Larchmont Music Academy

Michelle Adessa – Voice
Ms. Adessa received her Bachelor of Music from the Mannes College of Music in NYC and completed her post graduate studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in London. Her extensive performing career includes roles in major operas and oratorios, as well as solo recitals around the world. Ms. Adessa has performed in such venues as Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and the Royal Academy of Music. She has taught voice lessons throughout the New York area. Ms. Adessa  performs and teaches all styles of music from opera to musical theater to popular music.

Brian Adler – Percussion
Mr. Adler received his Bachelor's degree from New England Conservatory. Mark E. Gallo of Jazzreview.com says "Adler's command of the drums is stunning." He has also been featured in the Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Newsweek, Vancouver's Razer TV, NPR, All About Jazz, Cadence Magazine, Performer Magazine, and many other media sources.  His music and compositions were featured in film at the South by Southwest film festival in 2008.  In addition to his performing, Mr. Adler has extensive teaching experience.  He also taught alongside Ran Blake for his Development of Long Term Melodic Memory course and Hankus Netsky with his Jazz Theory course, both at the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Rachel Alexander – Violin and Viola
Violinist  Rachel Alexander began her violin studies at the age of 9. Rachel is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory program where she studied with Stanley Bednar. Her post-secondary education was received at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College where she studied with Laurie Smukler and Calvin Wiersma. Rachel also holds her MA in Music Education from Hunter College. Her professional performance career includes several chamber music recitals throughout New York City as well as the participation in the Wall to Wall: Stravinsky Concert held at Symphony Space NY, NY. Rachel has also performed in such venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Tilles Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Pepsico Performing Arts Center and the Eastman School of Music. She can be heard on movie soundtracks and recordings of several bands and singer/songwriters. Rachel is currently an active member of the One World Symphony. As a passionate and dedicated musician and educator, it is Ms. Alexander’s objective to introduce students to a diverse selection of musical styles, instruments, theories and experiences in order to make music an accessible, meaningful and enjoyable medium. She currently teaches within several schools and privately.

Dave Allen – Guitar and Bass
Mr. Allen received his Bachelors from the Manhattan School of Music in Jazz Performance .  At the young age of 16, Mr. Allen was recognized by Guitar Player Magazine as a talent to watch.   Mr. Allen has been teaching, composing and leading his own groups for over 15 years and has worked with many of the most respected musicians in New York, such as David Liebman, Ravi Coltrane, Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard, Seamus Blake, and Drew Gress. Mr. Allen has released two critically acclaimed recordings, "Untold Stories" and "Real and Imagined",  which feature his original music. He can be heard performing at The Blue Note, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, The 55, and many other venues in New York.  His groups have performed throughout Europe and the U.S.   Mr. Allen has been teaching guitar and composition and giving master classes for the past 15 years.

Surai Balbeisi – Violin, Viola (Traditional and Suzuki)
Surai Balbeisi, violist, is active as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician; a versatile musician she performs a variety of genre including classical, rock and roll, hip-hop, jazz, and modern classical music, appearing in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and on The Today Show, The View, The Martha Stewart Show, Saturday Night Live, and MTV Unplugged, with artists, including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Katie Perry, Regina Spektor, and Il Divo.  In the past year, Ms. Balbeisi toured with the Paris Chamber Orchestra and The Opera Show, and was viola consultant and teacher for the film, “A Late Quartet” due to be released Fall 2011.  In addition to an active freelance career in New York City, she is a dedicated teacher.

Ms. Balbeisi is a Suzuki trained teacher and Level I certified Orff Schulwerk teacher. Additionally, she has extensive training in BrainGym, Alexander Technique and Dalcroze Eurhythmics. She has taught at Penn State University, the Virginia Commonwealth University Community School for the Performing Arts, and Hoff Barthelson Music School.  In the summer, she is viola faculty at the New York Summer Music Festival. Ms. Balbeisi began her musical training in Amman, Jordan under the patronage of Queen Nour. She holds a B.M. in violin performance from the Pennsylvania State University, a Professional Studies Diploma in viola from the Mannes College of Music, and a Master of Arts from New York University. Her teachers have included Weigang Li, Tim Deighton, Karen Ritscher, John Graham, Martha Katz and Pedro de Alcantara.

