Elena started her piano studies at the age of seven at the music school in Minsk, Belarus where she graduated in 1998.  In 2000 Elena moved to United States where she continued her studies in Montreat college.  In 2002 Elena started taking private lessons with Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim.  Elena had taken numerous music theory and music literature classes at UNC-Asheville. Elena had been teaching piano for eleven years in Asheville, NC.

 "I believe that professional music is about quality of performance. I am very patient, but quite demanding.   I require responsible approach towards piano lessons.  Even though I work really hard to develop the best of student's abilities and talent, our success with a student depends on his or her preparation for the lesson.   I try to make lessons interesting for each student, but I also believe in saying 'nothing is fun until you are good at it'.   This saying has proved many times with my students, and I would like to continue with this teaching approach".

I was born into a family of musicians.  My mother graduated from Musical College, concentrating on the piano.   She worked her entire career teaching children how to play piano, sing, and dance.  My father is an accomplished piano and accordion musician and loves to sing and writes his own music.  My mother was very strict and instilled in me the values of hard work, diligence, and the drive to continuously improve to achieve my goals.

At the age of 7, I started to attend musical school, concentrating on piano. After graduating from musical school, I was accepted to the Musical College where I continued my piano studies and excelled in learning musical techniques and developed a further love of music.  After graduation, I was accepted to the Musical Conservatory, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.  My education at the Conservatory opened me completely as a musician.  I have learned how to play solo works, in chamber ensemble, and to accompany as a concertmaster to any instrument or voice. 

After graduating from the Conservatory, I became a teacher in the Musical College, where I taught piano, chamber ensemble, and concertmaster classes for the past 26 years.  Many of my students graduated with honors and went on to higher education.  My credentials include reaching the top levels in teaching and concertmaster categories.  I have also written some works on the theme “Endowments of children and their development” and created collection of chamber ensemble, which included works of different compositors and different styles.  I have great patience and understanding and work hard to make connections with my students to bring out their best talent to reach their maximum potential.

Melody McClellan is a native of Spartanburg, SC.  She grew up singing in church and doesn't remember a time when music and singing weren't a huge part of her life.  She attended Converse College where she majored in Piano and Vocal Performance and studied with Beverly Hay.  While at Converse, she performed the rolls of Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and Little Red in Seymour Barab's Little Red Riding Hood. 

In the summer of 2008, Melody traveled to Rome, Italy to study singing for a month and perform the famous roll of the Queen of the Night in  Die Zauberflote with OperaFestival di Roma.  In the last few years, she has frequently performed with several local community theaters.  Some of her notable theater rolls are Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Cher and Janis Ian in Beehive: The 60's Musical, Woman 1 in My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly!, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.  Melody has just been cast with Opera Carolina and will begin singing with them in the fall.

Pamela’s first teaching job was in Clover, SC. In Clover, she taught 6^th grade chorus for 3 years at Clover Middle School and Crowder’s Creek Middle School. She was also the choral assistant for the Clover High School Choraliers. Pamela helped the Choraliers to earn the #1 state championship at the SC Choral Festival. During that time, Pamela was the choral director at Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Rock Hill, SC. She was also the choral director for Winthrop’s ST-ARTS program for 3 years.  

Teaching private piano lessons and vocal coaching are two other musical endeavors Pamela pursues. She has taught private lessons and voice classes at Lake Wylie Music, Winthrop University, Clover High School and N.C. Community School of the Arts.

Currently, Pamela has been teaching general music, grades K-5, in Charlotte, NC for 6 years. Pamela’s hobbies include reading, practicing on the organ, spending quality time with her Shih Tzu and husband and singing at various events around the city.

Pamela credits her high school chorus teacher, Diane McFarlane, for her ongoing passion to teach vocal music. Mrs. McFarlane was her high school choral teacher and is her life-long mentor. Pamela is a National Board Certified Teacher.

Mary Kathryn Withers, soprano, holds a BM from Eastman School of Music and a Master of  Music from UNC-Greensboro. Her additional training includes Oberlin in Italy (Italy), the American Institute of Musical Studies (Austria) and the Janiec Opera Company (Brevard, NC). Mary Kathryn has performed with Opera Carolina, Greensboro Opera,  Theatre Charlotte, Davidson Community Players, and Carolina Actors' Studio Theater. Her notable roles include Hebe in HMS Pinafore, Edith in Pirates of Penzance, Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, Rosalina in Die Fledermaus, Meg in Little Women, and Sharon in Master Class.  She has also performed as a soloist in various concerts and groups. Mary Kathryn has over 10 years experience in voice and piano instruction and coaching. 

Sam has enjoyed over 29 years of public school instrumental and choral music teaching experience.  After completing a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Georgia in 1980, he achieved a master’s degree in music education at Louisiana State University in 1982.  Sam is celebrating his 16^th year as Director of the Knox Middle School “Pride of Troy” Bands in Salisbury, NC, where he has twice been selected Teacher-of-the-Year and was named a Time-Warner Star Teacher in 2003.  Since 2001 his bands have been awarded five Grand Championships at regional band competitions in the southeastern U.S.  He continues to direct two jazz bands and three competition concert bands at the school each year.  In the last twelve months, he has been awarded National Board Teacher Certification, performed in the Catawba College Wind Ensemble and become a proud grandpa.  In addition to his public school band achievements, he has directed multiple church choirs, massed choir festivals, and praise bands in North Carolina and Georgia. 

 Sam resides in Davidson with his wife Jenny.  He has three children and is a proud grandpa.

