OUR INSTRUCTORS

Dr. Irina Pevzner was born in Ukraine and raised in Latvia. After graduating from the Riga Jazep Medins Music College, she moved to the United States. Dr. Pevzner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina. Her dissertation titled Forgotten Russian Piano Music: The Sonatas of Anatoly Aleksandrov was published by Scholar’s Press. 

She also holds a Master of Music degree in piano performance and Piano Pedagogy Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University, Artist Certificate from the College of Charleston, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

Irina has performed in Latvia, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and throughout the east coast of the U. S. She is a frequent performer at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Locally, she has performed at the Monday Night Concert Series, International Piano Series, Bishop Gadsden Concert Series, and Emily Remington Concerts. In addition, she is one of the core performers with Chamber Music Charleston.

While continuing solo and chamber music performance career, she was on the music faculty at the College of Charleston for 11 years. She has also been teaching at Charleston Academy of Music since its founding year, and a number of her students have achieved success in local and national competitions. In 2015 Irina became Academy's Executive Director. 

Described by the Armenian Weekly as a “technical wizard” and a pianist of “rich emotions”, an award-winning pianist Hrant Bagrazyan explores repertoire ranging from Baroque era to our modern times. Being a native of Armenia, Mr. Bagrazyan also actively champions music of Armenian composers. ​​​

Hrant Bagrazyan has performed in Armenia, Belgium, Poland and the United States. Living in the US since 2009, Hrant has made notable appearances on the American classical stage which included his orchestra debut as a soloist with Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra at the 3,000-seat Hawkins Centennial Chapel in 2014 and a solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2018. ​​​​

Dr. Bagrazyan has also performed with other acclaimed orchestras such as Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and Heights Chamber Orchestra.

Dr. Bagrazyan has won top awards in many international competitions, including 3rd Prize in Aram Khachaturian International Piano Competition (2007, Yerevan, Armenia), 1st Prize in Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra International Young Artist Competition (2014, Bourbonnais, IL) and 1st Prize in San Jose International Piano Competition (2015, San Jose, CA). In October 2016 Hrant won the Outstanding Performance Award at NTD International Piano Competition in New York. Dr. Bagrazyan has participated in music festivals, most notably as a guest performer at the gala concert of Sergei Babayan International Academy in 2013. 

In addition to the solo career, Dr. Bagrazyan is also an active chamber musician. He has been actively collaborating with the acclaimed Armenian American cellist Suren Bagratuni. Their collaboration includes a recent release of a double album titled “Songs of My Childhood” which was described by Blue Griffin Records as “...beautiful, charming, virtuosic, exciting”. 

Dr. Bagrazyan has also served as a member of the Jury for MTNA-South Carolina State Piano Competition. 

Having studied with world famous mentors such as Igor Yavryan, Sergei Babayan, HaeSun Paik and Margarita Shevchenko, Hrant Bagrazyan has earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University College of Music, Master of Music, Artist Diploma and Professional Studies degrees from Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Bachelor degree from Yerevan State Conservatory.

Myungsook Song Stoudenmire, a native of South Korea, received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, a second Master Degree from Columbia College, and the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul where she was awarded one of the university’s highest-ranking full scholarships. She received a full scholarship for her doctoral studies at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where she completed one year of residency and was a recipient of the Dowling Memorial Scholarship from Dowling Foundation in Charleston. Stoudenmire undertook summer studies at Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Festival in Germany, Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Italy, over ten years of International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York, three times of Piano Texas International Academy and Festival in Fortworth, Texas and the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. Dr. Stoudenmire has appeared in recital and with orchestra in Korea, Germany and United States, including the Hangran Music Festival, National Elite Bachelor’s Music Festival, National Elite Master’s Music Festival in Korea, Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Festival in Germany, Stafford Steinway Series in Georgia, The Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, the Elms of Charleston, Music on the Mount, Remington Concert Series, Columbia College Cultural Series, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Sunday at Lowman, Francis Marion Chamber Series in South Carolina. She has been a concerto soloist with orchestra including the Southcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Sungshin University Philharmonic and the University of South Carolina Chamber Orchestra.

Stoudenmire is an active in piano duo, the Stoudenmire-Elshazly piano duo team. The SE piano duo team has appeared concert series in statewide avenue such as Guest Artist Series at Winthrop University, Costal Carolina University, Newberry Opera House and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival as well as local community concert series in Tri-county and school systems. She is currently on the faculty at Charleston Southern University, the founder and was the director of CSU Summer Piano Camp. Numerous of her students have won major competitions at the local, state, and regional levels. 

