long residencies at The Hotel Donatello and Enrico’s, a legendary jazz venue in North Beach. She taught from 2003-2008 at Blue Bear School of Music and also privately.
She released a critically acclaimed album Siren Song in 2003 of which jazz critic Dan Ouelette, a featured columnist in Downbeat magazine said she “succeeds with rapturous, mystical beauty.” The title song, “Siren Song” has recently been recorded by renowned jazz vocalist, Tessa Souter on her album Picture In Black and White in 2018 and has received airplay worldwide.
Currently, Vicki performs regularly at venues such as Mezzrow, 55 Bar and Jazz At Kitano and The Lexington Hotel in New York City and is planning to record a new album featuring original music and rarely sung standards in Fall of 2019.
Vicki has been a teacher at 92 Y since 2013 and loves to teach both children and adults. She focuses on healthy singing technique based in the Bel Canto tradition and adapts this to Broadway, Jazz, and Popular music styles. Some of her students from 92 Y were featured in Spring of 2019 at Jazz at Kitano where they debuted in their own successful show. Vicki Burns plans to release her new album, Bittersweet sometime in the late summer or fall of 2021.
Allie Glassman is a Singer/Songwriter, Jazz Vocalist and Music Educator. Allie received her MA in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2018. Allie has assisted several of h ...
Allie Glassman is a Singer/Songwriter, Jazz Vocalist and Music Educator. Allie received her MA in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2018. Allie has assisted several of her students with auditioning and being accepted into many of New York’s premiere performing arts schools.
Allie is a graduate of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where she received her BFA in Vocal Jazz Performance.
Allie has appeared at many music festivals in New York City, including New York Coffee Festival (2023). Allie has performed as a Sofar Sounds Artist in New York and Baltimore. Allie performs regularly at venues around New York City, and in the greater New York area.
Gizem Gokoglu is a composer, performer and educator in New York City. She is a winner of the highly acclaimed ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (2017), and a recipient of an Honorable Men ...
Gizem Gokoglu is a composer, performer and educator in New York City. She is a winner of the highly acclaimed ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (2017), and a recipient of an Honorable Mention at Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra’s Jazz Composition Competition (2015). Her diverse music has been performed here in the U.S., as well as in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Turkey.
Gizem holds a B.M. dual degree in Jazz Composition and Voice Performance from Berklee College of Music, as well as a Master of Music Theory and Composition Degree (Film Scoring) from New York University. Prior to that she has completed the ABRSM Exam Grade 8 for classical piano.
During her time in Boston, Gizem received the Quincy Jones Award in 2009, and was one of four participants of Maria Schneider’s Jazz Composition Seminar Classes. After her studies at Berklee College of Music, motivated by her acceptance into the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, Gizem moved to New York City. She attended the workshop (music directors: Jim McNeely and Mike Holober) between the years of 2011-2014. During this time, she was selected as one of three participants of the West Point Jazz Knights Composers Forum, and she earned her Master’s Degree at NYU.
In 2015, Gizem received a place in the Society of Composers and Lyricists NY Composer Mentor Program led by film composer Chris Hajian. Since 2017, she participates in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop directed by esteemed composers Andy Farber and Ted Nash. Residing in New York City, Gizem continues her work as an educator, performer and composer for a variety of local and remote projects, ranging from music for film to concert music for jazz orchestra.
Chair of Vocal Department. Originally from Menomonie, Wisconsin, Ann Hoyt has been living in NYC since 1994. She received her Masters in Music from Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelors in Mu ...
Chair of Vocal Department. Originally from Menomonie, Wisconsin, Ann Hoyt has been living in NYC since 1994. She received her Masters in Music from Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelors in Music from Illinois Wesleyan University. Her voice teachers have included Adele Addison, Barrington Coleman and Helen Hodam. Equally at home on the operatic or musical theater stage, Ann is also an accomplished recital artist and has collaborated with Rebel Baroque Orchestra, Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis and Trinity Church Wall Street. Ms. Hoyt can be heard as a soloist on Hänssler and Naxos recording labels. Ann teaches students from 5 year old children, to teenagers and up. It is never too late to start singing!
Juliana Janes-Yaffé is an internationally acclaimed singer and vocal pedagogue. She was Head of Vocal Studies at the Mannes College of Music (Preparatory Division) and has served on the voice facul ...
Juliana Janes-Yaffé is an internationally acclaimed singer and vocal pedagogue. She was Head of Vocal Studies at the Mannes College of Music (Preparatory Division) and has served on the voice faculties of New York University, Royal Northern College of Music (England), and Coventry University (England). She holds a graduate degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Boston University, where, as a Dean’s Scholar, she was a protégé of the renowned singer and pedagogue Phyllis Curtin. She has been heard as a soloist in performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center Festival, The 92nd Street Y, Colorado Springs Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Oakland Symphony, San Jose Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Orchester der deutschen Oper Berlin, Tokyo City Philharmonic, and Orquestra del Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires). She has sung solo recitals throughout the U.S., England, and Europe, and was — for twelve years — a Principal Soloist at the German opera houses of Münster, Essen, and Stuttgart. Guest engagements found her in San Francisco, New York, Darmstadt, Kassel, Berlin, and Miami. Juliana’s personal teaching philosophy is summarized here: (a) Do no harm; a student should never come out of a lesson with vocal fatigue; (b) Teach the fundamentals; they are key to successful singing — regardless of the musical style to which the technique is applied; (c) Diagnose the individual student’s vocal needs and customize the song choices to suit those needs (d) Work with the student’s own voice, not your personal idea of what the voice should sound like; and (e) Engage your genuine interest in and kindness toward each student, let your enjoyment in being a teacher shine through, and have a sense of humor!
Gina Morgano is a teacher and performer who aspires to create a world of beauty and instill hope for a better tomorrow. With warmth and enthusiasm, she inspires students to dream big, work hard and ...
Gina Morgano is a teacher and performer who aspires to create a world of beauty and instill hope for a better tomorrow. With warmth and enthusiasm, she inspires students to dream big, work hard and believe in their own goodness. Singing is a way for us all to share our inner light, and Gina helps students to tell meaningful stories with confidence through text and music.
She champions the in-between area that bridges classical and popular styles. With repertoire ranging from baroque to Broadway, favorite roles include Amalia in She Loves Me, Jo March in the musical Little Women, Jessie in Mahagonny Songspiel, Papagena in The Magic Flute and the title role in Alcina.
A concert and cabaret performer, Gina recently made her Lincoln Center solo debut at David Geffen Hall with the National Chorale.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Gina holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance, an M.S.J. in Journalism, and a Certificate for Departmental Excellence in Music Theatre from Northwestern University. She received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
For more information, please visit www.GinaMorgano.com.
Opera History II
How to Read Music
Originally from Hollywood, Florida, Ai Ra has burst onto the New York City classical music scene recently with Teatro Nuovo, City Lyric Opera, and the Lighthouse Opera Company, and more performing ...
Originally from Hollywood, Florida, Ai Ra has burst onto the New York City classical music scene recently with Teatro Nuovo, City Lyric Opera, and the Lighthouse Opera Company, and more performing leading roles in Opera, Operetta, and Straight Play. Ever the advocate of new music, in the 2022-2023 season Ai performed The Bishop of Puebla in the East Coast Premiere of Juana by Carla Lucero and Ensemble in the premiere of Lori Laitman’s Uncovered. His New England Debut as Gastone in MassOpera’s immersive production of La Traviata was a critically acclaimed sold out run, and he then reprised the role with The Lighthouse Opera in The Bronx.
