Our Staff

Janet Kuester is the founder (2004) of The Music Connection. She is a private piano and violin teacher. She believes all students have musical ability that can be nurtured and developed and that music-making ability is a skill that enhances a lifetime enjoyment of music. Whether it is one child or the whole family who […]

Matthew Kijowski is a piano teacher and worship director in the city of Chicago. He received a Bachelors in Music in Music in Worship from North Park University where he received awards for chamber music and solo classical piano. Matthew began playing classical piano at age 6 and began leading worship music from the piano […]

Albanian-born and raised pianist Mirela L. has performed as recitalist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and taught piano professionally for over 20 years throughout Europe and the United States. Mrs. L. holds her graduate degrees in piano performance from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana Albania, where she served as external assistant professor of piano. […]

Matt Piet is a pianist, vocalist, composer, and music director. He was raised in Palos Park, IL, and began playing piano at age ten. By his teens he was an active professional vocal accompanist, actor, and cocktail pianist. After his studies in straight-ahead jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston MA, Piet shifted gears […]

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mindy S. has found her home in the Chicago area. Mindy has studied piano from age 5, and received her Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH, and her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Brandon University in Brandon, MB, Canada. She has had many […]

Matt Barwegen, the violist, has played in Midwest orchestras for 12 years, after earning a Performer’s Certificate in 2009 from Lynn Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL, where he studied with pedagogue Ralph Fielding. Mr. Barwegen also has a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College, a Professional Studies degree from San Francisco Conservatory, and a Masters […]

Edward Eubank is a professional violinist with an extensive career as a performer, private teacher, middle and high school Orchestra Director and Fine Arts Administrator.  He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance under Mr. Ki Joo Lee at the American Conservatory of Music and has done additional study at Roosevelt University.  He […]

David started on the Viola when he was just 8 years old at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College, Wheaton Illinois. From there he has studied with world class teachers including Peter Slowik, President of the American Viola Society and professor of Viola at Oberlin College, and Virginia Baron of Lyric Opera […]

Carl Johnston is a veteran Chicago performer and educator. He has taught violin and viola privately for the past 45 years at the University of Chicago Laboratory School, DePaul University, American Conservatory of Music, VanderCook College of Music, Amundsen High School in Chicago, IL, Munster High School in Munster, IN, Lincoln Hall Middle School in […]