Private Music Lessons

Colleen Bayoneto

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Peter Hatch

Born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, Peter Hatch began his double bass education in the public school system. Not long into his first year with the instrument, it was suggested that he find a private instructor to foster his talents. Andrew Anderson, a bassist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago, mentored Peter over the course of the next several years. These years brought with them a position in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the opportunity for Peter to serve as the Co-Principal Bassist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Encore Ensemble. As a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, he performed with legends of the pop and classical world including Jim Cornelison, Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Jordan Sparks, and Justin Timberlake in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the surrounding area. By age 15, Peter had already traveled to Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain with the Blue Lake International Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He was later named the Principal Bassist of the Illinois All-State Honors Orchestra for two consecutive years. Exploring interests in other musical genres, he was also named the bassist in the top Illinois All- State Jazz Band a year later. In the pop and country genres, Peter worked as studio musician for Beach Boys producer, Joe Thomas, where he recorded bass and guitar tracks both in Mr. Thomas’s studio and remotely. Peter received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where he primarily studied with Timothy Pitts. Peter has recently completed a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. His primary teachers were Harold Robinson and Rex Surany who hold principal positions in the Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera respectively. Born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, Peter Hatch began his double bass education in the public school system. Not long into his first year with the instrument, it was suggested that he find a private instructor to foster his talents. Andrew Anderson, a bassist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago, mentored Peter over the course of the next several years. These years brought with them a position in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the opportunity for Peter to serve as the Co-Principal Bassist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Encore Ensemble. As a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, he performed with legends of the pop and classical world including Jim Cornelison, Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Jordan Sparks, and Justin Timberlake in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the surrounding area. By age 15, Peter had already traveled to Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain with the Blue Lake International Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He was later named the Principal Bassist of the Illinois All-State Honors Orchestra for two consecutive years. Exploring interests in other musical genres, he was also named the bassist in the top Illinois All- State Jazz Band a year later. In the pop and country genres, Peter worked as studio musician for Beach Boys producer, Joe Thomas, where he recorded bass and guitar tracks both in Mr. Thomas’s studio and remotely. Peter received his Bachelor of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music where he primarily studied with Timothy Pitts. Peter has recently completed a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. His primary teachers were Harold Robinson and Rex Surany who hold principal positions in the Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera respectively.

Sam Peters

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Jen Speer

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Nazar Dzhuryn

A native of Lviv, Ukraine, cellist Nazar Dzhuryn graduated from Lviv Music School, where he studied with Evgeny Shpitzer, and he earned his Master of Music degree at Moscow State Conservatory under Igor Gavrysh. Upon graduation, Dzhuryn taught at the Moscow Conservatory as an assistant professor before moving to Chicago in 1998. Since then he has been in high demand as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher.

He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras in the United States, Europe and Russia over the past decade, and his solo recitals for Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the PianoForte Salon Series have been broadcast live on 98.7 WFMT. In addition, Dzhuryn has given numerous solo recitals and master classes in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, South America, South Korea and the U.S. As an orchestra musician, he has performed under conductors such as Georg Solti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniel Barenboim and Helmuth Rilling.

Dzhuryn serves on the faculties of Northeastern Illinois University and the Naperville School for the Performing Arts. He also has coached chamber ensembles for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. His students have won prizes in numerous competitions, including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, and the Chicago Chamber Music Competition.

Morgan Little

As the child of two working classical musicians, Morgan Little has been attending rehearsals from a very young age. Born in Los Angeles, Morgan started his training exclusively as a modern cellist. Morgan caught the bug of historical performance while studying at DePaul University in Chicago, and has not recovered since. After a short stint in Boston, he continued his studies as a full-tuition scholarship student at the Juilliard School, where he maintained an active role as a chamber and orchestral musician, recently playing principal cellist with Juilliard 415 on tour in Scandinavia under the direction of David Hill, and playing continuo for the Juilliard production of Dido and Aeneas in New York, London, and Versailles under the direction of Avi Stein.