Ai debuted with Seagle Music Festival this summer, singing Roméo (Roméo et Juliette) and Padre Antonio (With Blood, With Ink), and looks forward to his debuts with St. Petersburg Opera and Teatro Nuovo in 2024. Ai is a proud graduate of the Florida State University, UMKC, and Northeastern University. Visit airatenor.com for more info.
As an educator, Ai has taught a variety of student populations including first generation college students. Their education at Florida State University included classroom management, extensive vocal pedagogy, and teaching voice lessons. In addition, Ai has taught classrooms of General Chemistry Laboratory and Professional Development for Biotechnology.
Vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer has been a creative force in NYC’s vibrant music scene for more than a decade. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “innovative, provocative an ...
Vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer has been a creative force in NYC’s vibrant music scene for more than a decade. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “innovative, provocative and alluring.” Scheffer lends her voice to ensembles that range from jazz to progressive rock, from improvised music to modern classical music. Most recently she appeared on albums with Stefan Bauer’s Voyage West, Amanda Monaco’s Pirkei Avot, and Joe Phillips’ opera The Grey Land. As a bandleader, Tammy released an album with her sextet on the label Inner Circle Music. Tammy performed at Carnegie Hall and Birdland in NYC, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Revoice Festival in London, MISA Festival in China, San Sebastian Jazz Festival in Spain, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC, Chicago Cultural Center, and many other premier stages.
As an educator, Tammy works with a wide variety of students in her studio and in class settings. She has coached small jazz ensembles, taught music theory classes, and led vocal jazz repertoire and vocal improvisation workshops. In her voice studio, she works with students to improve their vocal technique and build musicianship skills.
Tammy holds an M.M. in Jazz Composition from Queens College, a B.M. in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory, and a Certificate in Vocology from the University of Utah. She is a PAVA-Recognized Vocologist, and a member of the Pan American Vocology Association and of the Recording Academy.
Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Sarah Tolar is an accomplished performer, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and music educator. She has released three full-length albums and performed throughout the United States, Europe, China, an ...
Sarah Tolar is an accomplished performer, vocalist, songwriter, producer, and music educator. She has released three full-length albums and performed throughout the United States, Europe, China, and Canada.
Sarah is a passionate music educator and conducts a vocal studio that offers instruction in jazz, musical theater, and pop vocal styles, as well as beginning piano, music theory, songwriting, and vocal improvisation. Her students have won many awards including the Carnegie Hall Forte International Competition and The Young Arts International Competition. She has produced recording sessions for her students including musical theater auditions and original songs for streaming. With more than twenty years of teaching experience, Sarah is eager to share her knowledge and grateful to witness her students’ growth as they explore the joy of music!
Sarah graduated with honors from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Music and a Masters of Music in jazz performance. While in Texas, she began teaching private vocal lessons and performing with her jazz quartet throughout Dallas and Ft. Worth. After graduation, she moved to New York City and began working as a band leader and vocalist. As a band leader, Sarah directed a 15-piece ensemble that performed in New York City, the Tri-State area, Florida, and California. Her band provided entertainment for private events and she had the honor of working with legendaries such as James Taylor, Jon Bon Jovi, and Billy Joel.
Sarah’s experience as a singer is extensive ranging from stadium tours as a background singer to television and broadway appearances. She toured with electro- funk duo Chromeo, performing at Lollapalooza, Coachella, The Roundhouse in London, and Canada’s Juno awards. Sarah sang with Grammy-winner Lyle Lovett on the Joe Scarborough Show and on Broadway for a special performance of Bombshell, the live adaptation of NBC’s TV show SMASH. She has recorded studio vocals for a number of television shows and commercials and worked with composers/writers Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, and Ned Ginsburg.
Sarah’s newest record, Something Sarah, recently released on the indie label Desert Vinyl, features Sarah’s original compositions along with jazz standards and pop and folk favorites. Something Sarah is receiving celebrated praise and is currently featured on radio stations nationwide.
Inna Berkhin is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, as well as a former member of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and Moscow Philharmonic. Since arriving in the United States, Ms. Berkhin has perfo ...
Inna Berkhin is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, as well as a former member of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and Moscow Philharmonic. Since arriving in the United States, Ms. Berkhin has performed extensively as a soloist and orchestra musician, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and many other venues. She has recently worked with the Acadia Summer Festival, Tenafly New Jersey Chamber Music Summer Festival, and Nuremberg Germany Music Festival as a teacher and performer. She is on the violin and viola faculty at 92Y School of Music and the Academy of Music at Ramapo College, and maintains a private studio.
Violinist and Violist Lani King Chang has performed as soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician throughout the US, Europe, and Taiwan. Formerly a tenured member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestr ...
Violinist and Violist Lani King Chang has performed as soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician throughout the US, Europe, and Taiwan. Formerly a tenured member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, she was a prizewinner of the Coleman Chamber Music Competition and has participated in festivals including Apollo Chamber Players of London, International Musicians Seminar, Composers Inc., Dartington International Baroque Festival in the U.K., Chamber Music West, and Camerata Chamber Players in Westchester. She currently serves on the faculty of Hoff-Barthelson Music School, the 92nd Street Y School of Music, and formerly a faculty member at the Usdan Camp for the Arts for 12 seasons. Ms. Chang received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from San Francisco Conservatory, and attended graduate school at New England Conservatory.
Partner Lessons for Kids: Beginner Violin / Ages 6-8
Violinist and composer Lauren Conroy is a New York-based musician who is passionate about performing contemporary music in dynamic multidisciplinary contexts. She performs solo and ensemble works s ...
Violinist and composer Lauren Conroy is a New York-based musician who is passionate about performing contemporary music in dynamic multidisciplinary contexts. She performs solo and ensemble works spanning traditional to modern. An avid performer of new music, she is a member of the BlackBox Ensemble. Lauren has co-produced and performed on several multidisciplinary projects including Juilliard’s Future Stages and NYC Ballet’s Choreographic Institute. She is currently the co-director of composer Hannah Ishizai’s chamber opera titled Tsuru no Ongaeshi, which will premiere in Fall 2025.
Lauren has been invited to several festivals and residencies including Toronto Summer Music Fellowship, Norfolk New Music Workshop, Bowdoin International Music Festival Fellowship, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Lauren is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she completed her Master of Music and was a Departmental Assistant at The Juilliard School’s Center for Innovation in the Arts. After graduating from Juilliard, she then attended NYU and completed her Master of Arts in Contemporary Chamber Music Performance and Administration as a Koppenaal Scholar. At NYU, she was granted the Dean’s Award for Summer Research where she was a resident scholar at The John Cage Trust at Bard College and directed a multidisciplinary performance project at the NYU Blackbox Theater.
Lauren previously attended Indiana University studying with Simin Ganatra and graduated from the Hutton Honors College and Jacobs School of Music with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance. She also completed a minor in Political and Civic Engagement and a certificate in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship.
Lauren enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities. Her teaching philosophy is driven by the belief that developing the technical foundations of violin playing leads to a joyful musical life. In addition to traditional violin lessons, Lauren also takes particular interest in working with students who are developing creative performance projects, helping them prepare and guiding them through recital programs and multidisciplinary projects from start to finish.
Bridget Fitzgerald, violin, is a soloist and chamber musician based in Brooklyn. She performs and records around the world with an eclectic roster of ensembles spanning a variety of genres includin ...
Bridget Fitzgerald, violin, is a soloist and chamber musician based in Brooklyn. She performs and records around the world with an eclectic roster of ensembles spanning a variety of genres including classical, rock, punk and electronica on viola, electric violin, guitar and synths. Bridget plays and records regularly in the NYC area with the band Stereo Off (stereo-off.com). She received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School. Bridget is on the violin and viola facilty at the 92nd Street Y School of Music, and the Williamsburg School of Music, as well as maintaining a private studio.
