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Niria Cole

Mariana Green Hill

Mariana Green-Hill marks this upcoming year as the 14th anniversary as Founder and Director of Four Strings Academy, an intensive string program held during the summer geared to children, ages 4-18 and some adults, demonstrating the potential to become professional musicians and love for the art form.  

 

Mrs. Green-Hill is also the Strings Director at Boston Arts Academy under the leadership of Gregory Holt, directing both technique and orchestral classes for the school’s string students. From 2012-2013, her role was expanded to teach violin at the Orchard Gardens School under the leadership of Principal Andrew Bott with his Arts Initiative Team also considered President Obama’s choice turn around school in Boston.

Along with these responsibilities, she currently serves as Artistic Advisor to the Artistic Director of Project STEP program located in Boston’s Symphony Hall, where she teaches, coaches and advises students and parents grades K-12. Ms. Green-Hill also performs in various venues as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches privately and as a member of the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory Division.

 

Mariana Green-Hill is a multi- prize Winner of The Sphinx Competition as well as the recipient of the 2009 Sanford Allen Award in recognition of her “artistic merit, persistence, and extraordinary achievement.” She has also won first place in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Harry and Marion Dubbs Competitions. Mrs. Green-Hill has been a featured guest soloist with the New Jersey, Memphis, Detroit, and Boston Symphony Orchestras and The Boston Pops. In addition to her solo performances, she is an experienced chamber and orchestral musician.  The Amaryllis String Quartet, of which she was a member, was awarded First Prize in the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (Jr. Division).  Ms. Green-Hill has performed with YoYo Ma, Pamela Frank, Lynn Chang, Marcus Thomson, and with members of the Houston and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. She was also a member of the Young Eight String Octet for six seasons.

Mariana Green-Hill is one of the Concertmasters of Soulful Symphony, a symphony ensemble made up of classical orchestra, big-band and gospel choir. Their performance of “Song in a Strange Land” composed and directed by Darrin Atwater earned an Emmy. This ensemble has also performed in collaboration with members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Green-Hill is the one of the violinists of the MarNi Duothat performed for a benefit concert for the now President Barak Obama in Boston’s Jordan Hall.  She enjoys performing with non-classical musicians, and has recorded with gospel artists Donnie McClurkin and Richard Smallwood. She has also performed with the “Gorillaz,” and with Joss Stone and Alicia Keys. Ms. Green-Hill studied violin under the auspices of Project STEP and attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts. She received her Bachelor and Masters Degrees from The Juilliard School and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes College of Music under the respective tutelage of the late Dean Stephen Clapp, Dr. Ann Setzer and Ida Kavafian.

President/ Hear Training & Music Theory Instructor

Dennis L. Slaughter, Ed.M, DLP,  born and reared in Jackson, Mississippi, is the son, grandson, brother, nephew, and cousin of preachers, pastors, lay speakers, and church musicians. He began directing childen’s church choirs when he was ten years old and participated in leadership roles in school and church choirs throughout his middle school, high school, and college years. 
 
Brother Dennis, as he is affectionately known, is founding director of the Boston Community Gospel Choir and since 1995 has been artistic director of the Boston Pops Orchestra Gospel Choir. He has received numerous awards for his talent and community service including:
·      Bearer of the Flame, Passing the Torch Award (Boston Renaissance Charter School)
·      Boston Neighborhood Fellows Award (The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc.)
·      Community Builder Award (Town of Milton, Massachusetts)
·      Gospel Music Award (New England Conservatory of Music)
 
Brother Dennis Slaughter has served as Minister of Music in Mississippi, Colorado, and Massachusetts. He has filled leadership posts in Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, and United Methodist churches over his 40 years of service.
 
In addition to his musical life, Brother Dennis is also an educator. He began his career as a teacher, and then went on to be a principal, central office administrator, program director, and organization development specialist. He has over 25 years of direct experience in organization development, crisis management, advocacy, team building, consulting, and community outreach/organizing. He holds an undergraduate degree in Music from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s degree in Education Administration and Policy Studies from Boston University, and a doctoral degree in Law & Policy from Northeastern University.
 