Pianist Patrick Boyle holds a double Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (piano) and History from Boston College, where he was awarded the Athanasius Kircher SJ Award for Excellence in Music. He also completed his Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Longy School of Music, where he won the Mary Ellis Smith Prize for Piano Performance and Pedagogy. Patrick completed his piano studies with Linda Papatopoli and Dr. Sandra Hebert. He has performed in solo and chamber music recitals, collaborating with ensembles on both coasts of the United States.

A committed pedagogue, Patrick is fluent in a number of styles and techniques; furthermore, he enjoys working with students of all ages and levels. Patrick looks forward to making music a transformative and life-long means of expression for each student. Locally, he is proud to have had students accepted in to both the Charleston County School of the Arts and the Rollings School of the Arts in Dorchester County. Patrick originally hails from Washington State, but has made his way across the country to South Carolina and currently teaches in the Lowcountry.

The music of American pianist and composer, Carol Comune, dances between the serious and the light from traditional and contemporary genres, with strong influences from Impressionism, Romanticism, and her Italian heritage. Her lyricism paired with technical precision has earned her a reputation as one of today’s premiere pianists, performing extensively throughout the eastern United States as a soloist and a chamber musician. She has been a featured artist in Princeton at Westminster Conservatory of Music, Bristol Chapel, and the Nassau Concert Series; in Boston at the New England Conservatory of Music, Gardner Museum, Art Complex at Duxbury, and Longfellow National Historic Site; in New York City at Lincoln Center and Steinway Hall; and Palm Beach at Flagler Museum and Kravis Center.

In the new year, 2024 Ms. Comune performed in the Charleston Southern University Faculty Recital for Piano Duet.

In 1985, the multi-faceted musician, teacher, composer, recording artist, and Steinway Artist founded Elegant Entertainment & Co. (BMI).  She also founded Comune Music Press in 2006 to present her music scores. Many of her compositions have been featured at numerous piano festivals, including “Suite for Sleeping Beauty” at the prestigious 30th Annual Contemporary Music for the Young, MA, and premiere performances; “Variations for Piano on O God, Our Help in Ages Past”, Steinway Hall in NYC; “The Nightingale”, based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson in Westminster Conservatory, Princeton, NJ.  Ms. Comune’s compositions have been described as, “charming, bold, imaginative, colorful, and exceptional”. Ms. Comune is a Collaborator/Pianist at Charleston Southern University. In September, 2024 she was invited as a guest speaker to present to the Horton School of  Music and Performing Art: “A Composer’s Perspective: A Journey from Streaming Platforms to Spotify.

Her albums have received worldwide recognition with over 6 Million listeners, over 70 Million all-time streams in 250 countries, and over 135K monthly listeners through Spotify.  Since 2017, her music has been exclusively promoted by her record label: Double J Music from the UK. Her newest release, “Chopinesque” was featured on the prestigious Spotify’s Classical New Releases in August, 2024. Ms. Comune continues to release in the Classical-Contemporary and Neo-classical genres.  She presented her Holiday album in November 2023, “Peaceful Piano Noel" which features a selection of timeless Christmas classics with original contemporary arrangements. It captures the essence of the season in a unique and heartfelt way with its soothing melodies and calming atmosphere.  

New releases in August 2023 EP “A Quiet Moment” and recently “Moments”, 2023 recorded 3 original compositions for piano. Her albums, “Montage” and “Homage”, 2022, and “The Perfect Place to Be” (over 16M), 2020 were featured on Spotify’s Classical New Releases and Editorial playlist, Classical Piano for her recordings of “Eusebius” from Schumann’s Carnaval; “Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42”: Variation 14 by Rachmaninoff and “The Little Shepherd” from Debussy’s Children’s Corner.  Ms. Comune’s albums, “Pastiche”, 2020, and “From the Heart” feature original piano compositions. “Classically Yours” 2018, was her first full album in 10 years and has reached over 13 Million streams. Her music is featured on NPR, Pandora, Spotify, Apple iTunes, and Amazon.