During 2020 Morgan discovered he had a passion for teaching as well as performing and is now the co-director of the Stevenson High School Baroque program in Chicago as well as the leader of the Stevenson Viola da gamba consort. As of now Morgan is splitting his time between Chicago and on the West coast.

Andrew Carpenter

Described as “…an artist of great skill and rare sensitivity,” Andrew Carpenter has performed extensively as a concert saxophonist. He has presented recitals at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church and on Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series broadcast on WFMT-FM; appeared as a soloist with several bands and orchestras and on several Chicago-area new music concerts; and has performed numerous orchestral engagements, including concerts with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Carpenter also has performed as a clarinetist in numerous orchestral, musical theater, and chamber music engagements. He is the saxophone instructor at Carthage College and teaches saxophone and clarinet students of all ages. Mr. Carpenter holds a bachelor of music from Ithaca College and a master of music from Northwestern University. His primary saxophone teachers are Dr. Steven Mauk and Dr. Frederick L. Hemke, and his primary clarinet teacher is Leslie Grimm. Visit Mr. Carpenter’s website here.

Claire Werling

Claire Werling is an active orchestral clarinetist and teacher in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. She is currently second clarinet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with the South Bend, Southwest Michigan, Northbrook, Racine, Peoria, Kankakee Valley, and Lima Symphony Orchestras. Claire has been teaching private clarinet lessons for over a decade, and has been a part of the PREP private lesson faculty since 2015. In 2018, Claire started the SHS Clarinet Ensemble and has worked to facilitate rehearsals and performances while creating a sense of community for SHS clarinet students of all levels. Claire’s private studio and group teaching extends not only through the halls of Stevenson, but across the city of Chicago and ranges from students as young as third grade up to adults honing their craft in community ensembles. Her students have gone on to be accepted at the ILMEA District and State Levels, Midwest Young Artist, and the Merit School of Music Conservatory Wind Symphony and Philharmonia. Claire holds degrees in music performance from Northwestern University and Bowling Green State University and won both schools’ concerto competitions. Her primary teachers include Steve Cohen, J Lawrie Bloom, Kevin Schempf, and Spencer Prewitt.

As a teacher, Claire strives to give each student an individual experience based on their needs. From building fundamentals that enhance and develop ease of playing, to preparing for competitive auditions and careers in music, to learning the simple delight of making loud noises; Claire wants each student to find their voice, trust their intuition, and learn how perseverance, focus, and joy can create success in not just music, but everything they pursue in life.

Danielle Dileto

A native of the Joliet area, Danielle Dileto recently finished her bachelor’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. Her primary instrument is percussion, and has had the opportunity to perform with many ensembles across the Chicagoland area. Miss Dileto will be working with the Stevenson High School percussionists in both marching band and concert band, while working individually with students to make them well-rounded musicians.

Hideko Amano

Flutist Hideko Amano was born in Japan and came to the United States at the age of 12. Upon arriving in America, she began studying flute under Ms. Susan Levitin, and soon won many young artist competition awards. Ms. Amano earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she studied under the prominent flutist Paula Robison. She gave a joint performance with Ms. Robison in a concert series for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. She continued her musical education in Paris, France and in Chicago studying with Mathieu Dufour, who had joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as principal flutist. While studying in Paris, she also performed in many international Chamber Music Festivals and concerts in Italy, England, Israel and Morocco. Since her return to Chicago in 1998, she has continued her career as an active recitalist. She has performed on the WFMT 98.7 Monday Evening Series and Dame Myra Hess Concert Series at Cultural Center. In 2018, she was invited to the International Flute Festival in Lima, Peru as their guest artist to perform with the orchestra, giving recital and masterclasses.

