Our Staff

Anna Knight (formerly Anna Iurchenko) is a classical pianist and private piano instructor based in Chicago. Originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine, she began studying piano at the age of six and later trained at the prestigious Vladimir Krainev State Music Lyceum under Svetlana Zakharova and Natalia Balycheva, graduating cum laude with a Diploma in Classical Piano […]

Andrew Schneider has been teaching and performing professionally for over ten years. He has experience performing rock, musical theater, classical, and jazz music. He has sung in a professional choir, and has performed in numerous groups. He has taught students as young as four, to adults in their seventies, and everything in between. He holds […]

Joanne Tayaban is a multi-faceted vocalist with a background in performing a variety of styles, from musical theater to contemporary R&B. Graduated with a B.M. in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music, Joanne is an avid music lover, and has centered most of her life around it! While focusing on healthy singing techniques and musicality, […]

Sam is a Violinist and Audio Engineer from Indianapolis, Indiana. He studied audio engineering at Azmyth School of Music Technology in Indianapolis, while also teaching Violin since 2017 in and around Central Indiana. Sam has been playing the Violin since 2011 when he got started in Middle School, attending every after-school music club he could […]

Mark Payton is a seasoned percussionist and educator with a lifelong passion for drumming. After expressing a keen interest in rhythm as a young child, he started private instruction as a percussionist in junior high and continued throughout high school. Inspired by a cassette tape featuring the powerful sounds of Drum & Bugle Corps, Mark […]

Michael Ross brings a fun and nurturing environment to piano instruction. Having over 20 years of experience with all ages, he enjoys bringing the joy of music into students’ lives. “I want my students to learn how to play piano and be proud of their accomplishments.” Michael studied with Richard Wilson and Todd Crow at […]

An Aurora, Illinois native, Mandy Duran teaches Choir and General Music at Washington Middle School in the West Aurora School District. Graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BME in Choral Music Education, Mandy is an avid lover and life long learner of music. During the summers, she dedicates her time vocal […]

Emily Liu grew up in a musical family. She was influenced by her father’s flute playing and her mother’s singing when she was a child. A pleasant music environment has cultivated her passion for music, and her enthusiastic and optimistic personality. Emily earned a master’s degree in music education from Illinois State University and a […]

Cassandra is violist and violinist from Indianapolis, Indiana, and is the principal violist with the Fox Valley symphony orchestra. She completed her master’s degree in music at Butler University studying viola performance with Richard Auldon Clark, while performing her duties as the Graduate Assistant to the BSO and principal viola. She also composed a string […]

Carl Hix has been teaching and training musicians since 1969. He attended Roosevelt University and Northern Illinois University as a double bass major, and was born into an incredibly musical family as 1 of 10 children. Carl’s father John Hix started his own music retail business in 1949 in which he sold instruments and taught […]