PPSI 2023 Faculty
Violin/Viola
PPSI Violin and Yoga Faculty
Jessie Berg, CO
Jessica Berg is a Suzuki violin and viola teacher in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She teaches strings in an immersive K-8 program at the Steamboat Mountain School and maintains a busy private studio. Before moving to Steamboat, Jessica spent 19 years as part of the Boulder Suzuki Strings faculty, from 2002 to 2021. Jessica enjoys playing with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and is a violinist in the Steamboat String quartet. She holds stage 1 training in Suzuki Early Childhood Education, and began teaching SECE in 2015 as part of Prelude Music, LLC. In addition, Jessica is a yoga instructor and has taught yoga for musicians at workshops including Peaks to Plains Suzuki Institute in Colorado, Intermezzo Chamber Music Sessions in Denver, Colorado, and the Suzuki Winter Workshop in Denver. Jessica is happy to make her home in Steamboat with her husband, and enjoys the amenities of the mountain lifestyle – hiking, skiing and a rich artistic community.
PPSI Violin Faculty
Reagan Brasch, CT
Reagan Brasch grew up in the Suzuki method studying with Paula Woyton in Texas. She graduated with a bachelors of music in violin performance and received her masters in music with an emphasis in Suzuki Pedagogy from the University of Denver. After teaching with Denver Talent Education for five years with James Maurer, she moved to Chicago to teach violin and Early Childhood at the Music Institute of Chicago under the direction of Gilda Barston. She was the Suzuki Events Coordinator and directed the Early Childhood program. She was awarded Outstanding Teacher by the Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood. She has additional Suzuki training from Linda Fiore, Joanne Bath, Ann Smelser, Pat D’Ercole, Michele George, Lynn McCall, and Doris Preucil. Mrs. Brasch currently teaches at the University of Hartford Community Division in CT giving both private and group instruction in Suzuki. She also is program coordinator of the Youth to Community program (Y2C), a teen volunteer program at Hartt . Mrs. Brasch has taught extensively at Suzuki institutes and workshops around the country.
PPSI Violin Faculty and Teacher Trainer
Christie Felsing, CT
Christie Felsing is Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hartford’s Hartt Community Division where she teaches violin in the Hartt Suzuki Program and leads the Suzuki graduate pedagogy courses. She has been active in the Suzuki Association of the Americas as a registered teacher trainer for many years, served on the SAA Board of Directors from 2004 to 2009, coordinated the 2010 SAA conference, worked as a staff member from 2014 to 2016, and serves as a consultant for teacher development. Christie was assistant director at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, Iowa, for 17 years, and taught on its violin faculty from 1996 to 2014. In 2013, the Iowa String Teachers Association named her the Leopold LaFosse Studio Teacher of the Year. Christie received her Master of Music degree in Suzuki pedagogy with John Kendall at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and her Bachelor of Music degree with Vartan Manoogian and Marvin Rabin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, she completed a nine-month Suzuki internship with Doris Preucil in Iowa, and her arts administration training (AMICI) with the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.
PPSI Violin and Advanced Violin Program Faculty
Kimberly Meier-Sims, OH
Kimberly Meier-Sims is the Head of Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music and registered Violin Teacher Trainer through the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She was the past Director of the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies at CIM from 2004-2022. Ms. Meier-Sims conducts a graduate two-year Suzuki teacher training program at CIM which is part of the unique Master duo degree program in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy. She became one of the youngest registered Suzuki Teacher Trainers in the country in 1988. From 1996-2004, Ms. Meier-Sims was a full-time faculty member at the University of Memphis where she conducted long-term teacher training, was the Coordinator for the University of Memphis Suzuki String Program and Director of the University of Memphis Suzuki String Summer Institute. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in education and performance from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, where she studied with John Kendall, the first American Suzuki pioneer. At Western Illinois University she received her Master’s degree in performance, studying violin and pedagogy with Almita Vamos. The summer of 1986, Ms. Meier-Sims traveled to Japan for a six-week study with Dr. Suzuki. From 1984-1996 Ms. Meier-Sims was a violin instructor at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, where she also served as Suzuki Teacher Trainer, Faculty Program Assistant and Chamber Music Coordinator. She has published articles in the American Suzuki Journal, Strings Magazine and the Tennessee Musician. In 2001 she was recognized as one of Tennessee’s outstanding educators by the Tennessee Governor’s School of the Arts. She was the Violin Coordinator for the 2002 10th SAA National Conference in Minneapolis. In April 1999, she attended The Thirteenth World Suzuki Method Convention in Japan. Ms. Meier-Sims has taught Suzuki institutes and workshops in Cork, Ireland and throughout the U.S.
