Instructor List
Brian Widder, Owner and Piano Instructor
Brian Widder received a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from
the UW-Platteville, and has a Master of Music degree in
Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the UW-Madison. He
has been teaching piano privately for over 20 years. He
is also an active performer in the Madison area for
weddings, receptions, dinner parties, & other special
events.
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Chris Allen, Guitar,
Banjo, Mandolin, and Ukulele Instructor
Chris Allen has been teaching students age five and
up since 1998. Chris received both a Master of Arts and
Bachelor of Arts degrees in classical guitar performance
from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SUIC).
Chris was active in the SUIC Jazz Ensemble, and has been
performing in other ensembles with established musicians
in Southern Illinois. Chris is currently pursuing a
Doctorate in classical guitar performance with a minor
in jazz studies at the UW-Madison.
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Stacey Binder, Violin Instructor
Stacey Binder received the Master of Music degree
in violin performance from the UW-Madison, where she was
a student of Vartan Manoogian. In addition to teaching
private lessons for 14 years, Stacey was an Upper
Strings Sectional Coach and a chamber music coach for
the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO). She also
has served as a judge for WYSO and for WSMA's Solo and
Ensemble Festivals. Stacey has been a substitute
violinist for the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has
performed in productions by the Four Seasons
Theatre. Stacey has an interest in teaching the violin
to the visually impaired. Her article "Rewards and
Challenges of Teaching Blind String Students" was
published in the February 2002 issue of the American
String Teacher.
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Christopher Cramer, Guitar Instructor
Classical guitarist Christopher Cramer began his
music studies at the UW-Manitowoc, where he won a number
of awards including the UW-Manitowoc County Fine Arts
Award in the Area of Music. He went on to complete his
undergraduate training at the UW-Milwaukee and the
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where he won first
place in the annual WCM scholarship competition in
classical guitar. Continuing his studies at the
UW-Madison, Dr. Cramer earned both his masters and
doctorate degrees in music performance under the
direction of renowned guitarist Javier Calderon.
While at the UW-Madison, Dr. Cramer undertook an
intensive study of instrumental conducting with
respected conductor and pedagogue David E. Becker,
ultimately leading to a doctoral minor in the discipline
and the opportunity to work with the UW-Madison Symphony
Orchestra.
From college campuses to performing arts centers, Dr.
Cramer has performed in the United States, Canada, and
Taiwan. In addition to performing as a solo recitalist
and as a soloist with orchestra, Dr. Cramer is also an
active chamber musician collaborating with various
instrumentalists and singers. In the fall of 2008, Dr.
Cramer joined the faculty at Beloit College where he
teaches studio guitar lessons and directs the guitar
ensemble program. He also teaches guitar related courses
at the UW-Madison and the UW-Rock County. Former faculty
engagements have included Edgewood College and the
UW-Manitowoc.
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Melissa Gregory-Simon, Viola and
Violin Instructor
Melissa Gregory-Simon, the enthusiastic WYSO
viola sectional coach and chamber music coach, comes to
us from Chicago with over 20 years of teaching experience. She has a Bachelors from DePaul
University and a Masters degree from Roosevelt
University, both in Viola Performance. She studied
extensively with Li-Kuo Chang, assistant principal
violist of the Chicago Symphony. During her 10 years in
the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, she worked with many
notable conductors and artists including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, Luciano Pavarotti, and Gidon
Kramer. She occasionally
plays for the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber
Orchestra. Melissa's teaching methods combine
Suzuki with traditional methods. She also has extensive experience working with
children with special needs.
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Timm Gould, Piano, Saxophone, and Clarinet
Instructor
Timm Gould has over 36 years of teaching and performing
experience. Timm holds a Bachelor of Music Education
degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and a
Masters in Performance from the UW-Madison. Timm has
played second clarinet in the Wisconsin Chamber
Orchestra since 1986 and also plays in the Caravan Gypsy
Swing Ensemble. His experience with other musical forms
includes playing clarinet and saxophone with Yid Vicious
(Klezmer), the Reptile Palace Orchestra (world music),
and clarinet with The Music Fix (contemporary trio).
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Kriss Hamilton, Piano, Flute,
Saxophone, and Clarinet Instructor
Kriss Hamilton was born and raised in Wisconsin. She received
a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the UW-Eau
Claire and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance
and Pedagogy from the Wichita
State University. She has taught private music lessons
in a wide variety of settings, including homes, music
stores, and schools.
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Edith Hines, Violin Instructor
Edith Hines is currently enrolled in the doctorate
program in violin performance at the University of
Wisconsin—Madison. She received a Master of Music in
Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory and
a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the
Cleveland Institute of Music. She has performed with
many symphonies and chamber music groups, including the
Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic
Orchestra. She has received many performance awards and
honors, including a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate
Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin, and the CIM
Alumni Association Artistic Achievement Award in 2000
and 2001.
