RYAN CAPARELLA

Violin & Viola

Illinois

Ryan Caparella serves on the violin and viola faculty of the Western Springs School of Talent Education and Naperville Suzuki School where he maintains a studio of students ages 3-18, leads the Viola Choir and co-directs the Summer Chamber Music Camp.  Prior to moving to Chicago, Ryan taught for the Elizabeth Faidley Studio in New York. 

Ryan holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Violin Performance from the Hartt School of Music and University of Miami respectively, and has pursued extensive study in violin & viola pedagogy. Ryan completed his Long Term Training in Suzuki Pedagogy with Teri Einfeldt and has pursued additional pedagogy study with Edward Kreitman, Elizabeth Faidley, Thomas Wermuth, and Doris Preucil.  In 2013, Ryan was invited to present at the American String Teachers’ Association National Conference. In 2017, Ryan was a recipient of the Suzuki Association of America's Certificate of Achievement, a designation recognizing teachers with a commitment to life‐long learning and self‐improvement.

DEREK DEAKINS

Violin & Improvisation

South Carolina

Derek Deakins is a violinist, fiddler, guitarist, and National Board Certified teacher originally from Kingsport, Tennessee.

Derek's musical journey began with Suzuki violin lessons as a young child and has taken him around the world as a professional musician. He has performed with major recording artists including Blake Shelton, The Osborne Brothers, and Miranda Lambert. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from East Carolina University.  Derek performs regularly with Gravel Road Bluegrass Band and Pinecastle recording artist Tim Raybon.  Additionally, Derek is a musician at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. ​

EUGENIO FIGUEROA CRUZ

Violin & Viola

Connecticut

Eugenio Figueroa is a registered Suzuki teacher in Violin, Viola, and Piano with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Eugenio currently serves as faculty at Hartt Community Division and assistant to the director at the Music School at Sound Crossing. As a violist, Eugenio is a doctoral candidate at The Hartt School of Music. Eugenio's commitment to the Suzuki philosophy brought him to Connecticut from Puerto Rico, where he did his Masters in Performance Degree and Suzuki Long Term Training.

DANIEL GEE CORDOVA

Spring Teacher Training

Texas

Daniel Gee Cordova currently resides in Austin, Texas where he directs the Austin Suzuki Music School which offers Suzuki Violin and Viola study for all ages as well as Suzuki Early Childhood Music for children ages 0-3. Daniel is the director of the Greater Austin Suzuki Institute, which had its inaugural year in 2013.

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Daniel Gee received his degrees in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York College at Potsdam and the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Dr. Sarah Hersh, Brian Lewis, Dr. Laurie Scott, Sandy Yamamoto, and with viola study with John Largess. Daniel’s Suzuki training has included study with Dr. Sarah Hersh, Linda Fiore, Nancy Lokken, Teri Einfeldt, Ed Sprunger, Doris Preucil, Mark Mutter, William Preucil, Bill Dick, Dr. Laurie Scott, Betsy Stuen-Walker, Ed Kreitman, Allen Lieb, and Cathy Lee. He has also taken three stages of Suzuki ECE training with Dorothy Jones and cello books 1 and 2 with Melissa Kraut.

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Daniel is an active clinician giving presentations at National Conferences as well as being a guest teacher at workshops around the country. He has presented at the Suzuki Association of the Americas conferences, ASTA conference, Texas Music Educators Conference, and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association Conference, and participated in the SAA Parents As Partners (2012, 2013, 2016). Daniel has been invited to guest conduct the Texas Region Middle School String Orchestras for Region 11 in San Antonio and Region 18 in Austin.

Daniel served as the Orchestra Director at Chisholm Trail Middle School in Round Rock ISD from 2009-2019, which served about one hundred twenty sixth grade violin, viola, cello, bass and harp students. In the summers, Daniel has been on faculty of various Suzuki Institutes such as the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute, the Japan-Seattle Suzuki Institute, Chicago Suzuki Institute, Acadiana Suzuki Institute, and the Northern California Suzuki Institute.

Daniel Gee Cordova serves as the Assistant Principal Viola with the Austin Opera. Outside of teaching and performing, he enjoys spending time with husband Jerry and their two terriers, Bamboo and Tristan.