PPSI Violin and Advanced Violin Faculty and Teacher Trainer
Ann Montzka Smelser, IL
Ann Montzka Smelser began playing violin at the age of 3 with the help of her mother and father, Marilyn and Arthur Montzka. Later she studied under Kazuko Numanami and Sarah Hersh at the Oberlin College Suzuki Program and later with Rebecca Sandrok and Pierre Menard. In between receiving her Bachelors of Music Education and Masters in Performance and Pedagogue at Northern Illinois University, Ann studied with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Institute in Matsumoto, Japan. After college, Ann toured extensively with the Ruggieri String Quartet to all four corners of the United States through Columbia Artists Management. Ann has performed in many orchestras and chamber ensembles and is currently principal 2nd violinist with Camerata Chicago and concertmaster of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2003 Ann received the Hester Byron Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2013 was inducted into the Sycamore Music Booster’s Hall of Fame receiving the Legacy Award and in 2019 was inducted into the DeKalb Music Booster’s Hall of Fame receiving the MUSE award. Ann is a lifetime member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has been invited to present at several SAA Conferences. Ann has served as coordinator of the Suzuki Youth Orchestras of the Americas in 2006 and 2008 and coordinator for Violin at the 2014 and 2016 National Suzuki Conferences held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ann became a Registered Suzuki Teacher Trainer in 2005 and currently teaches Suzuki Pedagogy at both Northwestern University and Northern Illinois University. Ann teaches about 40 private students and is director of the NIU, CSA Suzuki Strings Program at NIU and a teacher at the Music Institute of Chicago in Winnetka. Ann enjoys working with Suzuki families and teachers at Suzuki Institutes and workshops throughout the United States. Ann was a guest teacher at the 2010 International String Conference in Singapore and has given Teacher Training courses in Lima, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico City. Ann lives in DeKalb, IL with her husband, Linc, and her Golden Retriever, Chloe. Linc and Ann are proud Suzuki parents of their daughter, Genevieve, and son, Benjamin, who are currently pursuing music in college.
PPSI Violin/ Viola Faculty
Lucy Shaw, WA
Lucy Shaw is an active performer, Suzuki teacher and clinician currently based in the Seattle, WA area. A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, she received her Bachelor degree at the S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatte Conservatory of Music at Brandon University in Manitoba, Canada, and her Master of Music in Violin Performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Important musical influences include Sergiu Luca, Francis Chaplin, Sydney Harth and Jean-Jacques Kantorow. For eighteen years Lucy was owner/director of the Village Violin School in Houston where she was an active member of the Houston Area Suzuki Strings Association coordinating annual teacher development seminars, Suzuki graduations and workshops. As a guest teacher and clinician Lucy has taught at Workshops and Institutes in Canada, Mexico and throughout the continental United States. An ardent supporter of the SAA, Lucy was violin coordinator for the Suzuki Association of the America’s 2008 National Conference and served on the SAA Board of Directors 2011-2014. Lucy currently maintains a private studio, directs the State Suzuki Festival and serves on the Board of the Suzuki Association of Washington State.
PPSI Violin and Advanced Violin Program Faculty and Orchestra Conductor
Stephen Sims, OH
Stephen Sims teaches in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Joint Music Program with Case Western Reserve University, and in CIM’s Sato Center for Suzuki Studies. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, a Master’s Degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor’s Degree in performance from the University of Illinois. His principal teachers include Leopold LaFosse, Linda Cerone, David Russell, Catherine Tait, Sergiu Luca, and Barbara Jackson. An orchestral musician for many years, Sims served as Assistant Principal Violin of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Concertmaster of the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He has been a violin instructor at Denison University, El Sistema @ University Circle, the University of Memphis Community Music School, the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, and the Cedar Rapids Symphony School of Music. Sims has been a registered Suzuki teacher for 30 years and is a frequent clinician at Suzuki workshops and institutes around the country.
PPSI Violin/Viola and SECE Faculty
Danette Warren, TX
Danette Warren Schuh is the Director of Dolce Music Studio, home of Dolce Strings and Dolce Babies, where she teaches violin, viola and Suzuki Early Childhood classes. She also co-directs the Dolce Strings Touring Ensemble. She is an SAA Registered SECE Teacher Trainer. As one of the teachers who taught SECE classes at the 16th World Convention in Japan, she also had the privilege of speaking and presenting the SECE curriculum in depth. She is also the Director of the new Houston Suzuki Institute. A sought-after clinician at institutes, workshops, festivals and schools, she has been teaching for over 30 years, and has held positions such as President of the Houston Area Suzuki Strings Association (now Southeast Texas Suzuki Association), and state board member of Texas Music Teachers Association. She has received the Houston Music Teachers Association President’s “Bravo” award and was also awarded “Teacher of the Year”. She has been published in the American Suzuki Journal, contributed a video to Parents and Partners Online, and has presented at numerous SAA Conferences and Leadership Retreats. She is currently the SECE Coordinator for the 2018 SAA Conference. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Indiana University, where she studied violin with Tadeusz Wronski and Josef Gingold. She has had the great privilege of studying SECE with the creators of the curriculum, Dorothy Jones and Sharon Jones. She also performs with the Möbius Chamber Ensemble and as a freelance violinist and violist in the greater Houston area.