Ms. Comune’s original composition “Reflections” was showcased on Moving Classics TV in Munich, Germany, in 2020.  Ms. Comune was “Commissioned Composer” for NJMTA, 2022. Her album. MONTAGE won the 2022 “CLASSICAL” ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Carol Comune - Montage - USA (WINNER)  awarded by www.solopiano.com  / Mathew Mayer.

Carol is a graduate of the NEC, Boston, MA (BM Piano Performance, David Hagan).  Graduate studies: Piano Pedagogy, Jean Stackhouse (NEC); Composition, John Felice (NEC); and influential mentors Donald Waxman; the late concert pianist, Anthony di Bonaventura.

Carol has been a Music Teachers National Association member for over 34 years and has had an active private studio since 1972.  Artist Faculty: Westminster Conservatory of Music - HMP; Charleston Academy of Music, Collaborative Pianist: Charleston Southern University. Former faculty: New England Conservatory Prep School; Berklee College of Music, MA, and Palm Beach Atlantic University; Conservatory at Lynn University, FL. Carol was honored with the Steinway Top Teacher Award in 2016, 2017, and, 2020.  Additionally, Carol's students have been recipients of many outstanding achievements. Musical Organizations include: Music-fest (Rising Talents); The Royal Conservatory Exams; Golden Key; Solo Pianists at Westminster Conservatory: 1st Place and 2nd Place Winners - Weill Hall/ Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall/Kaufmann Center, NYC.  Westminster Conservatory’s Annual Achievement Scholarship Competitions and Piano Concerto Competition-1st Place Winner, 2021.

Ms. Keru Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland Institute of Music and a master’s degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School in NYC. Keru is a member of Suzuki Association of the Americas. She was a piano faculty at the Suzuki Program of Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York until September 2022 when she relocated to South Carolina.

Keru was born in China. Since the age of 7, she had performed around Asia and Europe. Being enrolled to the Pre-College of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Keru started her professional training at a young age. At the age of 13, she appeared in a children TV series with recordings of the complete Moszkowski Etudes, the Art of Finger Dexterity Op.740 by Carl Czerny, and complete Chopin Etudes Op.10, and after being accepted by the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School, she moved to the United States at the age of 15. Since thenKeru had performed as soloist on stages including Alice Tully Hall, Paul Hall, and Peter Jay Sharp Hall at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in international music festivals including the Beethoven Music Festival in Germany, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Orford Musique in Canada, Montecito International Music Festival, Lincoln Center Chamberfest, Juilliard Focus Festival, and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Keruwas also first prize winner of competitions including the Wiesbaden International Piano Competition, the Bauchauer Scholarship Competition of Juilliard, and the Union City Young Artist Competition. As a chamber musician, Keru worked with members of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Cavani Quartet, and the Juilliard String Quartet in masterclasses, and she also collaborated with the legendary cellist Lynn Harrell. Her school piano trio, the Asteria Trio, participated in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and was the winner of the MTNA Chamber Music Competition. 

In addition to performing, Keru is also a passionate teacher. In the last five years, she had taught students between age 3 to 16 with levels ranging from beginner to pre-college and had coached chamber ensembles. She has completed the Suzuki Teacher Training at The School for Strings in NYC where she also served as faculty for the Start-up Program and the staff pianist for the school. She will be joining the Kawai Piano Gallery in Bluffton, South Carolina,  from October 2022. Besides music, Keru’s other passions include Yoga, cooking, skateboarding, photography, and traveling.

Joanna Norwood began studying classical piano during her childhood in Camden, South Carolina. After winning the KCMA Brevard Scholarship Competition and attending the Brevard Music Center in summer 2018 and 2019, she began studying with Dr. Douglas Weeks at Converse University. While there, she also studied piano pedagogy with Professor Erica Pauly and taught private lessons through the Lawson Academy of the Arts. Upon Dr. Weeks’ retirement, Ms. Norwood transferred to the College of Charleston where she studied with Dr. Paul Sánchez. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Her degree includes a concentration in piano performance and she has enjoyed many performance opportunities, including several through Piccolo Spoleto. Ms. Norwood also has experience with a variety of sacred music traditions and is currently the organist at Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Charleston, SC. Other piano teachers include Dr. Stephen Graff and Dr. Volodymyr Vynnytsky. She has also studied organ with Dr. Julia Harlow. Ms. Norwood has been on the Academy faculty since 2021.

