Our Faculty
Fabian Ularu, violin and viola - Assistantconcert master of the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, Highland Park Strings (1st Teaches intermediate to advanced students.violin), former member of Galveston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Civic Symphony, La Orquesta Sinfonica de la U.AN.L., Filharmonica “George Dima”, and “Virtuoziidin Transilvania”. Six years ago I was given the opportunity to teach at Solo Classic. During my tenure at Solo Classic I have enjoyed teaching a range of students from 1st grade to high school level using traditional methods and also Suzuki method. I appreciate that Solo Classic has developed quarterly concerts in which the students have to opportunity to demonstrate theirs skills and knowledge accumulated. We encourage students to participate in local activities, school orchestras or local competitions. In the last IGSMA, several of my students have taken gold medal.
Solo Classic provides a full range of services from lessons to repairs, to music store, which helped me in my duties, becoming a reference a local community for schools, local musicians as well as local orchestras.
Denise DeGoey-Connolly, violin and viola- Denise graduate in 1987 with a B.M. in violin performance from DePaul University, Chicago, IL. She has taught students ranging in age from preschool through college age. Denise have teaching pre-twinkle through book 10 and beyond. She started teaching in 1986 with the Music for Youth program in Arlington Heights, IL. Her students have consistently performed well at the IGSMA state solo and ensemble contest. All have received a Division I rating with many receivinga perfect score. She has had students perform on the solo recitals at the Chicago Suzuki Institute and the American Suzuki Institute. Many of her students perform with the Schaumburg Youth Orchestras and their school orchestras. In addition to her private teaching, she coaches viola sectional for the Schaumburg Youth Orchestras and she coaches chamber music ensembles for the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Music Institute.
Emily Nash , violin-Emily began her violin studies at the age of 7. She received her Bachelors of Music as a violin performance major from Universityof Illinois at Urbana Champaign while studying with Simin Ganatra. Emily played in the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra alternating sitting principal second and associate concertmaster, was afirst violin section member in Sinfonia Da Camera under Ian Hobson, Associate Concertmaster for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Guest Principal Second in the Kankakee-Valley Symphony Orchestra, and played regularly in the Prairie Ensemble. At the university, she studied chamber music with the Pacifica Quartet, Ani Aznavoorian, Sherban Lupu, Rudolf Haken, and Stephan Milenkovich. Past teachers and chamber music coaches include Wendy Sharp, FionaMurray, Ellen Higham, Miriam Eckelhoefer, and Adrian Slywotzky. During highschool, she played in both the New Haven Youth Chamber Orchestra and the New HavenYouth Symphony Orchestra where she was a section leader and solo competitionwinner. Emily was a guest soloist with the Choate Rosemary Hall's tour to Italy in 2005, a finalist in the Greater Bridgeport competition, taught a large studio, and was very active in playing chamber music on both violin and viola. Summer festivals Emily has attended include: California Summer music (4 years), Interlochen Arts camp (3 years) and MadelineIsland (1 year). Emily has participated in master classes with Wendy Sharp, Roland and Almita Vamos, John McGrosso, Kurt Baldwin, and the Parker Quartet. Last summer she was Senior Violin Instructor for the Illinois Summer Youth Music Program and was a chamber music coach at the Allerton Chamber Music Festival. Currently Emily is working on her Master's Degree in Violin Performance studying with Almita Vamos at Northwestern University.
Andrew Snow, cello - Andrew has extensive experience as a teacher, orchestral musician, and chamber musician. He has a bachelors degree in cello performance from Northern Illinois University and a masters degree in cello performance from Southern Methodist University. He maintains a private studio of young students and is also on the faculty of Trinity International University. As an orchestral cellist, Andrew has performed with numerous prestigious orchestras, including: Chicago Sinfonietta, Grant Park Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and Milwaukee Symphony. As a chamber musician, Andrew was a member of the Lyra Quartet, which was in residence at Carthage College for over ten years.
Alexander Rowney, piano - is a classically trained pianist who has received his Masters of Music in Piano Performance from one of New York City’s premier conservatories, The Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Phillip Kawin. He also attended Northwestern University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Piano studying with Dr. Sylvia Wang. He has concertized abroad in Russia, Italy, Austria, Germany, and England as well as in Chicago and in New York. During his undergraduate career, Alex studied abroad at the IES Center in Vienna, Austria, attending the Vienna Music University where he studied with Antoinette van Zabner Zinn- Zinnenburg.