PPSI Violin and Fiddling Faculty
Crystal Plohman Wiegman, TN
Crystal Plohman Wiegman has spent over 25 years sharing her fiddling expertise at numerous Suzuki Institutes, state educators’ conferences, and string clinics across the continent and Europe. Growing up as one of the first Suzuki students in the Brandon University program, Crystal went on to win national fiddling titles in both Canada and the US. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, she serves on the Suzuki strings faculty at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is coordinator of the Folk Instrument Department. Crystal has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and shared the stage with the Chieftains and country greats like Chet Atkins and Vince Gill. She has toured internationally throughout Europe, China, and Japan. Since her move to Music City in 1994, Crystal has been dedicated to bridging the gap between the classical and folk music world, developing a holistic violin program which embraces Suzuki philosophies and repertoire as the foundation, incorporating fiddle music of various styles and improvisation to develop creativity. Crystal’s fiddle tune arrangements have been performed by string groups worldwide. She directs “Fiddle Frenzy”, a performing string group of Vanderbilt pre-collegiate students who perform regularly in middle Tennessee and recently returned from a well-received performance tour of Scotland. Her sequenced fiddle method book, “Fiddle and Song”, (designed to supplement and support Suzuki pedagogy) has recently been released through Alfred publishing. Crystal lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and 2 children, Kelsie and Joshua, who study Suzuki violin and cello and she enjoys having the experience of all sides of the Suzuki triangle.
Cello
PPSI Cello and Teacher Trainer Faculty
Blake Brasch, CT
Blake Brasch is a Suzuki cello specialist and Suzuki cello program coordinator at the Hartt Community Division of the University of Hartford. Director of the Chicago Suzuki Institute. Studied with Alan Harris at The Cleveland Institute of Music and Mark Schroeder at Ohio University. Pre-college teachers: Carol Tarr and Gilda Barston.
PPSI Cello Faculty
Alex Revoal, IL
Since 2006, cellist Alex Revoal has been on the faculty at the Western Springs School of Talent Education/Naperville Suzuki School in the Chicago area, where he co-directs the annual summer chamber music camp, as well as the advanced cello ensemble, Cellissimo. In 2020 he took over as director of the school’s cello department. Previous teaching positions include the Chicago West Community Music Center’s WISH program, the Music Institute of Chicago and Rockford College Music Academy (now the Music Academy in Rockford). He is a recurring faculty member at the Chicago Suzuki Institute, Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute, Blue Ridge Suzuki Camp, and has been a guest clinician at other institutes and workshops in the US and Canada. He holds a Performance Certificate and a Master’s of Music from Northern Illinois University, where he studied with Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet, and a Bachelors of music from Lawrence University, where he studied with Janet Anthony.
PPSI Cello Faculty
Heather Hadley, CO
Heather Hadley maintains a thriving studio of young cellists of all levels and has been a member of the faculty of Boulder Suzuki Strings since 2003. As a SAA registered Teacher Trainer, she conducts the cello long-term training program at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. She has contributed to the SAA’s Parents as Partners video series and the American Suzuki Journal, and has served on the board of the Suzuki Association of Colorado. Her degrees include a BM from Lawrence University in Performance, a MM from the University of Colorado in Performance and Pedagogy, and a Suzuki Certificate from the University of Denver. Heather is passionate about helping all students and families experience the full benefits of a Suzuki education. When not teaching or performing she enjoys spending time in the Colorado sunshine with her husband and two daughters.
PPSI Cello Faculty
Kathleen Starr, CO
Kathleen Starr played piano and cello as a child, going on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cello performance from Indiana University and the University of Massachusetts. Kathleen accompanied her family to Japan where she studied with Yoshio Sato, who had worked with Dr. Suzuki to develop the first cello materials. She also observed Dr. Suzuki and other teachers at the Talent Education Institute. Kathleen has taught at Suzuki programs in Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Colorado and continues to enjoy working with the amazing colleagues in Boulder Suzuki Strings.
