Our Staff

Emily Zwijack is a dedicated violinist, violist, cellist, music educator, figure skater, and skating coach based in the Chicago area. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education and Violin Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, where she studied under esteemed violinists Almita Vamos and MingHuan Xu Choi. Growing up in […]

Susan is a renowned soprano with more than three decades of teaching and performing experience. Susan has a Master’s in Voice and Opera from Northwestern University, and a double Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance and Theatre from Northwestern College. Susan’s career includes opera and oratorio. She has performed nationally, including on stage at The […]

Brian Pavlak teaches voice. He has extensive experience teaching and performing across various vocal genres, including musical theater, jazz, and classical music. Brian holds a Bachelor of Music Education, specializing in vocal and orchestral education, from VanderCook College of Music. Over the years, Brian has contributed to several school choir programs in the Chicagoland area, […]

Brian Goodman teaches piano, guitar and ukulele. He is a professional pianist with over a decade of experience teaching and performing. Brian has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music. Brian has a strong foundation in classical pedagogy, jazz harmony/improvisation, and an extensive background in rock, blues, folk, soul, and bluegrass. […]

Richard Valdez teaches guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo. He has more than a decade of experience teaching and performing. Ritch studied jazz and classical performance at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and also at the Chicago College for the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Ritch builds lessons around his student’s musical preferences; believing that […]

Melissa Finifrock teaches piano. She has over three decades of experience teaching and performing. Melissa has a Bachelor in Visual Arts and Spanish from NIU and a Master of Arts from Rockford University. Melissa taught elementary school for over a decade. She performed in several worship teams with Christian recording artists and as an accompanist […]

Diego Zapata teaches violin and viola. He is a professional violinist with years of experience in teaching and performing. Diego began his studies at the age of five in the “El Sistema” Venezuelan music program. He studied music at the Simon Bolivar Conservatory, the Latin American Academy of Violin, as well as in the Mozarteum […]

Music Director of the Chicago Philharmonia Orchestra since 1985, Farobag Homi C. has also served as the Artistic Director of the University of Chicago’s Performing Artists Series from 1990 through 2002 and principal conductor of its resident professional ensembles, the Mostly Mozart Chamber Players and the Camerata Virtuosi. He is also a skilled interpreter of […]

Brenda Kenyon teaches piano. Brenda is a retired music teacher with 30 plus years of experience teaching music to children of all ages. Brenda has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Pennsylvania at Mansfield and a Master of Music Education from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to teaching piano […]