Ms. Danielle Creider began formal piano training at the age of six, near her hometown of Commerce, Texas. She attended Baylor University where she studied with Dr. James Williams. She earned a Bachelor's of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Baylor. She was also recognized as an outstanding student in piano pedagogy through the Elizabeth Brient Smith Scholarship Award and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Honors Society.

Ms. Creider continued her advanced education at Baylor where she worked toward a Master's of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance. During that period, she studied piano under Professor Jane Abbott-Kirk and piano pedagogy under Dr. Lesley McAllister. She was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship which gave her the opportunity to teach piano to undergraduate non-music majors in group and in private settings. She was recognized by the Baylor Graduate School as an exemplary teacher several semesters in a row. While working towards both degrees, Ms. Creider taught in Baylor's Piano Laboratory Program; this program provides experience in teaching and managing group piano classes as well as private piano instruction. In addition, she collaborated with numerous musicians and served as a church pianist.

Ms. Creider has had the opportunity to present at the Conference of Texas Collegiate Chapters, part of the Texas Music Teachers Association Conference (TMTA), and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP).

Ms. Creider strives to cultivate a love and appreciation of music in every student she teaches. She believes in maintaining an encouraging learning environment to ensure individual success. In order to help students discover the joy of music, Ms. Creider will often employ creative teaching strategies. She is a member of CMTA, the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA), and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

Ms. Creider joined the faculty of Coppell Conservatory in the Fall of 2013.

  Ms. Yiyi Gao received a Ph.D. degree in Music Theory with a related field in Piano Pedagogy from the University of North Texas.

As a theorist pianist, Yiyi Gao has worked as an adjunct faculty of music at the University of North Texas and Dallas Baptist University. At the same time, she realized the significance of private teaching and how that benefit both the teacher and the student.

Yiyi grew up in a musical family where her mother taught voice private lessons and basic theory lessons to all ages. Her dad, an amateur self-taught pianist used to bring back countless Beethoven CDs for her from Germany back in 1991-92, which made her fall in love with classical music deeply.

Since 2017, while teaching musicianship courses at UNT, she has performed and hosted several prominent Chinese music concerts in the DFW area, including one at Mu Phi Epsilon Dallas Alumni Chapter and one in Denton.

As a scholar/public speaker, Yiyi presented her music research papers concerning topics of German Lieder by Schumann and Chinese folk songs throughout the United States. She has recently been invited to present at the most prestigious international music theory conference in the field, the 2022 Society for Music Theory annual meeting, and 2021 Texas Society of Music Theory, and other important regional music conferences in the country.

Yiyi Gao enjoys teaching piano/theory classes. In her free time, she also enjoys karaoke with friends, Asian food hunting, ping pong, and hiking.

  Ms. Emilie Griffin is from Van Buren, Arkansas where she began diligently studying piano at the age of 11. Her music studies led her to become a student of Mrs. Alice Sanders at the Fort Smith Academy of the Arts. While in high school, Ms. Griffin actively attended various music camps and regularly participated in Piano Guild, achieving superior ratings each time.

In 2020, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Piano Performance with Emphasis in Pedagogy (BM) from Oklahoma Baptist University where she studied under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Dean. While at OBU, Ms. Griffin actively served as a choral accompanist, church pianist, and music theory tutor. In 2022, Ms. Griffin earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from Texas Christian University where she studied pedagogy under the direction of Dr. Ann Gipson and applied piano under Professor Harold Martina.

During her educational career, Ms. Griffin has given five solo piano recitals and performed a concerto with an orchestra. Additionally, she has presented a lecture recital which featured her interest in Romantic literature by pedagogical composers and its importance in preparing students for standard literature. Furthering her artistic development, Ms. Griffin has been selected over the years to perform in various masterclasses taught by internationally-acclaimed pianists such as Nikita Mndoyants and Marina Lomazov.

Prior to joining the faculty at Coppell Conservatory, Ms. Griffin has held teaching positions at Texas Christian University as a Graduate Assistant, Parker Piano Studios, and the Oklahoma Baptist University Preparatory Department. Her varied teaching experience includes group and private teaching at the preschool, K-12, and undergraduate levels. She has also facilitated studio classes and taught in the masterclass setting.

In addition to her passion for teaching, Ms. Griffin strives to continually look for ways to learn and grow herself. She has been both an attendee and presenter at the MTNA National Conference, the MTNA Collegiate Symposium, and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). While at TCU, she served as both the historian and the vice president for TCU's MTNA collegiate chapter.