Piano
PPSI Piano Faculty
Bret Serrin, TX
Dr. Bret Serrin is widely recognized as one of the United States’ most brilliant young teachers and pianists. Born in Virginia, he began studying the piano at the age of five and gave his first public concert at the age of six. His talent soon attracted attention and while still a student, he won the prestigious Presser Music Scholarship, as well as numerous other awards. During this time, he attended the Adamant International Summer Music Festival in Vermont, where he was invited to perform a live concert broadcast on NPR (National Public Radio). In 1997, Dr. Serrin pursued his graduate studies at the University of North Texas, completing his MM and DMA degrees in piano performance under the guidance of the eminent pedagogue, Joseph Banowetz. He has also had extensive summer coaching with the legendary American pianist, Earl Wild. Wild described him as a musician possessing a “rare pianistic ability”, one who is “totally dedicated to his art and…worthy of attention”. Dr. Serrin is the recipient of gold medals in several international piano competitions, including the Los Angeles Liszt Competition, the Hubbard Solo and Chamber Music Competition (Dallas, Texas) and the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque Concerto Competition (New Mexico). Other highlights of his career include a silver medal at the National Society of Arts and Letters Competition in San Antonio, and a prize in the Steinway Society’s Career Grant Competition. Most recently, during the Hubedni Festival in the Czech Republic, he was awarded the silver medal in the prestigious Vysocina International Piano Competition. In September 2003, Dr. Serrin embarked on a three-week concert tour of the People’s Republic of China, giving recitals and master classes in such cities as Guangzhou, Hejuan, Zhongshan, and Shenzhen. At the conclusion of the tour, he was invited back for further recitals, including concerts with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. His most recent concert schedule has included performances with the Bohúslàv Martinú Philharmonic Orchestra in the Czech Republic, guest artist/chamber music recitals/master classes at the Music Academy International (Italy), the Music Institute of Chicago, Kansas Wesleyan University, Texas A&M International University, the Preucil School of Music (Iowa), the Hartt School of Music (Connecticut), Oklahoma City University, the University of Texas at Austin, Del Mar College (Corpus Christi), the SAA Convention (Minneapolis), the TMTA convention in San Antonio, as well as appearances at the National Guild of Piano Technicians Annual Convention (Phoenix), the Basically Beethoven Festival (Dallas), the International Double Reed Conference (Greensboro, North Carolina), performances with the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque, and radio broadcasts in California. He has also performed chamber music recitals with members of the Dallas and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Dr. Serrin is currently the chair of the piano department at the Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas, and has also been on the adjunct faculty at the University of North Texas. He is also the Artistic Director of the DFW WOW Piano Institute and has done his Suzuki training with Mary Craig Powell.
PPSI Piano Faculty
Anna Salmon, CO
Anna Salmon is a native of Guilford, CT, Anna Salmon received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. During her time at OU, Anna was a graduate teaching fellow and a recipient of both the Frieda Derdeyn Bambas Piano Award and the Martha M. Boucher Piano Scholarship. She was chosen by the School of Music for the Provost’s Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year. She studied piano pedagogy with Dr. Jane Magrath, Dr. Barbara Fast, and Dr. Deborah Martin, and her studio teachers include Dr. Jeongwon Ham and Phiroze Mehta. She has done Suzuki training with Mary Craig Powell, Rita Hauck, Fay Adams, and Lynn McCall. Anna was on the piano faculty at the Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas for six years. She currently teaches Suzuki piano in Denver, CO and is the staff accompanist for Suzuki Strings of Denver. She teaches Suzuki Early Childhood Education with Vanessa Vari at Suzuki Strings of Denver. Anna has performed in numerous solo recitals and masterclasses and was a recent performer in the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. A member and adjudicator for the Music Teachers National Association, she has collaborated on presentations at state and national MTNA conferences on topics such as Technology in the Music Classroom and Liszt for the Advancing High School Pianist. She presented at the SAA national conference on Note Reading Literature to Supplement the Suzuki Piano Method. Anna currently holds the position of Vice President for the Suzuki Association of Colorado.
PPSI Piano Enrichment Faculty and Accompanist
Peter Friesen, CO
Peter Friesen is an active performer and teacher near Denver, Colorado. He has been an affiliate member of the piano faculty at the Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2007, and maintains a large private studio. With degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and Point Loma Nazarene University, he has performed and given master classes across the United States. As a teacher, his holistic pedagogical approach aims to provide each student with the tools of healthy playing and musical creativity, from traditional Western music and notation to blues, improv, composition, and rock/pop learned by ear. Mr. Friesen is heavily involved in the local community of music teachers as an executive board member for the Colorado State Music Teachers Association. He regularly presents for teachers’ associations around the state on topics such as extended piano techniques and incorporating technology into teaching.
