SAA Conference: Student Activities

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We are offering student instrumentalists both solo and group opportunities through masterclasses, group ensembles, and music showcases for pre-existing ensembles.

Open to students in high school and below.

We are thrilled to announce our stellar lineup of masterclass clinicians, who are renowned teachers and performers. Meet our clinicians below, and read on to learn more!

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Suzuki students, here’s how to be part of this amazing experience:

Masterclasses are available for flute, guitar, harp, recorder, piano, violin, viola, cello, and bass. We anticipate that our masterclass participants will be playing at a high level of artistry, possibly studying repertoire outside the Suzuki books.

To be considered for participation in a masterclass, you will need to:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Be sure to check the masterclass schedule below to make sure you can attend. Interested in masterclasses AND student ensembles? The schedule allows participation in both if you wish!

2. Let your teacher know you plan to apply so they can help you prepare!

3. Prepare your audition video. You will need to submit a video link of a piece played by memory with live accompaniment, if appropriate. For recorder students, accompaniment is optional but encouraged. Your teacher playing an accompaniment part on recorder is acceptable. If you are selected, you will play your audition piece for the masterclass, and we will provide a collaborative pianist, if applicable.

4. Fill out an application no later than Sunday, December 10th, 2023. The application will ask you about basic information, including your Suzuki teacher and parent/guardian information.

5. Await your results, which will be announced by Friday, December 22nd, 2023.

Masterclass Schedule:
Students should plan to be present for the full masterclass and will have an opportunity to rehearse with a pianist prior to their Masterclass.

Flute:
Thursday, March 21, from 1:30—3:30 p.m. with Bart Feller

• Flute students are encouraged to attend the Flute Recital given by Bart Feller on Friday, March 22, at 12:00 p.m. and to participate in the Suzuki Youth Flute Ensemble. Scroll down for details.

Guitar:
Friday, March 22, from 12:00 – 12:45 p.m. and 1:30—2:15 p.m. with René Izquierdo

• Guitar students are encouraged to attend the Guitar Recital given by René Izquierdo on Thursday March 21 at 4:00 p.m. and to participate in the Suzuki Youth Guitar Ensemble. Scroll down for details.

Harp:
Saturday, March 23, from 10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. with Grace Roepke

Recorder:
Saturday, March 23, from 1:00 p.m.—2:45 p.m. with Miyo Aoki

Piano:
Friday, March 22, from 10:00 —11:45 a.m. with Dr. James Goldsworthy

• Piano students are encouraged to attend the Piano Recital given by Dr. James Goldsworthy on Thursday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. You can also hear him share stories of his experiences with Dr. Suzuki at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday March 21st.

• Piano students can also audition for Suzuki Youth Piano Collaboration! Scroll down for details.

Violin:
Thursday, March 21, from 2:30—5:00 p.m. with Sirena Huang. Sirena will also offer a mini-recital in this time block!

• Violin students can also apply for the Suzuki Youth String Orchestra! Scroll down for details.

Viola:
Thursday, March 21, from 5:00—6:45 p.m. with Dr. Daphne C. Gerling

• Viola students are invited to apply for the Suzuki Youth String Orchestra! Scroll down for details.

Cello:
Friday, March 22, from 2:30—4:30 p.m. with Yumi Kendall

• Cello students can also audition for the Suzuki Youth String Orchestra! Scroll down for details.

Bass:
Thursday, March 21, from 10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. with Dr. Patricia Weitzel

• Bass students are invited to apply for the Suzuki Youth String Orchestra! Scroll down for details.

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Meet the world-class teachers and performers who will lead our Suzuki Youth Ensembles of the Americas!

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Flute, guitar, piano, and string students are invited to participate in our Suzuki Youth Ensembles of the Americas! Locate the appropriate group and instrument below, then make note of the age recommendations and audition requirements. To be considered for participation in one of the ensembles, you will need to:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare! View the audition instructions below! Interested in a student ensemble and masterclass? You can apply to both!