An enthusiastic, encouraging, and dedicated teacher, Ms. Griffin strives to create a learning environment in which students will thrive. She believes that students should be equipped to reach their full potential, allowing them to become independent, life-long lovers of music.

  Bradley Hetherington, M.M., NCTM is from Davis, Oklahoma, where he began studying piano at the age of eight. In 2019 he graduated Cum Laude from Oklahoma Baptist University with a bachelor's degree in Piano Performance with an Emphasis in Pedagogy followed by a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Texas Christian University in 2021. While he was at TCU, he was inducted into the prestigious music society, Pi Kappa Lambda. During his educational career he has been under the tutelage of Dr. Michael Dean, Dr. Ann Gipson, and Mr. Harold Martina. Bradley has performed in several solo piano recitals and one lecture recital which highlighted his graduate research in teaching piano to the special needs student. In October of 2022 he completed a certificate in Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Hetherington is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM).

Bradley currently teaches piano and music theory at The Coppell Conservatory while also holding a position as the collaborative pianist at Collin College, Plano campus. He serves as the vice-president of Carrollton Music Teachers Association. In 2021 he founded The Center for Special Needs and Piano Pedagogy, a website dedicated to gathering known resources for teaching piano to the special needs student.

Prior to his current positions, he has held teaching positions as a Graduate Assistant at Texas Christian University, The TCU Preparatory Department, Parker Piano Studios, and the Oklahoma Baptist University Preparatory Department as well as maintaining a private studio since 2013. Bradley has taught private and group piano, music theory, and aural skills to pre-college, college, and adult students. His students are active in recitals, festivals, and competitions.

  Katie began her music journey at 4 years old when started cello lessons through the local Suzuki program in Waco. She also took lessons throughout her childhood on piano and guitar. She was principal cellist for the Waco Youth Symphony Orchestra and found joy in the cello picking out her favorite songs by ear without music she continues to this day.

Katie had a strong desire early in her life to make an impact on people's lives with music. She was selected for a full scholarship as a Terry Foundation Scholar to attend Texas Woman's University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy as an honors graduate. Throughout her undergraduate degree, she performed extensively each semester in musicals, banquets, weddings, a collaborative recitals. Katie began cello private lesson teaching upon completing high school in 2015 for Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Her students have earned top seats in region and state UIL ensembles and top ratings in Solo competitions held every year.

In order to receive her degree, Katie took private cello lessons, performed with the orchestra, and learned piano, guitar, ukulele, voice, and percussion accompaniment proficiently. Katie learned the principles of using music to reach communication, fine and gross motor skills, social skills, and academic skills by building a relationship through shared music experiences. She has worked with children and adults with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, chromosomal abnormalities, and much more. Seeing children's worlds expand and brighten with music is a life-long dream come true. She loves seeing technique and music principles grow along side quality of life growth outside of the sessions. Katie believes strongly in teaching to the way each child learns best individually.

"With patience and unwavering belief in each child's already existing strengths, anything can be broken down into accessible steps for all ability levels to grow their confidence and bloom with the music they love"

  Ms. Marquette began her piano studies at age 6. Her education includes 8 years of music school and then she attended Andijan State College of Music in Uzbekistan. She earned her Bachelor degree in piano and music theory. Her first experience teaching piano started in 1988 and she continued her work as a music teacher in Moscow, Russia. She also taught group lessons to children as young as Kindergarden and really enjoyed working with young children.

Upon moving to United States, she took private piano lessons with piano teacher Dr. Octavio Gutierrez, and she continues to study with him today. During this time, she also began teaching piano privately in Lewisville. Teaching piano allows her to combine love for music with her passion for teaching. She has worked with children between the ages of 6 and 15 years old and helps students reach their goals by giving them all of the tools they need to understand music. She use a combination of lesson books and individual plans for each piano student.

Ms. Marquette's style of teaching is warm, encouraging, structured, creative, and challenging. She asks students to be inquisitive, to think for themselves, and develop in their own words a clear understanding of musical concepts. I believe that practicing is a skill and success comes from loving music and working hard to perform well. Ms. Marquette's teaching methods vary according to each student's needs. Depending on each student's specific experience and goals, she builds a lesson plan to create success in each of her students. She encourages all of her students to choose pieces they are excited to play from a variety of styles.

