Piano Faculty
Piano Faculty* (Professor Faculty)
Seho Young
Born and raised in Boston, MA, pianist and composer Seho Young has appeared on stages across the globe, from Carnegie Hall and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to international venues in Japan, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Seho holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Princeton University and a Masters in Music from Yale School of Music. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music, studying under James Giles.
Seho is also a passionate composer and arranger, having written original work for orchestras, film, and musical theater.
Piano Faculty
Collin Jinks
Collin is a native of Minnesota. He has garnered awards such as third prize in the Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, second prize in the Schubert Club Competition, and first prize and the Chopin Foundation of the United States’ endowed Chopin Prize at the Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition. Collin has appeared in faculty recital at the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival and was named the 2024 Pauline Lindsey Award recipient at Northwestern University.
Collin pursued studies with Jack Winerock and Steven Spooner at The University of Kansas and with Yoshikazu Nagai at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Currently, he is pursuing graduate studies with James Giles Northwestern University.
Collin strives to develop in his students a love of music through warm teacher-pupil relationships, balanced study habits, and belief in oneself.
Piano Faculty
Zaira Castillo
Zaira Castillo is a dynamic pianist and collaborator. Recent appearances include the Los Angeles Liszt International Piano Competition, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance, the Frequency Festival, and the Impromptu Festival. In Chicago, Zaira has performed at several venues including Constellation Chicago, the Epiphany Center for the Arts, Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, Experimental Sound Studios, and Clara Chicago. She serves as the publicity director for the Locus Ensemble and co-founded Duo Riso, specializing in classical and contemporary piano/clarinet repertoire. Guided by her teaching philosophy, she believes in nurturing each student's unique musical journey and is committed to making music accessible and enjoyable to all of her students.
Adult Piano Faculty
Sonya Ur
Sonya Ur, who is a native of the North Shore area began her classical training in piano at the age of 4 and violin at the age of 9. She did most of her musical training in both piano and violin at the Music Institute Of Chicago in Winnetka. She received her Undergraduate degree for piano performance at the University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Masters for piano performance and pedagogy at Northwestern University in Evanston. Her professional memberships include MTNA, CAMTA, and NSMTA. She currently teaches private piano and is the accompanist for the choir program at Niles West High School in Skokie. She also does accompanying for many Suzuki programs and adjudicates many festivals all over the North Shore.
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche
Piano Faculty
Nancy DeHaven
Nancy DeHaven has been an active musician and independent piano teacher in the Chicago area for over thirty years. She has a B.A. in Music Theory from DePaul University where she studied classical piano with Melody Lord Lundberg. In addition she studied jazz with Alan Swain in Evanston. She was one of the original staff pianists at Nordstrom Old Orchard when the store opened in 1993 and has extensive experience playing piano in the many hotel lobbies in the greater Chicagoland area, as well as on the cruise ships docked at Navy Pier. She has been a choir director, a worship leader, a camp music director, and continues to compose and arrange music on a regular basis. In a previous life she played guitar and performed solo as a singer-songwriter as well in ensembles performing music as diverse as Balkan and bluegrass.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Tzu-Jung Jennifer Wang
Taiwanese Soprano, Tzu-Jung Jennifer Wang is passionate about collaboration and continues to explore the vast music styles in different cultures. In 2024, Ms. Wang performed three concerts at the Mostly Modern Festival, in Saratoga Springs, NY. Ms. Wang appeared as Barbarina in the Chicago Summer Opera production of Le nozze di Figaro, and sang in Taiwan’s National Hall for the Peabody New Star Recital this past Summer. Ms. Wang holds a M.M. in Voice Performance & Pedagogy at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Wang's teaching emphasizes building trust through clear communication and gaining confidence through exploration and solidification of students' techniques
Piano Faculty
Jesse Dunn
J. Lincoln (M.M.) is a Chicago based pianist, song writer and educator. During his studies he received recognition for excellence in chamber music at the Chicago College of Performing Arts Chamber Showcase, and took 2nd place in the Wheaton College Keyboard Concerto Competition. After completing his graduate studies, J. turned to jazz and began his role as a hired gun in studio and on stage. His work has appeared on various projects spanning classical, rock, funk, soul and jazz.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Catarine Hancock
Catarine Hancock is a mezzo-soprano originally from Lexington, Kentucky. She holds a Master of Music from Indiana University, studying with Jane Dutton. She earned her B.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky. While at Indiana University, she performed Third Lady in the 2021 production of The Magic Flute, and originated the role of Margot Frank in the world premiere of Anne Frank in 2023. She has performed the role of Hansel in Hansel und Gretel at the Trentino Music Festival in Italy, as well as Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible and Zita in Gianni Schicchi, both with University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. She is the 2nd Place Undergraduate Winner of the 2017 Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition, and a semi-finalist in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Orpheus Vocal Competition. She has had 12 years of classical voice training, as well as several years of experience singing musical theatre, and nearly a decade of piano experience. She is also a skilled choral musician, having sung with prestigious ensembles such as UK Chorale, Indiana University’s NOTUS, and Chicago Chamber Choir. Her teaching philosophy is centered around building a strong foundation that can then be adapted to any genre.