Taylor Baldwin – Piano
Mr. Baldwin holds a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Missouri State University and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Evangel University. His pedagogical background includes teaching undergraduate courses at MSU and NYU’s Steinhardt School where he is pursuing further graduate studies in piano. Before coming to New York, he cultivated his own piano studio of more than 40 students where he taught piano lessons and developed curriculum for group lessons in music theory, music history, and ear training. He has performed in the United States and Europe and has served as an adjudicator for a number of piano competitions.

Jeremy Blanden – Vioin and Viola
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Jeremy Blanden earned his Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and his Masters of Music from Rice University.  From 2004-05, Jeremy was a member of the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at Syracuse University, acted as the Visiting Lecturer of Violin and Chamber Music, while performing as a member of the Syracuse Symphony.  During 2005-2007, he was faculty of Violin and Viola at Earlham College in Richmond, IN. In addition to his university positions, Mr. Blanden has held private studios of violin and viola students of all abilities, spanning ages six to forty.  He loves the diversity of students he is able to work with through teaching. As a performer, Jeremy has been a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL, Concertmaster of the Lebanon Symphony in Ohio, and has performed with the Louisville Orchestra and Dayton Philharmonic.  He has also worked under conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Ludovic Morlot, and Peter Oundjian, as well as collaborating with such artists as violinist, Todd Phillips and clarinetist, David Krakauer.  One of his most memorable performances was performing Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony with members of the Vienna Philharmonic under Michael Tilson Thomas in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.  He currently resides in New York, NY and performs throughout the country as a member of the Firebird Chamber Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music Festival.

Matt Blostein – Winds and Piano
Mr. Blostein received his Bachelor of Music degree from The Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Mark Turner, Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts and Dave Liebman. In 2002 he performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland as a competitor in the White Foundation Saxophone Competition.  In 2003, Matt formed the group, Blostein–Sperrazza Quartet, along with drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, shortly after their meeting at the Banff Jazz Workshop. The group has performed all over the east coast and in NYC. They released a self-titled CD in 2004, and are currently working on material to record for a new release.  Recently,  Matt toured with the Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Noveau and toured and recorded with the Tim Collins Group featuring Ingrid Jensen. Matt has performed at the Ravinia Festival, Aspen Snowmass Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, Thailand Cultural Center, Cape Cod Jazz Festival, Utica Jazz Festival, Clarion Jazz Festival, and NY jazz clubs such as the 55 Bar, Cornelia Street Café, Smoke, Marie’s and Smith’s. Matt has taught extensively in NY,  including positions at the Manhattan School of Music Prep Division,  JCC on the Palisades, Third Street Music Settlement, and Greenwich Music School.

Sarah Charles – Voice and Piano
Sarah Elizabeth Charles is a vocalist and composer currently living and performing in New York City. Sarah’s musical stylings are extremely unique and the intricacies to her art focus on modernizing classics and composing distinctive originals. Currently, Sarah is a member of three projects including Manner Effect, The Enoch Smith Jr. Trio, and her own group, the S.E.Charles Quartet. With these groups as well as others, she has performed at numerous venues throughout the city including New York Couture Fashion Week, Blue Note, The Iridium, Smalls Jazz Club, and Zinc Bar NYC. Performances outside of the city have taken her to such venues as the International Bern Jazz Festival playing opposite Jack DeJohnette, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC (as a selected member of the 2009 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Composers Residency), Gillette Stadium, and The Northampton Center for the Arts.