Ms. Marquette is an active member of Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) and Music Teachers National Assotiation (MTNA) and Carrollton Music Teachers Association.

  Joan Greene has been a pianist since she was four years old. She has a love of sharing music with students of all ages and all kinds of music. She has performed professionally since the age of thirteen.

Joan is a recipient of numerous awards for her playing, including winning 1st place of the University of Florida Sonata Competition, Pensacola Junior College Musician of the year in 1985, recipient of the AIMS accompanist scholarship in Graz, Austria in 1993. She has performed throughout the United States, Japan, Mexico and Austria. She has also been the Musical Director for forty musicals and operas.

She has three music degrees including a Masters of Music Degree with an emphasis in Piano Accompanying from SMU. She is currently working on her doctorate.

   Ms. Narkhova was born and raised in Kazakhstan. Her genuine interest in music naturally brought her to the local music school where she began piano lessons at the age of 8, and from which she graduated at the age of 16. Subsequently, she went to the East Kazakhstan State University to continue her music studies. She graduated from that institution with a Bachelor in Music Education. Since moving to the United States, Ms. Narkhova has taught piano privately in her studio in Lewisville (Texas) and has taught at Brookhaven Community college as a keyboard Instructor.

In 2011-2013 Ms. Narkhova attended Texas Woman's University where she obtained Master of Arts in Music, with emphasis on Piano Pedagogy.
Her main goal as a teacher is helping students to maintain steady interest in music, by stimulating and developing their potential musical abilities. During private lessons, time is spent on technique exercises, sight-reading, and polishing repertoire into artistic performances - with some time reserved for theory/ear training assignments. In her opinion supportive atmosphere with honest yet positive criticism allows students to become self-motivated, independent learners and develop the self-expression they need to succeed in music studies.

Ms. Narkhova understands the great responsibility of teaching music; from her students she expects a long-term commitment and a continuing interest in order to succeed. Ms. Narkhova firmly believes in the benefits of music study for all individuals, regardless of age and ability.

  Bailey-Siamone Mason, 25, from Dallas, TX, began her music career at the age of 3 in piano studies and later auditioned and was accepted into the Southern Methodist University Piano Preparatory Department in Dallas, TX, studying with Dr. Catherine Lysinger later at 10 years of age. Before this at 8, she began her harp studies with Naoko Nakamura and performed both piano and harp in various concerts throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

She then took her career to a national level at the age of 10, and performed in Atlanta, GA for the General Conference session of the Seventh-day Adventist world church in front of over 50,000 people. In 2008, at 14, she auditioned and was accepted into the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Throughout her high school career, she doubled majored in harp and piano, was principal harpist and pianist for the Booker T. Washington Orchestra, and was requested in 2009 to perform for the opening of the new Winspear Opera House in Dallas, TX. In 2015, she won first place in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition where she had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall.

She just graduated from the Moores School of Music, and during summers after each year taught piano and harp students in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She received her Masters Degree in Harp and Piano Performance at Southern Methodist University.

   Tobi Otekayi grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and attended the Musical Society of Nigeria School of Music (MUSON) where he studied piano with Maria Asseeva and earned an Associate Degree in Piano Performance. At MUSON, he won the Music Quest Young Artist First Prize in Piano and was awarded the Faculty Choice Award. After graduation, Tobi taught piano at the MUSON Basic School, a preparatory academy for precollege students and adult beginners. Upon moving to the US, Tobi completed both a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Piano Performance at Winthrop University, SC under the tutelage of Dr. Matthew Manwarren. Most recently, Tobi earned a Master of Music Education in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma where he studied piano with Dr. Jeongwon Ham and Dr. JP Murphy, and piano pedagogy with Dr. Barbara Fast and Dr. Jane Magrath.

Tobi has an extensive experience both as a performer and teacher. During undergraduate and graduate studies at Winthrop, he taught piano to precollege students at the WU Academy of Music while holding a Graduate Assistantship in Music Theory. He was also awarded a Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the University of Oklahoma, where he taught applied piano lessons to piano minors and secondary piano students, and group piano to music majors and non-majors under the mentorship of the piano and piano pedagogy faculty. As a teacher, Tobi strives to create an atmosphere of self-discovery and exploration in and outside the studio. In designing each student's curriculum, he considers their learning styles, musical backgrounds, interests, skills, and career goals. In Spring and Fall 2021, Tobi was awarded the Provost's Certificate of Distinction in Teaching for excellence as a Graduate Assistant based on student evaluations.

