Instructor List
Brian Widder, Owner and Piano Instructor
Brian 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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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 studied music
theory and history, participated in the choir, and
played guitar as part of the UW-Manitowoc Big
Band. Christopher 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. Christopher continued his studies at the
UW-Madison earning both his masters and doctorate
degrees in music performance under the direction of
renowned guitarist Javier Calderon. While at Madison,
Christopher undertook and 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, Christopher has performed in both the U.S.
and Canada. Christopher made his concerto debut in 2005
performing Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in D major for
guitar and strings with the Madison East Orchestra. The
following spring Christopher performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s
ever-popular Concierto de Aranjuez with his
sister Elizabeth accompanying on piano. In addition to
performing as a solo recitalist and as a soloist with
orchestra, Christopher is also an active chamber
musician collaborating with various instrumentalists and
singers.
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Keith Dixon, Voice Instructor
Keith Dixon, baritone, is a native of Detroit,
Michigan where he graduated from Martin Luther King Jr.
Senior High School. While a student at King High School,
Keith received third place in the Great Lakes Opera
Vocal Competition High School Division and was selected
as one of sixteen students from the state of Michigan to
be a featured soloist at the Michigan Youth Arts
Festival held on the campus of Western Michigan
University in Kalamazoo. Following high school, he
attended the University of Michigan to study voice with
Daniel Washington. Upon receiving his bachelors in vocal
performance, Keith was awarded the Advanced Opportunity
Fellowship Award from the University of Wisconsin to
pursue a Masters degree in vocal performance under the
supervision of Julia Faulkner.
Keith made his debut with the UW-Madison Opera
Theatre performing the role of Il Conte from Mozart’s Le
Nozze di Figaro. He made his first appearance with
UW-Madison Choral Union and Chamber Orchestra in 2005 as
the bass soloist in Telemann’s Der Tag des Gerichts,
under the direction of Beverly Taylor. In addition, he
appeared in various venues throughout the Le Marche
region with the La Musica Lirica Opera Division
performing the role of Germont from Verdi’s La Traviata,
under Maestro Joseph Rescigno, and Marullo in Rigoletto. Keith
has performed opera scenes from Cosi fan Tutte and Il
Barbiere di Seviglia in Florence, Italy under the
direction of Mr. George Shirley.
He currently works as a private voice instructor in
Madison, WI. In his spare time, Keith continues to enjoy
composing music, and spending time with his family and
friends.
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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 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 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 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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Matthew Kuhns, Trumpet
Instructor
Matthew is a doctoral candidate in Trumpet
Performance at the UW-Madison, and is a member of the
Wisconson Brass Quintet. Mr. Kuhns has also performed
with Ars Ventus, The Kings Brass, and the
Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra. As a symphonic
performer, Matthew has served as substitute musician
with the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber
Orchestra, and Minnesota Opera. With these
organizations, he has had the opportunity to work with
such artists as Osmo Vanska, Christoph Eschenbach,
Christopher Hogwood, Kent Nagano, Yutako Sado, Larry
Radcliffe, James Conlon, James DePreist, David Zinman,
George Mester and David Effron. Kuhns traveled to
Germany to perform with the Schleswig-Holstein Music
Festival and on their national tour of Japan in 2005.
Matthew holds degrees from the Peabody Institute and
Indiana University. Matthew resides in Madison,
Wisconsin with his wife Betsy and son Henry.
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Jessica Lee Timman, Voice Instructor
Jessica, mezzo-soprano, is currently working on her
Doctoral Degree in Voice Performance with a minor in
Opera Production at the UW-Madison under the direction
of Professor Julia Faulkner. In November 2006, she was
the 2nd place finalist in the Adult Professional
Division at the NATS competition in Stevens Point, WI.
Jessica has performed such roles as Hansel in Hansel and
Gretel, Erika in Vanessa, Prince Orlofsky in Die
Fledermaus, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Cecilia March in
Little Women, Second Lady in Die Zauberflote, and Meg
Page in Falstaff. She had the pleasure of premiering the
role of Greek Chorus II in Scott Gendel's opera
Iphigenia at Aulis in 2004. Jessica has performed with
two opera programs abroad. She was in the young artist
program with La Musica Lirica in Urbania, Italy during
the summer of 2004, and performed during the summer of
2005 with the Tyrolean Opera Program in Maurach,
Austria.
Jessica has six years of teaching
experience in private voice. She has taught voice at
UW-Madison, A Step Above Dance and Music Academy,
Madison Academy of Music, and UW Summer Music Clinic.
Jessica graduated magna cum laude from UW-Eau Claire
with a Bachelor's degree in Music education and summa
cum laude from UW-Madison with a Master's degree in
Voice Performance.
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Paul Wolfram, Cello Instructor
Paul Wolfram received the Master of Music
degree in cello performance from the UW-Madison, where
he was a student of Uri Vardi. During the 2006-2007
academic year, Paul was a member of the Hunt String
Quartet, a graduate assistantship specializing in
education outreach in the Madison Area Public Schools.
Before coming to Madison, Paul received the Bachelor of
Music degree in cello performance from Lawrence
University in Appleton, WI. While at Lawrence, Paul was
twice the recipient of the Lawrence Symphony
Orchestra's Community Outreach Resident Ensemble
Fellowship (LSO-CORE) as a member of a string quartet.
In 2004, as a recipient of the Freeman Grant, he
performed with his quartet from Lawrence at the Hanoi
National Conservatory in Vietnam. In recognition of his
solo performances and interest in 20th Century music, he
received the Elizabeth Black Miller String Scholarship
Award from Lawrence University. During the summers, Paul
has continued his studies at the ARIA International
Music Institute, the Bowdoin International Music
Festival, and the Heifetz International Music Institute.
Paul has been teaching privately for several years, and
is experienced with all ages and playing abilities. In
addition to private instruction, Paul has given master
classes and clinics at public schools and community
orchestras in the Midwest. Paul is also a member of the
Green Bay, LaCrosse, and Quad City symphony orchestras.
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