Elise is a New York-based violist who performs and records classical, contemporary, and popular music. Her performances have taken her across the country and to concert venues such as Carnegie Hall ...
Elise is a New York-based violist who performs and records classical, contemporary, and popular music. Her performances have taken her across the country and to concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre, SXSW, as well as downtown clubs and performance spaces. She has appeared on various major and independent label albums, as well as Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, America’s Got Talent!, and the Amazon Prime Original Series Mozart in the Jungle.
Elise has performed with a number of orchestras throughout the country including the American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony, the New Haven Symphony, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, among others. Artists she has performed with include Paul Simon, St. Vincent, Danger Mouse, Alessia Cara, Julia Michaels, Jon Batiste, Kygo, Halsey, Meghan Trainor, Andrew Bird, Pharaohe Monch, Jacky Cheung, Kelis, Shallou, Pink Martini, Shoshana Bean, Cynthia Erivo, Grace McLean, Santino Fontana, Nathan Gunn, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Falls, Landlady, Cassandra Jenkins, and the Airborne Toxic Event. She is a co-founder of Atlantic Collective with acclaimed Portuguese pianist Nuno Marques, a group that performs socially thematic programs with an emphasis on new and underperformed works by underrepresented composers. She is also the newest member of The Furies, a five-piece indie rock band comprised of all women.
Elise is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and NYU, where she served as Adjunct Instructor of Viola. She currently serves as an Executive Board member of AFM Local 802, where she is a passionate labor and political advocate for musicians in the workplace. She lives in Manhattan with her husband Nat and their son Noah.
Violinist Katherine Gilger resides in New York City and recently graduated from the Mannes School of Music where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. While at Mannes, Kathe ...
Violinist Katherine Gilger resides in New York City and recently graduated from the Mannes School of Music where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. While at Mannes, Katherine studied with David Chan, concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and renowned pedagogue Aaron Rosand. Katherine also served as concertmaster of the Mannes Orchestra. Katherine performs in the Montclair Orchestra in New Jersey and with the North Carolina Symphony and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, Katherine is an active chamber musician having performed with members of the American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. A frequent recitalist, Katherine has played recent concerts in Vermont, North Carolina, upstate New York for the Young Musicians Forum, and around New York City. Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, Katherine began playing the violin at seven years of age and the piano at four. She studied with North Carolina Symphony Assistant Concertmaster Rebekah Binford and was concertmaster of three youth orchestras.
Hailing from Qathet, Canada, Madeline Hocking is a violinist, composer, curator, and educator, committed to giving contemporary music the attention and enthusiasm it deserves. Madeline is a member ...
Hailing from Qathet, Canada, Madeline Hocking is a violinist, composer, curator, and educator, committed to giving contemporary music the attention and enthusiasm it deserves. Madeline is a member of the Boston-based Semiosis Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to new music, and co-artistic director of Noise Catalogue, an award winning collective based in New York City. She also co-hosts an ongoing concert series with violist and composer Trevor New, ‘Telematic Collisions’, which employs cutting-edge technology to maximize audience interactivity and accessibility. Madeline thoroughly enjoys collaborating with composers on world premieres of their works, as well as interdisciplinary projects involving improvisation, electronics, and more. As a music teacher of all ages and levels, her central aim is to foster a passion for music in her students which they can carry with them throughout their lives, as well as helping them develop the necessary skills to express their unique artistic voice.
Madeline has achieved widespread recognition as both a chamber music and soloist, having soloed with the American Composers Orchestra, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, the Vancouver Philharmonic, the Strathcona Symphony Orchestra and the Comox Music Centre Orchestra. She’s been featured as a chamber musician in the New York Philharmonic’s ’Nightcap’ series, and as a solo performer at IRCAM forum, as well as being featured at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, the Banff Centre, the Bang on a Can Marathon, and countless festivals across North America. As a composer, her works have been performed at venues across the US, Canada, and Hungary. Madeline received her Bachelor’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Master’s degree in contemporary violin from Manhattan School of Music.
Play, Move, Groove!
Little Voices
Junior Chorus
Juliet Kurtzman began playing the violin at age 7, and was quickly discovered as a child prodigy. At the age of ten, she began winning competitions, and soloing with orchestras such as the Houston ...
Juliet Kurtzman began playing the violin at age 7, and was quickly discovered as a child prodigy. At the age of ten, she began winning competitions, and soloing with orchestras such as the Houston and Dallas Symphonies. Throughout her youth, she performed extensively throughout the US in solo recitals and with orchestras. At age 17, she began her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, with Jascha Brodsky. Shortly after, she made her Carnegie Hall debut.
After graduating from Curtis, Juliet moved to Europe, where she performed and taught throughout Spain and Switzerland. For 8 years, she was first violin in the Luzern Symphony Orchestra, and played regularly with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Currently, Juliet resides in NYC, where she is on the faculty at the Lucy Moses School, the Special Music School and at 92nd Street Y. She also has a variety of private students of different ages and levels, going from beginners to advanced, some of whom have won competitions and performed with professional orchestras in New York City.
Aside from the classical music where she specializes, Juliet has begun diversifying styles and genres of music in her violin playing. She has created a trio of mixed styles music, called Libertrio, alongside Santi Debriano (bass) and Helio Alves (piano).
Libetrio is now a trio that has been performing in different venues in New York. Their musical program mainly encompasses Brazilian and Argentinian music and composers. In an attempt to expand their geographical horizon, Libertrio were recently invited to perform at the Governor’s palace in Gibraltar.
Violinist Mia Nardi-Huffman has performed across North America and Europe, in venues that include Carnegie Hall, SF JAZZ Center, Herbst Theatre, The National Arts Club, Shoreline Amphitheatre, and ...
Violinist Mia Nardi-Huffman has performed across North America and Europe, in venues that include Carnegie Hall, SF JAZZ Center, Herbst Theatre, The National Arts Club, Shoreline Amphitheatre, and Courmeyer, Italy. Mia is the first violinist of the Astraeus String Quartet and the resident violinist for the contemporary chamber music ensemble Ninth Planet. Mia regularly performs with other music ensembles on both coasts, including Opera San Jose, Ensemble for These Times, Opera Paralelle, Island City Opera, and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra.
In the realm of crossover music, Mia has performed with Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling on their national tour, Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman at SFJAZZ, Gamelan X, and many more. Mia has also worked extensively as a studio musician, recording with artists such as The Singer and The Songwriter, Streetlight Manifesto, Marcus McCauley, and Portrait Maker.
Mia has been extremely fortunate to study with renowned violin pedagogues Shirley Givens, Bettina Mussumeli, Akiko Silver, and Yuval Waldman, as well as chamber music studies with Mark Sokol, Mack McCray, and Jennifer Culp. Mia earned both her BM (2014) and her MM (2016) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she was concertmaster of the Conservatory Orchestra and the recipient of the Sergei Barsukov Violin Scholarship.
A dedicated violin teacher, Mia maintains a private studio in New York City, and is a Teaching Artist for Midori & Friends, as well as a faculty member at The Chamber Music Institute’s summer program in Vermont. She previously was a Teaching Artist for the Oakland Symphony’s MUSE program, and has held artist residencies at CSU East Bay and Diablo Valley College, as well as the pre-college division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. When not performing or teaching, she is often found taking care of her many houseplants, making bagels, and spending time with her cat Stella Bean.
Katie von Braun is a New York City-based violinist/violist who has taught at the Harmony Program, Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Blume Haiti, and is certified ...