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Amano also maintains a growing private studio. Her students have won numerous competitions and went on to study at major universities. She has students who attended and are attending Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute, and Indiana University. She is the director of Chicago Summer Flute Workshop at Midwest Young Artists as well as their flute instructor and the chamber coach during the regular season. She is also a faculty member of Chicago Pathway Musical Initiative. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Amano was an adjunct professor of flute at DePaul University in Lincoln Park, Illinois. She also served as an adjunct professor at Carthage College, WI,College IL, University of Wisconsin-Parkside until May 2022. Presently she teaches at Harper College and Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL.

Nancy Karlin

Nanci Karlin has been a private flute and piccolo instructor at Stevenson High School for 20 years, serving as its Flute Choir director for 11 years in addition to operating a busy home studio. She performs throughout the Chicago area and suburbs as a freelance musician. Her degrees in flute performance are from Indiana University and the University of Illinois, where she received the John Philip Sousa Award for musicianship. Karlin has been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Northbrook Pops Orchestra. She invites all of her students to participate in a recital at the end of the school year, where they can perform a solo or duet and participate in Flute Choir along with her high school students.

Agatha Lee

Agatha Lee has been playing the flute for decades. She holds a degree from the University of Missouri and a masters from Northwestern University. Her long list of accomplishments include having performed with orchestras in Korea and the United States. In addition to being an accomplished flutist, she is an experienced teacher. She currently works at Stevenson and has years of teaching experience.

Julie Goldberg

Julie Goldberg is the first guitarist to earn a doctorate in music performance from Northwestern University, and also holds degrees from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University and College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

An associate professor at VanderCook College of Music and NorthPark University, Dr. Goldberg directs the Chicago Community Classical Guitar Orchestra, and leads the Annual Day of Guitar Festival. She has taught clinics and master classes in Wisconsin and Vietnam, and is a frequent adjudicator of guitar contests and competitions.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Goldberg performs as a solo guitarist, and in the Avanti Guitar Trio. Her community outreach performances earned her the honor of being named Guitarist of the Year by Classical Guitar Alive magazine. Dr. Goldberg is the co-author of 100 Classical Guitar Lessons. Her educational guitar ensemble arrangements are published by Guitar Chamber Music Press and Guitar Class Resources.

Eric Sutz

Eric Sutz graduated with a bachelor of music from DePaul University. He has been a working musician, arranger, conductor and teacher for almost 40 years and supported his DePaul studies through playing a wide variety of engagements and teaching piano and guitar.

In addition to playing for singers, production companies and local groups, he also worked as a musical director and conductor for Chicago-area theaters and choirs. For 15 years Sutz took part- and full-time jobs as a rehearsal and audition pianist for several theaters.

Eric taught at Carmel High School as the associate and primary choral director and was the accompanist, rehearsal and solo pianist for the European tour of its concert choir. He has studied classical piano with Eloise Niwa, conducting with Dr. William Huber and Kevin Stites, and jazz piano with Judy Roberts, Howard Levy, Larry Novak, Willie Pickens, John Campbell, Joel Daley, Mike Kocour, and Joan Hickey. He studied the great Chicago boogie and blues artists with Erwin Helfer.

He has been an active member of the NSMTA (serving as president from 2006-2008) since 1978. His book, How to Play and Teach Popular Music Creatively, was published in 1986. Sutz also is a member of the faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago, where he teaches piano and guitar. 

LeAnne Bennion

One of Chicago’s premiere professional harpists, LeAnne Bennion started playing the harp at the age of nine when her grandmother introduced her to the instrument. She earned a Master of Music degree from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from the University of Utah. At Roosevelt she studied with Marguerite Lynn Williams, principal harpist of The Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her past teachers include Louise Vickerman, principal harpist of the Utah Symphony, Dr. Carrol McLaughlin, University of Arizona and Dr. Cathy Clayton, University of Utah. She has recently studied with world renowned harpist Maria Lusia Rayan.