SARAH JACKSON EVANOVICH

Texas

South Carolina

Sarah Jackson Evanovich is the Director of the Suzuki Academy of Columbia, where she teaches cello lessons and group classes. Sarah holds a Master of Music degree from Roosevelt University where she studied performance and pedagogy with Dr. Tanya Carey, and a Bachelor of Music in performance from the University of South Carolina, where she studied with Dr. Robert Jesselson. Mrs. Evanovich has registered Suzuki teacher training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas for all ten book levels.

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Sarah’s prior teaching positions include her work as one of two founding music educators at the Midlands Arts Conservatory in Columbia, SC, cello instructor at the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute and the MAGIC program in Chicago, as well as the University of South Carolina String Project. She is the immediate past-President of the Suzuki Association of South Carolina, and previously served on the board as Treasurer and Vice President.

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In addition to teaching, Sarah enjoys performing with the string quartet that she formed with her three sisters and also with her husband, pianist/organist Joshua Evanovich. She was an associate member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and played in the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Aiken Symphony. In 2009, her quartet from Roosevelt University traveled to Quito, Ecuador to take part in the Mes Cultural Franz Liszt. Sarah has participated in summer festivals including the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Killington Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival in Arkansas and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts.

TERESA HAKEL

Violin

Texas

Teresa Hakel has been teaching Suzuki violin and viola since 1996 in public and private schools, the University of Houston and in a private studio. She currently teaches Suzuki violin at Parker Elementary, Houston’s music magnet elementary school. She has had Suzuki teacher training classes with teachers from across the nation, as well as long term teacher training with Judy Offman in Houston, TX, and has served as director of the Waterford Community Talent Education program, president of the Houston Area Suzuki Strings Association (HASSA), and founding president of the Richmond Area Suzuki Strings Association (RASSA).

Her principal teachers include Yitzhak Schotten and Lawrence Wheeler. A graduate with honors of the University of Michigan (BM) and the University of Houston (MM), Teresa has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Michigan, Texas, and Virginia, enjoys playing Irish and other folk music, and performs throughout Texas with contra dance bands. Her husband, Steve, is a performing violinist and she has two children who also love to play and listen to music. When she is not teaching or playing, Teresa loves to travel, cook and eat.

KRISTEN HARRIS

Violin

South Carolina

Kristen Harris is a violinist, fiddler, and educator currently residing in Columbia, SC. She is the Violin Coordinator and violin instructor at the Suzuki Academy of Columbia, and adjunct professor of Violin Pedagogy and String Methods at the University of South Carolina.

Kristen began her musical career as a Suzuki violin student and became passionate about performing and collaborating with musicians of various genres at a very young age. She received her Bachelor of Music degree with honors at the University of Oregon, where she studied with Fritz Gearhart, and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina, where she studied with Dr. William Terwilliger and taught at the USC String Project under the direction of Dr. Gail Barnes. Kristen has been teaching Suzuki violin since 2008, and has taught grades 6-8 orchestra in the public schools. With a current studio of about 20 students ranging in age from 4-18, her students regularly participate in regional and all-state youth orchestras and have won prestigious fiddle competitions such as the SC State Fiddling Championship, Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention, and Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old-Time Fiddlers Convention.

When not teaching, you can find Kristen performing with her Americana group Boomtown Trio, or the Hot Club Jazz band Flat Out Strangers. A multi-instrumentalist and improvising string player, she is an active freelance musician around the Southeast and performs and records regularly as a solo artist and with ensembles ranging in style from classical and jazz, to old time, bluegrass, pop and rock, and has toured across the United States and in the United Kingdom. She is the two-time South Carolina State Fiddle Champion (2013, 2019), the Jasper Magazine 2019 Artist of the Year, and was featured in the Summer 2020 Edition of Fiddler Magazine for the release of her solo old time fiddle album “Borger Wiggle.”