He is the proud husband of Dr. Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter (a clinical psychologist to whom he has been happily married since 1985). They are the blessed parents of two adult sons, Khari and Gyasi. He is convinced that through God, all things are possible.

President of the Board/ Hear Training & Music Theory Instructor

Marcus Hurt

Marco Alexander, born Marcus Alexander Hurt, is an American (aspiring international) Pop/R&B Singer/Songwriter and all around ARTIST. Being born in Memphis TN and listening to such artists as Jackie Wilson, Phil Collins, Frankie Lymon, Sam Cooke, Sting, and Michael Jackson; he started his study of music at an extremely young age. Along with being exposed to such artists, he is also the youngest cousin of Andrew Love; of the late horn section duo, “The Memphis Horns.” These artists, along with legendary family members, have taught Marco to develop a style that is not only untouchable, but also timeless. Marco grew up watching his mother lead the church choir, while sitting next to the organ player so that he wouldn’t get into trouble. It was very clear that he was destined to be around the arts for a very long time. With his parents being instrumentalists & vocalists, he was often granted the opportunity to travel and study sounds that were unfamiliar to him; whether it was the sound of beating on pots and pans, or listening to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra perform The Sea Symphony on a school trip. He always seemed to be extremely interested in every aspect of the performing arts. Marco started in piano lessons at a very young age however, started to study string instruments soon after entering the third grade. He was also a part of one of the nations leading children's choirs, “The Angels of Praise” under the direction of Anthony Q. Richardson (whom he gives credit for a lot of his vocal ambition). As a result, Marco was granted the opportunity to represent several professional symphony orchestras and industry music organizations on television/radio airings as a young prodigy. During his senior year in high school, Marcus got the opportunity to make his Carnegie Hall debut with the National Festival Symphony performing Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. At the point of graduating high school, Marcus was already venturing into the theater world where he won his first audition. Since then, he has been featured in shows such as Thoroughly Modern Millie (Chorus), Aida (as Mereb) in four different theaters, Dreamgirls (CC), and more. This is where Marcus found a new love for production design and had already begun designing his future shows under the name "Marco Alexander". Marco received a bachelors degree in Music Education & Music Performance, with a minor in music business from the University of Memphis, where he studied with John Chiego. After countless success at the University, this led him to perform with over 23 orchestras nationwide and tour on national soundtrack tours with Disney and Nintendo. 

Continue reading Mr. Alexander's bio at http://marcoalexander.com/biography/

Artistic Director - String Bass/Industry Vocals/Resident Composer/West African Rhythms

Caroline Williams

Caroline Williams completed her undergrad degree in cello performance at the age of 19. Prior to accepting a full scholarship to pursue gradate studies at the Longy School of Music, she toured the U.S., Canada, England, France, Russia, Spain, and Portugal as  a member of several chamber ensembles, including Boston Youth Symphony.

At 21, she received her master's degree in cello performance with an emphasis in cello pedagogy. Since then Ms Reiner-Williams has enjoyed a busy schedule as both a performer and teacher. A Faculty member at the Joy of Music Program in Worcester since 2009 and at Indian Hill Music in Littleton since 2012, She is also currently on the music faculty at Notre Dame Academy of Worcester, and Shrewsbury, Ma Public Schools. 

Past faculty positions include Brooks School in North Andover; Fay School in Southborough; and the Bancroft School of Worcester. Ms. Reiner-Williams is active throughout New England as a chamber and orchestral musician. She performs regularly with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, where she is contracted associate principal cello since 2009. Also in 2009, stemming from her deep love of chamber music, Caroline founded the Nashaway Trio with husband and violinist Angel Hernandez, and pianist Roy Imperio. The trio gave its premiere performance on the Webster Recital Series in Hanover, NH, and continues to perform together across New England.”