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Christina Jenkins,
Voice Instructor
Christina Jenkins, a soprano, recently moved back to
the Madison area after finishing her Master’s of Music
in Vocal Performance at the University of Nevada-Las
Vegas in December 2007. While in Las Vegas for three
years, she was employed by UNLV as a private instructor
and classroom instructor, where she taught beginner and
intermediate singers and performers. In 2008, she was a
finalist in the Graduate/Adult Division at the NATS
competition in the Nevada/Utah Division. In addition to
regularly singing in competitions around the U.S., she
has also sung many opera roles, such as Lady Billow’s in
Albert Herring and First Lady in Die Zaubeflöte.
Christina received her B.A. in Vocal Performance from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005 and is
currently a private student of soprano, Julia Faulkner.
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Kirsten Lempp, Violin, Viola,
and Piano Instructor
Kristen "Kiki" Lempp received her Instrumental Music
Education Bachelor of Arts degree at UW-Madison and
studied violin with Prof. Tyrone Greive and piano with
Prof. Todd Welbourne. Having taught private piano and
violin lessons for the past four years for students age
3 through adult, she has played violin in the University
Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and currently plays in
the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra and the Cassiopeia String
Quartet. She also has been playing piano for the past
sixteen years and actively accompanies and substitutes
for local church pianists. This past summer, she was the
violist coach for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American
String Teacher Association Music Camps at Lake Lucerne.
She also enjoys writing new musical compositions in her
spare time for a broad range of ensembles and
instruments. She has won the UW-Madison School of Music
Church String Scholarship two years in a row for
Instrumental Music Education and is strong supporter for
arts education in public schools.
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Hikari Maekawa,
Piano Instructor
Hikari Maekawa holds a Bachelor of Music in
Piano Performance with Pedagogy Emphasis and
Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from University
of Nebraska at Kearney. She also enjoys chamber
music and has attended Green Lake Chamber Music
Workshops, where she studied with Amelia Piano Trio.
Hikari plans to attend the graduate program in Piano
Performance and Pedagogy at UW-Madison next year.
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Miles
McConnell, Guitar Instructor
Miles McConnell is an active performer and teacher
of guitar. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in
classical guitar performance from the University of
Wisconsin – Madison (2010), a Master of Music degree
from the University of North Texas (2007), and a
Bachelor of Music degree from Florida Southern College
(2005). While at North Texas, Miles was a Teaching
Fellow, and he teaches guitar in a variety of styles to
students of all ages. Miles has performed throughout
Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, both
as a soloist and as a member of various classical and
jazz ensembles. In 2005 he performed at the American
String Teachers (ASTA) National Convention in Reno,
Nevada. In May of 2009, Miles appeared as soloist with
the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra in a performance
of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez at Illinois
Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois.
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Laura Mericle,
Violin Instructor
Laura Mericle holds a Master of Music degree in
violin performance from the University of Wisconsin,
where she studied with David Perry. Laura received her
Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, where she
studied music and economics. While a student at Barnard
she studied violin at the Manhattan School of Music with
Peter Winograd. An active orchestral and chamber
musician, Laura has played with the Madison Symphony
Orchestra, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia
University Bach Society, and several chamber ensembles.
She is currently a chamber music and orchestra coach for
the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and works
closely with violin pedagogue Bonnie Greene.
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Joseph Spoelstra,
Guitar, Bass Guitar, and Ukulele Instructor
Joseph Spoelstra holds a Master of Music
in classical guitar performance from the University of
Southern California and a Bachelor of Music in classical
guitar performance from the University of Minnesota,
where he was awarded the John Chatterton Scholarship.
His primary teachers have been William Kanengiser
(founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet),
Jeffrey Van, and Brian Head. Joseph has also had the
opportunity to study in classes and privately with
guitarists David Russell, Scott Tennant, Sharon Isbin,
Dusan Bogdanovic, and Pepe Romero.
Since returning to the Midwest in 2008, Joseph performs
regularly as a soloist in the region and can also be
heard in a variety of ensemble settings: performing in
the orchestra at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis;
with the Twin Cities based contemporary music group,
Renegade Ensemble; in chamber groups with vocalists and
instrumentalists; and accompanying choral groups.
As a teacher, Joe enjoys
working with students of all ages from the very young to
older adult students. He is beginning certification in
the Suzuki Method to better work with young students (4
years and up). His experience as a teacher and performer
in L.A. and Minneapolis have lead to a variety of
teaching opportunities in many styles of guitar:
classical, rock, jazz, and blues. An enthusiastic and
adaptable instructor, Joe wants to help everyone achieve
their musical goals and become a well-rounded musician
and music lover.
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Tracy Wundrock,
Guitar Instructor (Currently on Sabbatical)
Tracy Wundrock studied piano, guitar, voice, and
music theory under the direction of private music
instructors for 15 years collectively, and is
currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in
guitar performance at UW-Madison. Tracy has taught
individual and group guitar and piano lessons for
several years, specializing in classical, folk, and
popular styles.
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