PPSI Accompanist
Martha Albrecht, CO
Coming soon
Flute
PPSI Flute Faculty
Whitney Kelley, CO
Principal flutist of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Dr. Whitney Kelley is praised for her innovative performances and pedagogical methods which have inspired audiences across the United States and Europe. Since beginning as a Suzuki student at age 4, Dr. Kelley has continued her Suzuki training as a teacher, studying on multiple occasions with Suzuki flute founder, Toshio Takahashi. Acclaimed for her considerable technique by the Winston-Salem Journal, she has appeared as soloist in numerous orchestral and recital settings, including guest appearances with world-renowned flutist Sir James Galway, Hollywood film composer Dave Grusin, jazz flutist Nestor Torres, and performances in the Ravinia Summer Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, Cheyenne Symphony, Denver Pops, Jefferson Symphony, and Longmont Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her solo and chamber pursuits, Whitney is an innovative pedagogue, presenting her research, teaching philosophies, and musical perspectives to music educators and performers through lectures, masterclasses, online videos, and publications in the National Flute Association Pedagogy Anthology Vol. 2, American Suzuki Journal, Colorado Flutist, and Flute Examiner. While maintaining a thriving Suzuki studio in Denver, Colorado, Whitney additionally actively serves as a clinician, adjudicator, and faculty for music programs across the country. She received her D.M.A. in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado with Christina Jennings. Other teachers include Rebecca Paluzzi, Dr. Shelly Binder, Dr. Tadeu Coelho, Nancy Stagnitta, and training with Suzuki flute founder, Toshio Takahashi.
Harp
PPSI Harp and Teacher Trainer Faculty
Mary Kay Waddington, CO
Mary Kay Waddington authored the Suzuki Harp School and has been teaching Suzuki harp in Denver since 1976. She has worked extensively with harp builders to make small harps available to very young students and has invented right hand levers and pedal extensions to further the use of these instruments. Presently, Mary Kay is working on new ways to make music reading more accessible to all students, working with the ISA committee to publish new Suzuki harp volumes, and trying to start Suzuki harp programs in South America.
PPSI Harp Faculty
Pamela Eldridge, CO
Teaching is Pamela Eldridge's passion. The individual personalities of students make this a fascinating job. She has been fortunate enough to teach at Peaks to Plains Suzuki Institute, American Suzuki Institute, Armadillo Suzuki Institute, and Utah Suzuki Institute. Pam is principal harp with the Colorado Ballet and Ft. Collins Symphony. She has also performed with the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado and the Colorado Music Festival. Currently, her favorite performances are as part of "Brainsong". This program brings interactive music to autistic children in their school. Pam received her BFA in Harp Performance at Carnegie-Mellon University and her MM at the New England Conservatory. Now making her home in the mountains, hiking and biking are part of her daily life. Visiting family and traveling bring excitement throughout the year.
Advanced Chamber Music Program
PPSI Advanced Chamber Program Faculty
Bayberry Quartet
The Bayberry String Quartet combines performing and education to encourage people from all walks of life to enjoy and play music together. The name of the group comes from a neighborhood in New York, where first violinist Nurit Pacht lives, that exemplifies the spirit of teamwork and cooperation. BSQ embodies this spirit, believing that playing together, rather than alone, is the greatest source of inspiration. Through their individual and collaborative work, the four musicians have impacted the lives of thousands of musicians. The members live in 3 different states and rely on rehearsing virtually with a Digital Audio Workstation. They codified their virtual chamber music approach in a program called PhoenixPhest Virtual, and have worked with student, professional, and amateur groups across North America.
PPSI Advanced Chamber Faculty
Gabe Bolkosky, MI
Violist GABE BOLKOSKY has performed and taught across the United States and abroad. Primarily a violinist, he performs a diverse repertory of classical and contemporary works with different collaborative artists from many genres of music making. Gabe released seven CDs that show his breadth as a musician focused in the areas of contemporary music, jazz and tango as well as traditional classical music. Over the last two decades, Gabe spent six years as Guest Artist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor teaching violin and chamber music and as the Executive Director of The Phoenix Ensemble, a nonprofit organization dedicated to being a musical resource for artists and educational institutions. Gabe also directs PhoenixPhest! and PhoenixPhest! Grande, two amateur chamber music festivals held each May and August intent on creating an environment open to all levels and ages of musicians. Recently, he founded the organization, Musicians Take a Stand, encouraging musicians to hold concerts for humanitarian causes and raise money through social media platforms.
PPSI Advanced Chamber Faculty
Steffani Kitayama, MI
Violinist STEFFANI KITAYAMA splits her time performing, teaching, and dancing with a small ballet company in Michigan. She holds performance degrees from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory Music and Northwestern University where she studied with Won Bin Yim and Blair Milton. While residing in District of Columbia the past few years, she performed with the Grammy nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the New Orchestra of Washington and various chamber music collaborations throughout the States. A passionate chamber musician, she has studied with some of the great quartet players, notably Mathias Tacke of the Vermeer Quartet and has performed in collaboration with YoYo Ma, Simon Fischer, Peter Salaff, and members of the Cavani Quartet, Lincoln Trio and Artemis Quartet. As a teacher, she has taught in a variety of settings from public school outreach to group classes and private lessons. She currently maintains a private studio with her husband, Gabe Bolkosky in Ann Arbor, Michigan and teaches at institutes across the States and abroad.