2. Let your teacher know you plan to apply so they can help!

3. Prepare your audition video. You will need to submit a video link of a piece played by memory with live accompaniment, if appropriate. For recorder students, accompaniment is optional but encouraged. Your teacher playing an accompaniment part on recorder is acceptable.

4. Fill out an application no later than December 10th, 2023. The application will ask you about basic information, including your Suzuki teacher & parent or guardian information.

5. Await your results, which will be announced by December 22nd, 2023.

Suzuki Youth Flute Ensemble

• Recommended ages 8-18
• Open to all levels
• Audition not required. We will request a recommendation from your teacher.

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Suzuki Youth Guitar Ensemble

• Recommended ages 11-18
• Book 4+
• Audition Piece: Carcassi Siciliana

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Suzuki Youth Piano Collaboration

• Recommended ages 8+
• Book 3+
• Audition Piece: A polished piece of your choice (approximately 1/2 book behind your newest piece)

Suzuki Youth String Orchestra

Violin

• Recommended ages 9-14
• Books 5-7
• Audition Piece: Vivaldi Concerto in A minor, mvt 1

Viola

• Recommended ages 9-14
• Late Book 4+
• Audition Piece: Telemann Concerto in G Major, mvt 2.

Cello

• Recommended ages 9-14
• Book 5-7
• Audition Piece: Goltermann Concerto No. 4, mvt 3—Rondo

Bass

• Recommended ages 9-14
• Book 4+
• Audition: Saint-Saens The Elephant

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Pre-existing groups of up to 20 performers have the opportunity to perform in the lobby as a Music Showcase during the conference.

One group will be chosen to perform as part of the Friday morning keynote address.

The time frame of 45 minutes includes your unpacking, tuning, performance, and packing up. Groups will unpack near the Music Showcase space as there will not be a separate room available.

Interested ensembles may submit a video of 2 sample pieces, not more than a total of 10 minutes. The video may be longer, but the committee will review only up to 10 minutes.

The application should be submitted by the ensemble’s director/organizer, who will be the main point of contact.

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Masterclasses & Recitals

Bart Feller, Flute
Masterclass, Guest Recital, & Suzuki Youth Flute Ensemble

Bart Feller is Principal Flute of the New Jersey Symphony and Santa Fe Opera Orchestras. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where his teachers included Julius Baker and John Krell. He has presented masterclasses and recitals throughout the US, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Among the summer festivals he has participated in are the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, OK Mozart International Festival, Colorado College Chamber Music Festival, Napa Valley Chamber Music Festival, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. Mr. Feller is Professor of Flute at Rutgers University/Mason Gross School of the Arts, and teaches in the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School.

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Miyo Aoki, Recorder
Masterclass

Miyo Aoki is a dedicated recorder player and teacher, performing music ranging from medieval to modern and teaching students of all ages and levels. She is a member of the Farallon Recorder Quartet and has performed in the US, Germany, and Poland, with groups including The Eurasia Consort, Utopia Early Music, and Gamut Bach Ensemble; and at the Amherst Early Music Festival, Bloomington Early Music Festival, and Whidbey Island Music Festival. She has premiered works by contemporary composers Natalie Williams, Agnes Dorwarth and Adam Haws, and has played with the Boise Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony and Oregon Symphony, respectively, in performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Miyo holds a KAZ Diplom (Artist Diploma) from the University of the Arts in Bremen, Germany, where she studied with Professor Han Tol. While living in Bremen, she also maintained a private studio and worked in the musical outreach program “Musik-im-Ohr”, based in the Bremen concert hall, Die Glocke. She holds degrees in both early music performance and mathematics from Indiana University, where she studied with Professor Eva Legêne and received the Austin B. Caswell award for her paper on Ars Subtilior music. Miyo is a strong proponent of music education and strives to make music accessible to people from varied backgrounds. She has collaborated in planning and performing several outreach programs for children, including “Shakespeare’s Ear” and “Oskar und die Blockflötendiebe”, and she founded a successful elementary school recorder club program sponsored by Early Music Seattle. In addition to her teaching work for Early Music Seattle’s outreach programs and private lessons, she teaches regularly for Seattle Historical Arts for Kids and at workshops around the country, such as the Port Townsend Early Music Workshop, SFEMS Recorder Workshop, Amherst Early Music Festival, Early Music Week at Pinewoods, and Hidden Valley Early Music Workshop.

