Isabel Aybar
Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Group Keyboard
Isabel Aybar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Instituto Technologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and a Dalcroze Eurhythmic Certificate from the Longy School of Music. She studied solfege and improvisation with Lisa Parker in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and piano with Jacqueline Huguet in Santo Domingo. Isabel has taught group music classes to children between 12 months and eight years of age, group piano lessons, and special needs children while living in the Dominican Republic.
Raluca Dumitrache
Violin
A native from Romania, Ms Dumitrache is an accomplished and active solo, chamber and orchestral violinist. She has been featured as a soloist with the Jennesse Musicales Orchestra at the Parliament Hall in Bucharest, the National Operetta Orchestra, and the Lyceum String Orchestra. Raluca received her Bachelors of Music Performance from the Louisiana State University and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Boston Conservatory. Her principal teachers include Irina Muresanu, James Alexander and Daniel Podlovsky. She has attended master classes with Jorja Fleezanis, Yfrah Neamann, Jaques Israelievich, Casile Beluska, Petru Munteanue, Stephan Shipps, the Lions Gate Trio and the New Arts Trio. Raluca currently performs with the Indian Hill Symphony Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony, Portland Symphony, Listos Chamber Orchestra, Plymouth Symphony and Cape Cod Symphony.
Cathy Goode
Violin, Fiddling
Cathy Goode earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a Master’s degree in Violin Pedagogy from Texas Tech University. She completed Suzuki training with Barbara Barber of Lubbock, Texas, and with Pat D’Ercole, Kathy Wood, and Alice Joy Lewis at the American Suzuki Institute. Cathy has taught locally at the South Shore Conservatory and the Brookline Music School. She also has extensive fiddling training and performance experience.
Susan Gottschalk
Violin, Viola
Susan Gottschalk received a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and completed further studies at the Suzuki Institute of Ithaca as well as at the University of Colorado. Her principal instructors have included Roman Totenberg and Raphael Bronstein. An avid freelancer, Susan is a member of The Orchestra at Indian Hill and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. She is also a faculty member of the Greenwood Music Camp.
Lorna Henderson
Piano
Lorna Henderson performed the Khachaturian Piano Concerto as the youngest winner in the history of the University of Tulsa Symphony Concerto-Aria Competition. She went on to study with Portuguese pianist and jurist of the Tchaikovsky Competition, Sequeira Costa, at the University of Kansas where she received an M. M. She also studied composition with Charles Hoag, and was a performing member of the K. U. New Music Ensemble, promoting works by modern and living composers. She has made recordings for films, and concertizes actively in the States and Europe, performing both as a pianist and coloratura soprano. In her teaching, she strives to balance technical versatility with artistic expression.
Elizabeth Johnson
Voice
Elizabeth Ann Johnson, originally from Seattle, Washington, has worked in the Boston area as a singer and voice teacher, since earning her Master's degree from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has been on the roster of the Boston Bel Canto Opera since 1997. November of 2003 marked her debut in a major role with orchestra as she appeared in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, with the BBCO. When not singing opera, Ms. Johnson enjoys singing oratorio, music theatre and art songs, having appeared with the Polymnia Choral Society, Concord Chorus, Masterworks Chorale, North Shore Music Theatre and various recitals both solo and with colleagues. Ms. Johnson currently teaches voice at the Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA, Wakefield High School, and privately. She has formerly taught at Brimmer and May in CHestnut Hill and the Longy School of Music.
Chieko Loy
Piano
Chieko Tamura Loy, a native of Yokohama, Japan, received her Bachelor in Music degree from the Senzoku Academy of Music, in Japan and her Master in Music from the University of Tulsa. In addition to being qualified to teach piano, voice, and music theory to all ages, Ms. Loy is certified to teach with several children’s musical teaching methods. She has taught music in Japan, India, Hong Kong, Oklahoma, and Massachusetts for almost 4 0 years. She has performed as a soprano in opera companies, international festivals and community events. She has been selected to judge piano guild auditions in eight states since 1999. She is a member of the Music Teachers National Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers.
Colleen McGary-Smith
Cello, Junior Orchestra
Colleen began her cello studies at the age of 5 in St. Catherine's Ontario and continued her pre-college studies in the Preparatory Department of the Eastman School of Music. She completed her B. M. in cello performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and a M. M. in cello performance from Boston University. Colleen studied conducting with Carl Topilow at the Cleveland Institute of Music and with her father, Dr. Thomas McGary. Colleen currently performs with Boston Baroque, Orchestra of Indian Hill, Handel and Haydn Society. Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, and other freelance ensembles in the Boston area. In addition, she is a member of Trio 21, a piano trio which explores the music for the genre of the 20th century. Colleen's past performances include the Columbus Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Canton Symphony and the Washington Bach Consort. Colleen is an active instructor of both cello and chamber music. Previous teaching appointments include the New England Conservatory Preparatory Department, Powers Music School, Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department. Colleen can be heard on the Telarc label.