Alex was a finalist in the Artur Balsam Competition for Duos at Manhattan School of Music and the Thaviu-Isaak Piano Competition at Northwestern. He has performed for masterclasses given by Sergei Babayan, Earl Wild, and Vladimir Feltsman.
In addition to his pianistic training and performances, Alex is an avid composer of experimental, electronic, pop, and film music. He also is a multi-instrumentalist, playing electric/acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drum set, and French horn. Recently he has begun programming synthesizers with his own sound designs. He enjoys improvisation and experimentation in his music, and often blends a more grounded pop sensibility with the extremes of experimental music. Alex’s favorite activity, though, is teaching music to any age and skill level.
Katie Hamada, piano - is a pianist and teacher in Chicago. Originally from Schaumburg, Illinois, she began playing the piano at the age of three. She holds a bachelors degreefrom Northwestern University, where she double majored in Piano Performance and Music Education; and a masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music, in Piano Performance. She is currently working towards a Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy atNorthwestern University, for which she was the recipient of the Amelia A.Hoff Scholarship and the Emma Peters Hooper Scholarship.Influential teachers include Sylvia Wang, Nina Svetlanova, David Kaiserman, and Caroline Fraser. As a performer, Katie has given solorecitals in Finland as a recipient of a cultural grant, performed in Salle Cortot in Paris, and performed as soloist with Northwestern University's Contemporary Music Ensemble. Last spring she had the privilege of of presenting Schumann's Kinderszenen in a dozen ChicagoPublic Schools as an artist for Ravinia's One Score One Chicago. She wasalso recently awarded a Farwell Award for performance from the Musicians'Club of Women. Katie enjoys combining performance with teaching. She is astate of Illinois certified educator and was the founding orchestradirector for Buffalo Grove School District 102. She is also a certifiedSuzuki instructor and teaches piano at DePaul University's CommunityMusi Division, Northwestern University's Music Academy and Solo Classic Inc.-Buffalo Grove, IL.
Galina Kostukovsky, piano - Originally from Russia, she received a master's degree in Music Performance and Education, and a bachelor's degree in Music Theory, Music History and Piano Education from the State Musical Institute, Moscow, and Ippolitov Ivanov Music college in Moscow, respectively. She has 34 years experience in teaching piano and music theory. Her teaching focuses especially on early development, ages 4 and up. She has an accelerated program for adult students. She prepares her students for AIM (Achievements in Music) Theory and Piano examinations. She also has experience in solo performance of classical and popular music ensambles, and accompanying vocal and instrumental dance and ballet performers. Her students have received numerous awards and medals.
John McCurley, guitar (classic, electric, and base) - he has 20years of experience playing guitar in a wide range of styles including jazz, blues, heavy metal , rock, folk, pop, and more. He has six years of experience with our company. He teaches students of various ages. He is extremely patient, sensitive to student needs, and has a very congenial personality.
Natalia Kogan, piano -Born in the Crimea, she began her piano studies at the age of six. Upon immigrating to the US in 1999, she became student of Tatyana Stepanova. In high school, Natalia joined the Chamber Music Program at Midwest Young Artists. In 2003, a junior in high school, Natalia was one of six finalists in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions. In 2006, already a student at the University of Chicago, Natalia performed Ravel’s Concerto in G with the University Symphony Orchestra, having won the UofC Concerto Competition that year. Also in 2006, Natalia was a finalist in the Skokie Valley Concerto Competition. An avid performer of solo as well as duo music, Natalia won the 2007 Northshore Musicians’ Club competition, performing Schubert’s Fantasy in F minor, D940, together with her sister Irina Kogan. That year, she also gave a solo/duo recital at the Cuneo Museum. Since 2007, Natalia has been accompanist for Campanella Children’s Choir. Currently, Natalia holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago and continues her piano studies with Tatyana Stepanova, frequently performing in a variety of venues. She is also a development intern at the Chicago Classical Radio WFMT 98.7.