High School

Lori Hennessy earned her reputation as a cello teacher in Cleveland, Ohio, a national epicenter of string playing and pedagogy. From 2012 to 2014 Ms. Hennessy served as the cello instructor for the Rainey Institute’s intensive El Sistema program, where she taught Suzuki-inspired group classes to various levels of aspiring cellists. Her string orchestra arrangements of songs from the Suzuki repertoire have been performed by the Rainey Institute’s El Sistema orchestra in venues across Cleveland, including the world-renowned Severance Hall. During this time Ms.

Leah Irby is an active teacher, dancer, musician, and composer. Please visit her website at epicarts.net to listen to recordings and read testimonials.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she relocated to Marin County in 2014. During the school year of 2013-2014, Leah lived in Tamil Nadu, India. She performed, and taught orchestra and private lessons at Kodaikanal International School.

Mike Shuldes has been practicing French Horn for 17 years and holds a Masters degree in French Horn Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teacher, Bruce Roberts, is associate principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony, one of the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the United States, recognized worldwide.

In the summer of 2014 I relocated from Southern California to the Bay Area. Since arriving in the Bay Area I've performed numerous times with the Pacific Chamber Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, California Symphony, Merced Symphony, One Found Sound, Pied Piper Players, among many others. While in SoCal, I performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic multiple times, recorded and performed with the San Diego Symphony, and performed with many other orchestras, ballets, and operas.

Lucas Floyd (b. 1988) is a composer whose music reflects beauty and truth via unmistakable melodies, earnest harmonic landscapes, and structures large and small. His music is deeply felt, drawing on memory and shared human experience. With work described as “fluid, finely crafted, and thought-provoking,” Lucas desires to bring meaningful musical experiences to everyday people, whether in the concert hall, church service, or film score.

Miss Zhang runs a small private studio, dedicated in providing quality music lessons in Rockridge, Oakland. Her mission is to encourage, support and inspire students through fun, creative learning and to help people in the community to build a life-long interest and appreciation of music through continuous mentorship for music lovers of all ages and levels.

Thollem McDonas is a pianist, composer, improviser and teacher. He travels perpetually internationally performing as a soloist as well as in collaboration with a wide array of artists in wildly divergent directions.
He resides in Pacifica, just south of San Francisco, during the summer months.

Concerts in 14 countries, PBS, NPR
Masterclasses at universities and conservatories
Studies with Gyorgy Sandor, John Wustman

Berkeley Symphony, Virginia symphony, SF Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet