7-9; ,10-13; ,14-17; ,Adults; ,Beginners; ,Intermediate; ,Advanced; ,Violin; ,Classical

Violinist Austin Berman is a former concertmaster, classical performer, and passionate teacher who prides himself on his analytical, strategic, and creative approach to music and violin technique. Over the past decade, he has taught students of all ages and levels, ranging from young beginners and adult amateurs to elite conservatory applicants and competition participants. Austin studied at Colburn, Princeton University (A.B.), and Juilliard (M.M.). His primary teachers and mentors include Li Lin (Juilliard), Glenn Dicterow (ex NY Phil), Robert Lipsett (Colburn), and CJ Chang (Philly Orch).

10-13; ,14-17; ,Adults; ,No Experience; ,Beginners; ,Intermediate; ,Advanced; ,Viola; classical

Israeli violist Yehezkel Layoun (1991) earned his bachelor of music (2014) from Temple University as a student of Che-Hung Chen of the Philadelphia Orchestra and a master of music (2016) on full scholarship from Wichita State University, where he was a student of Boris Vayner of the St. Petersburg String Quartet. Most recently, he studied three years in an artist diploma program (2017- 2020) from Rutgers University on full scholarship, under the tutelage of Daniel Panner of the NYC Opera.

4-6; ,7-9; ,10-13; ,14-17; ,Adults; ,No Experience; ,Beginners; ,Intermediate; ,Advanced; ,Viola; ,Classical; ,Opera

Rachel Halvorson currently enjoys a career as a freelance violist and dedicated music teacher based in Houston, Texas. Most recently, she served as an acting section violist in 2023 with the San Diego Symphony. Previously, Rachel spent four seasons as the principal violist for the Sarasota Orchestra and the Sarasota String Quartet.

4-6; ,7-9; ,10-13; ,14-17; ,Adults; ,No Experience; ,Beginners; ,Intermediate; ,Advanced; ,Viola; ,Classical

Bulgarian Violist Raisa, is a member of the English Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly at The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, and in many international music festivals in the UK and Europe, plus appearing on ITV and BBC broadcasts. She is an experienced chamber musician, currently performing on a 1845 viola by J.B. Vuillaume and is completing her PhD in solo & chamber Viola repertoire. Raisa teaches at the Junior department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire, in addition to private teaching.

4-6; ,7-9; ,10-13; ,14-17; ,Adults; ,No Experience; ,Beginners; ,Intermediate; ,Advanced; ,bass; ,Jazz; ,Pop; ,R&B; ,Contemporary; ,Folk; ,Rock; ,Singer/Songwriter

Unrestrained curiosity and a devotion to fundamentals fuel Dan Pappalardo's relationship with music. Performing on both upright bass and bass guitar, Pappalardo has served artists from Billy Hart, Wallace Roney, and Sullivan Fortner to Cautious Clay and John Mayer. Dan has taught across different mediums for more than 15 years. His approach is simple: joy is infectious. He hopes to empower students to break perceived impossibilities into manageable pieces, with and without the bass.