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Patrick Vachino is a performer and educator holding Bachelor's degrees in violin performance and music education from Towson University. As a performer, he has served as both Assistant Concertmaster and Concertmaster for the TU symphony orchestra, and has recorded for numerous Baltimore producers, including Emmy Award winning composer and producer John Tyler. As a teacher, he is passionate about developing the whole person and creating excellent, well-rounded musicians.
Nikki Ponticelli is a violist based in Baltimore, Maryland. Her passion is collaborating with others, whether that's continuing traditional classical repertoire or expanding her interests in new contemporary music. She most recently graduated from the Peabody Conservatory with her Masters of Music in Viola Performance, studying with Choong-Jin Chang and attended the Aspen Music Festival on full scholarship. Previously, her quartet won the Best of Chamber competition at the Round Top Music Festival, and she performed the Mendelssohn Octet alongside members of the NY Phil and San Francisco Symphony. She has played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Old Bay New Music Ensemble, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, and recently Lawrence Power's recital in Aspen. Nikki has also studied with Victoria Chiang, David Samuel, and the Alexander String Quartet, as well as played for many principal violists such as Daniel Reinker, Chauncey Patterson, Lynne Ramsey, and Christian Colberg.
Nikki has taught a range of students from beginners in elementary after-school programs to high schoolers at Baltimore School for the Arts.
Asa Zimmerman is a violinist and violist based in Cockeysville, Maryland. In this capacity, they perform with a number of ensembles, including The Smithsonian Chamber Players, The Washington Bach Consort,The Thirteen, Tempesta di Mare, the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, Mallarmé Chamber Players, Modern Musick, Musica Spira, Burning River Baroque, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Baltimore Choral Arts, BaRock Band, Tazzina Drammatica, the Baltimore Baroque Band, and Charm City Baroque. Asa has been teaching violin and viola for more than a decade in various capacities, including positions with the Peabody Preparatory and Musical Empowerment. Asa holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Master of Music and Graduate Performance Diploma from Peabody Conservatory. They are currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Peabody.
Anna Wilson has been in the world of music for over a decade. With more than ten years of experience performing on the violin, along with several years of proficiency on the viola, piano, and cello, Anna loves everything about music! She currently is majoring in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, and dedicates most of her free time towards her devotion to and love of music. During her high school years, Anna was president of the String Orchestra, as well as the Piano Club. She also had leadership roles in the Music Honor Society and performed in the Pit Orchestra. Anna’s experiences and future reflect her dedication to the art, and her enthusiasm of sharing and helping others explore the culture of music.
Amelia Eckloff is a violist, violinist, and teacher from Northern Virginia currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. Amelia is a recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and has been playing the viola since the age of 9 when it was introduced to her in her elementary school music class. Most recently, Amelia performed as principal violist under the batons of Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta with the National Orchestral Institute in June 2022. Amelia regularly performs with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and has attended the Castleman Quartet Program and the Chautauqua Institution Summer Music Festival. Aside from orchestra, Amelia is an avid performer of chamber music and worked with a string quartet to present concerts and participate in competitions during her time at the Eastman School.
Amelia also greatly enjoys teaching and working with young musicians. She has taught many private lessons over the years on both the viola and violin to students as young as age five to adult life-long learners. As a teacher, Amelia’s goal is to cultivate a personal, but professional learning environment tailored to each student’s individual needs where the student is encouraged and inspired to think creatively, explore their instrument, and develop their own musical voice.
Amelia is currently pursuing her Masters of Music in Viola Performance at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Victoria Chiang. She previously studied with Masumi Per Rostad at the Eastman School of Music and retired National Symphony Orchestra violist, Ramon Scavelli, and has also worked with violists such as George Taylor, Choong-Jin Chiang, Phillip Ying, David Harding, Joan DerHovsepian, and Karen Ritscher.
Kimberly McNicholas Keehner inherited her love of music from her father, who played trumpet with a US Army Air Force band during World War II. Kim began playing flute at age 10 and was a member of bands and orchestras associated with Towson University’s outstanding music department. She earned bachelor and masters degrees in music education at Towson where she studied flute under noted instructor Robin McKey-Day.
During a 32-year teaching career with the Baltimore County Public Schools, elementary and middle school bands and orchestras under Kim’s direction received superior and excellent ratings at both county and state levels of competition. In addition she served as the elementary instrumental music representative to the Maryland Music Educators Association and has played flute and piccolo with the Gettysburg Symphony Orchestra.