Katie von Braun is a New York City-based violinist/violist who has taught at the Harmony Program, Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Blume Haiti, and is certified in teaching Books 1-4 of the Mark O’Connor Fiddle Method. She has taught privately and in group classes, from beginners to advanced adults. Katie’s teaching methodology is catered individually to each student, but centers around a universal strong technique foundation (with many Suzuki and Mimi Zweig-inspired ideas). Prioritizing a creative and engaging learning environment, she encourages students to embrace their personal musical preferences, whether they be classical, opera, musical theatre/film, pop/rock, bluegrass or even writing their own music.
Katie has performed with Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King and Dear Evan Hansen, the American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony Orchestra, Westchester Broadway Theatre, Westchester Philharmonic, and New London Barn Playhouse as an onstage bluegrass fiddler. She has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House and Radio City Music Hall. Katie received her Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music with an Anthropology minor from the University of Michigan. In addition to performing and teaching, Katie works as a freelance public relations & marketing representative for classical musicians.
Aminda Asher is an active performer of orchestral and chamber music in New York City. She has appeared in concerts at many of New York’s greatest performance venues including Carnegie Hall, T ...
Aminda Asher is an active performer of orchestral and chamber music in New York City. She has appeared in concerts at many of New York’s greatest performance venues including Carnegie Hall, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, Bargemusic and (Le) Poisson Rouge. She performs with several regional orchestras in the New York metropolitan area including the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Arcos Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts International New York Orchestra. She has also performed and recorded with the Albany Symphony. Outside of New York, Ms. Asher has performed with the New World Symphony in Miami, Fl, the Santo Domingo Music Festival Orchestra in the Dominican Republic, the Arcos Orchestra on two European tours and has participated in the intensive summer study programs at the Music Academy of the West and the Banff Centre of the Arts Chamber Music Residency Program. As an avid performer of contemporary chamber music, Ms. Asher is a member of Cadillac Moon Ensemble and Periapsis Music and Dance and has performed with Talea Ensemble. Also a dedicated traditional and Suzuki teacher, Ms. Asher is currently on the faculties of 92nd Street Y, Turtle Bay Music School and Lucy Moses School. Ms. Asher holds a B.M in cello performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, and a M.M. in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
Cello (Beginner)
Chamber and orchestral musician, Isabel Fairbanks, has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Currently residing in New York City, she has recently been heard at Lincoln Center a ...
Chamber and orchestral musician, Isabel Fairbanks, has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Currently residing in New York City, she has recently been heard at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as 92Y, Merkin Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, and at the United Nations Friendship Summit. Her festival appearances include the Banff International Masterclasses, Roundtop Music Festival, Tanglewood, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Orpheus Institute. Throughout her career, Ms. Fairbanks has performed with the Circe Ensemble, Distinguished Concerts International New York, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, the Salome Chamber Orchestra, the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and alongside members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has been a finalist and prizewinner at the Montpelier Arts Center Competition as part of the Circe Ensemble, the New England Chamber Music Competition, and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
A passionate educator, Ms. Fairbanks is on the faculty of 92Y, Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp, The Artists Program Chamber Music Festival, and Suzuki on the Island. She holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Boston University and is currently a doctoral fellowship recipient at the City University of New York's Graduate Center where she is pursuing a doctoral degree in cello performance under Marcy Rosen. She plays an Italian cello made in 1910 by Carlo Carletti.
Robert Feifan Hurley is a Taiwanese-American cellist based in Queens, New York. Originally from the SF Bay Area, Robert holds degrees from Indiana University and UC Berkeley. As a professional cell ...
Robert Feifan Hurley is a Taiwanese-American cellist based in Queens, New York. Originally from the SF Bay Area, Robert holds degrees from Indiana University and UC Berkeley. As a professional cellist, he has performed with professional orchestras across California, including the Sacramento, Fresno, and Modesto Symphony Orchestras. Robert has been a member of the Indiana New Music Ensemble, the early music ensemble Concentus, and the IU Concert Orchestra, and he was principal cellist of the UC Berkeley Symphony and Chamber Orchestras.
He has performed in world-renowned venues such as the Vienna Musikverien, Slovak Radio Hall, Smetana Hall, Merkin Hall, and Davies Symphony Hall, and appeared in masterclasses with Seth Parker Woods, Sergey Malov, and members of the Kronos, Danish, and Shanghai String Quartet. Robert has spent summers as a fellow at festivals such as Mendocino, Taconic, NextFest, and Garth Newel, and as a student at Orford and Meadowmount schools of music.
Robert is on faculty at the 92nd Street Y School of Music and Herald School of Music and Arts, and is pursuing graduate studies with Marcy Rosen at Queens College. He previously studied with Eric Kim, Jonathan Koh, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, and historical instruments with Joanna Blendulf.
Cellist Kirsten Jermé leads a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, and advocate of community-building through the arts. As a chamber musician, Kirsten has performed internationally i ...
Cellist Kirsten Jermé leads a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, and advocate of community-building through the arts. As a chamber musician, Kirsten has performed internationally in venues including Weill Recital Hall and the Joyce Dance Theater in New York City, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Harlaxton College in England, the Banff Arts Centre in Canada, the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago and Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Kirsten was formerly cellist of the Larchmere String Quartet, which toured across the U.S., Canada and Italy presenting concerts and masterclasses, and recorded for the Naxos label. Kirsten also served as Principal Cellist of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and held the Eykamp String Quartet Faculty Artist-in-Residence position at the University of Evansville, where she created a chamber music course for undergraduates and co-founded a community-based chamber music series. She is also a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon.
Kirsten serves as cello faculty at North Carolina State University and has given masterclasses at UNC-Chapel Hill, Western Kentucky University and Otterbein. A deeply committed educator, she has taught for institutions including Greenwich House Music School in Manhattan and Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts in Queens, Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute and Kidznotes, and she served as Honors Director for the Lamar Stringfield Music Camp in Raleigh. Kirsten received her M.M. at Eastman School of Music as a student of Steven Doane and her B.A. from Stony Brook University, where she studied with Colin Carr and the Emerson String Quartet. She is currently pursuing a D.M.A. at the CUNY Graduate Center as a pupil of Marcy Rosen, and serves in an adjunct role at Brooklyn College and the Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music.
Helen Newby continually seeks ways to expand the technical and expressive boundaries of her instrument through close collaboration with other innovative performers, composers and artists. She has b ...
Helen Newby continually seeks ways to expand the technical and expressive boundaries of her instrument through close collaboration with other innovative performers, composers and artists. She has been recognized for her “warm tone” and “intimate balanced sound” (The Washington Post), and as a “superb” and “committed champion” of new music (Cleveland Classical). Newby’s passion for collaboration and experimentation has led her to work with a number of both emerging and established composers, including Steve Reich, David Lang, Chaya Czernowin, Marcos Balter, Ashley Fure, Nathalie Joachim, and Tania León, among others. She has performed with and alongside ensembles such as the JACK Quartet, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, One Found Sound, and Contemporaneous. In addition to an active career as a performer, Newby is equally dedicated to education and working with young composers, performers, and communities of listeners. She has given concerts and workshops for undergraduate and graduate students at institutions including Oberlin College, Brown University, and DePauw University. Newby studied at Oberlin College with Darrett Adkins (B.M.) before continuing her education at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Jennifer Culp (M.M).
Bassist Joe Fitzgerald has been a vital part of the New York music scene for nearly three decades. He has a wide range of performance experience in major venues large and small all over the world, ...
Bassist Joe Fitzgerald has been a vital part of the New York music scene for nearly three decades. He has a wide range of performance experience in major venues large and small all over the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, Moscow Philharmonic Hall, the North Sea Jazz Festival to name a few. Joe also frequently performs with world class artists such as Pat Metheny, Datevik Hovanessian, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Mintzer, Frank Wess and many others. Joe is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and is active as an educator serving on faculties as diverse as the Collective School of Music, the Dalton School, the Rudolf Steiner School and Harvard University.