Prior to graduate studies at OU, Tobi was Instructor of Music and Staff Accompanist at Erskine College, SC for three years. At the college, he taught piano to music majors and non-music majors. Additionally, he taught music fundamentals and keyboard skills, aural skills, and an introduction to music course. His time at Erskine also provided him the opportunity to collaborate in recitals with faculty and students, including a 2017 performance tour with the Erskine Choraleers throughout Lithuania and Denmark. He also served as collaborative pianist for the `wood Festival Chorale in Greenwood, SC for two seasons. He continues to seek performance opportunities both as a soloist and church musician

Tobi is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and has participated in regional and national conferences. He currently serves as a member on MTNA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, chaired by Dr. William Chapman Nyaho.

  Mrs. Natasha Rubakha began studying the piano at the age of 5, entering a classical piano class at the Tashkent First School of Music, in Uzbekistan.

She continued her studies at the Tashkent State College of Music, where she successfully studied classic piano, concentrating on pedagogy.

She received a diploma of Piano Teacher and Accompanist. After graduation, Mrs. Rubakha performed as an accompanist in many choral and violin concerts, and started her pedagogical career as well.

Mrs. Rubakha has been teaching piano since 1981. She has taught an impressive number of students, the majority having become musicians or proficient amateurs.

Mrs. Rubakha has a natural talent to motivate and to teach students of all ages and abilities. Her style and dedication enable her to relate to each student on an individual basis, so that in turn they are open to expressing themselves to their fullest potential.

Mrs. Rubakha is a member of CMTA, the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA), and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

  Ms. Hanqiu Xu born in Anhui, China. She actives in the US and China with piano and collaborative performances. She was the prize winner of Liszt international competition at Wuhan District, and the same year she gave her solo recital in her hometown AnHui. She made as the finalist in the 50th concerto competition in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University. She also had performance experiences in Pro Musica Recitals, Wood County District Pubic Library Concert, and gave her junior and senior recital Fine Arts Center of BGSU. She was involved in some teaching opportunities at her undergraduate study, having a one-year experience pre-school teaching in Wood County. She also had some excellent masterclass experiences. In the 2017 summer, she was selected to the Brevard Music festival to study with Donna Li with scholarship, and have a master class with Norman Kreiger, Jihye Change. In the summer of 2018, she studied with Douglas Humpherys, Alvin Chow, Jerome Lowenthal and Thomas Schumacher in the North Coast Piano Festival.

This year, she started her doctoral degree at Texas Christian university with Tamas Ungar. She had her graduate school study at Peabody Conservatory with Alexander Shtarkman with scholarships. She studied with Laura Melton in the Bowling Green State University for undergraduate, with support of BG Success Scholarship, Bravo Music Talent Award and David Dubois Piano Scholarship. Her high school experience was in Wuhan Conservatory studied with Professor Lin Zhang and Hong Xu.

  Mr. Combs began his musical studies at the age of 13, studying the Electric Guitar at a local music shop in Plano, Texas. While in high school, Mr. Combs reached the decision that music would play a pivotal role in his life. It was also during that period that he discovered musical improvisation.

After graduating from high school, Mr. Combs attended Collin County College where he discovered the classical guitar. At that time he chose to pursue intense classical studies. While at Collin County College he met the classical guitarist and eventual teacher, Byran Burns. Mr. Combs attributes most of his success on the instrument to Mr. Burns because of his superior instruction.

As a performer on the electric guitar, Mr. Combs' interest is in the fusion jazz setting. His vision is to utilize the advanced techniques on the guitar, such as sweep picking, fast alternate picking, and tapping, in a fusion jazz setting.

As an educator, Mr. Combs' goals are to share with his students his love of the guitar and his broad experience, through the study of technique, reading/sight-reading, performance, and ensemble playing

Mr. Combs joined Coppell Conservatory in the summer of 2008.

  Mr. Eimandoust a native of Dallas, Texas began playing electric and acoustic guitar at the age of 14. He studied guitar at Brook Mays Music store taking private lessons for several years. During high school, while playing guitar in various rock bands, he decided that being a musician would be the most important aspect of his life, and that he wanted to take his skills to the professional level by studying music academically.