LeAnne has created a performing career in Chicago by working with local orchestras as well as her new music ensemble, The Nightingale Ensemble. As a founding member of the ensemble, she has premiered multiple works by local and international composers. In order to further expand the harp repertoire, she frequently works one on one with composers advising them on writing for the harp.

As a freelance musician in Chicago, LeAnne has played for events of all kinds; weddings, baby showers, funerals, cocktail parties, birthdays, church services, business conferences etc. She regularly performs for teatime at the downtown Chicago Palmer House Hotel, the Langham Hotel and The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. She recently appeared in a national commercial produced by The Onion Network and on an episode of the television show Empire.

During the Covid-19 pandemic LeAnne has adapted by creating a regular concert series of solo harp music broadcasted from her living room. She continues to teach her students virtually and they have continued to progress. LeAnne is a full-time harp teacher with studios at Lake Forest College, The Chicago School of Music, Lane Tech High School and Niles West High School.

In addition to her harp accomplishments, LeAnne’s intense dedication to her sourdough starter won her bread first prize at the Chicago’s Best Baker competition.

Sam Peters

Samuel Peters is jazz bassist and music educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. He completed his master’s degree in jazz studies at DePaul University, studying under Dennis Carroll and holds his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the University of Illinois where he studied with Larry Gray and Chip Stephens. Samuel maintains a busy performance schedule in the Chicago area performing jazz clubs including Andy’s, the Fulton Street Collective, Winter’s, Le Piano, and the Green Mill.

In addition to performance, Samuel has been active as a teacher for over 10 years. He has worked with students of all ages and abilities, teaching styles including jazz, salsa, rock, funk, pop and more on both the upright and electric bass.

Emma Sepmeier

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Brent Griffin, Jr.

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Julie Koscinski

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Tatiana Naumova

Tatiana Naumova earned a master’s degree in music from Gorky State Conservatory in honor of Glinka. In Russia, she taught piano and music theory at Arhalgelsk Music College, composed music for the Arhalgesk Youth Theater, and taught piano at Gorky Music School. 

Since moving to the United States in 2001, she has established a diverse and successful career, teaching piano at People’s Music School, Southport Performing Arts Conservatory and many private students. Naumova is an active performer; in 2012, she worked in music preparation with the Lyric Opera of Chicago on works such as Aida, Rinaldo, and Showboat. 

She performs regularly as a collaborative pianist in a wide variety of styles, including recitals with saxophonist Andrew Carpenter and performances with folk singer Megon McDonough. She also works as a collaborative pianist with Joffrey Theater Academy and Visceral Dance Company, and enjoys performing in musical theater productions.

Eric Sutz

Eric Sutz graduated with a bachelor of music from DePaul University. He has been a working musician, arranger, conductor and teacher for almost 40 years and supported his DePaul studies through playing a wide variety of engagements and teaching piano and guitar.

In addition to playing for singers, production companies and local groups, he also worked as a musical director and conductor for Chicago-area theaters and choirs. For 15 years Sutz took part- and full-time jobs as a rehearsal and audition pianist for several theaters.

Eric taught at Carmel High School as the associate and primary choral director and was the accompanist, rehearsal and solo pianist for the European tour of its concert choir. He has studied classical piano with Eloise Niwa, conducting with Dr. William Huber and Kevin Stites, and jazz piano with Judy Roberts, Howard Levy, Larry Novak, Willie Pickens, John Campbell, Joel Daley, Mike Kocour, and Joan Hickey. He studied the great Chicago boogie and blues artists with Erwin Helfer.

He has been an active member of the NSMTA (serving as president from 2006-2008) since 1978. His book, How to Play and Teach Popular Music Creatively, was published in 1986. Sutz also is a member of the faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago, where he teaches piano and guitar. 