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Dr. James Goldsworthy, Piano
Masterclass, Lecture Recital, and Suzuki Youth Piano Collaboration

In his 27 years of service to the community of Westminster Choir College and Rider University, Professor of Piano James Goldsworthy, has been an associate dean, the chair of three departments, coordinator of piano secondary, a member of University-wide and Westminster-specific committees, the recipient of a New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund Champion award and an avid student of the art of music. Honored by Rider University’s 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award, he has also taught at Goshen College, Stanford University and the University of St. Thomas. During two residencies in Vienna, one under the auspices of a Fulbright grant, Dr. Goldsworthy studied late 18th and early 19th-century fortepiano construction, did research in pianoforte instruction of the same time period and coached voice students at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. He has performed throughout Europe, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the United States; co-edited with Judith Bettina song collections of Tobias Picker and Chester Biscardi; premiered and recorded with Judith Bettina works by Milton Babbitt, Mel Powell, Chester Biscardi, Christopher Berg, Tobias Picker and David Rakowski; and collaborated in performance with many Westminster colleagues. He holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and Stanford University, and he has studied at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest (Angers, France), the Shinichi Suzuki Talent Education Institute (Matsumoto, Japan), Universität Wien and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien. In addition to his teaching at Westminster, Dr. Goldsworthy is on the faculty of the Bennington Chamber Music Conference, and he serves as director of music at Lamington Presbyterian Church in Bedminster, N.J. His work is a reflection of the gifts of the teaching of Dorothe Lanning, John Price, Louise Bianchi, Lloyd Pfautsch, Louise Mueller, Larry Palmer, Barbara Marquart, Alessandra Comini, Adolph Baller, Erik Werba, Margaret Fabrizio, Fenner Douglass, Susan Bindig, Wendy Hilton, Leonard Ratner and Lilo Kantorowicz-Glick.

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René Izquierdo, Guitar
Masterclass, Recital, and Suzuki Youth Guitar Ensemble

Cuban-born René Izquierdo is a unique artist and passionate educator whose career has been dedicated to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. Whether passionately performing on stage, devotedly mentoring his students, fundraising, or leading community outreach, René’s multi-faceted approach endeavors to continue creating experiences that enrich people’s lives and add beauty to our world. Through his “unforgettable versatility, sensitivity and sublime musicianship” (Classical Guitar Magazine), René has firmly established himself as one of the world’s classical guitar virtuosos. He is celebrated for his ability to weave an unparalleled technical command of his instrument with his gift of storytelling, accomplishing an intimate musical experience with his audience. With over seventy engagements per year, whether as a solo performer, chamber musician, or as a guest soloist with orchestras, he has performed to critical acclaim touring extensively throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is frequently invited by renowned festivals and institutions, having played at stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Manaus Opera House in Brazil, and National Recital Hall in Taiwan.  Self-described as a lifelong learner and explorer, his recording projects reflect his wide-ranging interests. Through his discography, René seeks to expand the guitar repertoire frequently performing new arrangements, lesser-known music of the 20th century as well as world premieres of concertos and new compositions. As an educator, René is passionate about engaging the mind and the heart. Through his teachings all around the world, he shares his belief that the greatest musicians not only have the technical mastery to communicate effectively but also are deeply curious, and equally adept at analytical and emotional modes of thought.