During college, Mr. Eimandoust decided to pursue a degree in music at the University of North Texas and he began studying classical guitar with Professors Tom Johnson and Paul Leblanc respectively. He studied both solo and ensemble guitar in addition to advanced music theory. It was also during this time that he began to focus simultaneously on studying both classical and electric guitar styles. Mr. Eimandoust earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of North Texas.

As a performer, Mr. Eimandoust has played electric guitar in two professional rock bands in the Dallas area and played numerous concerts across the country. He is very passionate about studying, practicing and playing the guitar in both electric and classical styles. He strives for perfection and hopes to continue to perform live concerts in both electric and classical styles.

As a music educator, Mr. Eimandoust hopes to share his love of the guitar with his students by helping them learn to play with patience and enthusiasm. He believes in placing a strong emphasis on teaching his students to develop daily practice habits, good technique, as well as sight reading and music theory. He believes in encouraging students to set small goals of achievement during the learning process.

Mr. Eimandoust joined Coppell Conservatory faculty in May 2015.

  Mr. Salazar a native of San Antonio, Texas and began his musical studies at the age of sixteen, studying flamenco guitar with local artist, Randy Cordero.

In the fall of 2011, Mr. Salazar attended at the San Antonio College and graduated with an Associate's degree in Music. In the fall of 2014, he began studying at the University of North Texas with Tom Johnson and Bryan Burns. During the 2016/2017 academic year he had the opportunity to study music at the Conservatori Superior de Musica Del Liceu in Barcelona with Guillem Quer-Perez and Manuel Granados. Mr. Salazar is currently studying under Bryan Burns and Tom Johnson and finishing the last semester of his Undergraduate degree at UNT.

As a music educator, Mr. Salazar's goals are to share his knowledge from what he has learned over the years from his past teachers and experiences. In addition, he wants to help his students achieve their goals in sight-reading, performance, study of technique, quality of tone, musicianship, and to experience the enjoyment of making music.

  Mr. Vadim Timinsky was born in Estonia and began his musical studies at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music High School, studying guitar with the noted Estonian guitarist Tiit Peterson. After studying in his native Estonia, Mr.Timinsky holds a MB degree in Guitar Performance from Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance and a MM degree in Guitar Performance from SMU, Dallas. His principle teachers were Joseph Urshalmi and Robert Guthrie.

Mr. Timinsky is one of the founder of Classical Guitar Studio at our school. He has been teaching private classical guitar, guitar workshop classes, and guitar ensembles at Coppell Conservatory since 2002.

He is a highly dedicated and patient teacher who has motivated his students of all ages and levels to excel at guitar technique, as well as at participating in guitar workshop, ensemble, and solo recitals. Finding a nice tone, playing with good taste, choosing the repertoire students can master, encouraging them to be the best they can, those are some of the things he always try to transmit to his students. His objective is to ignite the younger generation's creative ability and to motivate them to do their best. His students consistently achieve highly positive comments and artistic recognition.

Mr. Timinsky is also an authorized Suzuki Guitar Method teacher. After studying the Suzuki Method for Guitar in 2007 with Andrea Canon, he began a Suzuki Guitar program in Coppell Conservatory.

As a solo performer, Mr. Timinsky started giving recitals while still a student, giving many recitals at various guitar venues. Today, he frequently performs in the Dallas area, as a soloist as well as an ensemble member.

To read more about Mr. Timinsky, visit his web site

  Mr. Anderson is currently in his fourth year at the University of North Texas working towards a BA in Music with a concentration in violin. In his time at UNT he has also had the opportunity to study in various fields ranging from music education, music composition, and jazz studies.

Mr. Anderson began studying violin at age 10 with professional violinist Dean Raskin, who held a degree from Baylor school of music in music education and a performance degree in violin from Julliard School of Music. Under Dean Raskin, Bailey participated in yearly recitals, ranging from solo performances to chamber music performances providing the necessary development of skills required to play the violin at a professional level.

In the past four years Bailey has received training in classical techniques and pedagogical application of technique for students of all ages under Mia Detwiler, Amy Wang, Terra Warger and is receiving training in the art of Jazz Violin performing and pedagogy with world renown Jazz Violinist and Professor of Jazz Violin and Alternative Styles at the University of North Texas, Scott Tixier. He played in the UNT Concert Orchestra where he gained professional experience playing advanced orchestral repertoire, and participated in performances with world renowned musicians such as Professor of Piano at the University of North Texas, Gustavo Romero and Grammy Award Winning Soprano, Molly Philmore.

