Below is a sampling of the Artist-Teachers we’re proud to partner with for our programming. Many of these wonderful artist-teachers are renowned performers and passionate educators that live and work in the nation. They are committed to consistent student growth and excellence.
Pom Squad
Alexis is a current full-time psychology student at DePaul University. She’s been a cheerleader for 14 years, and was on the Varsity team all four years of high school.
Pulaski Coordinator, Voice
Kevin is currently the on-site coordinator for Pulaski. He’s a baritone who has primarily focused on the works of Mozart.
Piano & Voice
Wanxue Zhang is a classically trained soprano and pianist with an active performance career spanning Illinois, Connecticut, and Xi’an, China. She performs with NaperVoice and the Schola Cantorum at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.
Dance
Sydney is a dynamic teaching artist, performer, and choreographer from Maplewood, New Jersey, dedicated to inspiring young artists and igniting their passion for the performing arts.
Voice/Piano
Jade Dashá is a Cleveland-born, Florida-raised, and Chicago-based soprano and music teacher studying under Dr. Viktoria Vizin.Jade began 2023 as a Smith Young Artist with Cedar Rapids Opera singing Miss Jones in the world-premier of Charlie and the Wolf, which toured local schools.
Guitar, Bass, Piano/Keyboard, Synthesis, Digital Audio Workshops
Samuel Laidman has a decade-long history of working in sound, composition, and post production for short and feature films, mini-series, and art installations. He has played and performed in various rock, punk, and metal acts over the years.
Piano, Voice, Steel Tongue Drum, Accordion, Ukulele and Harmonica
Lindsay Fulton or ‘Miss Lindsay,’ was born in Omaha, Nebraska but has called Chicago home for over fifteen years. As a child, she was asked to perform violin duets and to serve on a select strings group. Today, she enjoys performing at private holiday events as well as watching her current piano students’ progress.
Piano, Bass, Guitar, Drums, Voice, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings
Donny’s educational studies include DePaul University, Columbia College Chicago, and Northeastern Illinois University. He learned from members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Lyric Opera & Chicago Jazz Ensemble, a past performer with Aretha Franklin, The Ojays, and The Dells.
Dance
Taraja Mumbeja is a dynamic and emerging artist based in Chicago, holding a BA in Dance with a minor in Hip-Hop Studies from Columbia College Chicago. Her primary style is rooted in House dance, shaped by her training with BraveSoul Movement, Kuumba Lynx, and Hiplet.
Violin, Viola, Piano
Phoebe holds a master’s degree in music performance from DePaul University. She enjoys a career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and teacher. She performs with many orchestras in the United States.
Guitar, Electric Bass & Ukulele
Originally from Novi Sad, Serbia, Sasha Brusin’s musical education and performance experience spans Europe and the United States. He is comfortable and proficient on guitar, electric bass, and ukulele in many styles of music including jazz, rock, funk, R&B, blues, latin, Brazilian to European ethic blends.
Guitar, piano, voice, songwriting, theater
Ali is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and educator with over a decade of experience in music performance and teaching. They hold both a BA in music and a BEd in primary/junior education.
Violin
Before coming to Chicago, she was for more than fifteen years a part of “El Sistema” – a social program focused on providing free music education to children and young students- in Caracas, Venezuela.
Voice & Beginner Piano
Paige is a recent grad of Columbia College Chicago, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree. Paige got her start in music on the saxophone in elementary and later ventured into musical theater. She’s been releasing original music since 2019, and plays with her band Paige and the Kizers.
Voice, Piano
Russell is a member of Chicago choirs such as Music of the Baroque and Stare at the Sun. He teaches voice and piano lessons to students of all ages around Chicago.
Percussion
Django is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where he studied composition under Sebastian Huydts and Ilya Levinson as well as Percussion under Jarrett Hicks.
Violin
Maria Bernal is a violinist from Colombia with a deep passion for both performance and music education.
Piano
Marina Sommers is a piano teacher who aims to provide a fun and enriching musical experience while helping children develop a foundation in piano playing.
Guitar, Bass, Drums
Dan McLean is a professional musician and music instructor from Evanston. For the last 15 years, Dan has passionately shared his musical expertise with students of all ages, promoting a love for music that resonates beyond the classroom.
Voice
In college, Isaiah studied classical voice with bass-baritone, and renowned composer Damien Geter. He holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance and a minor in Piano Performance from PSU ’23.
Theater, Puppeteering
Siv Street is a professional stage manager and actor who recently relocated to the Chicago area. They graduated from the University of Mount Union, with a bachelors in theatre and writing, and have been performing and writing for the stage since they were a youth themself.
Guitar
Since starting guitar in the 3rd grade, Jessie has dedicated his passions to music, and became a multi-instrumentalist with 20 years of music experience. His musical journey has brought him everywhere from studio recording, performing on stage, writing and producing for dozens of artists, and teaching students of all levels.
Dance
Brendan Pinkett, a recent transplant from the greater Nashville, TN area, is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator located in Chicago, IL. As a teacher, he offers knowledge in a plethora of styles such as contemporary, hiphop, tap, contact improvisation, modern, and more.
Dance, Viola
Tessa Olson is an independent choreographer, dancer, teacher, videographer, visual artist, and musician. Passionate about community action, Tessa co-founded the makesmewanna art collective and they served as an apprentice in Red Clay Dance Company’s Making the Artivist program.
Piano, Orchestra, Musical Adventures
Kai-Chun Chang, born in Taipei Taiwan, holds 3rd Trumpet position
of West Michigan Symphony Orchestra and 2nd Trumpet position of Battle Creek
Symphony Orchestra. He is also a piano teacher, music educator, and music lover.
Guitar
has been playing guitar for 10+ years and has his degree in Jazz Studies which he studied with Zvonimir Tot in the University of Illinois Chicago.
Guitar, Piano
Andre Baptista is a Brazilian-born musician and instructor, who moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College of Chicago in 2017.
Piano, Guitar, Voice
Monica Larrea is a versatile singer-songwriter, teacher and musical entrepreneur from Miami, FL, now based in sunny San Diego. Her passion for music ignited early on, with her childhood spent singing in choir, and performing in ensembles, and writing songs.
Dance
Sarah Sterling is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from the Boston area. She graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Dance and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and a minor in Spanish
Theater
Ashley is a multi-hyphenate theater artist who’s been working with children for 10 years, teaching all aspects of theatre including singing, acting, dance, and theatre tech.
Dance
Sandy is multigenre movement artist from Chicagoland who began her professional dance career in Nashville in 2022. Sandy focuses on telling the stories of her communities through the themes of her work and choices of expression.
Dance
Nicoleis originally from San Diego, CA. She began dancing when she was two years old and has continued to pursue dance throughout adulthood. She danced competitively for 15 years, then professionally for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bulls. She is passionate about teaching the next generation of dancers.
Percussion, Piano
Socrates Hwang is a percussionist in the Chicago area. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s at DePaul University studying Percussion Performance and Psychology. He hopes to obtain his PhD in Music Cognition and continue to teach music to young artists!