PABLO ISSA

Cello

Connecticut

Pablo Issa performs chamber music internationally. He is also the principal cellist of the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra. As an educator, Mr. Issa received Long-Term Suzuki Training at the School for Strings in New York City with Pamela Devenport, and completed his pedagogic studies with Carey Cheney and Nancy Hair.  Mr. Issa taught at the Community School of the Arts at UConn Storrs, the Suzuki Music School of Westport, and Kids Empowered by Your Support in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Currently, he teaches cello and chamber music at The Hartt School Community Division. Pablo Issa holds a Post-High School Graduate Diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy, a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Baldwin-Wallace College, and both a Master of Music Performance and a Graduate Professional Diploma from The Hartt School. His education was made possible thanks to the support of Fundación Arnoldo Schwimmer of Mr. Issa’s native country, Bolivia.

EDWARD KREITMAN

Spring Teacher Training

Illinois

Edward Kreitman is the founder and Director of the Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School. Mr. Kreitman received his undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University where he studied Suzuki Pedagogy with Doris Preucil and Almita Vamos. In 1986, he studied at the Talent Education Summer School with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan. 

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Mr. Kreitman has served the Suzuki Teacher's Association in many capacities, including a member of the Board of Directors, Violin Committee, Teacher Development team and as Coordinator for several National Suzuki Teacher Conferences. Recently he served on the SAA team which developed the Every Child Can! introductory course. Edward Kreitman enjoys an international reputation as a guest clinician at Suzuki institutes and workshops. Mr. Kreitman is a registered Teacher Trainer of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and is the author of Teaching from the Balance Point: A Guide for Suzuki Parents, Teachers, and Students and Teaching with an Open Heart: A Guide for Developing Conscious Musicianship. In 2008, Mr. Kreitman was honored with the Suzuki Chair Award at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. 

WAYNE KRIGGER

Cello, Music & Movement

Kentucky

Wayne Krigger began playing cello at the age of 13 in the Louisville Public Schools. Two years later, he was teaching cello and directing ensembles in a summer program for inner-city youth under the mentorship of Virginia Schneider, a professional musician who introduced the Suzuki method to Louisville. At this time, Ms. Schneider insisted that Wayne begin learning and playing the violin, also. Wayne continued teaching cello in after-school programs throughout high school. Those few years of teaching and playing made it clear to Wayne that this would be his passion in life. 

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Wayne received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in cello performance at the University of Louisville and, in 1983, joined the university as a teacher in the Preparatory Department. He also began teaching fitness, dance, and tennis in the Health, Physical Education, and Sports Studies Department. After 13 years in the HPESS Department, he left to devote more time to teaching and performing. He began traveling as a guest clinician to other preparatory programs in the country to teach cello, and to coach and conduct ensembles. Wayne is in great demand as a workshop teacher throughout the Midwest and South. Locally, Wayne has conducted the Governor's Scholar Program and the All County Orchestra for Middle Schools in Kentucky, which he greatly enjoyed. 

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When traveling, Wayne observed that many children did not seem to be connected to mind, body, and spirit with their music, so he developed a creative movement program. This program engages the body's large muscle groups and voice while still maintaining the students individuality by using music from the early Suzuki repertoire and supplementing with music from other venues and cultures. 

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Wayne is a past member of the Louisville Orchestra. Currently, he performs in the Highland Chamber Players, which is an extremely popular group in the Louisville area. Wayne was one of the original members of HCP, which was formed in 1982. The HCP plays over 150 weddings yearly as well as many other events. It also provides educational concerts for children in the public schools. Individually, Wayne takes great joy in volunteering at Kennedy Montessori School. Since 1993 he has taught violin to students on a weekly basis at Kennedy. 

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Wayne's classical cello training was done under the guidance of Guillermo Helguera, Susannah Onwood, Nella Hunkins, and Paul York. His Suzuki cello training was done with Tanya Carey, Nancy Hair, Carol Tarr, Nell Novak, Rick Mooney, and Jean Dexter.

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KIRSTEN MARSHALL

Violin Teacher Training

New York

Kirsten Marshall, director of orchestral programs and violin instructor, is on the faculty at Ithaca Talent Education and lecturer in violin performance at Ithaca College. Ms. Marshall is an active violinist in the Ithaca area and holds the David and Lesli Sagan Chair of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca’s professional ensemble. She is frequently sought after as a string clinician at Suzuki institutes and workshops across the United States. Ms. Marshall is a registered SAA violin teacher trainer. Her high-energy style blends humor and passion, engaging players at the highest level for riveting performances.