He has also performed with members of the world famous Grammy Award nominated One 'o'clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas. He currently plays with UNT's Jazz String Ensemble, dedicated to performing and exploring various iterations of jazz styles and maintaining the standard of excellence that UNT Jazz has cultivated for over 70 years.

  Mia Detwiler Violinist has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at concert halls throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has performed with Duo Chromatica, Sounds Modern, ensemble75, NuAtmospheres, NOVA Ensemble, and the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, and is a founding member of Amorsima Trio, with whom she regularly commissions and premieres new works by living composers around the world. In 2021, the trio commissioned and premiered 21 new works in celebration of Beethoven's 250th anniversary. They have also been featured as a guest ensemble at Mise-En Music Festival, New Music Gathering, LaTex Festival, CemiCircles Festival, and the Tarrant County College Summer Composition workshop.

In addition to her work with Amorsima Trio, Detwiler has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at numerous international festivals and concert series including the Foro Internacional de Musica Nueva Manuel Enriquez, New Music on the Bayou, ICMC, June in Buffalo, Days of New Music, and the Kaleidoscope MusArt Concert Series. She has also led as concertmaster of the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, the University of North Texas Festival Orchestra, the Unity Orchestra, and the Arizona State University Orchestra

A dedicated and passionate teacher, Detwiler enjoys working with students of all ages and skill levels. During her graduate studies, she served as Violin Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas where she maintained a studio of undergraduate violin students and coached chamber music ensembles. She has also taught violin and other music courses at Tarleton State University, Dallas College, and Tarrant County College. Previously, she taught violin for the Arizona State University String Project and the Tallahassee Youth Orchestra scholarship program.

Detwiler holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University.

  Clarissa Tamara An Indonesian violinist, Ms. Clarissa Tamara was recorded as the "world fastest violinist" at the age of 14. This achievement brings Ms. Clarissa to perform across Indonesia as well as internationally. She has performed in the United States, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia as well as Indonesia. With the combination of her classical and popular genre background, Ms. Clarissa has collaborated with many musicians around the world in various age groups, including famous musicians.

In 2014, along with her dad, Ferdinand Marsa, as a composer, arranger, and her manager, Ms. Clarissa opens her heart to be a part of a non-profit organization called ChildAid Asia. This organization had brought her to collaborate with talented children around the world, make music from their heart and raise money for the unfortunate children all around Asia. As a natural performer, Clarissa's passion in her violin playing brings joy and happiness to the audience's heart.

Besides performing, Ms. Clarissa has been passionate and started to teach violin as well as piano since she was 14 years old. She is educated in multiple different methods and approaches to teaching. This allows her to deliver the needs of every student's learning style, age, and skill level. She believes that "there is no method that is perfect for all students". Therefore, she combines a couple of methods and resources based on what each students' need.

  Luis Figueroa began his violin studies at age 8. He performed as a soloist with the two most prestigious professional Orchestras in Chile; the Chile Symphony Orchestra and Concepcion Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, he obtained 1st place in the "5th National Violin Competition," organized by the Foundation of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Chile.

Pena won a position to be part of prestigious International Festivals such as 'Grupos Sonantes' in Uruguay, 'FEMUSC' in Brasil, 'SSI' in USA, and for two consecutive years, 'Aspen Music Festival and School,' receiving lessons from Professor Paul Kantor and playing in the festival orchestra with prominent violinists like Gil Shaham and Joshua Bell.

Pena was invited to play first violin in a string quartet at the "Quartet Fest," an important Chamber Music Festival in Canada hosted by the Penderecki String Quartet. In 2019, he was selected by 'The Orchestra of the Americas' as the only Chilean violin player to represent the country in a tour in Mexico with guest soloist Gil Shaham.

In 2022, Pena obtained his Artist Diploma from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University under the tutelage of professors Sergiu Schwartz and Boris Abramov.

 Ms. Emily Tucker.
grew up in Burleson, Texas where she spent most of her formative years singing. She has been singing in choir since middle school and began taking formal voice lessons at age 13. Emily was able to make it into the Texas All-State Women's Choir in 2018, and then the Texas All-State Mixed Choir in 2019. She also played the lead role of Sandra Bloom in her high school's musical Big Fish her senior year.