Piano Faculty
Yi Ding
Yi Ding was born into a musical family. Yi entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of 9 and soon made his orchestra debut performing ‘Beethoven Concerto No. 1’ with Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra.
Yi’s artistic achievements are not only limited to the concert scenes but also extended to art
societies across the U.S. and China. His recent activities include serving as a judge member at
the 2024 ‘AIM’ music exam in Chicago; guest artist at the annual Gala Concert at the Chinese
Embassy in the U.S., and at the ‘Harbin Pedagogy Week’ in China.
Piano, Voice, and Acoustic Guitar Faculty
Elijah McTiernan
Elijah McTiernan is a singer/multi-instrumentalist based in Chicago. As a pianist, they specialize in lead sheet performance and music theory. As a guitarist and vocalist, they have honed their technique as one half of the harmony-heavy acoustic duo "Lake and Luke", having most recently played on Navy Pier for Harry Caray's Summer Music Series. They are also a theatre artist, having performed in union and non-union productions in Boston and Chicago. Elijah graduated from The University of Maine with a B.M in Music Education, developing an educational focus on teaching to the individual with an emphasis on intrinsic motivation.
Piano Faculty* (Professor Faculty)
Lam Wong
Praised for “great imagination and extraordinary musicality” (Shantou Daily), Lam Wong has appeared in numerous music festivals and concert venues across America and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician, including Ravinia, Aspen, Sarasota, and Norfolk. He is the winner of the Thaviu-Isaak, Lillian Fuchs, and Dover Competition.
He has recorded for New Focus Recordings, and his recent performance was broadcast on WFMT 98.7. Wong holds degrees from Manhattan and Yale Schools of Music and a DMA from Northwestern University. He currently serves as the Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy at Northwestern. He is also an active presenter and sought-after adjudicator.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Nora Harstford
Nora is a vocalist and music teacher with roots in jazz, folk, and contemporary music genres. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Nora spent her formative years attending rock music camps, participating in musicals, and performing vocal jazz competitively. After moving to Chicago, Nora attended the Chicago College of Performing Arts to earn a Bachelor's of Music. Recently she has performed around Chicago including venues like the Jazz Showcase, Fulton Street Collective, Jazz Union League Club, and much more. Her teaching mission is to create a welcoming and expressive environment for her students to grow and learn.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Tiffany Melvin
Born in Kalamazoo, MI, Tiffany Melvin holds a Bachelor's of Music focused in vocal performance and music education from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL. As a performer, she is trained in the classical, music theater and jazz vocal technique. Tiffany's theatrical resume contains more than 30 roles ranging from Belle in Beauty and the Beast, to Lucy from The Beggars Opera. She has participated in masterclasses with notable composers and coaches, as well as placed in multiple competitions. As an educator, Tiffany’s motto is "To build musicians that are literate, expressive performers and conscious consumers of ALL kinds of music."
Piano and Voice Faculty
Joy Yelenosky
Joy Yelenosky has been involved in various prestigious international music programs from an early age. Joy received a full scholarship during her certification in Piano Performance from the “Conservatorio Julian Aguirre” in Argentina, where she took part of summer intensive training and annual examinations. She has been an active participant at the Florence Opera Seminar (Italy), the Torgau International Artist Workshop (Germany), and the Stonybrook International Piano festival of New York (NY). She was selected as a Young Steinway Talent to perform a full piano solo recital at the age of 16.