Christopher North (b 1969) is a composer (Film, Theater and Dance), singer/songwriter (eclectic albums, songs for children’s TV and Indy Films), multi-instrumentalist (Carnegie Hall, Newport ...
Christopher North (b 1969) is a composer (Film, Theater and Dance), singer/songwriter (eclectic albums, songs for children’s TV and Indy Films), multi-instrumentalist (Carnegie Hall, Newport Folk Festival, CBGBs, Grammy award-winning recordings) and conductor (Hollywood Chamber Orchestra debut, NYLSO). A Texan in NYC since 1997, he’s thriving in Brooklyn with 20 genre crossing albums, scores to over 60 films (inc. distributed, award-winning and Grammy Nominated) and a growing opus of arts songs, chamber music and symphonic works. An enthusiastic educator and Assistant Professor in the Berklee College of Music Songwriting Department since January 2019, he has taught at the 92nd St Y since Fall 1997. As a freelance sideman, he has played bass for Quincy Jones, with The Dixie Chicks and Rosanne Cash, in orchestras and on Broadway. He’s been heard as a singer (in choirs with NY Phil), whistler (for Disney) and multi-instrumentalist on countless scores, albums, video games and commercials. A 2015 Sundance Institute Lab Fellow, collaborating brings out his best, for which VARIETY says he’s a "notable asset” to work “well served by a fine soundtrack.” His favorite creation is his son Xavier and his hobbies include painting, photography and hiking.
www.christophernorth.com www.imdb.me/christophernorth Albums on iTunes Soundhive Session Christopher North Vimeo.com/crnorth
The Mystery of Songwriting
Jhoely Garay is a Mexican New York-based guitarist, composer, arranger and a passionate educator committed to share her love for music.
She holds a BM in jazz guitar performance from The ...
She holds a BM in jazz guitar performance from The City College of New York and a MM in composition from the Manhattan School of Music.
She is part of the music faculty at 92NY music program, Jazz House Kids New York, and Stanford University Jazz Workshop. Garay has also taught several masterclasses in jazz guitar and composition at higher education institutions in Mexico and the U.S., such as Portland State University, Jazz Education Network Conference, Universidad Veracruzana JazzUV, Universidad de Queretaro, Universidad Autónoma de Colima.
In addition, she is a Latin Grammy Foundation Ambassador, an ASCAP Fran Morgenstern awardee, a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grantee, an awardee of the “Young Creators” program by the National Fund for Culture and the Arts in Mexico, and the New York City Artist Corps grantee.
Gianni Gardner is an up-and-coming jazz guitarist and composer living in New York City. He is best known for his quintet, Ascent, who performs original compositions. Gianni has also been regularly ...
Gianni Gardner is an up-and-coming jazz guitarist and composer living in New York City. He is best known for his quintet, Ascent, who performs original compositions. Gianni has also been regularly called to play with Connecticut based Latin Jazz group, Ed Fast and Conga Bop, performing at renowned venues such as The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT, The Iridium and The Django. Gianni is also the guitarist in Sean Nelson’s New London Big Band, where they recently recorded their upcoming album and presented the music at Birdland Jazz Club featuring lead trumpeter, Wayne Bergeron, and drummer John Riley of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Outside of the Jazz world, Gianni loves playing Pop, Rock and Roll, Blues, Funk and Top 40 Hits. Outside of music, Gianni enjoys going on bike rides, playing and watching tennis and spending time in nature.
Guitarist Andrew Hartman is active as a performer, composer and educator in the New York City area. Performing as a bandleader and sideman, Hartman regularly works in a variety of genres, incl ...
Guitarist Andrew Hartman is active as a performer, composer and educator in the New York City area. Performing as a bandleader and sideman, Hartman regularly works in a variety of genres, including jazz, rock and pop, and music theatre. His albums Compass and Andrew Hartman and Still Motion feature his original music arranged and performed in trio, quartet and quintet settings.
Partner Lessons for Kids: Group Guitar for Beginners / Ages 6-8
Partner Lessons for Kids: Group Guitar for Beginners / Ages 9-11
Hans Luchs is a guitarist, composer, and educator who lives in New York City after relocating in the fall of 2017 from his hometown of Chicago. Hans has been teaching guitar for nearly twenty ...
Hans Luchs is a guitarist, composer, and educator who lives in New York City after relocating in the fall of 2017 from his hometown of Chicago. Hans has been teaching guitar for nearly twenty years, and has taught at the elementary, secondary, and collegiate level, as well as privately. Currently, Hans is on faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, where he primarily teaches group guitar and ukulele classes.
As a performer, Hans has performed and toured with an array of artists including 8-time Grammy winner Pepe Aguilar, Motown legend Martha Reeves, and many jazz musicians in Chicago, New York, Europe, and Latin America. As a recording artist, Hans has recorded in various formats as a sideman and leader, including projects produced by NPR and Apple Music. Hans holds a master’s degree in Jazz Performance from DePaul University and a bachelor’s in Music Performance from University of Illinois Chicago.
Ed MacEachen is a jazz guitarist who got his professional start in 1977 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio where he studied with Bill D'Arrango (sideman with Ben Webster and Dizzy Gillespie). E ...
Ed MacEachen is a jazz guitarist who got his professional start in 1977 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio where he studied with Bill D'Arrango (sideman with Ben Webster and Dizzy Gillespie). Ed moved to New York in 1984 where he has worked in the bands of Jack McDuff, Chico Hamilton and Erestine Anderson among many others. He currently lives and performs in the New York City area and can be heard on Eliot Zigmund's Starlight on Jazz Today Records and Bill Mobley's Singularity on Space Time Records along with others. Ed teaches at both 92nd Street Y (since 1996) and in the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music program (since 1989).
Partner Lessons for Adults: Guitar for Beginners
Jazz guitarist Benno Marmur is a highly sought after music educator and performer based in New York City. Benno regularly performs throughout New York at venues such as St. Peter’s Church, Ba ...
Jazz guitarist Benno Marmur is a highly sought after music educator and performer based in New York City. Benno regularly performs throughout New York at venues such as St. Peter’s Church, Bar Next Door, the 75 Club, Baha’i Center, and Cleopatra’s Needle. He has had the opportunity to played alongside jazz legends such as Grant Stewart, Jimmy Madison, Warren Chiasson, and Fukushi Tainaka, among others. Recently, Benno was featured as part of vibraphonist Warren Chiasson’s Tribute to Chet Baker at St. Peter’s Church.
In addition to his active performance career, Benno maintains a rigorous schedule of private and group lessons working with students of all of all ages, levels, and styles. Developing in all students a love and passion for music as at the root of Benno’s teaching. Benno has taught at institutions such as the Music School of Westchester, Mouzert Music Academy, 92nd Street Y School of Music, and the New York Public Schools. Benno holds a bachelor’s degree in guitar performance from Purchase College Conservatory of Music.
Greg Skaff is a New York City based recording and performing guitarist with six albums to his name. On his latest album, Polaris (SMK Jazz), Skaff fronts a trio featuring jazz icons Ron Ca ...
Greg Skaff is a New York City based recording and performing guitarist with six albums to his name. On his latest album, Polaris (SMK Jazz), Skaff fronts a trio featuring jazz icons Ron Carter and Albert “Tootie” Heath. Throughout his eclectic career Skaff has performed on such revered stages as the Blue Note, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club, Smalls, Mezzrow, Iridium, Minton’s Playhouse, and Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival.
