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Irina Elkina, Keyboard Department Chair, piano instructor
Irina and her sister, Julia are internationally recognized performing artists know for their brilliant interpretations of four hand/two piano repertoire. Ms. Elkina holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music degree (high distinction) from the Leningrad State Conservatory of Music and a D.M.A. from the University of Minnesota. She has taught at the Levine School of Music and the Washington Conservatory of Music and came to MacPhail with numerous awards and achievements. Ms. Elkina has performed in recital halls and music festivals all over the nation, including New York, the Bach Festival in Eugene Oregon, the Ordway Music Theatre in St. Paul (International Artist Series) and with the Chopin Society of Minnesota.
Jason Alfred, Pianist and MacPhail staff accompanist, Jason Alfred is highly sought after as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. He has been guest soloist performing concertos by Brahms, Chopin, Mozart and Rachmaninoff, and won first prize at the Biennial Lee Piano Competition. As a collaborator, he participated in the Cleveland Art Song Festival, and was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Alfred has also performed on concert series throughout the United States and Japan including the chamber music series of the Minnesota Orchestra. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College where he studied with Phiroze Mehta and a Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Paul Schenly, where he was awarded the Dr. and Mrs. K. L. Wu Piano Prize. Jason has also studied with Margo Garrett and Karl Paulnack at the University of Minnesota. Jason Alfred served on the faculty of St. Olaf College and has worked as a pianist and coach at the Killington Chamber Music Festival, Cleveland Opera, Bravo! Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and the Heifetz International Music Institute.
Pinar Basgoze, Dedicated teacher, active solo and chamber music performer, E. Pınar Başgöze was born and raised in Turkey. She started her music studies at Ankara State Conservatory when she was 10. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in piano performance under the tutelage of Prof. Banu Perk, one of the protégés of Ulvi Cemal Erkin who was one of the founding members of The Turkish Five. Critiques and essays that Pınar wrote on classical music were published in the column named "Sensations" in the newspaper "Black and White" in Ankara, Turkey. She appeared for live interviews and performances for classical music broadcasts on the Turkish Radio and Television (TRT). She won the third prize in "The British Council The Young Musician of the Year Competition" in 1998 and earned a scholarship to study with Professor Maria Curcio Diamand in London, England in 1999. She came to the United States to continue her studies in Piano Performance with Dr. Paul Shaw and in Piano Pedagogy with Dr. Rebecca Shockley at the University of Minnesota. She worked as an individual and a class piano instructor at the University of Minnesota School of Music, St Joseph School of Music and East Metro Music Academy, respectively from 2002 to 2007. She was invited to perform in several national and international events and festivals. She has been teaching exclusively at MacPhail Center for Music as one of the piano faculty members since 2007. She was one of the teaching artists who got selected for MacPhail’s 2008-2009 Spotlight Series and is invited to perform with the Bakken Trio in their 2009-10 Concert Series. Pınar Başgöze is a member of "Lexias-Cerana Piano Duo" with New York based pianist Mary Prescott. Pınar is elated to have started a new project, another piano duo, with her best friend and colleague Susana Pinto since January 2009 and their duo got selected to perform in MacPhail's 2009-10 Spotlight Concert Series.
Diana Bearmon has taught piano at MacPhail since 1981. She began working in Community Partnership Programs in 1995, working with programs at Whittier Community School for the Arts and Blake School. Bearmon finds her teaching of individual and group piano lessons for Whittier and MacPhail students a challenge and a satisfaction. She brings extensive teaching experience in group piano pedagogy, at the University of Colorado Children’s Piano Laboratory and at the University of Minnesota. She attended the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy and served on a national committee from 1986 through 1992, and has participated in many professional development sessions at MacPhail, including Brain Gym and Teaching Teenagers. Bearmon has performed in solo and chamber recitals at venues throughout the state. She was awarded a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ohio University and Master of Music in performance, literature and pedagogy from the University of Colorado.