Alina Galiyeva has been playing piano her whole life. She started her music path at the age of 5 when she started piano and vocal classes at a music school in Kazakhstan where she was born and raised. She has participated in numerous music competitions, which is an importantexperience for every musician. Alina was a winner of a music competition called “Cannes Stars” in Cannes, France in 2014. Besides that, she has been in a lot of competitions and festivals in Russia and Kazakhstan. One of them was “Salute of Talents” in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. At the age of 19, she graduated from the Regional Music College in her hometown in Kazakhstan. Her studying in the music school and music college had a big influence on her as an artist and musician. She started teaching kids and adults during the college using different methods and books. Right now, she studies in the College of Charleston as a music major. Alina loves music and wants to teach children to be passionate about learning music just as she has always been.

Alina joined the Faculty of the Charleston Academy of Music in 2022.

Shenwei Geng is a pianist, educator, and collaborator. She is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in piano performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Conservatory, teaching both group and applied piano lessons.

Shenwei received her Master of Music in piano performance from Michigan State University. She was honored to participate in the Brevard Music Festival in Brevard, NC, in 2018, where she performed and gave lectures at various venues.

Actively engaged in professional organizations, Shenwei is a dedicated member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She has presented at the 2022 Kansas Music Teachers Association (KMTA) Conference, the 2024 MTNA Collegiate Symposium, and the 2024 MTNA National Conference. Additionally, she served as a judge for KMTA's state competitions. Shenwei is also a recipient of the Kansas City Music Club Scholarship and was awarded the UMKC Women’s Council Graduate Merit Awards in 2022 and 2023 for her piano pedagogical projects.

With over 10 years of experience teaching piano and music theory, Shenwei loves interacting with students of different ages and backgrounds. Besides performing and teaching, Shenwei enjoys cooking and traveling.

Karel Abo, violinist, currently serves as Associate Concertmaster with the Midland Symphony Orchestra and has served Concertmaster of the Charleston Opera Theater. An avid performer, Ms. Abo also plays with the Lansing Symphony, the Hilton Head Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and other symphony orchestras throughout the United States.

Ms. Abo is an active recitalist and chamber musician who is frequently invited as a guest artist at faculty recitals, concerts, and music conferences at universities and colleges. Besides an active performer in South Carolina, Ms. Abo has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, including prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and St. Luke's Cathedral.

Corey Christopher Mike began studying the violin at the age of three at the Michigan State University Community Music School where he studied with Dr. Judith Palac. At nine years of age, he continued his studies with professor I-Fu Wang of Michigan State University.

An active chamber musician, Corey founded The Town Quartet in 2011 and performed extensively with them for over an eleven-year-period all throughout the Bay Area in California.  In addition to their weekly residency in Berkeley, The Town Quartet played in an extreme variance of venues and repertoire: from participating in The San Francisco Chamber Music Society’s series at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, to accompanying silent films at Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive, to helping establish the Glenview Chamber Music series in Oakland. They were coached by members of both the Kronos as well as The Alexander String Quartets.

Corey currently performs with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston Opera Theater. He has previously served in Michigan as principal 2nd violinist of the Midland Symphony, Jackson Symphony, and Michigan State University Symphony Orchestras.

Laura Diaz, originally from Guatemala, started music studies at the age of 11. At the age of 13 got accepted to join the National Conservatory of Guatemala to study with the concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2019 she started her Bachelor ́s degree in Music Performance at the College of Charleston with Charleston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Prof. Yuriy Bekker where she graduated in May ‘23. Laura was a recipient of different scholarships and awards because of her musical abilities, these include: Marion and Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Endowed Scholarship, Reba Kinne Huge Award in Music, and individual sponsors who support her career. Laura also received funding from the College of Charleston to do research in Ethnomusicology with the support of her mentors and the Music Department. This research has received several awards and has been able to be presented in prestigious conferences.  

Laura has received masterclasses with world renowned soloists like Andres Cardenes, Agustin Hadelich, Sarah Chang, Herbert Greenberg, and Gary Levinson. Laura has performed in prestigious orchestra programs accompanying artists such as Placido Domingo, Sarah Chang, and Agustin Hadelich.  

Besides performing violin soloistic repertoire, Laura loves to play in orchestras and especially loves to teach music because she thinks that children are the future to keep music alive. She has been teaching at the Charleston Academy of Music since 2021.