Skaff has maintained a private teaching practice throughout his career and additionally he has taught at Sarah Lawrence College.
He currently holds a chair at the Broadway show Wicked.
Born in Philadelphia and now thriving in New York City, Jordan Vernik is a distinguished graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in guitar performance, songwriting, and production. His c ...
Born in Philadelphia and now thriving in New York City, Jordan Vernik is a distinguished graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in guitar performance, songwriting, and production. His career took a significant leap when he moved to Los Angeles in 2004, where he founded one of the largest after-school music education programs for students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Jordan played a pivotal role in co-writing the LAUSD standard for music education and has expertly designed curricula, syllabi, and lesson plans for guitar, group guitar classes, and student rock bands.
Jordan is a firm believer in the power of music education to foster self-expression, build personal and social confidence, and lay a strong foundation of knowledge and skill for both children and adults.
In addition to his contributions to music education, Jordan is an accomplished writer, recording artist, and producer. He has had the privilege of engineering and producing for GRAMMY-winning, world-renowned artists such as Rod Stewart, Steve Perry, Stanley Clarke, Green Day, Santana, Bruno Mars, Andra Day, Christina Aguilera, and many others.
92NY Rock Band
Guitarist Max Zuckerman is a multifaceted guitarist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He received his Master of Music Degree from the Yale School of Music where he studied with Benjamin Verdery. ...
Guitarist Max Zuckerman is a multifaceted guitarist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He received his Master of Music Degree from the Yale School of Music where he studied with Benjamin Verdery. Max is also a graduate of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where he earned both a Bachelors of Music and a Graduate Performance Degree in the studio of Manuel Barrueco.
In 2002, at the American String Teachers’ Association national competition, Max won first prize in his division (under 18 guitar) and Grand Prize for all string instruments in the under 18 division. In March 2003, Max won first prize in the Portland Guitar Festival Solo Guitar Competition. In the spring of 2009, Max premiered a new work by Matthew Cmiel commissioned by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society in Baltimore and that fall he was the featured performer in the New York City Classical Guitar Society Second Sundays Concert Series at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York.
In the fall of 2010, Max made his Carnegie Hall debut premiering Sam Adams’ Tension Study #1 for electric guitar and percussion. Max has received awards in the Appalachian State Guitar Competition, Montreal Guitar Festival and Competition, Sierra Nevada Guitar Competition and was awarded First Prize in the Middle Tennessee State University Guitar Festival and Competition. This past year he performed the Villa-Lobos Concerto with both the Bay-Atlantic Symphony and the Panama National Symphony. While maintaining his classical repertoire, Max enjoys collaborating with other musicians and composers in a wide variety of styles, from the avant-garde to popular music.
Flutist Keith Bonner has performed in a wide variety of ensembles, ranging from symphony and opera orchestras to small chamber groups, Broadway pits as well as movies and television.
Mr. ...
Mr. Bonner is currently principal flute of both the Greater Bridgeport Symphony and Riverside Symphony as well as a member of the Borealis Wind Quintet. He performs regularly with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Symphony Orchestras of New Jersey, and Stamford, CT and the New York City Ballet Orchestra. As soloist, Mr. Bonner has performed concertos by Nielsen (Lincoln Center), Gluck, Telemann, Bach, Doppler and Mozart with various orchestras in the New York metropolitan area and across Japan with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. Keith has also performed much chamber music for flute with the Lenape Chamber Ensemble, Harlem Chamber Players, Carolina Chamber Music Festival and Wind Soloists of New York.
Keith maintains an active freelance career in New York City and has played in the Broadway pits of over a dozen productions.
Mr. Bonner currently teaches at 92Y School of Music, Special Music School, and the New York Youth Symphony. He was a board member of the New York Flute Club from 2006 until 2012.
Mr. Bonner holds a bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Thomas Giles holds a Doctorate in Woodwind Performance and has over 10 years’ experience teaching woodwinds and music fundamentals to students of all ages and abilities. In addition to his wo ...
Thomas Giles holds a Doctorate in Woodwind Performance and has over 10 years’ experience teaching woodwinds and music fundamentals to students of all ages and abilities. In addition to his work at The 92nd Street Y School of Music, Giles is Artist-Teacher of Saxophone at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and on faculty at the Aaron Copland School of Music - Queens College. He gives clinics, lectures, and performances across the nation and has been a guest at Harvard, Princeton, Manhattan School of Music, NYU Steinhardt, and held teaching residencies at the Arts Academy of Szczecin (Poland), Landesgymnasium für Musik in Dresden (Germany).
Giles students regularly win admission to top performing arts high schools in New York City, including the Fiorello LaGuardia and Frank Sinatra high schools, Special Music School, and the Juilliard School. Giles’ students have won scholarships to attend the internationally renowned Interlochen Arts Academy and major universities.
Highly active on flute, clarinet, and saxophone, Giles performance highlights include serving as Principal Flutist of Opera Parallèle’s revival production of Philip Glass’ opera, La Belle et Bête, in San Francisco, and as a substitute on the Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (on Broadway). On clarinet, Giles has performed on film scores, studio recordings, and in several pit orchestras. On saxophone, Giles recently won 4th prize at the prestigious Walter Naumburg International Saxophone Competition – the largest classical saxophone competition in history. He is a regular guest with world-class ensembles in New York and beyond, appearing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, SFJAZZ, and internationally at Bachfest Leipzig, Heidelberg Kulturzentrum, Münster Musikhochschule, Szczecin International Saxophone Festival, Utrecht Bartholomeus Gasthuis, and the Citè de la Musique de Strasbourg.
Flutist Lauren Scanio Kelly’s concerts have explored an adventurously eclectic range of repertoire from the baroque to the contemporary. As a New York-based freelancer, she has performed with ...
Flutist Lauren Scanio Kelly’s concerts have explored an adventurously eclectic range of repertoire from the baroque to the contemporary. As a New York-based freelancer, she has performed with such groups as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Syracuse Symphoria, Festival Napa Valley, National Repertory Orchestra, and Buffalo Philharmonic, amongst others. Her orchestral playing can be heard on John Williams’ and Yo-Yo Ma’s 2022 album, A Gathering of Friends, as well as the broadcast of Live from Lincoln Center: Celebrating Sondheim on PBS.
As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with the New York Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet for their Very Young People’s concert series of the 2022 season. She has also recorded as a member of Opus 961, an ode to contemporary Lebanese music, under the label Dreyer-Gaido. As a member of a flute and guitar duo, she presented monthly recitals on the Sunday Afternoon Classical series at the Morgan Library and Museum for three seasons. She was a founding member of Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she has participated as a featured soloist and chamber musician.
Lauren is a passionate teaching artist, and currently serves on the faculties of the 92NY and Musart Music in Syosset, NY. She has experience training students as young as six years old to adults.
Lauren is a graduate of The Juilliard School (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (BM).
Annie Nikunen is a versatile artist known for her dual roles as a composer and flutist. Her compositions span a wide spectrum of musical genres and settings, from experimental music groups and inte ...
Annie Nikunen is a versatile artist known for her dual roles as a composer and flutist. Her compositions span a wide spectrum of musical genres and settings, from experimental music groups and interdisciplinary collectives to classical ensembles, orchestras, and dance companies. She employs diverse notational styles, ranging from precise scores to aleatoric graphics, and integrates movement into her compositional process, reflecting her background as a dancer and choreographer.
Nikunen’s works have been featured at esteemed venues and institutions across the US and Europe, including the Helsinki Music Centre, Tanglewood Music Center, and Roulette, among others. Her compositions have been performed by notable ensembles such as The Phoenix Symphony, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Fonema Consort. She is a founding member of BlackBox Ensemble, where she serves as flutist and Marketing Director, and has also contributed as Resident Composer-Choreographer at Periapsis Music & Dance.
