Nathaniel A. (drums/piano/guitar)
Hailing from the DC area, Nathaniel has been performing and teaching music for over twenty years. The first instrument he started to play was the tuba, but that was short lived, because he found his groove with percussion instead. Nat has a B.A. in Performance from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He loves to play jazz, blues, funk, soul, inspirational and World tunes. Besides drums, Nat performs on guitar and piano. When he’s not playing music in the various groups he leads, he teaches all ages the joys of music, as well as facilitates drum and improvisation circles. He lives in Middle Village with his wife and son.
Noam B. (guitar/piano/violin)
Noam is a guitarist, pianist, and composer from Jerusalem. He has written, arranged, and composed music ranging from classical to jazz to rock. He studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance before coming to New York to study music performance, audio production, and music education at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Noam has been teaching most instruments for eight years, alongside directing classical and contemporary ensembles for all ages.
Lesly D. (voice/piano/conducting)
Lesly is an opera voice and piano performance student at the Aaron Copland School of Music. He is also a composer, conductor and jazz trombonist. Some of his outside mentors and coaches are professionals from the The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. He has been showcased in roles such as “Cosí”, “La Traviata”, “The Merry Widow” and “A Little Night Music”. As an Afro-Latino, Lesly has an affinity for discovering and performing new works by composers of Hispanic heritage and other under-represented composers. His goal in performance is to share stories and touch the emotions of his audience. As a teacher, he seeks to inspire/cultivate creativity and expression through the language of music.
Michele G. (piano)
Michele began studying piano at the age of seven. At the age of eleven he got admitted into the “F. Cilea” conservatory in Reggio Calabria and made his recital debut with their string orchestra as soloist in Haydn’s famous Piano Concerto in D Major. He graduated at the age of fifteen with full marks, honors and honorable mention under the guidance of professor Delia Cappuccilli. He acquired CFU credits in areas of teaching including musical pedagogy and psychology. Over the past several years, he has taught a wide range of ages and levels and enjoys integrating artistic and educational methodology with theory, harmony and music history. He also developed and published a training method to enhance learning efficiency and develop essential skills in children with autism. Michele has performed several prestigious concerts as a soloist and in the field of chamber music. He has a large and versatile orchestral repertoire that includes no less than 30 concertos for piano and orchestra. In December 2020 he obtained a master’s degree in musicology and performing arts with a score of 110/110 and honors at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome. In March 2023 he got a second master degree in classical piano performance at the Aaron Copland School of Music in NYC. In addition to piano, Michele plays organ, violin and guitar. He is fluent in Italian and English.
Lucas G. (violin/viola/piano/cello)
Lucas is a classical violist based in NYC. He began his musical journey at the age of seven and since has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kupferberg Center, and Lefrak Concert Hall. He often premieres new composer’s works and is also a classical composer himself. He was a finalist in the 2022 Leipzig Bach competition judged by Daniel Philips and Marcy Rosen, some of the world’s finest chamber musicians. Lucas is also a media composer who has worked on indie video games, film festivals, and competitions. His most recent film score has won a “Best Short Production” award and also received three semi-finalist spots on a national level. Lucas composed and recorded the viola part for most of the score’s soundtrack. He’s currently wrapping up his performance and education dual degree at Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music.
Liz Hogg (owner)
Liz Hogg (b. 1993) is a guitarist and composer/songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. Hogg has been described as possessing “energy, expressive dynamics and phrasing” (American Record Guide), “fantastic work” (Classical Guitar Magazine) and “playing with a more distinctive and original approach that includes quickly-strummed chords, chiming arpeggios, and rapid-fire picking” (Geoff Cabin). Her playing has been further characterized as “strong, precise, and powerful” (Bushwick Daily), “radiating in its own light” (New Noise Magazine), carrying “élan and fine precision” (Fanfare), and “displaying a confrontational spectrum of emotions” (Music & Riots). As both a classical guitarist and performer of her original music, Hogg has toured thirteen countries and thirteen US states playing numerous festivals and concert halls, including SXSW, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Brookfield Place, as well as Portugal’s Casa da Música and Mexico’s Tlaqná Concert Hall. She has received grants from Chamber Music America, Citizens Committee for New York City, Queens College and Mannes College and won awards including the Mannes School of Music Dean’s Award and the Maurice Kagan Memorial Scholarship Award for Excellence in an Orchestral Instrument. Hogg has recorded around a dozen albums, self-released and released by labels Mouca, Albany, Acuarela, Marsyas, Centaur and Don Giovanni, some of which, in addition to performances have garnered reviews from The New York Times, NME, Big Takeover and MTV. Hogg holds a Master of Music in classical guitar from Mannes School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in classical guitar from Aaron Copland School of Music; her teachers included Michael Newman, William Anderson and David Starobin. Since completing school in 2017, she has taught guitar at Sarah Lawrence College, Jubilee University and throughout the northeast and Amsterdam. She currently performs and writes solo and in various groups, and teaches privately in addition to owning and operating Sonder since 2022.