Katie Condon –Katie has a BA in music/piano performance from the University of St Thomas and a MM (masters of music) in musicology from Northwestern University. Her experience includes classroom music teaching, private piano instruction, and early childhood music. Katie spent a year teaching in Vienna, Austria through the Fulbright program. In addition to her work at MacPhail, she is narrator and education consultant for the WAMSO /Minnesota Orchestral Association Kinder Konzert series. Previous performing experience includes work with Minnesota Film Arts, Zenon Dance Company, and Landmark Center. Every summer, she composes an original musical for the Summer Youth Theatre in Watertown, MN.
Timothy De Prey is the Director of Individual Instruction and Music Therapy, a piano instructor and a board certified music therapist. Throughout his teaching career at MacPhail, his students have won many competitions including the Honor’s and the prestigious Concerto and Aria competitions. As a music therapist, Timothy has given many workshops both locally and nationally on “Teaching Tips for Students with Special Needs” and “How to Develop a Music Therapy Program in a Community Music School Setting.” In addition to his work at MacPhail, for the past 14 years, Timothy has been the principal accompanist for the well respected Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus. In the summer of 1998, he was chosen to be the accompanist for the Festival Chorus at the Gay Games in Amsterdam and in the summer of 2000 was chosen to be the accompanist for the Festival Men’s Chorus at Festival 2000 in San Jose, under the direction of Grammy winning director, Vance George. In 2001, Timothy portrayed the character “Manny”, the accompanist in Park Square Theatre’s production of “Master Class.” Timothy can be heard on all seven of TCGMC’s CD’s, on “Proud and Peaceful”- a CD of solo piano music from the pianists within GALA (Gay and Lesbian Choruses of America) and on his own CD, “in the evening air” - a collection of nocturnes, lullabies and night songs. Timothy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Minnesota.
Mindy Eschedor, is an active accompanist, music director, coach and recitalist in the Twin Cities. An Artist Member of Thursday Musical, Mindy is a frequent performer on Schubert Club and Thursday Musical recitals, collaborating with both student and professional musicians. She has served as Music Director and pianist at several area theater companies, including Nautilus Music-Theater, Jon Hassler Theater, Theater Latte Da, Duluth Festival Opera, North Star Opera, and Minneapolis Musical Theater. Mindy is a Music Director for Nautilus’ Wesley Balk Opera/Music Theater Institute - a summer training program for the singer-actor. She is a frequent performer on the Nautilus Rough Cuts series, which often features commissioned works from local composers and librettists. Mindy enjoys fostering the talents of young musicians and has served as coach-accompanist at several organizations and area high schools. She is currently the Staff Accompanist at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and a coach/accompanist at Augsburg College, and has been a Staff Accompanist at MacPhail since 1999. Mindy earned a Master of Music degree in Accompanying and Coaching at the University of Minnesota. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts from Central Michigan University.
Melissa Falb has been a member of the MacPhail piano faculty since 1998. In addition to teaching many private students and several classes, she is also the Director of Group Instruction. Melissa received her Bachelor of Arts from Goshen College (IN) and her Master of Music from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in piano performance and pedagogy. At Westminster and Goshen, she studied with nationally renowned piano pedagogues Marvin Blickenstaff, Frances Clark and Louise Goss. Her major teachers include Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, Ena Bronstein Barton and Marvin Blickenstaff. Melissa has published two articles in Keyboard Companion, a journal for piano teachers, and has had a videotape of her teaching featured at the 1998 MTNA National Convention..
Susan Genaw, has been on the piano faculty of MacPhail Center for Music for 32 years. She has appeared as a piano soloist with many orchestras in Minnesota, Michigan, and Canada. She has also been a featured soloist in Jamaica. Currently, Susan performs regularity in private home concerts. As a chamber musician, she has been featured with Danny Buraczeski's Jazzdance as well as at the Ordway's McKnight Theater, the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium and the Walker Art Center. She has performed on Live from Landmark, St. Olaf College's Faculty Recital Series, and with Thursday Musical, the Minnesota Composers Forum, and sfz ensemble. Her credits include work as a studio musician, as an adjudicator of musical competitions and as a lecturer in piano pedagogy.
Chris Granias received his master of music degree in piano performance from Northwestern University. He also received a master of music degree from Drake University. His Ph.D. in composition was from the University of Minnesota where he studied with Dominik Argento. His works are published through Eagan Press, Herald Press, Star Press and over 50 works published by ReallyGoodMusic.com. He was composed over 300 works, been on the board of directors of the new music ensemble Zeitgeist. Composed works for a variety of venues and performers including the Basilica of St. Mary’s, St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, poet J. Otis Powell, Carei Thomas, The Bakken Trio, the Minnesota Sinfonia and others.
Jeremy Hanson –keyboard, theory, composition. Jeremy completed his Masters Degree in Music Theory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004. He received his Bachelor of Music in Choral/General Music Education from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton WI in 1996. Prior to attending graduate school, Jeremy was an instructor for three years at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, MN, where he maintained a private piano studio. In addition to teaching, Jeremy enjoys composing and arranging. Jeremy has two choral compositions published: An Irish Blessing with Augsburg Fortress Publications and To My Little Baby Dear with Boosey and Hawkes.
Susan Hellerud, joined the MacPhail piano faculty in 1965. More than 40 years later, she still enjoys teaching piano students of all ages and levels. Previously, while pursuing graduate studies in applied piano at the University of Minnesota, she taught classes in Dalcroze Eurhythmics to pre-school children. She has also taught adult class piano and keyboard harmony at MacPhail. She was named Outstanding MacPhail Teacher in 1994 by the University of Minnesota. Susan's major piano teachers include Ebba Trampe Launsby, Cleo Hiner, Lili Kraus, Gunnar Johannsen, Frank Mannheimer, and Bernhard Weiser. Throughout her extensive teaching career she has continued to perform frequently as a soloist and chamber musician, and has also made numerous joint appearances with her identical twin sister, author Sara De Luca . Susan is organist at First Church of Christ Scientist in Excelsior, Minnesota.
Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera is an award-winning pianist and musical director, composer, and arranger. Originally from Cuba, his primary focus is Latin American music, having studied with Cuban masters such as Chu Chu Valdez, Ruben Gonzales, Frank Fernandez, and Ignacio Herrera, Sr. He received his music degree from Alejandro Garcia Caturla Conservatory of Music in Havana, Cuba and a master of music degree from the Superior Institute of Art, also in Havana. Herrera has directed the Naval Academy Band of Cuba, Tropicana Orquestra, and was director and pianist of Cubanismo Orquestra before immigrating to the United States. A faculty member at MacPhail Center for Music since 2002, Herrera has extensive experience in teaching, recording, and musical theater and currently teaches and gives clinics in area schools. His quintet, Puro Cubano, performs regularly throughout the Twin Cities.
Janet Wood Holdorf, moved in 2002 to the Twin Cities from Germany where, upon completion of a Fulbright Scholarship, she was on the faculty of the Clara Schumann Musikschule and the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Dusseldorf. Her particular areas of performance, in addition to solo piano, are vocal accompanying and chamber music. Janet holds the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and the Reifeprufung in Accompanying from the Musikhochschule in Cologne, Germany. She has served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, of Carthage College, and is currently at MacPhail Center for Music. Janet concertized widely in Europe, and her recordings for the Westdeutsche Rundfunk are broadcast throughout Germany. She has appeared with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cobb County (Georgia) Symphony Orchestra and the Krefeld (Germany) Youth Orchestra. Janet can be heard as accompanist, chamber musician or vocal coach. She performs as a collaborative pianist for the Opera Workshop at MacPhail Center for Music and was the rehearsal pianist and harpsichordist for the Duluth Festival Opera's production of Rossini's Barber of Seville. She has served as a judge for many MMTA, Thursday Musical, and Schubert Club competitions and for the State Fair Talent Competitions. Janet presented MMTA Contest Materials in various locations in 2008 and 2009. Janet was the winner of the Chicagoland Music Festival Contest, and her years of study in Germany were made possible by the Fulbright Commission.