Receiving her start in Massachusetts, Sarah has studied and grown as a musician first through the Community Music School of Springfield, MA and later through The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City under the direction of an unlimited number of renowned faculty members. She has had the pleasure of studying with such musicians as Richard Harper, Jimmy Owens, Cecil Bridgewater, George Cables, Junior Mance, Janet Lawson, Sheila Jordan, and Reggie Workman. In addition to educational and performance opportunities, Sarah has also taught private lessons in both Massachusetts and New York to a variety of age groups. These lessons have included training in voice, piano, ear training, theory, and songwriting and are structured to fit the individuality of each student.

Jarrett Cherner – Piano (Jazz and Classical)
New York based pianist, composer, and educator Jarrett Cherner loves both music and teaching, and his professional life has always embraced them both. After completing his undergraduate work at Tufts University (B.S. Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and the New England Conservatory of Music (U.D. in Jazz Piano Performance, 2004), Jarrett moved to San Francisco where he quickly gained a reputation as "one of the most exciting young pianist-composers on the Bay Area scene" (San Jose Mercury News), as well as an in demand educator, teaching at the San Jose Summer Jazz Workshop, the Berkeley Jazzschool's Summer Youth Program, and maintaining a small private studio. Jarrett has toured throughout the U.S. as well as in South America, Canada, and Europe, both leading his own trio and working as a sideman. His debut album as a leader, Burgeoning (2005), earned him recognition from the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards and critics alike. In 2008, Jarrett relocated to New York City where he's currently performing and teaching, recently having earned his Master's Degree at the Manhattan School of Music.

Vito Chiavuzzo – Winds and Piano
Vito graduated with a BA in Jazz Studies and Performance from William Paterson University (Summa Cum Laude).  He also received his Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Vito has performed in some of the most exciting venues in New York such as Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Jazz @ Lincoln Center, B.B. King’s, the Apollo Theater, Smoke, the Jazz Standard, and Smalls.  In addition to performances at the Monterey and Rochester Jazz Festivals and other performances throughout the US, Vito has performed internationally in Ireland, Austria, Portugal, and Germany. Vito has been fortunate to play with a wide variety of artists including Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Annie Lennox, Lenny Kravitz, the Fins Blues Band, and the Mambo Legends Orchestra (formerly the Tito Puente Orchestra).  Vito's recording credits include a Grammy-nominated album featuring clarinet virtuoso Eddie Daniels and, most recently, and album with the Mambo Legends Orchestra.  Vito can be seen performing with Aretha Franklin for an HBO special commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.  Vito is also on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege.

Katherine Copland – Voice, Piano
Washington native Katherine Copland, a lyric soprano, completed her Masters Degree and Professional Studies Certificate at Manhattan School of Music.  Recent roles for Ms. Copland include Micaela in Carmen, Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte.  In 2009 she performed under the baton of conductor Kynan Johns as Rosalinde in Manhattan School of Music Opera Theatre’s production of Die Fledermaus. With the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy Ms. Copland performed as Magda in La rondine, Anna in Anna Bolena, and Butterfly in Madama Butterfly. She completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at the University of Washington, and while there sang in the UW’s vocal jazz quintet, as well as the roles of Badessa in Suor Angelica, Shepherdess in L’enfant et les sortilèges, and Counsel to the Plaintiff in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury.   She began her music studies at the age of 5 on violin, and later became enamored with the cello for nearly a decade-- but ultimately settled on voice as her instrument of choice.  Ms. Copland currently lives in New York City and avidly pursues a performing career while enjoying mentoring, tutoring, and teaching voice, piano, and music theory to students of all ages.