Music has connected Joy to people all over the world and she’s looking forward to inspiring her students to reach for their dreams and musical goals. Joy obtained her Classical Voice Performance degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts and obtained her Master's degree in Vocal Performance at Notre Dame University.
Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Mandolin and Piano Faculty
Mike Vinopal
Mike Vinopal is a guitarist and songwriter, best known as the founder of Chicago’s lyrical funk/soul band, Local Motive. Having worked with renowned producer/engineer Noam Wallenberg (Alan Parsons, Mac Miller) at Rax Trax Recording (Buddy Guy, George Clinton) on a large discography of original material, Mike's compositions can be found on all streaming platforms. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, he was immersed in a musical family. His dad and uncles would often gather around the family piano with guitars to harmonize to their favorite Beatles' songs. Beginning piano lessons in kindergarten, Mike discovered his passion for guitar and other stringed instruments early in his teens, amassing an impressive collection of instruments throughout his life.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Sol Adam Lehman
Sol Adam Lehman is a countertenor and pianist in the Chicago area. Their recent performances include the role of Ottone in Handel’s Agrippina with Chicago Summer Opera and as Raphael in Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel. Additionally, they starred in the live premiere of David Shenton's On Call: COVID-19.
Lehman is passionate about Voice Science and is committed to providing a scientifically informed, individualized, and artistically sensitive approach to vocal education.
Lehman holds a B.A. in Music from Austin College and an M.M. in Voice Performance from Roosevelt University/Chicago College of Performing Arts. Lehman is a current student of Dr. Kari Ragan.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Chungers Kim
Chungers Kim has established himself as a vibrant presence in the Chicago classical music scene since he moved to the city in early 2012. As a Music Director and vocal coach, he is very active in directing and/or playing for numerous rehearsals, shows, and recitals. He has directed and conducted many beloved Broadway shows such as: Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, Shrek the Musical, and The Sound of Music.
Mr. Kim is also an active concert soloist and opera singer. He has appeared as Masetto in Don Giovanni at The Bohemian National Cemetery, as Don Pasquale from Don Pasquale, as The Watchman from Maskarade, and as Schaunard from La Boheme. In the classical concert setting, Mr. Kim sang in Haydn’s Te Deum with VOX3 Collectives and Lakeview Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with St. Croix Valley Orchestra, as well as J.S.Bach’s Cantata BWV131 with the UW-River Falls Concert Choir.
Piano Faculty
Ami Hatori
Ami Hatori, a native of Japan, is pursuing a M.M. in Piano Performance at Northwestern University, studying with Christopher Guzman. She earned a B.M. in Piano Performance from Lawrence University, where she studied with Catherine Kautsky. Ami has won awards in competitions and performed with the Hershey Symphony Orchestra and Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. Passionate about community engagement, Ami participates in concerts like Music for Food and performs in venues such as prisons, nursing homes, and hospitals. Her teaching philosophy centers on fostering a love for music and creating a supportive environment for students to achieve their musical goals with confidence and enjoyment.
Piano and Voice Faculty
Christina Rosheger
Cristina Rosheger is a soprano from the Chicagoland area. She recently completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance at DePaul University, where she performed with the DePaul Opera Theatre and DePaul University Choirs. Summer study has taken her to Urbino, Italy and Graz, Austria where she studied language and culture along with operatic repertoire and technique. With two supportive teachers as parents, Ms. Rosheger has always felt nurtured to follow her passions, and works to inspire the same in the next generation of musicians.
Violin, Viola, and Piano Faculty
Jake Westerbeke
Jake Westerbeke is a violist interested in helping others express themselves through music. Born in West Michigan, Jake attended the University of Michigan where he received his degree in Viola Performance. In his time in Michigan, he performed with numerous ensembles and orchestras, gaining valuable experience in making music with others. Some of these groups include: Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Symphony, and the U-M Percussion Ensemble, which went on to receive a Grammy Nomination for Best Orchestral Performance in 2022. Since moving to Evanston to pursue his Master’s in Viola Performance at Northwestern University, Jake is excited for new opportunities in the Chicagoland area!