Keith Sanders

Keith Sanders, has garnered a reputation as one of the most versatile performers on the music scene today.  His passion for creating has led him to composing, arranging, theatrical performances, singing and dancing.  His diverse performances include being a Cirquador (Circus Ambassador- performing throughout the community for Cirque Du Soleil’s “Kooza” and utilizing electric effects, creating bowed, plucked and looped percussion effects to collaborate with “Sounds in Bloom” & “Dr.T and the Vortex Other Dimension Ensemble. His dedication to passing the craft of music on to the next generation through creative arts & educational workshops has led him to Cameroon working with Cultures in Harmony, and teaching throughout Boston. Keith was awarded the coveted Glazier Scholarship to attend the Hartt School of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree, followed by a Master of Music degree in Modern American Music from the Longy School of Music in Boston, MA.

Violin & Viola Instructor - Improvistaition

David Caines Burnett

Mr. David Burnett began taking private violin lessons with Galina Heifetz after being admitted into Music and Art High School. After Music and Art, he went to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Marilyn McDonald. After Oberlin, he studied at The Boston Conservatory of Music and studied with Lynn Chang.

 

In 1987, Mr. Burnett founded the West Village String Quartet, an African American string quartet that performs music from the Classical repertoire.

 

Since its' beginning, the West Village String Quartet has kept a busy schedule of concerts, recitals and other public performances. The Quartet made has made noteworthy appearances on Entertainment Tonight, 20/20, Queens Access Public Television and PBS's Children's Express. Articles about the Quartet have appeared in the North County News, The Croton Gazette, Reader's Digest, The Amsterdam News, The Daily News and The New York Times. The West Village Quartet has performed for Philip Morris, New York Telephone, The Essence Awards, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Ford Foundation, The National Association of Black Accountants, Former Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch and David Dinkins at Gracie Mansion.

 

The West Village Quartet has made its' debut in the West Indies on the Island of Antigua, St. Kitts and Jamaica. They have also performed in Tallahassee (Florida), Covington (Georgia), and in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle said, "The West Village Quartet played with vigorous musicality....". The quartet has also performed in music festivals held in Yachats (Oregon), and the Beethoven Festival held in Ossining (Long Island).

 

Mr. Burnett has taught at Harlem School of the Arts for 31 years, The Langston Hughes Middle School for 15 years and in The MAP Program at The Juilliard School of Music for two years.

Mr. David Burnett began taking private violin lessons with Galina Heifetz after being admitted into Music and Art High School. After Music and Art, he went to Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Marilyn McDonald. After Oberlin, he studied at The Boston Conservatory of Music and studied with Lynn Chang.

 

In 1987, Mr. Burnett founded the West Village String Quartet, an African American string quartet that performs music from the Classical repertoire.

 

Since its' beginning, the West Village String Quartet has kept a busy schedule of concerts, recitals and other public performances. The Quartet made has made noteworthy appearances on Entertainment Tonight, 20/20, Queens Access Public Television and PBS's Children's Express. Articles about the Quartet have appeared in the North County News, The Croton Gazette, Reader's Digest, The Amsterdam News, The Daily News and The New York Times. The West Village Quartet has performed for Philip Morris, New York Telephone, The Essence Awards, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Ford Foundation, The National Association of Black Accountants, Former Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch and David Dinkins at Gracie Mansion.

 

The West Village Quartet has made its' debut in the West Indies on the Island of Antigua, St. Kitts and Jamaica. They have also performed in Tallahassee (Florida), Covington (Georgia), and in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle said, "The West Village Quartet played with vigorous musicality....". The quartet has also performed in music festivals held in Yachats (Oregon), and the Beethoven Festival held in Ossining (Long Island).

 

Mr. Burnett has taught at Harlem School of the Arts for 31 years, The Langston Hughes Middle School for 15 years and in The MAP Program at The Juilliard School of Music for two years.

Violin Instructor

Samuel Thompson

Samuel Thompson enjoys a career as a performer, journalist and arts administrator. Recent solo appearances include the premiere of playwright Bill Barclay’s The Black Mozart at the Tanglewood Music Center and the East Coast premiere of Florence Price's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey.