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Grace Roepke, Harp
Masterclass

Grace Roepke is an international award winning soloist and the newly appointed Principal Harpist of the Louisville Orchestra. As the first and only harpist to be awarded The Grand and First Prize at the FRIENDS of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, she has also received top prizes in numerous competitions including the Dutch World Harp Competition, the Lyon & Healy Awards, and the American Harp Society National Competition. Additionally, she has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Long Bay Symphony, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Roepke has performed as second harpist with The Cleveland Orchestra and Grant Park Music Festival, and has served as guest principal harpist with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and Quad City Symphony Orchestra. She has spent summers as a fellowship recipient at the Lucerne Festival Academy, Round Top Festival Institute, and Texas Music Festival. Passionate about exploring the capabilities of the harp, Ms. Roepke is a sought after contemporary music performer and collaborator. She has premiered a number of works, including “Mammoth” by Teddy Abrams with solo cellist Yo-Yo Ma, “Air”, by Thomas Adès with solo violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and presented the live premiere of “Time Lapse” by Patrick Harlin as a part of Yolanda Kondonassis’ FIVE MINUTES for Earth Project. While a student at The Cleveland Institute of Music, she was a frequent soloist and chamber musician in CIM’s New Music Ensemble and worked closely with composers Marcos Balter, Sebastian Currier, and Keith Fitch among others. In addition to her performance career, Ms. Roepke is a passionate music educator. She is a Suzuki registered teacher, having trained in the Suzuki method herself as a young student. Ms. Roepke currently maintains a private studio, offering both in-person and virtual lessons, and has been on the faculties at Avon School of the Arts and the Gilmour Academy. **Ms. Roepke began her musical journey at the age of six, and is a proud third-generation harpist, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with GRAMMY nominated soloist Yolanda Kondonassis. Additionally, she received an Artist Diploma as an inaugural member of the Robinson Orchestral Career Fellowship, continuing her studies with Kondonassis as well as various Cleveland Orchestra musicians. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity, the Jocelyn Chang and Michael Leese Award in Harp, and the Alice Chalifoux Prize in Harp. Ms. Roepke is a native of Chanhassen, Minnesota where she was a student of Phala Tracy.

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Sirena Huang, Violin
Masterclass & Mini-Recital

Praised by The Baltimore Sun for her “impeccable technique…deeply expressive phrasing…and poetic weight”, Sirena Huang is one of her generation’s most celebrated violinists. She brings not only technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, but also a profound sense of connection to her audience. Sirena is the 2022 Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and was also awarded eight of the eleven special prizes. Highlights of the 2023-24 season include concerto engagements with the North Carolina, Utah, Santa Barbara, Butler County (PA), Victoria (TX), Anderson (IN), Chicago Metropolitan and Lexington (MA) symphonies as well as Orchestra Indiana.  She will also record and give the world premiere of the Richard Ratner Concerto with the Flint Symphony Orchestra.  Sirena will appear in recital in Santa Barbara, Palm Desert and Chicago. Sirena has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards. In 2017, she was awarded First Prize at the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition and later that year, she was the winner of the New York Concert Artist Worldwide Debut Audition. In 2009, she won First Prize Gold Medalist of the 6th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. She won First Prize and the Audience Award at the Cooper International Competition in 2011. That same year, she was also named the first Artist-in-Residence of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, she was awarded the Hannloser Prize for Violin at the Verbier Music Festival in Switzerland. She is also a top prize winner at the Singapore International Violin Competition as well as the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition. Sirena made her solo debut with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in 2004 at the age of nine and has performed in 20 countries across three continents. She has been a soloist with numerous prestigious ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore, Shanghai, Russian, and Singapore symphony orchestras, and the Staatskapelle Weimar in Germany. She has performed in leading venues including Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, Shanghai Concert Hall, and the Taiwan National Concert Hall. She has appeared as a guest artist at the Verbier Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Sarasota Arts Series, “The Great Music for a Great City” series in New York City, and many others. Motivated by a deep wish to inspire peace and harmony with her music, Sirena has performed before world leaders, thinkers and humanitarians. She has appeared at the World Peace Conference held in Petra and at the Opening Ceremony of the “Forum 2000 World Conference” in Prague. In addition to her TED Talk in 2006, Sirena has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts, including WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and NPR’s From the Top as well as interviews with WNPR, CNBC, WTNH, WTIC, WB20 and Beethoven Radio. Sirena performs on a Guarneri del Gesù violin, Cremona 1739 “Kortschak” which is on loan from Dr. Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative.