Nancy Karlin

Nanci Karlin has been a private flute and piccolo instructor at Stevenson High School for 20 years, serving as its Flute Choir director for 11 years in addition to operating a busy home studio. She performs throughout the Chicago area and suburbs as a freelance musician. Her degrees in flute performance are from Indiana University and the University of Illinois, where she received the John Philip Sousa Award for musicianship. Karlin has been a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Northbrook Pops Orchestra. She invites all of her students to participate in a recital at the end of the school year, where they can perform a solo or duet and participate in Flute Choir along with her high school students.

Andrew Carpenter

Described as “…an artist of great skill and rare sensitivity,” Andrew Carpenter has performed extensively as a concert saxophonist. He has presented recitals at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church and on Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series broadcast on WFMT-FM; appeared as a soloist with several bands and orchestras and on several Chicago-area new music concerts; and has performed numerous orchestral engagements, including concerts with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra.

Carpenter also has performed as a clarinetist in numerous orchestral, musical theater, and chamber music engagements. He is the saxophone instructor at Carthage College and teaches saxophone and clarinet students of all ages. Mr. Carpenter holds a bachelor of music from Ithaca College and a master of music from Northwestern University. His primary saxophone teachers are Dr. Steven Mauk and Dr. Frederick L. Hemke, and his primary clarinet teacher is Leslie Grimm. Visit Mr. Carpenter’s website here.

Ben Voigt

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Claire Werling

Claire Werling is an active orchestral clarinetist and teacher in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. Born and raised in Ohio, Werling is currently second clarinet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with several other symphony orchestras.

She also has won concerto competitions at Northwestern University and Bowling Green State University, where she earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music performance. Her primary teachers include Steve Cohen, J Lawrie Bloom, and Kevin Schempf. 

She is a woodwind sectional instructor for the Merit School of Music’s Bridges Program, where she teaches beginner techniques on clarinet, saxophone and flute for Chicago Public Schools.

Colleen Bayoneto

More information coming soon!

Joshua Jern

Joshua Jern is a trumpet/flugelhorn player, composer, arranger, and teacher living and working in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Oak Forest High School in Oak Forest and received a B.A. in Trumpet Performance from Millikin University in Decatur, IL and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the Chicago College Of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Jern has studied with such noteworthy teachers as Bobby Shew, Roger Ingram, Rob Parton, Tito Carrillo, Tom Garling, and Ray Sasaki.

Joshua Jern has performed with numerous acts and ensembles, including the Buddy Rich Big Band, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Florence Henderson, The Temptations, The Drifters, Patti Page, the Rob Parton Big Band, Shout Section Big Band, the John Burnett Orchestra, Chicago Skyliner’s (Bill O’Connell) Big Band, Heritage Jazz Orchestra, and Alan Gresik’s Swing Shift Orchestra, to name a few. He has played trumpet on international rock tours for Pritam Chakraborty (Bollywood) and Amanda Y Diego Verdaguer (Latin America). He has played for two Chicago mayors (Rahm Emanuel and Richard M. Daley), London mayor Sadiq Khan, former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, and former U.K. Prime Minister John Major . He’s played in countless venues throughout the Chicagoland area- the many theaters in the city and outlying suburbs, ballrooms of the wonderful hotels and convention centers on Michigan Avenue, and nightclubs in all parts of town such as Fitzgerald’s in the west suburbs, Andy’s Jazz Club in downtown Chicago, and the famous Green Mill on the north side. An accomplished veteran of the orchestra pit, Joshua Jern has played trumpet for countless local Chicago and national Broadway tour musical theater productions. Jern has traveled to all seven continents performing on numerous cruise ships for major and boutique cruise lines. A prolific recording artist, Joshua Jern has recorded in numerous studios throughout the Chicago-land area for many creative and commercial projects.

Jern started the Joshua Jern Jazz Orchestra in 2019, which features the top jazz and big band musicians in Chicago. The JJ Jazz Orchestra has released two albums of original music to critical acclaim, Midnight Stroll (2019) and Lockdown (2021).