Michael Cottone – Piano, Brass (Jazz and Classical)
Mike received his Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Education from The Eastman School of Music.  During his time between semesters at The Eastman School, Mike kept busy performing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, The Grand Hotel Orchestra on Mackinac Island, MI, and was a featured performer and clinician at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Mike has just completed his Master's Degree at The Juilliard School where he has studied privately with trumpet guru Chris Jaudes and jazz great Dr. Eddie Henderson. While at Juilliard Mike has also worked and performed with jazz masters such as Benny Golson, Terence Blanchard, Ron Blake, Ted Nash, Carl Allen, Ben Wolfe, Ray Drummond, and Joe Wilder. This summer, Mike will be touring with the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble to Colombia, South America, Salt Lake City, Utah, and will be a guest artist on the Queen Mary II. Mike can be found performing in various venues such as Small's Jazz Club, The Al Hirschfeld Theater for the Broadway Production HAIR, The Four Seasons Restaurant, Blackduck, The Living Room, and Rockwood Music Hall. Mike began teaching while pursuing his undergraduate degree. He taught  3rd, 4th and 5th grade students as well as High School Concert and Jazz bands in the Rochester Public School System.  Through the Juilliard School with the Morse Fellowship, Mike taught at the George Jackson Academy, NYC. He has maintained a private studio since his days as an undergraduate student. His students range from beginners to college students on piano and brass instruments as well as Jazz Ensembles.

Josh Davis – Percussion and Piano
Mr. Davis has been a music educator since early in his collegiate career. Working for several inner-city programs in his hometown of Detroit, such as The Arts League of Michigan, and The Detroit Symphony Orchestra CIVIC Jazz Program, he has mentored and taught dozens of kids who have gone on to attend music conservatories and major universities. He has also given master classes and private instruction on a US Cultural Exchange tour to five major cities in Japan in 2008. Mr. Davis received a BA in Music performance from Michigan State University in 2007. Besides having over six years experience in teaching private lessons out of Detroit and New York, Mr. Davis is also a world-traveled performer. He has shared the stage with the likes of The Rodney Whitaker Quartet, James Carter, The Wes “Warmdaddy” Anderson Quartet, Jason Marshall and Overt Negritude, The Grand Hotel Big Band, Andre Hayward, Derrick Gardner Quintet, and several others. Mr. Davis is now based out of New York City, where he continues to teach, perform locally and abroad, and is the Music Director for the Joffrey Ballet School in Manhattan.

David DeJesus – Woodwinds and Piano
Mr. DeJesus received his Bachelor of Music degree from SUNY Purchase and his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. DeJesus was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Competition. He has performed throughout the world with such groups as the Mingus Big Band, The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and is currently performing with "In the Heights" on Broadway. His extensive teaching background has included positions at Brein McMahon High School in Connecticut, Manhattan School of Music, and he is currently on faculty at SUNY Purchase College Conservatory.

Caleigh Drane – Cello, Violin and Piano
Caleigh Drane is a musician of many styles including classical, contemporary, jazz, experimental and pop.  In her three years as a freelancer in New York City she has performed and recorded with over 40 artists, ensembles and music companies. As a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas she has performed in Mexico, California, Vermont, Lincoln Center and Alice Tully Hall and played on their debut album released by Sony Records. She has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrel, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Sarah Chang, John Benitez and Imogen Heap. Other ensembles include the Di Capo Opera Company, One World Symphony, Bleecker Street Opera Company, and Mimesis Ensemble.

Caleigh is also an active music educater and teacher with Multi-Cultural Music Group, the Noel Pointer Foundation and All Island Music Company. She teaches cello, piano, and violin in both group classes and private lessons.

Caleigh Drane earned her Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance from Indiana University where she studied with Emilio Colon.

Hannah Fuerst – Voice and Piano
Ms. Fuerst holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. She has a strong background in voice,  piano and clarinet. Ms. Fuerst is a classically trained soprano with extensive experience in musical theater and opera.  Favorite roles include Luisa (The Fantasticks) and Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro, Aspen Opera Theater Center 2010).  Ms. Fuerst recently sang the role of Cassie in the world premiere of J.D. Earnest’s The Theory of Everything with the Encompass New Opera Theater. Ms. Fuerst is passionate about sharing music outreach with young and older audiences.  She co-wrote and performed a parody of the film Enchanted to teach kids about opera, and in 2010-11 she will perform an original revue of Jeannette McDonald & Nelson Eddy. Ms. Fuerst taught with the Manhattan School of Music Outreach program teaching children in elementary and middle schools throughout NYC.

