Our Staff

Evie Hickman is completing a degree in music education and performance at Elmhurst University. She has been teaching violin for 6 years and served as an orchestral assistant through middle and high school. She especially loves early (medieval-baroque) music and chamber music, and working with kids. Evie has also taught cello, and in addition to […]

Temenuga “Tammy” Zhekova was born in Bulgaria, where she began her musical education at a school in Sliven, focusing on violin and singing in a choir. She continued her studies in Kotel, graduating as a singer and tambura player, before securing a spot at the “Academy of Music, Dance and Art” in Plovdiv. There, she […]

Ryan Dailey is a trombonist and music educator based in the western Chicago suburbs. He graduated from Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Music Education. In 2018, Mr. Dailey was a finalist for the Wheaton College Concerto Competition, performing the Tomasi Trombone Concerto as a soloist with the school’s Symphony Orchestra. He was also a […]

Janet Cramer is an accomplished drummer and instructor with more than twenty-five years of experience. She obtained her Masters in Music degree from Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, before relocating to Chicago. Ms Cramer has made a significant contribution to various genres and music scenes in Chicago, including Blues, Rock, Jazz, Latin Jazz, Americana, and […]

Jamie studied piano from a young age, practicing 6-8 hours a day throughout high school. She received her Bachelor’s in Music and Psychology from Carthage College, graduating with honors in 2023, where she studied with Professor Fumi Nakayama and Dr. Deborah Masloski. During her time at Carthage, Jamie was heavily involved in the music program, […]

Seonyoung holds a bachelor’s degree in Violin performance from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea and was the principal in the Kyung Hee Symphony Orchestra. She was also a violinist of a master class directed by the faculty at Ball State University and Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in Germany. She has played in […]

Gabriel Hwang began his music education in piano and violin at the age of five. He then progressed to instrumental studies. At the age of sixteen, young Hwang made his official debut conducting the entire score of Handel’s Messiah from memory. Hwang received his Bachelor of Music degree from Notre Dame de Namur University for […]

Eric holds a Bachelor of Music from the Lamont School of Music at University of Denver. He has been teaching guitar for over 15 years. In that time he has taught students of all ages and skill levels. He works with his students to form a lesson plan that fits every individual’s needs. The styles […]

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Andrew Jaicks has lived in the Chicago area since 2013. He earned a Bachelor’s of Music in Composition and a Minor in Piano Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Andrew has studied and is interested in a wide variety of musical genres. He has performed in […]

Connie started taking piano lessons at the age of ten because she wanted to be like her big sister who played the piano. She enjoyed practicing and started playing for services in her church when she was in high school. She has continued to play for church services throughout her life as well as accompany […]