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Dr. Daphne Gerling, Viola
Masterclass

Daphne Gerling enjoys an international career teaching, performing, and writing about the viola. From Holland to Portugal, and New Zealand to Honduras, Daphne’s travels and performances have taken her to 30 universities around the United States, and to 15 countries overseas. In recent years she has been a summer fellow at Lincoln Center Education in New York and enjoyed performing on Baroque viola with the Washington Bach Consort, Karlsruhe Handel Festspiele, and the American Baroque Opera Company. She has participated in commissioning projects with composers Libby Larsen and Jorge Variego, leading to American premieres in Tennessee, Georgia, Los Angeles, and in Rome and Cremona, Italy. As a concerto soloist she has performed works by Clarke, Mozart, Hindemith, and Weber in Texas, Brazil, and at the storied Saigon Opera House in Vietnam. As a chamber player, she has appeared with Dallas’ Chamber Music International and Art Music series, as well as Sounds Modern in Fort Worth. In summer 2022 she used her Avaloch Farms Music Institute residency to develop her recording project featuring works by female composers who may have participated in the 1919 Coolidge Competition. EnciRCling, her debut album with pianist Tomoko Kashiwagi, will be released in Spring 2023. She began her research on the 1919 viola works as a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge faculty of music in 2005. Her dissertation, “Connecting Histories: Identity and Exoticism in the 1919 Viola Works of Ernest Bloch, Rebecca Clarke and Paul Hindemith” (2007) is available digitally through Rice University. Dr. Gerling studied viola, vocal performance, and historical musicology at Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music and Rice University. She is deeply grateful to have been mentored by viola professors Jeffrey Irvine, Lynne Ramsey, Karen Ritscher and James Dunham, and to have served as their graduate teaching assistant throughout her degrees. She undertook further studies with Heidi Castleman, Thomas Riebl and Simon Rowland-Jones. She completed long-term Suzuki teacher training in Books 1-4 with Teri Einfeldt, and books 5-9 with Elizabeth Stuen-Walker and loves working with pre-college students. Dr. Gerling’s students currently hold teaching and performing positions throughout the United States, Brazil, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

She is currently assistant professor of viola at UNT and secretary of the American Viola Society. Her website is www.daphnegerling.com.

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Yumi Kendall, Cello
Masterclass & Suzuki Youth String Orchestra

Cellist Yumi Kendall—Assistant Principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra—is a citizen artist whose inspiration comes from exploring human flourishing in music performance, community building, pedagogy, and organizational health. As an orchestral and chamber musician, Yumi has played on many of the world’s prominent stages, including the Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Suntory Hall, and Musikverein, and has been presented by such organizations as Marlboro Music Festival, Kingston Chamber Music Festival, 21st Century Consort, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. By special invitation, Yumi has appeared as guest Principal Cello with the Toronto and Baltimore symphony orchestras, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan. Sparked with curiosity to understand her personal agency amidst the collective effort of orchestral playing, Yumi earned a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. As a speaker, Yumi shares her work at conferences, non-profit and corporate board retreats, workshops, and academically, presenting ideas and experiences from music performance, teaching, and striving for excellence in both, as well as positive psychology, including intrinsic motivation, cultivating meaning at work, and social connections. Her podcast Tacet No More, co-hosted with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bassist and Project440 Founder Joseph Conyers, is an optimist’s playground to discuss all things that need be said and asked about classical music. Yumi is steeped in joyful childhood memories of music making with her family, especially her violinist brother Nick Kendall of Time for Three, and lessons with her grandfather, violinist pedagogue John Kendall, who introduced Suzuki education to the United States and trained teachers from around the world. Drawing on her vivid childhood experiences, working with young musicians opens new horizons for Yumi. She is a regular guest instructor at her alma mater the Curtis Institute of Music, as well as at the National Orchestral Institute, and serves on the boards of Project 440 and Wildflower Composers, with prior service for Astral Artists. A proud Suzuki alumna, Yumi founded The Suzuki Alumni Project as a way to celebrate Suzuki education and express gratitude to the movement’s teachers for believing in their students’ potential and that of all children.   Yumi remains forever thankful to her mentors: John Kendall, Nancy Hair, Carol Tarr, Alice Vierra, David Hardy, David Soyer, and Peter Wiley; and generous supporters Elaine Woo Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., who established a Philadelphia Orchestra Chair for her and endowed it in perpetuity. 