 

Samuel has been heard in venues including The REACH at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall,

the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), August Wilson African-American Cultural Center (Pittsburgh), Wortham Theatre Center (Houston) and Koerner Hall (Toronto) in addition to numerous concerts and recitals in cities including New Haven, Washington DC, Baltimore, Austin, Chicago, Miami, and both Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina. Internationally, he has been appeared on stages in the Bahamas, Guadeloupe and Cameroon, and has participated in Spoleto Festival USA, the Gateways Music Festival, the Colour of Music Festival and the International Saint-Georges Festival.

 

An active member of the Baltimore/Washington arts community, Samuel appeared as guest concertmaster of the Peabody Concert Opera for the 2016 premiere of Paul Crabtree's The Ghost Train, and he performs regularly with Philadelphia’s Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and several ensembles in Washington DC. Dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion in arts education, Samuel became Program Director of the Bridges Music Program after two years as a program instructor.

 

In 2019, Samuel was commissioned to write an article titled “Who’s Fighting for Racial Diversity in Classical Music” for online industry magazine 21cm.org. He has also written for Strings Magazine, the San José Chamber Orchestra, online industry magazine Violinist.com and Nigel Kennedy Online.

 

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Samuel received the Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music where he studied with Kenneth Goldsmith and Raphael Fliegel. He also studied at Oklahoma State University and the University of South Carolina.

Violin Instructor

Maureen Heflinger

Violist Maureen Heflinger is a multifaceted performer and educator who feels equally at home premiering new works, leading an orchestra sectional, and getting in and out of a headstand. Maureen grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she studied piano and violin before finally settling on the viola. Despite living in an igloo and riding polar bears to school, Maureen managed to move to Boston, where she now enjoys a varied freelance career and performs regularly with the New Bedford and Atlantic Symphony Orchestras. An avid chamber musician, Maureen's performances have ranged from three seasons with the Nova Fellows, to premiers of chamber works written in Denali National Park as part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. A recipient of a New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Grant, her trio, The Nix Ensemble, championed two rare works of Paul Hindemith in Project Heckelmith, which featured Hindemith's Heckelphone Trio, and a reading of his extraordinarily absurd play, Violamania. Maureen has been a prizewinner of the Philharmonic Society of Arlington Concerto Competition, and a National Finalist in the MTNA Soloist Competition. Recent performance highlights have included soloing in Paganini's La Campanella with viola orchestra at Idaho Viola Camp, and performing a livestream recital as a member of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. In her spare time, Maureen practices and teaches yoga, and studies Brazilian Portuguese. Maureen studied with Marcus Thompson at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Viola Instructor

Patrice Jackson-Tilghman

The brilliant and gifted cellist Patrice Jackson is carving a name for herself as a gifted and charismatic soloist. The Detroit News has described her as a "big-toned, boldly projected soloist" and the Hartford Courant stated that Ms. Jackson "wowed the audience with effortless facility, playful phrasing and a sense of spontaneity that one hears usually only from the highest caliber of musicians."


A native of St. Louis, Ms. Jackson began piano lessons with her mother at the age of three and cello lessons with her father at the age of eight. At thirteen she made her debut with the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra, performing the Elgar Cello Concerto. 

In 2002 Ms. Jackson was awarded first place in the Senior Laureate Division of the nationally renowned Sphinx Competition, and was the recipient of the 2002 Yale University Aldo Parisot Prize awarded to a "gifted cellist who shows promise for a concert career." Since then she has performed with the Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Omaha, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Nashville, Hartford, Chautauqua, Colorado and Mississippi Symphonies, as well as with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Jackson also made her international orchestral and recital debuts in South Africa in 2002.  Highlights of the 2018-2019 season included performances with Berklee's World Strings, Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Chamber Orchestra and Boston Conservatory's Faculty Recital Series.

Ms. Jackson has taken master classes with world-renowned Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, and has studied chamber music with Claude Frank and the Tokyo String Quartet at the Yale School of Music, as well as with the Juilliard String Quartet at the Juilliard School.  Ms. Jackson, who performs on an Alberto Blanchi cello generously donated by Franklin and Tresa McCallie of Kirkwood, Missouri and Doris Taylor Cope of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been a student of Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot, Joel Krosnick, and Bonnie Hampton. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Yale School of Music in New Haven. 


