Conservatory Faculty

  • Deborah Lynn Amsterdam (Violin) has performed as a violin soloist on several occasions in local choirs and is still an active student of the violin.  She also performs with local chamber groups including the Rutgers Chamber Orchestra.  She has a BA from Drew University and also has a background in piano, voice, dance and theater.
  • Heather Caporaso (Voice, Flute & Piano) attended the University of Delaware with a major in choral/general music education. In addition to her training as a classical opera singer, she has been playing flute for 13 years and piano for 18 years. She grew up in Moorestown and has 2 years' experience teaching high school choir in addition to 10 years experience teaching privately. Her most memorable choral moment was performing at the Tallinn Choral Festival in 2007 with the University of Delaware Chorale and consequently winning the Grand Prix above 40 other choirs from all over the world.
  • Tom Cavanagh (Guitar) earned his BA from Michigan State University. He studied classical and jazz guitar with John Hall in Detroit and jazz guitar with Dennis Sandole in Philadelphia. He has over 20 years experience teaching classical, blues, jazz and all styles of rock guitar.
  • Joseph Getz (Percussion) graduated from The University of the Arts with a BM in music performance. Since completion of his degree he has been a recording and performing artist for numerous independent artists. Currently plays with Philadelphia's instrumental/punk experimental band "Mercury Radio Theater" who has toured nationally and has recently released their third album.
  • Christine Dalsey Hansen (Flute) earned a BMusEd from Temple University, a MM degree from the University of Delaware and a DMA from Rutgers University. She has performed with the Delaware Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, the Opera Company of Philadelphia and in master classes of Julius Baker and Jean-Pierre Rampal. She has taught at many public and private schools including Settlement Music School and Rowan University.
  • Lenka Lazorikova (Piano) earned a Bachelor's degree in music education and piano performance from the conservatory in Kosice, Czechoslovakia. Her postgraduate studies were at the University of Music and Arts in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and at Temple University, Philadelphia. She has 23 years professional experience in the field of teaching, performing and accompaniment. Lenka maintains a private studio and is a member of the South Jersey Music Teachers Association, Suzuki Association of the Americas, National Guild of Piano Teachers and Music Teachers National Association.
  • Iris Lelkes (Piano) earned her BM from the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. She has more than 30 years of experience as a private piano teacher, accompanist and chamber musician.
  • Joey Mariano (Guitar) earned his BM from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and has been teaching privately for eight years. He studied jazz guitar with Vic Juris and electronic music with Charles Menoche. Known for his work with his jazz funk fusion group, Joey's guitar playing has been compared to jazz guitar legend John Scofield. Currently he performs with his jazz trio and solo with precomposed computer generated backgrounds.
  • Mihaela Matei (Violin & Viola) earned a degree in music performance from Romania's National Academy of Music, studied music performance and education at Louisiana State University and earned a masters degree in musical performance from Rowan University. She has taught and performed in Romania and the United States.
  • Robb McCall (Percussion) is also a guitarist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger and producer for numerous music projects, including MOKA (R&B/Soul), Thunderbird (Hard Rock), Spiritual Thunder (Folk/Blues) and his own solo projects. He is also an educator, photographer, writer/poet, nature enthusiast and dedicated family man. A multi-instrumentalist who studied International Music at the New England Conservatory, Robb has a vast knowledge of different styles of music which he uses to engage and entertain audiences of all kinds.
  • Inna Nikolyukin (Piano) has her degree in music from Donetsk State Music College (Ukraine). She has extensive experience with the Suzuki method and choral conducting. Inna is the church choir director at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. George (Yardville, NJ). She has been teaching for over 20 years.
  • Chi Park (Violin & Viola) earned her BM and MM from the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University. She studied violin with William DePasquale and violin/viola pedagogy with Helen Kwalwasser. She is a part of many professional orchestras that include Symphony in C (formerly Haddonfield Symphony), Lancaster Symphony, Pottstown Symphony, and Bay-Atlantic Symphony, among others. She teaches at the Newtown School of Music and The Music Workshop in Manayunk, PA.
  • Amy Beth Shimmin (Flute & Recorder) earned a BA in flute performance from the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. Her background includes graduate study at the Kodaly Center of America, Westminster Choir College and Trenton State. Amy studied with John Wummer, Loren Lind, Joel Robinson and Edwin George. She has been teaching for over 15 years.
  • Beverly Pugh-Corry (Flute) studied at the Paris Conservatoire of Music, Academie International (Nice) and Indiana University. She teaches at Rutgers University and others. She is a founder and board member of the Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia and is President of Beverly's Pan Flutes. She has performed at Avery Fisher Hall and in Augsburg, Germany and with Bay Atlantic Symphony.
  • Kathleen S. Reed (Piano) has experience as a private piano instructor who continues expanding her piano expertise through weekly lessons with Maestro Alexander Fiorillo, of Temple University. Ms. Reed further enhances her skills by participating in a monthly master class conducted by Maestro Fiorillo. Kathleen is a member of the South Jersey Music Teachers' Association, Music Teachers' National Association, New Jersey Music Teachers' Association, Inc. and The National Guild of Piano Teachers. Selected students of Kathleen have participated in the South Jersey Music Teachers' Fall Festival and The National Guild of Piano Teachers' auditions.
  • Sheila Z. Siegel (Piano) earned her BA from Wellesley College with post-graduate study at Glassboro State and Rutgers. She has taught in the Haddonfield School District and at Settlement Music School. Sheila studied with David Barnett, Veda Zuponcic and Seymour Bernstein. She is a member of the South Jersey Music Teachers Association.
  • Frank James Staneck (Piano, Theory, & Composition) earned his BA from West Chester University and his MM from Temple University. His original works have been premiered by The Philharmonic of Southern NJ, Greater South Jersey Chorus and West Jersey Chamber Music Society. He has performed at a variety of venues including Lincoln Center. Staneck teaches at Rutgers - Camden and is the USA Chairman of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.
  • Michael Wessner (Guitar) earned a BM in music performance from Rowan University. He has taught jazz, classical and rock guitar at New Jersey School of Music, where he was director of the jazz and classical guitar ensembles.