Kristina Giles – Violin, Viola, Piano
Ms. Hendricks received her Master of Music degree from Rice University and her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music degree form SUNY Stonybrook. Kristina enjoys her career as a teacher and free-lance artist  in New York City. Before moving to the City in the fall of 2008, she performed frequently with the Dallas Opera, Houston Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Huntsville Symphony in Alabama. She performed her Carnegie Debut in 2004, as a member of Oberlin Conservatory’s Contemporary Music ensemble, during a tour that also took them to Severance and Merkin Halls. She has also recently become known for her improvisational skills on both violin and viola in the studio/recording industry. A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Kristina began her studies on piano when she was six, and the viola at age nine.

Dustin Gledhill – Piano
Dustin Gledhill is an international prize-winner for the interpretation of French music. He recorded Livre II of Debussy’s 12 Etudes in his debut album Live at Wigmore Hall. MusicOMH said, “The Wigmore Hall audience was given a master class in pianistic textures and timbres… superb delicacy… a captivation level of excitement and virtuosity.” Dustin won the Debussy-Ravel Prize at the 2005 New Orleans International Piano Competition, and received rave reviews from The Times-Picayune for his interpretation of Saint-Saëns, saying he had “…spun an incantatory gold-medal performance.”

Dustin has recently performed at the Fazioli Concert Hall, Carnegie Weill Hall and has soloed with orchestras, including the San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, Florida Space Coast Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Hilton Head Orchestra, and many others. Dustin is a keen collaborator with ballet and modern dance.  He recently appeared with Saddler’s Wells Dance Theater in London, with the legendary choreographer and dancer, Pina Bausch, in Palermo Palermo.  In 2009, Dustin was featured as pianist and recording artist for the world premier of AfterLight, produced and choreographed by the Russell Maliphant Company, and nominated for a Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Dance Production.  London’s BBC premiered the work in December 2009.  Future collaborations are set for 2011, including composition for dance with electronic infused music.

Dustin has studied with Dr. Irene Peery-Fox, Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Nina Svetlanova and Andre-Michel Schub at Manhattan School of Music and currently with Julian Martin at the Juilliard School. He has received instruction and master-class training from Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Stephen Hough, Nikolai Demidenko, Bernard d’Ascoli, Leslie Howard, and others.

Dmitry Gorodetsky – Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Mr. Gorodetsky received his bachelor of arts degree in music from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Early on in his career he began to teach guitar and double bass privately and continued teaching at a private music academy in Acton, Massachusetts. He has recorded with Grammy award winning and Grammy nominated artists such as Lauryn Hill, Duke Robillard and Roomful Of Blues. As a performer he has toured extensively throughout US, Canada, Europe, Middle East and the Caribbean in a variety of musical settings including jazz and blues groups as well as a symphony orchestra. He continues to freelance actively throughout the New York, Boston and New England area.

Devin Gray – Drums, Mallets and Piano
Mr. Gray received his Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed throughout the world and toured extensively throughout Northern Europe and the east coast of the United States. Mr. Gray has recorded several records for the labels Umlaut Records and Flattened Planet Records. His CD "Corpulent" features Miles Davis Band Alum, Gary Thomas. He has taught in Stockholm, the Yarmouth, Maine Public Schools, and maintains an active teaching schedule in New York.

Kirsten Jermé – Cello and Piano
Cellist Kirsten Jermé received her Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and her Bachelors degree from SUNY-Stony Brook. Her primary instructors include Steven Doane, Colin Carr, and members of the Emerson String Quartet. A dedicated performer, educator, and non-profit administrator, Kirsten has worked for organizations including the Eastman Community Music School, Turtle Bay Music School, and The Learning Maestros. She also helped launch an arts outreach initiative through the Staller Center for the Arts on Eastern Long Island. Kirsten has participated in festivals including the Yale-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the Banff Centre Master Classes for Strings and Winds, and has performed across the United States, Canada, and the U.K. She is an active freelancer in the New York City area.