Reiko Imrie, pianist and native of Osaka, Japan, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in piano performance and finished the extended Master course from Soai University in Osaka. She has extensive performance experience in Japan as both a soloist and chamber musician, and has performed with a number of orchestras, including the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. Reiko was named Best New Artist in the 1987 Naniwa New Artist Competition sponsored by the Sankei News Group. She also won both the Osaka Prefectural Governor’s Award and the Osaka Mayor’s Award. The Sankei Newspaper music critic wrote of Reiko’s “exceptional expression informed in her music.” In 1988 Reiko won First Prize in the French Music Competition, sponsored by the French Embassy and Air France, held in Osaka. Reiko taught several years at Okayama Women's College and gave frequent master classes at Yamaha music schools and Kawai music school in Osaka. Reiko moved to Minnesota in 1999 and joined the MacPhail faculty that same year. She resides in St. Louis Park with her husband, Rob, and their cats, Hana-chan and Kuro.
Jon Michael Iverson, Pianist, composer and teacher completed his Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Princeton, NJ. While at Westminster he was afforded the opportunity to study piano pedagogy with the top pedagogues in the field, including Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield, Dr. James Goldsworthy and Jean Stackhouse. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, where he studied piano with Katherine Faricy and theory, composition, and orchestration with Dr. James Callahan. As a pianist, Iverson performs regularly as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician around the Twin Cities area and has been heard with local Minnesota orchestras in performances of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto and the Liszt E-flat Piano Concerto. His private piano instructors have included Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, J. J. Penna, Katherine Faricy and Kenneth Huber; he has performed in numerous master classes with distinguished pianists and teachers including Seymour Bernstein and Paul Sheftel. As a composer, Iverson’s String Quartet No. 01 was featured on Essays of Note – a now syndicated Minnesota radio show hosted by Dr. William ‘Bill’ Banfield – on the program “Young Lions: Up and Coming Young Composers.” His Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy was premiered under the baton of Dr. Matthew George and his Prelude, Passacaglia and Recitative for solo violin and In Memoriam for solo viola have been taken on tour throughout Europe with English violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved. As a teacher, Iverson started teaching at the age of fourteen under the guidance of his mother, Mary Lou Iverson, NCTM. Shortly after being awarded first prize in the Westminster graduate piano competition, he was granted a teaching position at the Westminster Conservatory and completed an intensive internship co-teaching Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield’s wunderkind. Iverson has served on faculty at the University of St. Thomas, his undergraduate alma mater, and is now teaching exclusively for MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN. In addition to giving master classes and clinics, he is an active adjudicator for contests and competitions around Minnesota. His students regularly participate in recitals and contests. His website can be found at www.jonmichaeliverson.com.
Miroslava Kisilevitch completed her D.M.A. & M.M. degrees in piano performance at the University of Minnesota where she studied with distinguished pianist Lydia Artymiw. She received a B.A. and M.M. and doctoral/Aspirantura degree at the State Music Academy, Lviv, kraine. Her schooling has been eclectic; her professors had diverse piano training backgrounds from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, and the United States. Her extensive performance experience includes solo and chamber performances and as soloist with many orchestras throughout the Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and the United States. In 1999, Ms. Kisilevitch won First Prize in the Thursday Musical Competition and made her Chicago debut in a concert sponsored by the Ukranian Museum of Chicago. In 2000, she was invited to perform a chamber recital as part of the Smithsonian Institution Recital Series by the Embassy of the Ukraine in Washington, D.C. She currently teaches at North Central University as well as MacPhail Center for the Arts.
B.M. (high distinction) in piano performance, teaching, accompanying,
Drohobych State College, Ukraine; M.M. (high distinction) in piano
performance, ensemble, pedagogy, Lviv Higher State Music Institute, Ukraine;
M.M. piano performance, University of Minnesota; D.M.A. piano performance,
Lviv Higher State Music Academy, Ukraine; D.M.A. piano performance,
University of Minnesota.