PPSI Advanced Chamber Faculty
Laura Usiskin, GA
Cellist LAURA USISKIN has performed throughout North America and Europe in such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Weill Hall, Barge Music, and many others. Notable performances include the complete J.S. Bach solo suites in Los Angeles and Connecticut and concertos of Dvoràk and Takemitsu with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. With a penchant for music both old and new, she worked as a Baroque cellist through the Yale Baroque Ensemble and has also premiered dozens of works as well as commissioned works in her name. In 2011, Usiskin founded the Montgomery Music Project, an El Sistema strings program for students in Montgomery, Alabama. The program has given intensive string instruction to hundreds of low-income children across three counties. Usiskin has held orchestral positions with the New Haven Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and currently serves as Principal Cello of Orchestra Iowa. She also performs regularly as a founding member of the New York-based Arté Trio. Usiskin resides in Birmingham, AL, where she is on faculty at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Birmingham-Southern College. Through UAB, she founder the series “Chamber Music @ AEIVA,” which presents free concerts connecting music with visual art. Usiskin graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior from Columbia University, Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, where she was awarded the Aldo Parisot Prize.
Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE)
PPSI SECE Class Teacher and SECE Teacher Trainer
Danette Warren, TX
Danette Warren Schuh is the Director of Dolce Music Studio, home of Dolce Strings and Dolce Babies, where she teaches violin, viola and Suzuki Early Childhood classes. She also co-directs the Dolce Strings Touring Ensemble. She is an SAA Registered SECE Teacher Trainer. As one of the teachers who taught SECE classes at the 16th World Convention in Japan, she also had the privilege of speaking and presenting the SECE curriculum in depth. She is also the Director of the new Houston Suzuki Institute. A sought-after clinician at institutes, workshops, festivals and schools, she has been teaching for over 30 years, and has held positions such as President of the Houston Area Suzuki Strings Association (now Southeast Texas Suzuki Association), and state board member of Texas Music Teachers Association. She has received the Houston Music Teachers Association President’s “Bravo” award and was also awarded “Teacher of the Year”. She has been published in the American Suzuki Journal, contributed a video to Parents and Partners Online, and has presented at numerous SAA Conferences and Leadership Retreats. She is currently the SECE Coordinator for the 2018 SAA Conference. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Indiana University, where she studied violin with Tadeusz Wronski and Josef Gingold. She has had the great privilege of studying SECE with the creators of the curriculum, Dorothy Jones and Sharon Jones. She also performs with the Möbius Chamber Ensemble and as a freelance violinist and violist in the greater Houston area.
Enrichment
PPSI Dalcroze Instructor
Lori Forden, CO
Lori Forden, owner and teacher at Dalcroze Musical Arts in Colorado holds a Dalcroze Professional Certificate. Lori enjoys guiding students of all ages to have a deeper understanding of musicianship using movement. She is a former public school teacher and has also taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and musicianship skills to dancers. In addition to teaching, Lori is also involved with the non-profit organization The Dalcroze Society of America as a Trustee and Board Chair at the national level and an officer of the local Rocky Mountain chapter. In her spare time Lori enjoys many activities like skiing, camping and photography with her husband, children, dog, and cat.
PPSI Orchestra Conductor
Arlette Aslanian-Townsend, CO
Arlette Aslanian-Townsend has been the Concertmaster of the Stratus Chamber Orchestra (formerly called Music Sacra Chamber Orchestra) for over 20 years. During this time, she has gone on three European tours with the group and has soloed on countless occasions. She is also violinist in the New Dawn String Quartet, which consists of string Principals from Stratus. As an extremely active freelance violinist, she has played with numerous professional ensembles throughout the region. Some of the groups she’s played with are the Boulder Philharmonic, the Mercury Ensemble, the Fort Collins Symphony and the Denver Opera Company, to name just a few. Besides her many performing engagements, Mrs.Aslanian-Townsend maintains a large private violin and viola teaching studio in Denver, and is a long-time faculty member of Denver Talent Education, where she teaches orchestra and repertoire classes. She is a regular guest clinician at various institutes and workshops throughout the country and has judged many competitions. Mrs. Aslanian-Townsend received her Master of Music degree from the University of Denver and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her primary teachers have been Harold Wippler, James Maurer, William Starr, Sally O’Reilly, Kevork Mardirossian and Dinos Constantinides. Mrs. Aslanian-Townsend continues to further her education by regularly attending the Starling-Delay Symposium at Juilliard, International Suzuki conferences and local workshops. She is the past President of the Suzuki Association of Colorado and was the Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas (SYOA) Coordinator at a Suzuki Association of the Americas International conference. Previously she worked for ten years with Boulder Suzuki Strings and had a two-year tenure as Musical Director at Cherry Creek High School. There she coached string quartets and conducted its two large orchestras. She has coached chamber music at Denver Talent Education, Boulder Suzuki Strings and many summer camps. At the University of Denver, her string quartet won the school-wide chamber music competition and was invited to open for the grammy award-winning Takacs quartet. Mrs. Aslanian-Townsend was the first violinist and contractor for the Eine Kleine Quartet for over twenty years. Besides music, her passions include traveling with her husband, ethnic cooking, hosting parties and playing with her cats “Hansel and Gretel.”