Nikan Milani
Piano,
Nikan Milani is a concert pianist/composer with 16 years of experience in teaching and performing. He studied piano with the legendry pianist Emanuel Melik Aslanian and his student Haynoosh Makarian. In addition, he received a degree from the Trinity College of Music in London and a piano degree from the Longy School of Music where he studied with Ann Perraul and Eda Shlym. He is currently approaching a Master's degree in composition at the Longy School of Music where he studies with Dr. Paul Brust. Nikon Milani is the founder of the Baha'i National Choir and has served in the National Art Committee of the Baha'i community of Iran for several years.
Yumi Okada
Violin
A native of Japan, Yumi Okada won the 2nd prize in Aichi Arts Foundation Competition in 2006 in Japan. She won the 3rd prize from the International CHamber Ensemble Competition of New England in 2005, Concerto Competition and Honors Competition in 2003, and performed with the Longy Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Okada earned her Bachelor of Arts degree studying with Michael Vaiman at the Fine Arts University of Aichi. When she graduated, she won the esteemed Kuwabara award for the best in performance at her university. She earned her Performance Diploma at Indiana University after studying with Ilya Kaler and Nelli Shkolnikova. Ms. Okada earned her Artist Diploma and Masters Degree at Longy School of Music studying with Malcolm Lowe with the "Lia and William Poorvu" Scholarship. She is the concertmaster of the Washington Sinfonietta since 2006 and a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Yumi also maintains her own private teaching studio in the Boston area.
Barbara Paschke
Cello
Barbara Paschke is a graduate of Ithaca College School of Music and the New England Conservatory. Her major instructors were Einar Holm, Jules Eskin, Laurence Lesser, Madeline Foley, and David Wells. She completed Suzuki training with Gilda Barston and Rick Mooney, and has served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music for the past 12 years. Barbara has also maintained a very active private studio in her home for the past 22 years. She has been a member of the Portland Symphony Orchestra for the past 20 years and performs with the Indian Hill Orchestra.
Jonathan Pascual
Guitar
Jonathan "Juanito" Pascual is a multifaceted teacher, performer and
composer, in styles ranging from flamenco to classical, blues, jazz
and more. He holds a Bachelor's of Music degree from New England
Conservatory where he graduated with honors. As a soloist he
has performed in major events and venues such as the Tanglewood Jazz
Festival, the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Festival
Flamenco Internacional, and has been seen and heard on television and
radio stations around the country. He has traveled extensively as a
flamenco dance accompanist as well, with renowned companies including
those of Omayra Amaya, Jose Grco II, Romon de los Reyes and many
more. A devoted and versatile teacher, he has been teaching students
of all ages and levels in many styles of guitar since 1991, and
currently directs and teaches an annual summer intensive flamenco
workshop at NEC.
Nickolai Sheikov
Piano
After graduating from the Bulgarian National School of Music, Nickolai Sheikov earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory. There, he studied piano with Gabriel Chodos and Jacob Maxin, and harpsichord with John Gibbons. Nickolai is a solo and chamber music performer in Europe, as well as a frequent solo and ensemble music performer at the New England Conservatory. For the past six years Nickolai has been teaching Boston-area students from the beginning through advanced levels. He also maintains an active performing career.
Haeeun Shin
Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Group Keyboard
Haeeun Shin received her B. M. from Sungshin Women's University M.M.E. and teacher certification, Yonsei University in Korea. Ms. Shin has extensive teaching experience in private and public schools in Korea. She has developed her curriculum using Kodaly and Orff methods and taught general music- including traditional instruments and songs- at the elementary and high school level. Since she moved to Boston, she has studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics and received Dalcroze certificate at the Longy School of Music. She studied composition, Jazz piano, frame drum, dance in addition to Eurhythmics study. She is also on faculty at the Community Music Center of Boston.
Laura Wilkins
Flute
A graduate of the Boston Conservatory, Laura Wilkins has been teaching flute in the Boston area for over 25 years. An active performer, Laura plays with the New Philharmonia Orchestra and with the ensembles, Trio Con Brio and the Vienna Waltz Ensemble. Laura studied flute with James Pappoutsakis and Phillip Kaplan of the BSO and was a participant in a Master class with Jean-Pierre Rampal. She is also on the faculty at Dana Hall School of Music and the Hopkinton and Needham public schools.
Yilin You
Piano
Winner of the 2004 Honor's Concert Competition, Yilin You (D.M.A. and M.M. Michigan State University; B.M., University of Texas at Austin) appeared with the Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra. She also has appeared with the Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the 1998 Young Artist Competition in Seguin Texas. Yilin has performed in solo recitals as well as numerous chamber recitals in the People's Republic of China and the United States. Her major professors include Panayis Lyras, Young Hi Moon, and the late William Race. Yilin took part in master classes of Richard Goode, John Perry, Earl Wild, Joan Tower, Alexander Slobodyanik, Willard Schultz, Igor Suhomlinov, and Alexander Bugaevski. She is currently an active performer and teacher in the New England area.