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Dr. Patricia Weitzel, Bass
Masterclass

Dr. Patricia Weitzel has appeared as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, teacher and clinician in several countries including Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, the Netherlands and the United States. Prior to her appointment as Assistant Professor at Penn State University, Dr. Weitzel served as the Lecturer of Double Bass at Columbus State University. She has been on faculty positions at Augustana College, Central College, Grinnell College, St. Ambrose University, and Drake University. She is a former member of the Columbus, Des Moines, and Quad City Symphonies. Dr. Weitzel has collaborated and worked with renowned artists such as the Daedalus Quartet, pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, bassist Volkan Orhon, and pop singer Lizzo. She spends her Summers performing worldwide, participating in the Wintergreen Music Festival, and serving as both faculty and Dean of the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, and University of Colorado-Boulder. In addition to being a performing artist and educator, Dr. Weitzel continually receives recognition for her leadership and advocacy of diversity, excellency, and inclusion in the Arts. She is the former Membership Chair and current Marketing Chair of the International Society of Bassists, an organization with approximately 2000 members in over 40 countries whose mission is to encourage excellence in bass performance, pedagogy, research, composition, and lutherie.

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Suzuki Youth Ensembles

String Ensemble Clinicians

Kirsten Marshall
SYSO Conductor

Known throughout the Americas for her dynamic energy and inspired work with young musicians, conductor and violinist Kirsten Marshall is the Director of the Orchestral Program and violin faculty member of Ithaca Talent Education, New York. Her commitment and dedication to teaching and inspiring young learners extends beyond lessons, as she focuses on creating a community of inspiration, friendship and cooperation among students and families, wherever she teaches. Her students across the world benefit from her keen insights into how people learn and how she dynamically and gracefully inspires groups of young musicians to create greatness together. This practice extends to her leadership of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra, which she co-founded in 2017 with Sarah Cummings. A Suzuki Association of the Americas Certified Teacher Trainer, Ms. Marshall has generously shared her expertise with colleagues and students alike, at summer institutes and festivals, as Interim Conductor of the Cornell University Chamber Orchestra (2022-2023), and Music Lecturer at Ithaca College and the University of Louisville, Kentucky. When she is not teaching or conducting, she enjoys performing as the Assistant Concert Master of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Marshall received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy (Cleveland Institute of Music), and a Bachelor of Science degree in music education, with an emphasis in strings (Case Western Reserve University). Her animated, empathetic style blends humor and insight, inspiring players, learners, and community members to excel.

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Dr. Kara Eubanks
Suzuki Youth String Orchestra Violin Sectional

Dr. Kara Eubanks is the director of the Willamette Violin Academy in Eugene, Oregon. Kara has performed solo and chamber music across the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, and the Czech Republic. Her orchestral career includes membership in the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Fontainebleau Chamber Orchestra in Paris, France, and the DiCapo Opera Orchestra of New York City. While earning her doctorate in New York City, she was also a member of the Music in Midtown Chamber Music series. In 2014, she was inducted into the Sycamore Music Hall of Fame in her hometown of Sycamore, Illinois. As a popular music performer, Kara has been featured by MTV, National Public Radio, Daytrotter, and on record labels such as Eenie Meenie and Lookout! Records. Dr. Eubanks has been a member of the faculty at Northern Illinois University, CUNY’s Brooklyn College Conservatory, and the University of Oregon. Kara holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from CUNY Graduate Center. Her research relates the Suzuki Method to Western Progressive K12 and early childhood education. She also holds BM and MM degrees from Northern Illinois University, where she studied under Mathias Tacke, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and the Vermeer Quartet.