Ms. Pa Houa Amber Yang currently serves as a private one on one and group music instructor with the Charleston Academy of Music.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Ms. Yang comes from a musical family. Yang cultivated her love of music and flourished in violin/viola performance as a young child under the tutelage of Janusz Zak, Master of Music and Matthew Michelic, Associate Professor at Lawrence University. Upon enrolling at the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Ms. Yang studied under Lewis Rosove and Claudia Lassarof-Mirinof. She has performed with the Bel Canto Chorus, Lyric Opera, and the Milwaukee Philharmonic and in venues such as the National Federation of Music, the New York International Music Festival, and Wisconsin Music Educators Association.

Ms. Yang has extensive experience teaching young musicians through private and small group instruction, sectionals, and masterclasses to prepare them for recitals, music festivals, and competitions. Yang’s passion for sharing the gift of music with children of all ages inspires her work in music education which ranges from music and movement to music fundamentals and appreciation.

Yang continues to perform as a soloist and in chamber ensembles by request and teaches private lessons to young musicians in the Charleston Area. When she is not in the classroom or studio, Ms. Yang spends time with her dogs hiking and paddling in the great outdoors.

Originally from Anderson, S.C. Karen Tinsley studied violin with Alex Spainhour and Kay Gilbert. While attending the University of SC, she studied with Dr. John Bauer and Fritz de Jonge and she tutored violin students in the USC String Project. Ms. Tinsley graduated from the College of Charleston with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with an emphasis on violin. She also has a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Charleston. Ms. Tinsley has done teacher training in Suzuki Violin through level 6 of The Suzuki Association of the Americas which she is currently a member of. Her teachers in Charleston were Marilyn Curry, Rosalina Agrest and Dr. Won-Mo Kim.

Karen Tinsley has been teaching orchestra classes in the Charleston School District and in a private music studio. Ms. Tinsley has performed with various orchestras in South Carolina and beyond: The Columbia Philharmonic, the Appalachian State Orchestra, The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, The Long Bay Symphony, The Spartanburg Symphony, The Florence Symphony, The Gatsby Orchestra, The College of Charleston Orchestra and other ensembles for Piccolo Spoleto and other events. In 2025, Ms. Tinsley performed with The College of Charleston Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City, along with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, The Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Harlem String Quartet when they all joined together for a Charleston Celebration of Music concert which was well received with over 2,000 audience members.  

Some notable musicians Ms. Tinsley has performed with are Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Earth Wind and Fire, Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick, Joshua Bell, Augustin Hadelich, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenburg, Mark Wood and many others. Ms. Karen Tinsley enjoys teaching students and performing in church orchestras and choirs and different orchestra settings.

Justin Henke is an American trumpet performer, educator, and artist in Charleston, South Carolina. Originally from Spartanburg South Carolina, Justin dedicates his life to sharing his love for the art of music. Henke has received his Bachelors of Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of North Texas, as well as studied at Belmont University for Trumpet Performance. His primary teachers include Caleb Hudson, Joel Treybig, Raquel Samayoa, and George Wenger. 

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Justin has notably performed with ensembles and artists all across the United States, including performing with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Aiken Symphony Orchestra, Florence Symphony Orchestra, Summerville Orchestra, and Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra. Other notable performances include performing with Grammy Award Winners Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans, as well as with trumpet legends Ronald Romm and Chris Coletti from the Canadian Brass. 

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Justin lives in Charleston with his wife, Maria Henke, and has also maintained a private lesson studio in the Charleston area.

Yun Hao Jiang, born in Shanghai, China, began his cello studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and continued his studies at the Municipal School of Music in Montevideo, Uruguay, the College of Chalerston, USA, and most recently, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Among his teachers and coaches were Pedro Laniella, William Molinas, Claudio Baraviera, Owen Carmen, Steven Doane, Hans Jensen, Damian Kremer, Suren Bagratuni, and Natalia Khoma.

Mr. Jiang was the principal cellist of the Uruguay National Youth Orchestra for several seasons.At the age of sixteen Mr. Jiang had his Debut as a soloist with the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Symphony Orchestra. At the age of nineteen he became a core member of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Jiang was awarded the Juvenalis Award in 1999 and won First Prizes in the Jeunesses Musicales Competition in 2002 for cello soloist and chamber music ensemble with Piano Trio Assai. In 2008, he was the winner of MTNA young artist competition in southeast division in Chamber music with the Terranova Piano Trio. In 2009, the winner of MTNA young artist competition in state division, and in 2010, Mr. Jiang received the Excellence in Performance award by the College of Charleston.