Jess Jurkovic – Piano (Jazz, Classical)
A native of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Jess Jurkovic started his musical life as a drummer and percussionist, but at age fourteen, began to compose and teach himself jazz piano. He is now an accomplished performer, composer, arranger, theoretician, and educator, and has been on the LMA faculty since 2000. Jess received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and his Master's degree in Jazz and Commercial Music from Manhattan School of Music. Jess has served as musical director to several New York cabaret artists, as well as with the American Tap Dance Foundation. He has also worked with Cherry Lane Music Co. as a freelance writer and editor; his book Keyboard Warm-up Techniques was published in 2006. In addition to his solo piano work, Jess is an integral member of the Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, performing at the prestigious Macao International Music Festival in 2008.

Laurie Kono – Piano
Ms. Kono received her Bachelor of Music degree from USC and her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She has a strong pedagogical background including positions teaching piano, theory and improvisation in California and the New York metro area. Her performing career has taken her to such places as Okinawa, Los Angeles and Madrid. She won the acclaimed Okinawa International Competition and the Puigerda International Competition in Spain.

Pascal Le Boeuf – Piano
Mr. Le Boeuf received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music as the recipient of the Michael W. Greene scholarship.  Additionally, he has studied songwriting and electronic music at the Berklee College of Music.  Pascal has garnered over twenty national and international awards and accomplishments, the most notable being the ASCAP/IAJE Commission honoring Quincy Jones, which premiered at the 2004 IAJE conference and featured tenor saxophonist Chris Potter.  Pascal has also received awards from Downbeat Magazine, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and dominated the 2006 Independent Music Awards, winning Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Song for his prior release Migration.  Most recently,  the track Code Word off his new album House Without A Door received 1st place in the International Songwriting Competition.  Pascal performs frequently throughout New York with his twin brother Remy, Myron Walden, Clarence Penn, and Mike Ruby.  His career as an educator has taken him around the country. He worked as jazz guide for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts,  maintained a  private studio,  and has been on faculty at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

Remy Le Boeuf – Piano and Woodwinds
Mr. Le Boeuf received his Bachelor of Music and Master for Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Among his numerous awards he was the 2008 recipient of the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts Astral Grant, the ASCAP Foundation Young Composers Awards for an unprecedented five years in a row. Mr. Le Boeuf has performed throughout the U.S. and Canada including such venues as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Banff and the Henry Mancini Institute. He is featured on more than ten recordings. Mr. Le Boeuf maintains a busy teaching schedule including positions at the Manhattan School of Music Educational Outreach Program, The Kappa IV School and MS 167 in New York City.

Katrina Lester – Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet and Piano
Ms. Lester received her Bachelor Degree in Music Education from State University of Potsdam, Crane School of Music, and her Master of Science in Education from Nazareth College of Rochester.  She has been teaching instrumental music privately and in public schools in New York State for 15 years.  Her performing experiences include playing with the Hudson Valley Wind Ensemble and several concert bands on flute, alto and tenor saxophone, and clarinet.

Hannah Levinson – Violin and Viola
Violist Hannah Levinson is pursuing her Masters of Music Degree in Contemporary Performance at the Manhattan School of Music.  Originally from Pittsburgh, she graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and East European Studies and a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance.  Her interest in performing contemporary classical music has led her to work with living composers and commission original works.  She is currently a member of the TACTUS ensemble and Au Courant, a string quartet focusing on contemporary works.  Previous ensembles include the New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Ensemble and the renowned Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble.  Hannah has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston, MA.  Hannah was also a recipient of the NEC Community Performances and Partnerships Teaching Fellowships.  Through this program, she created and implemented a program focused on leadership through music at a local Haitian community center.  In addition to performance, Hannah is also passionate about outreach education and teaching and is thrilled to start her first year at the Larchmont Music Academy.