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Daniel Gee Cordova
Suzuki Youth String Orchestra Viola Sectional

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. www.austinsuzukiinstitute.com. 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. 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 Educator’s Conference, and the Texas Orchestra Director’s 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.

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Dr. Kate Jones

Suzuki Youth String Orchestra Bass Sectional

Dr. Kate Jones is a Suzuki bass teacher in Fort Worth, Texas. She teaches at Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD as well as her home studio, and is one of four Suzuki Bass Teacher Trainers for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout Texas and regularly performs as section bassist of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, and as a substitute bassist in other DFW orchestras. Kate completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts with Jeff Bradetich at the University of North Texas, her Master of Music degree at Cleveland Institute of Music with Max Dimoff and Jeff Bradetich, and her Bachelor of Music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University with Judith Hanna. Jones has studied the Suzuki method with Virginia Dixon, and also took George Vance teacher training courses with Johnny Hamil. She has taught at such festivals as Colorado Suzuki Institute, DFW WOW Suzuki Institute, the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point Suzuki Institute, Austin Bass Workshop, Kansas City Bass Workshop, Ozark Mini Bass Project, Viva el Bajo, and the North Texas Suzuki Spring Festival.  In 2018, Jones started a bass workshop in collaboration with the International Society of Bassists board called DFW Bass day. She has appeared as a recitalist and guest clinician at the University of Houston, Baylor University, and the University of North Texas.

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Guitar Ensemble Clinicians

MaryLou Roberts
Suzuki Youth Guitar Ensemble

MaryLou Roberts teaches Guitar in Ann Arbor, Michigan using the Suzuki Method.  Since becoming a Teacher-Trainer for the SAA in 2006, and the ESA in 2012, MaryLou has conducted numerous courses throughout South and Central America, Australia, United States and Ireland. Her service to the wider Suzuki Community has been a wonderful opportunity: being on the Suzuki Association Board of Directors, Coordinator of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute, and Chair of the ISA Guitar Committee, member of the SAA Guitar Committee, and the SAA Teacher Development Advisory Committee. She holds a Master of Music degree in Guitar Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Valedictory Award, and a BM from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, studying with John Holmquist and composer Gilbert Biberian.  Master classes with Manuel Barrueco, Sharon Isbin, Angel Romero, and David Russell have added insights.  Her extensive Suzuki training includes numerous conferences, and 12 summer courses is with Frank Longay, Bill Kossler and David Madsen.  Suzuki graduates in her studio have been accepted into guitar programs at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Denver, University of Southern California, Peabody Conservatory, Florida State University, North Carolina School for the Arts, and Juilliard, as well as other programs in Medicine, Computer Science, Library Science, and Psychology.  She is director of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Guitar Institute held each summer, and is on the adjunct faculty at Schoolcraft College. MaryLou and husband Brian are both classical guitarists, have 3 Suzuki raised children in violin and guitar, and enjoy the outdoors, Tai Chi, and talking on their morning walks. 

René Izquierdo, Guitar
Masterclass & Suzuki Youth Guitar Ensemble

See bio above

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Flute Ensemble Clinicians

Zara Lawler
Suzuki Youth Flute Ensemble

Zara Lawler has a Master’s from Juilliard and has had many years of Suzuki teacher training.  She is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division, Silver Music, and teaches from her private studio near W155 Street.  Her natural rapport with children and young people, great sense of humor, and ability to condense music down to manageable chunks make her a wonderful teacher. As a performer, she is known for her adventurous solo program combining music with dance and theater (“The Flute on its Feet”) and her critically acclaimed duo with marimba, Lawler + Fadoul.  She is also known for massed events for up to 100 flutists, including a performance at the Guggenheim Museum in 2012 which brought together the entire flute community:  world famous soloists, New York freelance performers, adult amateurs and students ages 7 and up.

Photo credit: Ismael Fernandez

Bart Feller, Flute
See bio above

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Piano Collaboration Clinician

Dr. James Goldsworthy, Piano
See bio above

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