Emily's love for music and singing lead her to pursue a degree in Vocal Performance at the University of North Texas. During her time at UNT she received 1st place from the Upper College Musical Theater Treble Voice category in the NATS DFW Chapter Awards and 2nd place in the same category in the Texoma NATS NSA Auditions. Emily has also received the Anne Weeks Jackson Outstanding Vocalist award at the NATS DFW Chapter Awards. Emily has spent one year performing with UNT Opera under the direction of Jonathan Eaton. Her most recent performance with UNT Opera took place in 2022 where she sang in the chorus of L'elisir d'amore.

Emily has experience singing in many different styles including, but not limited to: Operatic, Bel Canto, Choral, Musical Theatre, and Pop. Emily's knowledge in vocal pedagogy/vocal health in combination with her diverse knowledge in musical styles gives her the ability to teach her students these different styles of music in a vocally productive and healthy way. During her studies at UNT, Emily found a love for language and decided to pursue a minor in Italian. She hopes she can one day visit Italy to practice the language with more native speakers. Emily’s passion for music and teaching allows her to help her students find confidence in their voices while also nurturing a love for singing and music.

 Ms. Kori Miller.
Ms. Kori Miller With a soprano voice "possessing indescribable height of emotion" (Charleston Today), Kori Miller is an emerging artist poised to take to the world's operatic stages. "Obviously talented and comfortable on stage" (Charleston Today), Miller is widely recognized for her charismatic characterization and "hauntingly beautiful notes" (Post and Courier). Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, Miller is currently based in Denton, Texas where she is undertaking a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a related field in opera performance at the University of North Texas under internationally renowned pedagogue Dr. Stephen Austin. In addition to receiving an opera scholarship, Miller has also been awarded a Teaching Fellow position for the remainder of her studies. Previously, Miller completed her Masters of Music (Vocal Performance) with a related field in vocal pedagogy also at UNT, and her Bachelor of Music degree from the College of Charleston School of the Arts.

Most recently, Miller performed the role of Eve in Melani's "Il Fratricidio di Caino" at the Olomouc Baroque Festival in Czech Republic with ensemble Fantasmi, under the direction of Paul Leenhouts. Previously, Miller has delighted audiences in the roles of Giannetta (L'Elisir d'Amore), Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Yum-Yum (The Mikado), and Lola Markham (Gallantry - Douglas Moore). In 2018, Miller was a Young Artist with Opera Naples, during which time she had the opportunity to coach extensively with Metropolitan Opera stars Bruce Ford, Sherill Milnes, and Veronica Villarroel.

In addition to her growing operatic career, Miller has enjoyed extensive success as a concert artist, most recently singing Handel's Messiah with Irving Symphony Orchestra. Miller is also highly active in the professional choral world, performing with ensembles including the Taylor Festival Choir (Charleston, SC), Orpheus Chamber Singers, Dallas Bach Society, Verdigris Ensemble, and Incarnatus (Dallas, TX). Other recent solo engagements include Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem and Serenade to Music, Faure's Requiem, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Britten's War Requiem, Brahm's Requiem, Bach's Jesu, meine Freude, Monteverdi's Beatus Vir, Vivaldi's Gloria, MacMillan's Miserere, and Bach's Singet dem Herrn.

  Ms. Yiyi Gao received a Ph.D. degree in Music Theory with a related field in Piano Pedagogy from the University of North Texas.

As a theorist pianist, Yiyi Gao has worked as an adjunct faculty of music at the University of North Texas and Dallas Baptist University. At the same time, she realized the significance of private teaching and how that benefit both the teacher and the student.

Yiyi grew up in a musical family where her mother taught voice private lessons and basic theory lessons to all ages. Her dad, an amateur self-taught pianist used to bring back countless Beethoven CDs for her from Germany back in 1991-92, which made her fall in love with classical music deeply.

Since 2017, while teaching musicianship courses at UNT, she has performed and hosted several prominent Chinese music concerts in the DFW area, including one at Mu Phi Epsilon Dallas Alumni Chapter and one in Denton.

As a scholar/public speaker, Yiyi presented her music research papers concerning topics of German Lieder by Schumann and Chinese folk songs throughout the United States. She has recently been invited to present at the most prestigious international music theory conference in the field, the 2022 Society for Music Theory annual meeting, and 2021 Texas Society of Music Theory, and other important regional music conferences in the country.

Yiyi Gao enjoys teaching piano/theory classes. In her free time, she also enjoys karaoke with friends, Asian food hunting, ping pong, and hiking.