Yui K. (piano/composition/theory/voice)
Yui is a versatile composer and arranger of solo, chamber, and orchestral music in various styles and her works are often actualized in collaborations with dancers, actors, and animators. Her works have been performed at such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Joe’s Pub, Berlin’s Akademie der Künste, Kiev’s National Catholic Cathedral, and Tokyo’s Sumida Triphony Hall and Suntory Hall. Her music was nominated for a 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award in the classical/orchestral genre and her song “Omoide” was performed by world renowned bassist Gary Karr for the Emperor and Empress of Japan as well as at the Sendai Classic Fesival in Japan.
Yui is currently Artistic Director of MuSE (Multicultural Sonic Evolution), a musicians’ group that creates unique concerts and shows with artists from different fields. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in composition from The Juilliard School and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts. Her teachers include Samuel Adler, Robert Beaser, Philip Lasser, Paola Prestini, Mel Marvin, and William Finn.
Frank P. (sax/trumpet/trombone/clarinet/violin/piano)
Frank, freelance musician, has been performing professionally for over 40 years on sax, trombone, euphonium, clarinet, baritone horn and bass trombone in the New York Metropolitan area. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, Frank earned Masters degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. He has played with over 50 different orchestras, concert bands, brass ensembles and big bands, and has subbed on Broadway. In addition to being a full-time performer and teacher, Frank is a music contractor, a brass instrument and music instructor, and a brass and woodwind musical instrument repairman.
Khrystyna R. (piano)
As the third generation of musicians in her family, Khrystyna is a professional pianist and teacher with a bachelor’s degree from the Kyiv Academy of Gliere. She follows the Heinrich Neuhaus teaching method, which places emphasis on proper hand positioning for optimal comfort while playing virtuoso works. Khrystyna has over 10 years of experience working with students of all ages and has participated in various festivals since the age of seven in her native Ukraine.
Julian R. (sax/clarinet/flute/piano)
Julian is a professional performing sax and clarinet player, as well as founder of a successful jazz venue in Sunnyside called Julian’s NYC. He earned his MFA & BFA from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. As a bandleader, highlights include a week long engagement at Switzerland’s Bern International Jazz Festival and a 2 week tour of Bulgaria (Sofia, Tornovo, Plovdiv, Varna). He has a rich performing career on both US coasts, with frequent performances in California at venues including Dizzy’s San Diego, Encinitas Public Library, Oceanside Heritage Park’s Concert In The Park Series, and San Diego’s Panama 66. In the northeast, recent performances include The Underbrook at Yale University and The V-Spot Restaurant in Manhattan. As a devoted teacher, Julian has taught all ages, and acquired much experience teaching high school age students specifically and helping prepare them for various auditions and placement tests. His positive and affirming attitude allow his students to thrive and keep their passion for music for years to come.
Murad S. (guitar/drums/ukulele/piano)
An Elmhurst native, Murad is wrapping up his double major in general music & music education at the Aaron Copland School of Music along with guitar studies there with William Anderson. Murad has always been passionate about music, playing guitar zealously since the age of 6 and teaching for many years throughout his home neighborhood and at various public schools. His specialty is classical guitar, but he also plays and teaches acoustic and electric guitar, as well as ukulele, drums and piano.
Alphonso V. (drums/piano)
Percussionist Alphonso is embodying what it means to be an adaptable drummer. Growing up in Queens, he was surrounded by music of all genres and styles for most of his life. He studied percussion at Frank Sinatra School of The Arts and at Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music and has developed an eclectic taste in music spanning multiple genres and styles such as classical, Afro-Cuban, funk, rock, gospel and more. He has a vast number of performances under his belt, including performances with groups such as Talujon, Gamelan Yowana Sari, the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra and the Eternal Love Baptist Church, as well as the myriad of performances done while attending high school and college, All City marching band, outreach performances at high schools, and several off Broadway shows. Alphonso teaches drums and percussion to students from beginner to advanced, in addition to piano. He also has experience teaching students with special needs with patience and understanding. Alphonso is excited to share his knowledge with the next generation of musicians!