In addition to her classical credentials, Ms. Jackson has played behind some of the most iconic artists of our generation including Alicia Keys, Kanye West, J-Cole and Stevie Wonder. She is an Associate Professor of Cello at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Boston.

Cello Instructor

Nathaniel Taylor

Nathaniel Taylor, African-American/Filipino cellist, is establishing himself as a passionate and charismatic performer with a variety of solo, chamber, and orchestral music engagements across the United States. Nathaniel is the Grand Prize winner of the ASTA Masters Competition (2016), Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition (2017), and has received fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center (2017/2018) and with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (2018).

 

Nathaniel made his solo debut in 2016 with Jonathan McPhee and the Boston Conservatory Orchestra playing the Elgar Cello Concerto. He has appeared as soloist with the Lexington Symphony, cello ensemble “BoCoCelli”, and with Maestro Bruce Hangen and the Orchestra of Indian Hill.

 

An active chamber musician, Nathaniel has been chosen to play in the Chamber Music Honors Concerts at the Boston Conservatory in performances of Berg String Quartet Op.3, Ravel String Quartet, Shostakovich Piano Quintet, Brahms Piano Trio No.1, Dvorak “Dumky” Trio, and Tchaikovsky Piano Trio. He has received coaching from Yo-Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, the Juilliard Quartet, Judith Eissenberg of the Lydian Quartet, and Norman Fischer. He has also played at the Lincoln Center (2018) and Zankel Hall at Carnegie (2018) with the Soloists of New England. During summer of 2018, Nathaniel performed Beethoven String Quartet No.9 Op.59 no.3 in Ozawa Hall under the guidance of pianist Emmanuel Ax. A past highlight of this season was a performance of Schubert's famous Cello Quintet in C Major with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

 

Nathaniel received his B.M (2015), Graduate Performance Diploma (2017), Professional Studies Certificate (2018), and Artist Diploma (2020) from the Boston Conservatory where he studied with Rhonda Rider and Patrice Jackson. Nathaniel currently plays on a Kevin Kelly cello and a gold-mounted Salchow bow that was generously gifted to him by the Manganaro Family and Curme family.

Cello Instructor

Hyun-ji Kwon

Hyun-Ji Kwon, cellist, currently maintains an active schedule as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, and was the winner of the top prize at the Seoul Symphony Orchestra Competition and the third prize at the Seoul Youth Chamber Music Competition. She was the principal cellist for the Ewha orchestra and performed as a soloist with the orchestra for two consecutive years.

She came to Boston to study at the New England Conservatory, where she earned a Master of Music in cello performance as well as a Graduate Diploma. From there she moved on to complete a Doctor of Musical Arts in cello performance at Boston University’s School of Music, in the studio of Rhonda Rider. Her other teachers have included Natasha Brofsky, Il-hwan Bai and Sungwon Yang.

Kwon has performed in master classes for renowned cellists such as Natalia Gutman and Anner Bylsma, and she has participated in numerous music festivals and concerts in both Korea and North America. During her studies at BU, she was selected numerous times to perform in joint Faculty/DMA candidate “Chamber Music Masterworks” concerts, and she was awarded special String Department Honors upon graduation as well as membership in the national honorary society Pi Kappa Lambda. She has performed as guest alumna along with the celebrated Muir Quartet and violist Michelle LaCourse at BU’s Tsai Center, with the Convergence Ensemble, and in several other Boston area ensembles.

Kwon taught at Boston University as a cello faculty from 2015 to 2020. Currently she serves as a cello faculty at Phillips Exeter Academy, Co-Director of Boston University Tanglewood Institute(BUTI) Cello Workshop, cello coach at BUTI’s Young Artist Orchestra Program, and chamber instructor at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and at Project STEP. 

