Our Staff

Felipe is a current high school student who began playing piano at the age of 8. It’s been his favorite hobby ever since then! Felipe is both dedicated and focused when it comes to his goals. He works hard to continually improve his piano skills! Felipe is passionate about teaching and enjoys helping students grow […]

Aidan is currently a high school student, and has been playing piano for 12 years and trombone for 5 years. This year, Aidan will be performing with the EYSO Youth Symphony and the Sterling Brass Quintet on trombone. He has also been an active member of an FTC robotics team for the past five years. […]

Brianna is currently a sophomore in high school and has been playing for 10 years. Some of her favorite artists are Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Laufey, and Marina and the Diamonds. Her other hobbies include writing, drawing, singing, and taekwondo. She enjoys writing and drawing for the newspaper at her school as well as writing […]

Erin started playing the piano at the age of 4 and took up the flute at 11. During her middle and high school years, she was heavily involved in band, choir, and musical theater. Recently, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business from Elmhurst University, where she was a member of both the Women’s […]

Jair is a skilled violinist with a passion for mariachi and classical music, having started his musical journey in the 5th grade and performing in a mariachi group in high school through Elgin’s School District U-46 program. He loved connecting with his culture and family through mariachi and was fascinated by classical and folk music. […]

Alex Cassara has been playing the violin since the age of nine and holds an associate degree in music. With extensive studies in violin, viola, piano, and classical voice, Alex primarily performs as a singer with the Chicago Master Singers. However, Alex has more experience teaching violin and viola, having taught these instruments for nearly […]

Ayaka is a dedicated violinist with 10 years of experience and currently attends Larkin High School for the music academy. Passionate about music, she enjoys encouraging others to explore this wonderful subject. Outside of music, Ayaka loves playing soccer and spending time with family, friends, and pets. As an educator, Ayaka aims to help students […]

Paul’s journey in music began at age eight with classical piano lessons. He became immersed with Haydn, Mozart, Bach, and Chopin and then later with the Great American Songbook and Jazz. At age twelve, Paul made the decision to take up the drums and with that began his dual commitment to the worlds of piano and percussion. […]

Jimmy is a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University with Bachelor’s Degrees in both Music Education and Trumpet Performance. Throughout his time at NIU, he trained under notable music figures, refining his trumpet, French horn, and band arranging skills. Actively engaged in Chicagoland’s music scene, Jimmy is both a teacher and performer. His standout performances […]

Jae is a student at Larkin High School in the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPAA). She has been teaching guitar, violin and viola since the fall of 2023 and has been playing for 7-8 years. Jae has participated in a variety of musical activities, including Larkin’s Symphony & Academy Orchestras, the Elgin Youth Symphony […]

Jacob has been taking music lessons since the age of 6. He has taken music classes in Jazz guitar at the University of Illinois Chicago as well as classical guitar and commercial piano at Belmont University. He has been teaching for 3 years and hopes to pass his passion for music onto his students!

Gideon has been learning music since he was very young. Music has been an enormous part of his life. He currently plays cello, piano, and trumpet. He also participates in the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra as a cellist and in the West Suburban Homeschool Band on trumpet. He has enjoyed teaching cello and piano at MECA […]

Kelvin has been playing the piano since age 6 and took private lessons throughout that time until starting college. In that span of 12 years, Kelvin played a great variety of pieces by greats such as Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven. Since age 10, he has begun competing yearly at the state level in events such […]

Diane studied voice for twenty (20) years, starting with Therese Longergan, then continuing with Emily McKnight at Milikin University, Phyllis Curtin at Boston University, and Lucille Halfvarson and Neva Baily at Chicago’s Merit Music School. Diane also studied piano for ten (10) years. Although classically trained, she sang in a band for several years and […]

Ben started playing the cello when he was 10 years old and has continuously taken lessons for the last year and a half. Ben can be seen playing with the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO), the Hanson String Quartet, the HHS String Quartet, and many solo performances around the Elgin/Hampshire area. He also marches in […]

Leena has done doctoral work at the University of Michigan in voice performance and received her Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from the Boston Conservatory. She has taught on voice faculties as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, and several […]

Claire recently received her master’s degree at DePaul University in Viola Performance. She was involved in DePaul’s Concerto Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and 20+esemble. She received her Bachelors in Viola Performance from Northern Illinois University in 2019 cum laude. Claire is an avid Chamber music player and has attended summer festivals such as Credo Music Festival […]

Krystina has played both the piano and violin for more than 6 years. She has learned so much about expressing her creativity and love for music within her instruments and looks forward to passing that along to her students! She currently attends South Elgin High School and is a member of the Symphony Orchestra. Krystina […]

Paolo started playing the cello in the 4th grade and has been playing for the past 8 years. Paolo attends South Elgin High School and has developed his playing in various chamber groups and festivals! Paolo would like to discover as many perspectives on music as possible and hopes to instill that passion in his […]

Diego is currently a junior at Elgin High School and is able to teach violin, viola, and guitar! Diego’s main instrument is the viola, but he also practices and learns both voice and guitar. He has been continuously taking private viola lessons throughout the year. Diego has participated in a variety of musical activities, the […]