As a flutist, Nikunen has showcased her talents in a diverse array of musical settings, including classical chamber ensembles, Baroque groups, jazz ensembles, and indie albums. She has performed at venues like National Sawdust, Mark Morris Dance Group, and The Noguchi Museum, exploring genres ranging from Afro-Cuban to experimental electronic music. Her dedication to education is evident through her residencies and teaching engagements at institutions such as Tanglewood Music Center, NYU, and University of Michigan.
Nikunen holds a Master of Music in Composition from NYU and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she also studied flute performance at Manhattan School of Music. She is recognized for her advocacy in mental health awareness within the arts community as an Artist Ambassador for Creatives Care.
More information can be found at her website, www.annienikunen.com.
Rie Schmidt is a graduate of SUNY Purchase College Conservatory. She teaches flute at 92Y, The Bloomingdale School of Music, and the Allen-Stevenson School in New York City. She has received Suzuki ...
Rie Schmidt is a graduate of SUNY Purchase College Conservatory. She teaches flute at 92Y, The Bloomingdale School of Music, and the Allen-Stevenson School in New York City. She has received Suzuki flute certification from the East Tennessee Suzuki Flute Institute International, the Great Lakes Suzuki Flute Institute in Hamilton, ONT and Suzuki in the Berkshires in Williamstown, NY.
In 1983, she gave her Carnegie Recital Hall debut as a winner of the Artists International Competition. Ms. Schmidt is a member of the Westchester Philharmonic and the American Symphony and has performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra and many Broadway shows. She and her husband, guitarist Benjamin Verdery, concertize as a duo throughout the US and Europe, and have recorded two CDs of music for flute and guitar. She is a founding member of Flute Force, a flute quartet, which has three CDs: Flute Force (CRI), Pastorale (VAI) and Eyewitness (innova). Her publications include Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé (McGinnis and Marx) arranged for flute quintet, and Barber’s Adagio (Schirmer Music). Ms. Schmidt was the president of the New York Flute Club from 1995-98.
Flutist Reva Youngstein is an active performer throughout the New York area. She can be heard in Broadway pits of Wicked, and the most recent Les Misérables. She performs regularl ...
Flutist Reva Youngstein is an active performer throughout the New York area. She can be heard in Broadway pits of Wicked, and the most recent Les Misérables. She performs regularly at Carnegie Hall with Musica Sacra and with the Orchestra of the Oratorio Society of New York and is a flute substitute in the New Jersey Symphony. She has been on the music faculty of the Brearley School in Manhattan for twenty years, and co-heads the “River Edge Flute Experience” a summer flute camp. She was Woodwind Coach for eight years in New Jersey Symphony’s Youth Orchestra program, and has served as a substitute flute instructor at Manhattan School of Music’s pre-college division, and in the Juilliard School’s MAP program. Reva has students from age 8-68.
Belinda Rosen has garnered an international presence playing the oboe and English horn to a wide range of audiences throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. She has engaged listener ...
Belinda Rosen has garnered an international presence playing the oboe and English horn to a wide range of audiences throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. She has engaged listeners as both an orchestral and chamber musician and has developed a strong musical profile with her diverse range of recorded music. A recent graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Belinda is an avid freelancer, and has performed with many orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, California Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Monterey Symphony, Opera San Jose, Santa Cruz Symphony, and the Modesto Symphony. Belinda earned her MM in Oboe Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2020 and completed her BM in Oboe Performance from the University of Michigan where she graduated with top academic honors in 2016.
Belinda is currently on faculty at the Eisman Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music and has a private teaching studio as well where she works with students of all ages. In the Bay Area, Belinda taught high school oboists and led woodwind sectionals at both Amador Valley High School as well as the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra. In addition to teaching, Belinda enjoys dedicating a lot of her free time to volunteering and, during her time at Rice University, Belinda was a coordinator for JUMP!, Just for You Music Program, a student-led outreach program serving Houston area schools. Born and raised in Belle Harbor, NY, Belinda is also a graduate of the premier LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and the Performing Arts.
Belinda’s major teachers include Eugene Izotov, Robert Atherholt, Pedro Diaz, and Nancy Ambrose King.
Leonard Hindell began his bassoon studies while at the High School of Music and Art in New York. After graduation, he attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he won the Harold Bauer Award. Up ...
Leonard Hindell began his bassoon studies while at the High School of Music and Art in New York. After graduation, he attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he won the Harold Bauer Award. Upon graduation in 1964 he joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In 1972 he became a member of the New York Philharmonic. He retired from the Philharmonic in 2005. Mr. Hindell has given recitals at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, where he premiered numerous pieces written for him. He served on the committee that established the Philharmonic Ensembles, a series of chamber music programs featuring members of the New York Philharmonic in its series at Merkin Concert Hall. In addition to being a distinguished member of the 92Y faculty, Mr. Hindell is on the faculty of the Steinhardt School at New York University. He has given master classes throughout the United States, South America and Europe.
James Jeter, bassoon, has an international reputation as a soloist and chamber musician, with various performances in Europe, South America and Asia. In 2010, he toured internationally as principal ...
James Jeter, bassoon, has an international reputation as a soloist and chamber musician, with various performances in Europe, South America and Asia. In 2010, he toured internationally as principal bassoon for Star Wars in Concert. Currently, principal bassoonist for the New Jersey Festival Orchestra and Cecilia Chorus Orchestra, he has often performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Orchestra of N.Y., Berkshire Opera Company, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Alvin Ailey Dance Co., Jupiter Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Atlantic Sinfonietta, various Broadway shows and orchestras in New York and abroad (Italy and Switzerland). As part of its “Debuts and Encores Series” The Carnegie Hall Corporation sponsored Dr. Jeter in a critically acclaimed solo recital. He has been a featured concerto soloist for the Arcady Music Festival (ME), Connecticut Chamber Orchestra and the Biel Symphony (Switzerland). In addition, he founded the Virtuosi Quintet in 1983 , he made a debut solo recording for Crystal Records. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at SUNY Stony Brook in May, 2000. Each summer he performs and teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in western Michigan.
Dr. Kyle Landry is a dynamic and engaging contemporary saxophonist, composer, artist and music educator originally from Detroit Michigan.
As a performer and composer, Kyle has dedicated h ...
As a performer and composer, Kyle has dedicated his career to presenting unique and engaging works of art that immerse the audience and evoke questions. This philosophy has fueled an exploration of new sounds and the invention of new and unusual musical instruments. One of Kyle’s recent works, NODE premiered at the Broad Modern Art Museum, featured an interactive mechanical-feedback instrument, which reverberates sounds through a 10-foot spring controlled by a computer, creating feedback loops and resonance.
In his work as a chamber musician, Kyle is a member of the Viridian Saxophone Quartet which has performed throughout the United States and has won numerous awards including prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, North American Saxophone Alliance Chamber Music Competition, Coleman Chamber Music Competition, Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the MTNA Chamber Music Competition. Kyle’s mission as both a soloist and chamber musician is to promote the creation and dissemination of new works through performance, composition and commissioning. As part of a recent commissioning project, the Viridian Quartet premiered Four Brothers, a four movement jazz suite by Grammy Award winning jazz pianist Bill Cunliffe.
Kyle’s philosophy as an educator encourages the growth of student’s creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving skills while working towards the highest level of creative artistic expression. Whatever the student’s goals, Kyle works to instill in them all a love and passion for music.