While maintaining a rigorous performance schedule, Joshua Jern also finds time to focus on music education. As an educator, clinician, and adjudicator in suburban Chicago, he has the opportunity to present practical knowledge of pro-level performance in accessible ways to help students along their path of ultimately experiencing the enjoyment of creating music. Jern also maintains trumpet studios at several schools in the Chicagoland area, teaching students from beginners up through collegiate level.

Morgan Little

As the child of two working classical musicians, Morgan Little has been attending rehearsals from a very young age. Born in Los Angeles, Morgan started his training exclusively as a modern cellist. Morgan caught the bug of historical performance while studying at DePaul University in Chicago, and has not recovered since. After a short stint in Boston, he continued his studies as a full-tuition scholarship student at the Juilliard School, where he maintained an active role as a chamber and orchestral musician, recently playing principal cellist with Juilliard 415 on tour in Scandinavia under the direction of David Hill, and playing continuo for the Juilliard production of Dido and Aeneas in New York, London, and Versailles under the direction of Avi Stein.

During 2020 Morgan discovered he had a passion for teaching as well as performing and is now the co-director of the Stevenson High School Baroque program in Chicago as well as the leader of the Stevenson Viola da gamba consort. As of now Morgan is splitting his time between Chicago and on the West coast.

Bruno vaz da Silva

Bruno Vaz da Silva began studying viola in 2004 in his native Brazil at the Escola de Musica de Brasilia. After one year, he placed in a solo competition and had the opportunity to perform with the Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia, performing the G Major Viola Concerto by Telemann. He graduated from the conservatory in two and a half years, a program which normally takes eight years, and then enrolled in the University of Brasilia.

Bruno has gained much experience as and orchestral and chamber musician. He has worked with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Bruno worked under conductors such as Cliff Colnot, Ricardo Muti, Susanna Malkki, Alastair Willis, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Andrew Davis, Jaap Van Zweden, Mei-Ann Chen, Alex Klein, and Harry Bicket. With the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he had the opportunity of working with Yo-Yo Ma. Bruno was a founding member of the YOURS (Youth Orchestra Urban Rita Simon) Project Chicago, which is an El Sistema music program for unprivileged students, where he worked until 2012. Bruno completed his undergraduate in music performance at North Park University where he studied with Charles Pikler, Chicago Symphony former principal viola and his MM at DePaul University, studying with Rami Solomonow, Lyric Opera of Chicago former viola principal. Bruno has judged many competitions such as solo and ensemble, ILMEA, and orchestra sitting auditions. Today, Bruno is a freelancer in the Chicago area performing concerts with several orchestras, teaching private lessons, writing arrangements, and performing with the Cloud Gate String Quartet for weddings and events.

Janis Sakai

Janis Sakai has performed orchestral, chamber music, and solo works internationally. She has been studying the violin since the age of 5, winning numerous awards in competitions, and has performed with world-renowned artists such as Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Herbie Hancock, James Ehnes, Lang Lang, Radu Lupu, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Repin, and Har Mar Superstar.

Janis currently serves as Concertmaster of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, Concertmaster of Lakeview Orchestra, Associate Principal Second Violin of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and Section First Violin with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Janis also served as Co-Concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to this, she performed with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan for three years. Since moving back to the U.S., Janis has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Music of the Baroque, Ensemble Dal Niente, the New World Symphony, and the Madison Symphony Orchestra, among others. Janis holds degrees from the University of Denver and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where her primary teachers were Yumi-Hwang Williams and Detlef Hahn.

Liz Fauntleroy

Liz Fauntleroy has been teaching voice for more than 15 years. Her students have gone on to appear in productions at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre, Light Opera Works and Northlight. As a performer, Fauntleroy’s career includes more than 30 operas with The Lyric Opera of Chicago and other groups. Her credits include: Mame, Evita, Pirates of Penzance, Beauty and the Beast, My Emperor’s New Clothes, Phantom of the Opera, Kismet, Carousel, Madame Butterfly, Don Giovanni, My Fair Lady, Phantom of the Country Palace, Nutcracker Now and The Sound of Music.