Dr. Francis Liu – Violin and Viola
With an inclination for eclectic projects, violinist Francis Liu plays music ranging from early Baroque to the latest contemporary pieces. He has most recently been on tour with the Baroque ensemble Musica Angelica and the actor John Malkovich, performing the stage-play “The Infernal Comedy.” Other projects include appearances in the KLANGSPUREN Festival of Contemporary Music in Austria, and a recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion on period instruments for the 40^th anniversary of Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute. Mr. Liu was a founding member of the Adelphi String Quartet, which served as the graduate quartet-in-residence at the University of Maryland from 2009-2011. In 2009, the Adelphi Quartet joined with the Axelrod Quartet at the Smithsonian American History Museum for a performance of the Mendelssohn Octet on the museum's collection of Stradivarius and Amati instruments. With members of the quartet, Mr. Liu also completed a recording of Walter Gieseking's rediscovered Kleine Musik, which will be released on Centaur Records. Mr. Liu received his doctorate from the University of Maryland, where he was a teaching assistant to David Salness. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Rice University, where he was a student of Kenneth Goldsmith.

Elizabeth Means – Cello, Piano
Ms. Means holds degrees from the University of Southern California (B.M., B.A.), Universitaetder Kuenste Berlin (Konzertexamen) and from the Manhattan School of Music’s distinguished Orchestral Performance Program (M.M.). In collaboration with her education at USC, she completed pedagogical training at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. She then supplemented her intense performance studies with former principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, Wolfgang Beottcher, with pedagogical courses at the UdK in Berlin, Germany as a Fellowship recipient from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Her students have gone on to make their solo debuts at Carnegie Hall and win scholarships to major universities. A believer in the lifelong process of learning and development, she is currently completing her Suzuki Teacher Training at the prestigious School for Strings in NYC.

Martin Nevin – Bass, Guitar and Piano
Martin Nevin grew up in Los Angeles and started playing electric bass and guitar when he was 12 years old. After hearing his first Thelonious Monk record, he became deeply interested in jazz and picked up the upright bass. In 2006 Martin received a scholarship to attend Manhattan School of Music, where he studied bass with Jay Anderson and David Grossman, piano with Inesa Sinkevych, and composition with Michael Patterson. Since then he has performed and/or recorded with notable artists such as Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Logan Richardson, and Aaron Parks, and in venues such as The Jazz Gallery, The 55 bar, the Deer Head Inn, and Kuumbwa Jazz Center. His talent has been recognized by the Downbeat Student Music Awards, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and Disney Spotlight Awards among others. Martin is also an educator, and has taught at programs including the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Martin currently resides in New York City where he continues to compose, teach, perform and record.

Lucas Pino – Winds and Piano
Lucas Pino started his life in music at the age of 10, selecting the alto saxophone as his instrument. Immediately inspired by the music of John Coltrane, Lucas spent the formative years relentlessly listening to records. Pino switch to tenor at age 12. After being selected for numerous honors during high school, including a Downbeat award as “Best Instrumental soloist” (2005), Lucas attended the Brubeck Institute as one of five fellows. This ensemble regularly performed in venues across the United States and abroad, studied with jazz masters and spent time learning and performing with Dave Brubeck. During his tenure at the Brubeck Institute, Lucas also studied flute with Mathew Krejci, currently principal flute with the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2007, Lucas moved to New York City to complete his Undergraduate degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. During his time at the New School, Lucas studied saxophone with Chris Cheek, graduating with “Academic Honors”.

In 2009, Lucas attended the Juilliard School and was awarded the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship. Lucas studied saxophone with Ron Blake during his tenure at the Juilliard School and completed his Masters in Music in 2011.