He took part and performed in Iberoamericana Festival in Venezuela, Green House Cello Festival and Luigi Silva Cello celebration in Greensboro, Early Music Festival, Monday Night Concert Series and Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, Musica en Trujillo Festival in Spain, as well as the prestigious Meadowmount Music Festival in New York. Mr. Jiang has also performed as a soloist and chamber music in different occasions in Uruguay, Peru, Argentina,Spain and San Salvador.

Currently Mr. Jiang is the faculty at the Charleston Academy of music. He continues to actively perform in solo and chamber music with Terranova Piano Trio concerts locally, nationally and internationally. Mr. Jiang plays on a Goutrot 1840 violoncello

Julia Harlow has been teaching at CAM since 2017 and is adjunct faculty at the College of Charleston, where she teaches organ and harpsichord.  She has been Director of Music and Organist at Second Presbyterian Church for 22 years; organist/keyboardist at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue for  10 years and teaches organ and harpsichord privately. She earned the DMA in Organ Performance and Pedagogy and MM in Early Keyboard Performance at the University of Oregon (Eugene), and the Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from the University of Iowa.  Active in the Charleston musical scene, areas of research interest include women composers of the Baroque and early Classical Periods and Baroque dance, the subject of her dissertation.  She has often performed as harpsichordist or organist in Piccolo Spoleto, with the Charleston Symphony and with Chamber Music Charleston. 

​Kathleen Bavaar Cobb is a voice instructor, a lyric soprano, and an actress. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Applied Voice at The Hartt College of Music, and has done graduate work in theatre, music education, and vocal pedagogy, having studied at The Westminster Choir College's Masters of Vocal Pedagogy program, Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at The Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, The Ward Method at Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at Catholic University, and Music Education at Trinity College, and at Bowie State University. 

Kathleen began teaching private piano at fourteen years of age, and private voice at twenty. Her background in classroom and group instruction began with The Yamaha Music Education System, and continued with work in public, private, and parochial schools, where she taught general music, choral music, planned and conducted children's music liturgies, conducted church choirs, show choirs, choruses, and directed school musicals. She has taught group voice, and private voice and piano at the Levine School of Music, The Washington Conservatory of Music, Academy of Fine Arts, and The Olney Conservatory of Music. She has directed musical theatre programs for these institutions as well, in addition to teaching and directing at Aiden ArtSummer, and The Center for the Arts. She also specializes in teaching non-traditional voice pedagogy to Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, and Contemporary Christian artists as well. 

Kathleen’s performing credits include Carnegie Hall, The National Theatre, The National Lyric Opera, The Potomac Valley Opera, Coachlight and Hayloft Dinner Theatres, The State of the Art State Department Recital Series, not to mention work in television and film.

Royxann Wade has been a music teacher for the past twenty-four years. She is multi-talented in both piano and voice.  She has committed her life to providing a solid education in both piano and voice for her students. Her goal is instilling and inspiring creative development in all students according to their abilities. She is committed in providing students with a well-rounded learning experience and a love and thirst for creativity as well as musical knowledge.

PH. D Studies at Kent State University in Voice, Piano, Kodaly, and Orff technique, Both a Master of Music in Performance and Bachelor of Music in Education at Bowling Green State University with study emphasis in Voice, Piano, Choral Conducting and Musical Theatre. She also was a graduate assistant in the college of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University where she taught private voice students, para voice and vocal seminars which encompasses instruction in performance preparation and solo performance. Royxann received her Bachelor of Music at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music with study emphasis on voice, piano, and musical theatre.  

She has studied with Metropolitan opera singer Eleanor Steber, at Julliard School of Music in both master classes and private lessons.

Ulyana Machneva, born in Ukraine, started playing classical guitar at the age of 6. She graduated from Kharkiv State University of Arts as a classical guitar performer, teacher, and composer (theory of music). Her minor was in piano and academic vocal. As a classical guitar virtuoso, Ulyana has won high honors in many international performance and composition competitions in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Hungary. Her melodious musical renditions have resounded in concert halls throughout Russia, Belgium, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and America. 