PPSI Orchestra Conductor
Stephen Sims, OH
Stephen Sims, IL - Stephen teaches in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Joint Music Program with Case Western Reserve University, and in CIM’s Sato Center for Suzuki Studies. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, a Master’s Degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor’s Degree in performance from the University of Illinois. His principal teachers include Leopold LaFosse, Linda Cerone, David Russell, Catherine Tait, Sergiu Luca, and Barbara Jackson. An orchestral musician for many years, Sims served as Assistant Principal Violin of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Concertmaster of the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He has been a violin instructor at Denison University, El Sistema @ University Circle, the University of Memphis Community Music School, the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, and the Cedar Rapids Symphony School of Music. Sims has been a registered Suzuki teacher for 30 years and is a frequent clinician at Suzuki workshops and institutes around the country.
PPSI Fiddling Instructor
Crystal Plohman Wiegman, TN
Crystal Plohman Wiegman has spent over 25 years sharing her fiddling expertise at numerous Suzuki Institutes, state educators’ conferences, and string clinics across the continent and Europe. Growing up as one of the first Suzuki students in the Brandon University program, Crystal went on to win national fiddling titles in both Canada and the US. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, she serves on the Suzuki strings faculty at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is coordinator of the Folk Instrument Department. Crystal has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and shared the stage with the Chieftains and country greats like Chet Atkins and Vince Gill. She has toured internationally throughout Europe, China, and Japan. Since her move to Music City in 1994, Crystal has been dedicated to bridging the gap between the classical and folk music world, developing a holistic violin program which embraces Suzuki philosophies and repertoire as the foundation, incorporating fiddle music of various styles and improvisation to develop creativity. Crystal’s fiddle tune arrangements have been performed by string groups worldwide. She directs “Fiddle Frenzy”, a performing string group of Vanderbilt pre-collegiate students who perform regularly in middle Tennessee and recently returned from a well-received performance tour of Scotland. Her sequenced fiddle method book, “Fiddle and Song”, (designed to supplement and support Suzuki pedagogy) has recently been released through Alfred publishing. Crystal lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and 2 children, Kelsie and Joshua, who study Suzuki violin and cello and she enjoys having the experience of all sides of the Suzuki triangle.
PPSI Capoeira Instructor
Lewis Lease, CO
Lewis Lease, CO - Capoeira is a dynamic expression of African culture that is a folkloric treasure from Brazil. Mestre Beringela, aka Lewis Lease, MSW, co-leads United Capoeira Association Colorado, the longest-operating capoeira academy in the state. A musician since childhood, Beringela was initially drawn to capoeira because of it’s fusion of Afro-Brazilian percussion and melodies with martial arts, dance and acrobatic movement. During 25 years of practice, he has traveled throughout the US and Brazil to study, practice and teach, continuously building on a love of music, fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, and dedication to exploration of the art for all it’s potential to teach us to be better human beings.
PPSI Yoga Instructor
Jessie Berg, CO
Jessica Berg is a Suzuki violin and viola teacher in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She teaches strings in an immersive K-8 program at the Steamboat Mountain School and maintains a busy private studio. Before moving to Steamboat, Jessica spent 19 years as part of the Boulder Suzuki Strings faculty, from 2002 to 2021. Jessica enjoys playing with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and is a violinist in the Steamboat String quartet. She holds stage 1 training in Suzuki Early Childhood Education, and began teaching SECE in 2015 as part of Prelude Music, LLC. In addition, Jessica is a yoga instructor and has taught yoga for musicians at workshops including Peaks to Plains Suzuki Institute in Colorado, Intermezzo Chamber Music Sessions in Denver, Colorado, and the Suzuki Winter Workshop in Denver. Jessica is happy to make her home in Steamboat with her husband, and enjoys the amenities of the mountain lifestyle – hiking, skiing and a rich artistic community.