Kyle holds a Doctoral degree in Music Performance and a Master of Music from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Music Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education from Central Michigan University. If you would like to learn more about Kyle Landry’s work you can visit his website: Kyle-Landry.com
Sound Collage: An Introduction to Electronic Sound Design and Composition / Ages 10-11
Sound Collage: An Introduction to Electronic Sound Design and Composition / Ages 12-15
Introduction to Music Apps and Software
Composers’ Forum
How to Crush Your Zoom Audition
Music Technology
Leonard Bopp is a conductor, trumpet player, and educator currently based in New York City. An active contemporary music performer, both as a trumpet player and conductor, Leonard is the founder an ...
Leonard Bopp is a conductor, trumpet player, and educator currently based in New York City. An active contemporary music performer, both as a trumpet player and conductor, Leonard is the founder and Artistic Director of the BlackBox Ensemble, a New York-based contemporary music ensemble. He is also the Chamber Orchestra conductor at the Kaufman Music Center’s Face the Music program, and has taught trumpet with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Partners Division and the University of Michigan Community Engagement program. He studied at the Juilliard Pre-College Division and Williams College, and earned his MM at the University of Michigan.
Debbie Schmidt is the former principal horn of the Mexico City Philharmonic. In the New York area, Ms. Schmidt has made solo appearances with the Hofstra Orchestra, Westchester Chamber Orchestra, L ...
Debbie Schmidt is the former principal horn of the Mexico City Philharmonic. In the New York area, Ms. Schmidt has made solo appearances with the Hofstra Orchestra, Westchester Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln Center presents "Principally Poulenc" festival, Bard Festival, Orchestra of the Bronx, Vassar College Chorale, and Long Island Choral Society. With the Modern Brass Quintet Debbie has toured the Northeast, appearing in recital and school concerts reaching thousands of children. In this area, she has appeared in education and outreach programs for the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Midori, Princeton Symphony and New Philharmonic of New Jersey. She has appeared with the Albany Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Bridgeport Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Princeton Symphony, Queens Symphony and Ridgefield Symphony, among others. Ms. Schmidt has students attending major university music programs and accepted to LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. Debbie studied with Dale Clevenger, Julie Landsman, Erik Ralske and Laurie Frink. She attended Peabody Conservatory and graduated from Northwestern University. Ms. Schmidt is on the faculty of the Mount Tabor Summer Band Program where she teaches horn and trumpet.
NYC-based drummer, Zach Adleman has performed at Carnegie Hall, the 57th Annual Grammy Awards After Parties, and the Newport Jazz Festival, alongside jazz luminaries Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, ...
NYC-based drummer, Zach Adleman has performed at Carnegie Hall, the 57th Annual Grammy Awards After Parties, and the Newport Jazz Festival, alongside jazz luminaries Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, and Houston Person. He holds a GRAMMY for participation in Ted Nash's, “Presidential Suite” and is the first-place winner of the 2017 J.C Heard National Drum Competition. In addition to touring Israel, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland, Zach has recorded five albums as a sideman, and one as a co-leader (Becoming Quintet), which earned a Jazztimes and Downbeat review. His debut album, “We Make: Stories for a New Day” will be released on Cellar Live Records in October of 2024, featuring Steve Davis and Steve Wilson.
Zach maintains a busy teaching schedule with positions at the Calhoun School, 92nd Street Y, and the NYC Jazz House Kids location. During the summertime, he has served on the faculty at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Brevard Jazz Institute for multiple years. In pursuit of Zach’s passion for mixing audio and visual works, Zach collaborated with the London Film School to score Oliver Coeffard’s film, “Lydia.” Zach also pioneered his own collaboration, “We Make,” which combined two Juilliard dancers (Lindsay Phillips and Briana Del Mundo), a videographer, and a jazz quintet to speak on the pandemic. Zach graduated from Michigan State in 2019 (Jazz B.M.) and from the Juilliard School in 2021 (Jazz M.M.). Zach was raised in Montclair, NJ. His mission is to use music to better people’s lives through joy and inspiration.
Tokyo-native Arei Sekiguchi took up the drums after early studies in classical piano and marimba. His first exposure to international performance came through tours of the U.S. and Europe with Up W ...
Tokyo-native Arei Sekiguchi took up the drums after early studies in classical piano and marimba. His first exposure to international performance came through tours of the U.S. and Europe with Up With People at the age of 18. Later he moved to NYC to further study music. He received a BFA from the New School University under the guidance of jazz Legends such as Bobby Sanabria, Chico Hamilton, and Reggie Workman. He has also studied privately with some of the most sought after drummers in the world: Michael Carvin, Takeshi Inomata, and Antonio Sanchez. He has performed at various festivals and venues all over the United States including Tiny Desk Concert, Jazz Mobile, MASS MoCA, River to River Festival, Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center. Arei has recorded for labels such as Sony Japan, and Clean Feed (Portugal). His musical theater credits include Curvy Widow (Off Broadway), Man of La Mancha, and In the Heights (regional). He has also been a regular accompanist for the Afro-Brazilian Dance Class at Alvin Ailey Extension for the last ten years.
Drums
Andres Vahos (B.M., Music Education) is a percussionist, drummer, and educator based in the Greater NYC area. He has over ten years of experience teaching one-on-one, in small-group, and in large-g ...
Andres Vahos (B.M., Music Education) is a percussionist, drummer, and educator based in the Greater NYC area. He has over ten years of experience teaching one-on-one, in small-group, and in large-group settings within both public schools and private sector. Andres takes great pride in teaching all levels and abilities, but is especially fond of working with students with special needs. Additionally, he has been a clinician at high schools, colleges, and educator conferences, while his regular students have gone onto acclaimed institutions such as the Juilliard Pre-College and other top university programs. Past performance highlights include 54 Below, Carnegie Hall, and various Off-Broadway productions.
Resident of New York City, Alon has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Central Park Summer Stage, The ...
Resident of New York City, Alon has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Central Park Summer Stage, The Blue Note Jazz Club and the Kennedy Center with his own projects as a band leader and as an in demand sideman. in October 2015 the kennedy Center has comissioned from Alon Nechushtan a new piece for Billy Strayhorn Centennial Celebration, followed by a Far East tour in China and Phillipines, along with Jazz Festivals in Belo Horizonte-Brazil, Israel. In 2017 the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C has commissioned from Alon Nechushtan a new program of Thelonious Monk’s less known compositions. All About Jazz magazine called him “A fantastic pianist-composer with abundant chemistry and boundless eclectisism”, while DownBeat Magazine recognizes “A talent to watch, with a surfeit of ideas, an unbridled spirit and bold,two-fisted sense of Architecture”.
www.musicalon.com
Michael Kirk Lane is an award-winning cabaret artist, most recently winning Manhattan Association of Cabaret Awards in both 2022 and 2020. He also was the recipient of the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cabare ...
Michael Kirk Lane is an award-winning cabaret artist, most recently winning Manhattan Association of Cabaret Awards in both 2022 and 2020. He also was the recipient of the 2018 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Cabaret Show. Stephen Mosher of BroadwayWorld Cabaret has called Lane “one of the most popular performers and people working in cabaret today.” Cabaret Scenes Magazine has deemed Lane’s work “musical comedy heaven.”
Beyond his own experience performing in cabaret, Lane’s experience managing two of the city’s most renowned cabaret venues (The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Don’t Tell Mama) offers him a unique vantage point and perspective on the art form.
As a teaching artist for over 20 years, Lane has taught all ages from pre-school to retirement homes. In each class he brings the same philosophy to his teaching, no matter the age of the students. “Art, Theatre, and Music are ways for us to connect with our most authentic self, and to explore the world around us.”
Cabaret Conversations
Performance Workshop for Cabaret and Concert Stage
Joe Iconis: A Cabaret Performance Workshop
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