Veronica began her musical studies in her native home of Toronto, Canada. Piano was her first instrument and then she began private violin lessons with Peter Wong at age 16. She went on to study violin with Gerard Kantarjian, former concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. While studying at U of T she became fascinated with jazz and improvisation and was accepted to the Henry Mancini Institute to study with the American Jazz Philharmonic and the Turtle Island String Quartet. Veronica performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the HMI orchestra with jazz singer Diana Krall and opened for legendary jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson.

After graduating from U of T she continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. There she studied piano and pedagogy with Aasta Levene, and violin and viola with Katharine Rapoport.  Upon moving to the United States in 2002 she continued her studies in viola and chamber music with Gillian Rogell through the New England Conservatory and in 2004 completed an MA in Media Arts from Emerson College in Boston. Veronica is a lover of chamber music and has attended string quartet institutes under the tutelage of the Penderecki, Borromeo, Colorado and Miro String Quartets.

Veronica has taught and performed in various cities throughout Canada and the U.S. and is eager to share her love of music with her students here in North Carolina

Jordan Kvanvig is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and has studied piano from the age of nine. Jordan's first piano teacher can trace his line of instruction back to Beethoven, and Jordan strives to continue that tradition of excellence through his own playing and his students' playing. He believes that learning to play the piano is not so much about talent, but about learning and applying effective and efficient practice strategies.

He graduated from Davidson College in 2007, and studied piano intensely with Cynthia Lawing while attending Davidson. He was the winner of the annual Harper Music Scholarship Competition for three years during his college career. After spending a short time in Raleigh teaching piano lessons and working in the financial services industry, Jordan has returned to the Charlotte area to pursue studying and teaching piano full-time. Currently, he is seeking his second degree at UNC Charlotte in piano performance.

Music has always been a big part Emily’s life.  She started piano lessons at the age of 6, and continued as a student of Hedvika Miller’s for 7 years.  At 13, Emily decided to combine her interest in singing country/pop music with her love of playing piano and began writing music and performing at local coffee shops and at charity and school events.  

Emily sang in her chorus in middle school, played accompaniment at competition and was selected to participate in the All State Chorus. She is currently a member of the Youth Praise Band at Huntersville Presbyterian Church, where she also fills in occasionally as pianist.  This past summer, she won the talent competition at the Miss Teen of North Carolina pageant in Greensboro, where she placed 2nd runner up overall. 

Emily is an honor student at Hopewell High School, where she is active in many clubs and honor societies.  She also enjoys her volunteer work tutoring elementary age children through the Amigos organization. 

Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance, University of Michigan

Master of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Forty years experience with teaching music and string instruments in elementary schools, high schools and colleges including Davidson College 1999-2000.

“Many young students would like to learn the techniques of playing the violin, viola, or cello because the sound produced is lovely, brilliant and exciting. I enjoy working with those students who, through determined practice and dedication, are able to learn what music is and how it works. Such knowledge brings to the student great joy and musical understand which lasts a life-time.”

Sandy started playing violin at the age of 7 through the Philadelphia public schools.  She was a dedicated student of the violin, studying under Edgar Ortenberg and playing in as many area-wide student orchestras as time would allow. Her love of the violin continued as she majored in violin performance at the University of West Virginia. Years later, she fell in love with Irish music, learning from fiddlers such as James Kelly.

 In 1998 she co-founded the band, “Celtic Soul”, and toured the East Coast for three years playing at festivals and recording two albums. Since moving to North Carolina in 2003, Herrault has been teaching violin full-time, and performing with a contemporary Celtic band, The Merrows.  She also performs solo classical violin at weddings and small venues.  Sandy has authored four books for violin students, the Smart Violin Method.

Charlotte native Lynn Bowes recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts with an emphasis in Flute Performance and Pedagogy at The University of Iowa under the study of Gro Sandvik and Tamara Thweatt.  While attending The University of Iowa, she was a Graduate Assistant for the University’s Arts Share Outreach Program where she organized and coordinated musical events to the community and Iowa schools.

A versatile musician, Dr. Bowes has established herself as a successful performer and teacher.  While winning several competitions and accepting performance invitations, Dr. Bowes has performed across the United States in NC, IL, IA, MO, and NM.  Dr. Bowes has been principal flute for Iowa’s Center for New Music, The University of Iowa Symphony Band, the Coastal Carolina Orchestra (NC), and both The University of Iowa Symphony and Graduate Chamber Orchestras.  She will be performing at this year’s National Flute Association Convention as a member of the High Winds Flute Orchestra in Kansas City.

Dr. Bowes served on the music faculty at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO during the 2005-07 school years.  She has also served as a masterclass clinician for Johnston County Flutes (NC), City High School (IA), Dunlap High School (IL), White Oak High School (NC), and Central Cabarrus High School (NC). 

Receiving degrees from Illinois State University (MM) and Western Carolina University (BSed), Dr. Bowes has studied with Betty Bang-Mather, Eldred Spell, Kimberly McCoul Risinger, and Irene Maddox.  She has enjoyed additional study with Claudia Anderson, Stephen Preston, and Clare Southworth, and has performed in masterclasses with William Bennett, Trevor Wye, Göran Marcusson, Jimmy Walker, Tadeo Coelho, Eugenia Zuckerman, and ensemble with Clifford Benson.

Dr. Bowes performs on a Nagahara 10k gold Full Concert flute.

I believe a strong foundation in theory and technique is paramount to being an excellent  musician. I believe learning music vertically as well as horizontally makes for a more complete musician. Understanding the harmony associated with the melody opens one up to endless possibilities. I believe training the ears to listen and hear the changes harmonically as well as melodically is more critical than reading. At some point you have stop reading and start listening in order to really hear what you are playing.

I have been teaching piano, guitar, and beginning saxaphone for 24 years and have numerous references from satisfied students and parents.