Kim specializes in developing a lifelong love of music and performance in the youngest musicians. Although she excels at playing and teaching woodwinds (flute, clarinet and oboe), Kim is happy to work with students who are learning strings and brass. Quite simply, Kim’s passion isn’t just music, it’s teaching the techniques that guide beginning players to excel. Whether working with young musicians in several Howard County schools or as a part of the Mike’s Music family, Kim is uniquely qualified to nurture the sheer joy that comes from making music.
Elizabeth Robbins began studying the viola at age 9 and the flute at age 10, and has experience performing and teaching strings and woodwinds. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at Ithaca College, where she studied flute with Kelly Covert. She spent one semester at the Ithaca College London Center, taking lessons with Susan Milan at the Royal College of Music. After completing her undergraduate degree, Elizabeth moved to southern Maryland, where she taught pre-k through fifth grade band, strings, chorus, and general music for four years at St. Mary’s County Public Schools. While in Maryland, she earned her Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University. In 2010 she played Griffes’s Poem for Flute and Orchestra with the Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland In Concert as the winner of the COSMIC Young Artist Competition.
Elizabeth earned her PhD in music education at Temple University in 2019. While at Temple, she worked as a TA in the music education department, which included serving as a graduate conductor of the Night Owls Community Band and teaching Woodwind Methods to undergraduate and graduate students. She also taught as an adjunct and supervised student teachers at West Chester University. During her doctoral studies, she was a member of the viola faculty for the Music Education Pathways program at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, PA and was a member of the flute faculty at Ferrwood Music Camp in Drums, PA. Elizabeth is happy to be back in Maryland, teaching 4th-6th grade band and orchestra in Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Linking community, music, and the human perspective, Brett Petrykowski is a violist and music educator based in Baltimore, Maryland. Brett is currently pursuing an M.M. in Viola Performance and Pedagogy at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music in 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance. His primary teachers are Dr. Diedre Buckley, Professor Sally Chisholm, and Professor Victoria Chiang.
As an enthusiastic orchestral and chamber musician, Brett has held positions in the Perlman Piano Quartet, Tashi Trio, and as principal violist of the UW Madison Symphony Orchestra. Throughout his career, he worked extensively within his local community and on tours in Italy and Peru. He has performed works from a multitude of living composers as well as many from the traditional canon. In addition to his ensemble experience, Brett has received the Arnold Steinhardt Excellence in Viola Performance award, and the Rudolf Kolisch Gold Medal from the Mead Witter School of Music Viola Concerto Competition with his performance of the Bartok Viola Concerto.
Brett has worked closely with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra and its sister program Music Makers, where he both taught and served on the administration team for 3 years. As a partner of Music Makers, he worked closely within the program on a mission to provide quality instruments, music, and instruction to a diverse group of underserved students, allowing them equal opportunity to engage with the classical music world.
While education serves as a large part of his career, he is focused on uplifting underrepresented composers who are living today. Currently, Brett is focused on creating a chamber collective that serves as an avenue to introduce and educate the public on current music being written through interactive performances in community spaces.
Nick Sungenis began studying music at the age of five with Mia Coyne on the piano, and began his violin studies at the age of eleven with Tecla Heuring Walton, and a few other teachers including Deborah Stotelmyer and Ronald Mutchnik. Throughout high school, Nick enjoyed playing with the community orchestra, summer music camps, and string ensembles through the Cumberland Valley School of Music; he also earned a third place merit scholarship from CVSM as well as two scholarships from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. After playing with the Shepherd University Preparatory Orchestra during his senior year, Nick continued playing the violin in various places, such as a church folk group, youth group band, and with his friends in the Erik Christensen band, with whom he has recorded two albums - the second of which in 2012 at Dark Horse Recording Studio next to Nashville. Since then, he has played alongside several recording artists, namely Mike Mangione, Marie Miller, Kevin Heider, Alanna Boudreau, Kara Klein, Tori Harris, and Dave Moore; also with local artists Patrick Mahon, Joseph White, Corrie Dubyoski and others. In addition to concerts, festivals, and conferences, Nick has played for many wedding ceremonies over the years, and continues to play for his church every weekend. Nick graduated from Howard Community College and then Providence College in 2014 studying philosophy, and enjoyed playing as a soloist with his college orchestra during his senior year. Between his time at Mike's Music and teaching philosophy at HCC as an adjunct instructor, he is currently recording his debut album of original compositions (to be released in 2018). Nick is "thankful for the gift of life," and is strongly committed to teaching his violin and viola students the importance of good technique, music theory, disciplined practice, and most importantly: the joy of sharing music with others, and having fun!