Judy Lin has performed solo recitals in Chicago, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh and has appeared with the Minnesota Chamber Symphony, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony. She received degrees from Indiana University and is on the keyboard faculty at MacPhail Center for Music. Her awards include the Kimball Bosendorfer Piano Competition and the Young California Competition. The 1998-99 season is Judy's l3th with the Trio.
Elise Midelfort, A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. While in New York, she maintained an active piano teaching practice in her home studio and at the Turtle Bay Music School and Rudolf Steiner School, and collaborated in performances with singers and instrumentalists. Before her years in New York, Elise lived in Oslo, Norway for three years where she taught piano at the Barratt Due Musikk Institute and studied with pianist, Eline Nygaard—culminating in an Oslo piano debut. In 1990 she moved with her husband and their two children to Moorhead, Minnesota. In their years “out west,” Elise served on the piano faculties of North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Concordia College; she also sang in the Fargo Moorhead Chamber Chorale before moving to the Twin Cities in 2005. In addition to teaching, Elise sings in the Minnesota Chorale and teaches Norwegian at the Concordia Language Villages Elder Hostel in Bemidji. One of MacPhail's piano faculty members since 2005, she loves the school's vibrant openness and opportunities for all. Dearest to her heart, as a pianist is interacting with other musicians in chamber music and vocal repertoire.
Sarah Miller currently teaches piano, theory and composition at the MacPhail Center for Music and is coordinator of MacPhail composition activities. Many of her composition students have been top prize-winners in the annual MMTA state student composition contest. An active accompanist and solo performer, she holds Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees as well as a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Dr. Miller was named the Lansing Capital Area Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year in 1996. As a composer she has received numerous commissions, including Fanfare and Dances in Mixed-Up Lydian. The latter was premiered by the MacPhail Suzuki Tour Group Orchestra at the 2002 National Suzuki Convention. Other commissions include Kinda Blue-Green for the Stillwater Area High School Orchestra and Pentastic Dance for the MacPhail Suzuki Orchestra. Both were premiered in the spring of 2005. Some of her works are published at ReallyGoodMusic.com, and “A Thief in the Night,” a solo piano piece for intermediate students, is available from FJH Music. Her most recent commission, Question Marx, was performed at a MacPhail Faculty Recital in the spring of 2009. In 2008 Dr. Miller completed her song cycle, She Just Wants and performed it at Thursday Musical and at a Bach's Lunch concert. This piece has now been orchestrated and will be featured on a concert by the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2009.
Bryan Nichols, jazz pianist, recently moved back to his home state of MN after receiving education at the University of Iowa – Ames and living in Chicago. Bryan has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washing ton D.C., the South Shore Jazz Festival, Hothouse, Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and the Dakota in Minneapolis. He has played with David Boyki, Ari Brown, Maurice Brown, Chicago Jazz orchestra, Ernest Dawkins, Von Freeman and others. He joins the faculty of MacPhail after years of teaching private students in the Chicago area.
Gail Olszewski, has played solo and chamber recitals on piano, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, celesta and synthesizer in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America and Australia. In the Twin Cities she has a varied free-lance career as a collaborative keyboardist, concertizing with members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. She has played harpsichord and organ continuo for such groups as the Phipps Oratorio Society, Minnesota Sinfonia and Minnetonka Chorale, and has appeared as a synthesizer player with the Plymouth Music Series, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Music St. Croix and Buffalo Gal Productions. She has served as music director, rehearsal and show pianist for Ordway Productions, Nautilus Music Theater, Illusion Theater, Minnesota Opera and Duluth Festival Opera. Gail is a founding member of The WolfGang (www.thewolfgang.org); dedicated to authentic instrument performance, The WolfGang released their first CD in the fall of2007. Gail is also a member of the chamber group, Music St. Croix (www.musicsaintcroix.com). She holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Coaching from the University of Minnesota, Master of Music in Piano Performance from Boston University and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Music History/Harpsichord Performance from the University of New Hampshire. Gail is adjunct piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin/River Falls and has been on the faculty of MacPhail Center for Music since 2000 where she teaches piano and harpsichord and coaches piano ensembles, chamber ensembles and singers.
Jennifer Osterman, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Bethel University and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota where she studied with Carolyn Nordquist and Dr. Paul Shaw, respectively. As an avid pianist, she enjoys performing in the Twin Cities and beyond. Highlights include a masterclass with Bach specialist Angela Hewitt and a concerto performance with the Bethel University Orchestra. In 2008 she was invited to give performances and lead a master class in Asia. She values collaborating with other music teachers and playing at her church. She has extensive experience in teaching private and group piano students of all ages and was recently awarded the Music Teachers National Association STAR award for outstanding academic, teaching and leadership achievement. Jennifer is dedicated to helping develop her piano students into well-rounded, expressive and confident musicians who enjoy playing.
Karen Pieper has been a jazz piano teacher at MacPhail for twenty years. She is currently a music director at All Saints Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove. Her theater credits include being the music director of Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop, Illusion Theater, SteppingStone Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune and playing original improvised piano music for dozens of silent movies at the Oak Street Cinema and Walker Art Center. She and her husband, Tom Pieper, are the leaders and founders of the jazz quintet, SpiritJazz which has played for concerts and private venues.
B.S. in music education, University of Minnesota; M.A., in music education, University of Minnesota
Susana Pinto's extensive teaching experience includes class piano and individual piano instruction at the Colegio Sagrado Coracao de Maria (Lisbon, Portugal), the St. Paul Conservatory of Music, and the Central Michigan University. She is an active adjudicator, collaborative and solo performer and is the current recipient of the Iowa Arts Performance Fellowship. Susana holds a B.M. from the Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa in Portugal, a M.M. from Central Michigan University, and is currently pursuing a D.M.A. piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Iowa
B.M., Lisbon, Portugal; M.M., Central Michigan University
Tom Pletscher has been teaching and performing jazz in the Twin Cities for the past 20 years. As a jazz pianist/keyboard player, he has been heard at virtually every jazz club in the Twin Cities performing everything from mainstream acoustic jazz to accompanying singers to original electric jazz. His recordings as well as live performances (Live from the Dakota, Jazz at the G) have been played regularly on area jazz radio stations.
B.A. in studio art with a concentration in music, Macalester College
Ginger Reynolds has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan at Interlochen, Olivet College and Hamlin University as a lecturer, private/class piano instructor and coach/accompanist, and has been a faculty member at MacPhail since 1995. She has also been a collaborative pianist with many instrumentalists and singers, including Patty McCarty and Fred Ormand. Also a composer, Ginger’s composition “Three Blake Songs” was performed at the 2004 MENC national convention by District Chorus 279 (soundwaves recording SW04019), and the piano solo “Journey” will be available in 2008 on the CD produced by Unity Unitarian (St. Paul). She is the founder of gingermusicforall.com. Ginger holds a B.M from Converse College and a M. M. from the University of Michigan. She has also studied with Margo Garrett and Carol Barnett. Her website is located at www.GingerMusicForAll.com
Sue Ruby, has been a member of the MacPhail piano faculty since 2001. In addition to teaching private, group and Music Tree piano, Sue serves as collaborative pianist for the Prelude program and Advanced Music Theater Performance Lab (formerly “MacPhail Players”). She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Education in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and received her Master of Music from Columbus State University (GA) where she studied with John O’Brien and Betty Anne Diaz. An active member of Phi Beta Kappa and MMTA, Sue is also co-founder and vice-president of the Association of Professional Piano Instructors (APPI). In 2008, she was named a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM). In her spare time she enjoys meeting with various chamber music cohorts and running road races.
