Teaches Monday thru Saturday
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!
Teaches Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
Megan (Meg) Jones began her violin studies at the age of 7 with Irina Briskin and later with late BSO violinist, John Merrill. While pursuing a BA at UMBC, Meg studied with Dr. Airi Yoshioka and enjoyed playing in the UMBC Symphony Orchestra. Meg has performed in chamber music festivals and masterclasses, most recently for Daniel Heifetz, and enjoys performing in various chamber groups as well as solo recitals. Meg currently studies with BSO violinist, Leonid Briskin. Meg’s teaching philosophy centers around technique, tone and musicality, while fostering a positive atmosphere!
Teaches Tuesday and Saturday
Mairead Alexander, from Greenbelt, Maryland, will graduate from UMBC in 2020 with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance, where she has studied under Dr. Airi Yoshioka.
During her time at UMBC, Mairead has enjoyed performing chamber music with her piano quintet, as well as UMBC Symphony Orchestra, while expanding her technique through baroque violin, and performing a number of contemporary works written by student composers. During the spring of 2019, Mairead’s string quartet was selected to perform for the conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop. In October of 2019, Mairead was a soloist with the UMBC Collegium baroque ensemble, performing a double violin concerto with renowned Canadian baroque violinist, Aisslinn Nosky. Currently, Mairead is preparing to give her B.A. senior recital in May of 2020, with a program featuring the works of Saint-Saens, Bach, and Prokofiev.
To supplement the demands of her classical repertoire, Mairead also enjoys playing in the style of traditional Irish fiddle, and studied under Irish fiddle player and composer, Mr. Connie O’Connell at the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland during the spring of 2018. During her summers, Mairead has performed at multiple chamber and orchestra festivals in the United States as well as in Europe, including National Music Festival in Maryland, Catskill High Peaks chamber festival in upstate New York, and this past summer, Prague Summer Nights festival in the Czech Republic. In addition to her freelancing and performance career, Mairead is the primary violin and viola teacher at Wolfe Street Academy in Baltimore City, teaching elementary school classes through the Bridges Music Program since the fall of 2015. Mairead’s teaching is grounded in the joy of music-making, with the ultimate aim of fostering a lifelong love of music in her students.
Teaches Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
New York-based violist Jennifer Kim has been praised for her “dedicated involvement…and high level of skill in her music specialty.” She has been a musician her whole life. Jennifer started piano lessons at four years old, began playing as a violist at the age of eight, took voice lessons at nine years old, and since her early years, has played in various ensembles in the New York community and beyond. In 2013 and 2014, Jennifer was appointed Associate Principal and Principal Violist of the Peabody Concert Orchestra. Since 2015, she was a member of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and has played as the associate principal in the 2017-2018 school year. In April 2018, she performed as the principal violist of the Peabody Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Leon Fleisher. Jennifer’s most recent orchestral performances have been with the York Symphony Orchestra in York, Pennsylvania, under the direction of Lawrence Golan, where she has won the position of section violist. She has also performed with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, where she plays as a substitute violist. Jennifer graduated from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she received both her Master’s degree in viola performance, and her Bachelor’s degree in viola performance and music education under the guidance of Victoria Chiang. She is currently the Strings Director at Glenwood Middle School.
Teaches Monday, Friday, and Saturday
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.