She also has performed in numerous industrials, film and print as a featured singer/dancer. Fauntleroy was the children’s musical director for the 2009 Chicago tour of the The Wizard of Oz, and helped cast the Chicago cast of the acclaimed TV series “The Glee Project.

Tim Filliman

Timothy Filliman has maintained dual careers as a professional singer and a voice teacher of note in the Chicago area. In his academic career he was most fortunate to work with master teachers and coaches in performance and pedagogy. Most notably at Southern Methodist University with Dr. Berton Coffin, one of the most important voice teachers of the twentieth century and author of Word by Word Translations of Songs and Arias, Overtones of Bel Canto, Sounds of Singing, Phonetic Readings of Songs and Arias, and The Singer’s Repertoire series and as soloist with noted conductor and composer Dr. Lloyd Pfautsch. At Simpson College in Iowa, Mr. Filliman coached and performed with Dr. Robert Larsen, editor of the G. Schirmer Opera Anthology series and founder/General Director of the Des Moines Metro Opera, one of the premier opera festivals in the country. While obtaining his Master’s degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Mr. Filliman designed an independent study course in which he taught voice lessons to undergraduate students.

Mr. Filliman’s professional career highlights include a solo appearance on WFMT radio under the direction of British conductor Sir David Willcocks. In addition, he was seen in hundreds of performances with Lyric Opera of Chicago from 1990-2005 including a national television appearance for PBS’s “Great Performances” series and two Grammy nominated recordings. While with Lyric, Mr. Filliman was privileged to perform on the same stage with the greatest singers of our time as well as be directed by legendary directors and conductors including Placido Domingo, Zubin Mehta and Arthur Miller.

Mr. Filliman’s solo engagements include regional opera companies and symphony orchestras. Most notably: Chamber Opera Chicago, Peoria Civic Opera, Northwest Chicago Symphony, Dallas Public Opera, Harper Festival Symphony, Fox Valley Orchestra and the Metropolitan Chamber Ensemble of Chicago.

Timothy Filliman is also a frequent lecturer, adjudicator and clinician. Most recently, he was an adjudicator for the Chicago chapter and the Northern Illinois chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and judged the Elgin Opera competition twice. Mr. Filliman has served as Guest Lecturer for Hamilton Wings, the artist in residence program at Elgin Community College. He has also judged the IMEA and IHSA vocal competitions and has been a guest clinician for one of the University of Illinois’ a cappella groups, the “Extension Chords”.

Currently, Timothy Filliman maintains a flourishing private voice studio, where his students are or have gone on to be professional singers, television and movie actors, music educators, voice
teachers, and conductors. His students have sung at Houston Grand Opera, Miami Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Austin Lyric Opera, Music Academy of the West, Virginia Opera, San Francisco Conservatory, Chicago Opera Theater and as back up singers for Josh Grobin. Mr. Filliman is a member of The National Association of Teachers of Singing, The American Guild of Musical Artists, and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Mr. Filliman is currently on the voice faculties of William Rainey Harper College and Aurora University.

Sarah Hibbard

Sarah Hibbard is a masterful musician whose voice has been described as a shimmering soprano with a resounding quality reminiscent of the golden age of singing. She has performed throughout the United States, Germany, Italy and Israel. In addition to her performance credentials, Hibbard completed her doctorate in performance, and teaches at Stevenson High School and the College of Lake County. Many of her students have gone on to professional singing careers.

Ellen Singer

Ellen Singer received her Bachelor of Science degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Illinois, and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University. Singer has more than 30 years experience teaching private voice lessons to children and adults. She works as an adjudicator and clinician for middle and high school choirs, and as an adjudicator for the Illinois Music Educators Association. In addition, Singer serves as the President for the Northern Illinois Music Conference which runs Solo and Ensemble contests and Organization contests for hand orchestra and choir in the north and northwest suburbs.