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Noah Umberto Kelly

 

Noah Umberto Kelly was born in Quito, Ecuador. He started his classical violin studies at the age of 6 through Project STEP’s FOCUS program and was one of Mariana Green-Hill’s first students. Noah was chosen as the recipient of the 2016-2017 Eleanor L. Campbell Scholar award which is given to one Project STEP student based on merit, dedication and an outstanding level of community involvement through outreach performances, ambassadorship and good will. Noah believes that being selected as a part of the Project STEP family changed the arc of his life.

 

Noah attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts and is currently entering his third year at New England Conservatory. He’s earning his Bachelor of Music degree in Contemporary Improvisation and studies with world-renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist, Hankus Netsky, and fiddler, Eden MacAdam-Somer. He spent the summer of 2019 touring Ireland and attending Irish traditional music festivals which culminated in Noah representing the United States in the 2019 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in August in Drogheda, County Louth.

 

He has performed with the Boston POPS String Chamber Orchestra, The Civic Symphony and The Landmarks Orchestra. Noah has benefitted greatly from the feedback he has received from the many masterclasses he has been fortunate to participate in over the past decade. In these masterclasses, he has been coached by amazing musicians such as Dianne Monroe, Owen Young, Victor Romanul, Mark O’Connor, Tai Murray, Rebecca Young, Ralph Farris, Grigory Kalinovsky, and the Harlem String Quartet.

Noah was a finalist in the Fidelity Young Artists competition in 2015 and 2016 and was chosen to perform at the Cape Symphony’s 2016 Opening Night concert with Grammy-award-winning violinist Mark O’Connor. When not playing classical music, Noah can be found playing Celtic fiddle tunes at Irish Sessions throughout Boston or classic rock on his electric violin.

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John Egan

John Egan grew up in the Greater Boston area and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance at the Eastman School of Music.  He has studied with many notable Violists including members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and conservatory faculty members from the Eastman School and Berklee College of Music.  In 2016 he was a Finalist in the Bacardi Fallon Scholarship Competition.  His orchestral engagements have played in Symphony Hall, Boston; Koussevitzky Music Shed and Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood; Jordan Hall, Boston; and music halls throughout Europe.  He has participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Luzerne Music Festival, and Bowdoin College International Music Festival programs. During the school year, Mr. Egan is an active chamber musician and is regularly coached by members of the Grammy winning Ying Quartet.  John has a passion for sharing his music with others; he teaches Viola and Violin, and can often be heard in the Boston Public Garden playing for onlookers who might not otherwise enjoy classical music.  In his free time, John runs, bikes, takes pictures, and cooks.  

Viola & Violin Instructor

Naira Cola

Over the course of her career, Naira Underwood-Cola has received recognition for her unique artistry and has received numerous accolades including winning the Doris Kahn Concerto Competition, being a semi-finalist in the National Sphinx Competition, and being awarded the Artist Award from the New York Foundation for the Arts.  As a soloist, she has been featured on NPR radio, WUWF Classic radio, and WEAR TV. Recent performances and broadcast include performing at the Kennedy Center with world-renowned jazz artist Steve Wilson, performing live on NPR radio and recording with World fiddle Master, Mark O’Conner.  

 

Mrs. Underwood-Cola is currently a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and has toured with Ensemble Du Monde chamber orchestra. Mrs. Cola has served as an Artist in Residence for the Sphinx Performance Academy, Queens Borough Community College, and The Noel Pointer School of Music.  She serves as the Artistic Director of the Four Strings Academy in Boston, MA, and has served as the Artistic Director for the Noel Pointer School of Music. As a pedagogue and advocate for arts education, she has instructed hundreds of students in Brooklyn, and throughout the New York Metropolitan area.  Mrs. Cola received her training under the tutelage of Sally Thomas and Dr. Ann Setzer at the Mannes College of Music and New York University ‘s Steinhart School for her undergrad and graduate studies, and postgraduate at the Juilliard School as apart of the Emerging Ensembles Program. 

Posthumous Artisic Director

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Keith Sanders
Caitlin Edwards
Patrice Jackson-Tilghman
Kendal Ramseur
John Egan
Marcus Hurt
David Caines Burnett
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