In 2008, she became a winner of "The 10th Annual Columbus State University Guitar Competition and Symposium" (Columbus, Georgia), and the "Rosario Guitar Festival and Competition" (Columbia, South Carolina). Her original musical compositions have been published in Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, and the USA. Many of them became performers' choice at the International guitar competitions.

After graduation, Ulyana worked as a teacher of music at the School of Arts, gaining great experience working with kids, and as an assistant professor at Kharkiv State Academy of Arts, teaching solo guitar and ensemble. Her students successfully graduated from the classical guitar course as performers. Ulyana recently moved to the USA, where she continues her musical carrier, playing solo recitals and teaching students classical, romantic and popular guitar, as well as composition/improvisation, and academic vocal. At the present time, Ulyana is enrolled at the Artist Certificate Program at the College of Charleston with Professor Marc Regnier.

Saxophonist Jonathan Kammer teaches all levels and styles. In addition, he is a woodwind repair technician  which helps him to know the instrument on multiple levels

Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music. He received classical woodwind performance training under the tutelage of Professor Donald Sinta, Dr. Timothy McAllister, and Dr. Clifford Leaman primarily, and has studied with and performed alongside many other acclaimed classical and jazz artist-teachers.

As a gold-medalist winner of the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2001, Jonathan performed extensively across the USA and Canada. He performs on saxophone, flute and clarinet with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, and is the first-call saxophonist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He regularly performs with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Emerald Empire Band, Long Bay Symphony, Joe Clarke Big Band, and many musicians and music groups regionally. He played for stage productions with The Carolina Opry, Chamber Music Charleston, College of Charleston and Moranz Entertainment. He is also the artistic director of the HELLO, SAXOPHONE! concert series, through which he produced performances of classical and jazz music with saxophone and collaborating instruments to audiences from Maryland to South Carolina since 2015. HELLO, SAXOPHONE! programs have been chosen and featured on the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight Concert Series each season annually since 2016. He is also the founder, executive director, and lead instructor of Lowcountry Saxophone Camp, coastal South Carolina’s premier summer saxophone intensive, operating since 2013. 

Performance is one of Philip's passions as he has performed in concert venues in the US including Carnegie Hall, as well as in Canada and Europe. He has appeared as a collaborative artist and chamber musician with renowned artists James Campbell, Denis Bluteau, James Mason, Stéphane Lévesque and James Sommerville. Philip is dedicated to performing chamber music and has worked with Brandon Vamos, cellist of the Pacifica String Quartet, and world-renowned pianist, Jean-Louis Haguenauer.  At Indiana University, he served as Principal Clarinet with the Symphonic Band and Bass Clarinet with the University Orchestra.

Philip Lipton has taught clarinet throughout his college career.  When it comes to teaching, Mr. Lipton embodies a positive and patient teaching philosophy.  In his view “Constructive criticism is necessary for development of any skill, though there are certain ways of clearly presenting information in a positive light. As all students learn at different speeds, consistent positive reinforcement is essential to the learning process.”

The clarinet is a superb instrument choice for all ages as it is easy to learn and affordable. With only a couple of weeks of clarinet lessons and regular practice, the clarinet can quickly become a creative outlet for anyone.

Philip received his Bachelor of Music Degree summa cum laude from the University of North Florida under the instruction of Dr. Guy Yehuda.  Mr. Lipton completed his Master of Music degree at the Jacob's School of Music, Indiana University where he studied clarinet with James Campbell.

In Rochester, NY, public schools begin teaching instrumental music in the fourth grade, which was when Ellen Miriam Brandwein began playing the clarinet. Her dedication to music only grew throughout middle school and high school, where she won awards and played in numerous honors ensembles. Singing has always been a hobby alongsideinstrumental music, and in college, when Ellen began to pursue comparative religion, she continued to play clarinet and sing in regional performing groups. After college, Ellen attended Rabbinical School, where her vocal skills were an asset, enabling her to lead religious services and children's song circles in many congregations. More recently in Charleston, Ellen's musical skills have been on display with the Jewish Choral Society, where she has sung and played clarinet for the last eight years. 

As the mother of 3 children, Ellen has attended many music and movement classes, and firmly believes Music Together to be the best general music immersion program, which is why she became certified to teach it in February 2016. Music Together helps children express themselves and engage with the world through an appreciation of the width and breadth of musical language. The informal, interactive, and communal setting of Music Together encourages musical literacy and social awareness. And just as important, making music is fun!

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