Guna Skujina, joined MacPhail Center for Music in 1974. She has taught "Introduction to the Keyboard" to 5 year olds, "MMTA Theory for Teachers" to piano instructors, “Piano Class for Adult Beginners” and piano and theory to aspiring high school students in MacPhail’s Prelude program. She continues to teach all ages and levels in her private studio, and adults in the electronic piano lab. Ms. Skujina is a certified member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and an active member of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA), in whose programs her students participate. She has performed with the Schubert Club Metropolitan Artist series, the MacPhail new music series ‘sfz’, the MacPhail Chamber Series at Walker Art Center and the Latvian Concert Association of Minnesota on whose board she is an active member and performs with the chamber group Womenperformhers. Currrently she holds the post of Director of Music at the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Cathy Smetana, Community Partnerships Coordinator and Piano Instructor, joined MacPhail’s piano faculty in 2000. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Goshen College and a Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Her influential teachers include Marvin Blickenstaff, Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, Frances Clark and Louise Goss. Cathy teaches private lessons and group piano classes at MacPhail Downtown and in the Whittier Partnership. She also co-coordinates MacPhail’s summer Piano Camps.
Gregory Theisen, B.A. St. John's University, is a pianist, composer, arranger and member of the piano faculty at MacPhail Center for Music. His works include Gentle Sonnets (composer & pianist) Christmas Passages (arranger) an album nominated for a Grammy Award for Independent Distributors: IPB-TV special: The Greg Theisen Quintet (composer & performer) and a PBS documentary: Frederick Manfred (composer & performer). Gregory has toured the US, Europe, as Music Director for Tony Sandler, as well as a former member of Zeitgeist. He has performed in numerous Broadway productions, which have included Phantom of the Opera and the world premiere of The Lion King. Most recently he was the assistant music director for Into The Woods which was produced at the Ordway. He also has contributed to the various theaters as a composer / music director / pianist, including the Children's Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theater, and the Great North American History Theater.
Richard Tostenson, earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Indiana University in Bloomington where he studied with Luba Edlina Dubinsky, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Illinois. Mr. Tostenson has performed numerous recitals in Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. He is a member of Thursday Musical Society in Minneapolis. In addition to solo appearances, he has appeared as a collaborative artist with numerous vocalists. Mr. Tostenson has also done post-graduate study in Piano Pedagogy at University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul. In addition to Dubinsky, his principle teachers include Stephanie Wendt, Katherine Faricy and Daniel Paul Horn. Mr. Tostenson has also appeared in master classes with Seymour Bernstein, Barbara Lister-Sink, William Westney, and Eugene Barban. Mr. Tostenson is a sought after teacher in the Metropolitan area. He was named a "Founding Teacher" in 2007 by the National Music Certificate Program (formerly the Royal American Conservatory). He maintains a studio of over 50 students ranging from beginner to the professional level. In his teaching, Mr. Tostenson places emphasis on artistic development through solid technical training, ear training, sight reading, solfège, music listening, and historical performance practices. In addition to his regular teaching, Mr. Tostenson has helped numerous pianists recover from playing-related injuries by retraining and rebuilding their technique. His students have won the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music Competition and have won the highest marks in the National Music Certificate Program Examinations in the state of Minnesota.
Jose D. Uriarte, Piano Instructor, received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota, Master of Music in Piano Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma, with honors, from the PWU Philippine College of Music and Fine Arts. An active performer in the Twin Cities, he has given solo and collaborative performances in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, and the Philippines with Philensemblia and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dr. Uriarte has taught at the University of Minnesota, the Conservatory of the University of St. Thomas, St. Joseph's School of Music, East Metro Music Academy, and the Philippine Women's University. His DMA Thesis: "The Piano Works of Lucrecia Roces Kasilag" won First Prize, the Marian Davidson Award in the recent Mu Phi Epsilon International Music Fraternity's Musicological and Research Contest.
Ling-Ya Wang , a native of Taiwan, completed the Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree in piano performance and the Mater of Music Degree in piano pedagogy at the University of Minnesota. She also holds an Artist diploma from Luebeck Conservatory of Music in Germany and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Piano Performance from Tunghai University in Taiwan. Dr. Wang has taught students of all ages at both the East Metro Music Academy and the St. Joseph's School of Music in St. Paul. A member of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association and the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association, she encourages her students to participate in various music festivals, state piano/theory examinations and piano competitions. She is an active performer in the Twin Cities area. Her performance experiences include solo and chamber recitals, and piano concerto recitals. She has also performed at various charitable benefits and cultural events.