PPSI Art Instructor
Dave Sullivan, CO
David Sullivan, CO - Dave is an Artist and Cartoonist from Arvada, Colorado. He is currently teaching a variety of programs for the Science Discovery program at the University of Colorado, plus Technical Cartooning and Art programs for the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Dave also teaches workshops for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Denver Zoo, as well as programs for many of the local Libraries. Besides working as a freelance graphic illustrator Dave enjoys spending time the rest of his time with his wife, two sons and daughter; though he often dreams of tricking fish with bits of string and feathers.
PPSI Ukulele Instructor
Marnie Ward, CO
Marnie Ward is a nostalgic throwback to the vaudeville era where story, song, and a little bit of goofy, were intertwined. Wielding her ukulele, Marnie blends the cabaret, broadway, and jazz art forms into a seamless, and hilariously, entertaining show. As a multi-hyphenated artist, her years of experience have landed Marnie appearances across Colorado and the U.S. Marnie has shared the stage with the Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra, Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra, Savannah Symphony and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. She has delighted audiences at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Boulders Dinner Theatre and in numerous club appearances at Dazzle Jazz, the Mercury Cafe and more! Marnie has created 10 unique solo cabaret shows that she has performed around Colorado and beyond. A highly sought after presenter at ukulele festivals, where she performs and teaches skilled based workshops to encourage all people to participate in music in their own way. As an arranger for the Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra, Marnie highlights the diversity of the ukulele by showcasing 80+ ukuleles on stage performing instrumental orchestrated pieces from classical music to heavy metal. For 8 years, she was the owner / performer for Reveille 3 - An Andrews Sisters Tribute Act. They toured extensively in the U.S., and performed at the 70th Commemoration of D-Day in France. Marnie co-wrote three original musicals for the group, telling the stories of women during WWII interwoven with the songs made popular by the Andrews Sisters. Through her Voice & 'Ukulele Studio, Marnie is proud to pass along musical knowledge, meeting her students at their level of engagement. Marnie’s infectious enthusiasm for song can be felt through her unique storytelling and arranging. She considers herself a steward of the Great American Songbook and honor to help keep it alive.
PPSI Baroque Violin Instructor
Stacey Brady, CO
Having taught the Suzuki method for over 25 years, Stacey Brady maintains an active studio with Boulder Suzuki Strings and is a founding Partner Teacher of Prelude Music, LLC in Boulder, Colorado. Stacey completed her Book 1-10 Suzuki training with Dr. William Starr while obtaining her Bachelor of Music degree, Elementary Education Certification and Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Over the years, Stacey has been honored to teach at many Institutes and Workshops, including Peaks to Plains Institute in Colorado, International Suzuki Institute in Utah, the Music Institute of Chicago and STXSA in Houston. Recently, Stacey became an adjunct Violin Professor at the University of Northern Colorado where she gets to work with older students and see the power of young adult education come to fruition. Stacey is also a professional player and performs throughout the United States on both modern and baroque instruments. She currently lives with her husband and their youngest child in Broomfield CO.
PPSI Baroque Cello Instructor
Sandy Miller, CO
Sandra Miller, cellist, is a core member of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and performs regularly in the Denver metro area on both Baroque Cello and Viola da Gamba. As a member of the orchestra, she can be heard on two of the group’s most recent recordings: Corelli’s Circle and Resounding! Ms. Miller is an active cello teacher and chamber music coach and has worked with William Starr, Heather Hadley, Carey Cheney, Tanya Carey, Avi Friedlander, and Blake Brasch during the course of her Suzuki pedagogy training. She holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University where she studied non-western musical art forms and a M.M. from the University of Colorado where she was a student of Judith Glyde. She currently resides in Golden, Colorado with her husband and two daughters.
PPSI Baroque Viola Instructor
Emily Bowman, CO
Emily Anne Bowman is an active performer and educator. Ms. Bowman is a founding member and principal violist of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and has performed as guest artist with Montana Early Music Festival, Wyoming Baroque, Parish House Baroque, Seicento Baroque Ensemble, Baroque Out of Bounds, and the Early Music Happy Hour Chamber Concert series. Emily especially enjoys working with young musicians as Artistic Director of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra and conductor of the GBYO Philharmonic, as faculty with Boulder Suzuki Strings and as Music Director at Shining Mountain Waldorf School. Emily has been recognized with the "Exemplary Teacher" award four times by the American Strings Teachers Association of Colorado. Emily graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Viola Performance from the University of Colorado, receiving the Gabor Ormai Viola Award. She lives with her husband David Crowe and two cats in beautiful Boulder, Colorado where in addition to making music she delights in eating and spending time outdoors.