Breanna Gromicko received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Clarinet Performance Certificate from Shenandoah Conservatory as a student of Garrick Zoeter. She made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA. Gromicko actively performs in operas, chamber music, and improvisation collectives in Northern Virginia. She has played with numerous ensembles including the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphonic Winds, and the Mid-Atlantic Wind Symphony.

A committed teacher as well as performer, Gromicko has taught private clarinet and piano lessons for the last 4 years and has worked with marching bands, jazz bands, and musical pit orchestras for the last 8 years. She specializes in beginning piano (child through adult), and woodwinds from beginning to advanced ability levels. She is currently a K-5 elementary music educator and choral director in Prince William County.

Bruce Farquharson graduated Magna cum laude from George Wahington University with a Bachelors’s Degree in Music. Prior to graduation, Bruce won the Institute for the International Education of Students Merit Scholarship to study composition in Austria, Vienna. In addition to studying at George Washington University, he studied at The Juilliard School, and Grove School of Music. His primary studies included composition, guitar, piano, viola, and conducting. Bruce has been commissioned by orchestra and chamber ensembles as well as performed in many settings including classical, rock, and jazz, to name a few. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the NOVA Manassas Symphony Orchestra. For the past few years, Bruce has contributed his abilities as a composer to many films including “Cougars”, “Birds Of A Feather”, “Lot Lizards”, “The Touchstone”, “Samsara”, “Dirge”, and “The Matchmaker” as well as spots for television and the internet including advertisements such as the ad for “Get Out The Vote” . The films he has scored have played in film festivals including “Fantasia Film Festival” in Canada, Horrorfind” in PA, and in “Chicago Fearfest”. In 2012 Bruce completed his first cd of guitar-oriented instrumental music titled “Sonic Bricolage”. The cd showcases a wide range of styles such as rock, funk, blues, and fingerstyle acoustic. The influence of scoring films, compositionally and also with regards to instrumentation, can also be heard throughout the cd. Bruce has also completed the music for theater productions such as “Red Scare On Sunset” which was performed at the Hylton for the Performing Arts Center in association with George Mason University as well as “Macbeth” which was performed by The Castaways Repertory Theater and “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream”. In addition to performing with his band Patchwork Dorothy throughout the DMV area (and as a sub in other music groups that play rock, jazz, and blues), Bruce also teaches guitar lessons at Dale City Music.

Carter has taught piano for over 10 years and has a wealth of performance experience in genres as diverse as classical, sacred, jazz, rock and funk. He believes in a multifaceted approach to teaching emphasizing both traditional method books, technique and reading as well as ear training and learning whatever it is the student loves to learn - pop tunes, movie and tv themes, video game music - wherever the students interest lead! He is Director of Music at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Lake Ridge and maintains an active gigging schedule throughout the DMV region.

Casey Pugh has been teaching and performing music in the DC area for more than twenty years. Known for his solo classical guitar performances, he has also played in many combos ranging from flamenco to jazz to rock. A classically trained career professional musician, Casey shares his experience and knowledge with his students. His teaching approach stresses technique and theory while tailoring lessons to each individual student’s level and interests. Casey is comfortable teaching all styles and skill levels.

Casey holds regular student concerts so his students can apply what they have learned in a performance setting. These range from beginner recitals to solo performances of original music. Casey is a three-time winner of the prestigious award for INSIDENOVA Prince William County’s Best Music Instructor.

Dr. Donny Albrecht enjoys an active career balancing his love of teaching and performing as a classical and jazz musician. Dr. Albrecht has held teaching positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Vacaville Christian School, Centennial High School, Crowley High School, Reeder Music Academy, Frisco School of Music, and many others. Dr. Albrecht's students have gone on to have many careers as professional musicians and attend many colleges and universities like Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music, University of North Texas, Butler School of Music, to name a few. Dr. Albrecht has had the privilege of performing as principal trumpet of the Champaign Symphony, Urbana Pops Orchestra, Davis Choral Symphony, Oakland Choral Symphony, and others. Dr. Albrecht has performed alongside members of the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Boston Brass, Maynard Ferguson's band, Count Basie Orchestra, the Tonight Show Band, Tito Puente's band, the Afro Cuban All Stars, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, The Eagles, Steely Dan, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, and others. Dr. Albrecht is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. At Berklee he studied with Charlie Lewis, Lin Biviano, and Tiger Okoshi. Upon leaving Berklee, Dr. Albrecht moved to study with Jay Saunders at the University of North Texas. Dr. Albrecht continued his musical studies in New York City at the Aaron Copland School of Music under Michael Philip Mossman.

Upon graduating with his Master's in Music from Aaron Copland School of Music, he would earn his Doctoral Music degree at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. While at the University of Illinois, Dr. Albrecht performed as principal trumpet in the Urbana Pops Orchestra and Champaign Symphony for two seasons. Dr. Albrecht played lead trumpet in the Concert Jazz Band from 2016 to 2018 and was featured at the 2018 Jazz Education Network conference. Dr. Albrecht played lead trumpet in the Latin Jazz Ensemble from 2016 to 2018 and was featured in the 2016,2017 and 2018 Notre Dame Latin Jazz Festival. Dr. Albrecht was the principal trumpet and a featured soloist in the University of Illinois Trumpet Ensemble. They were semifinalists in the 2018 National Trumpet Competition. Dr. Albrecht's dissertation entitled: Lead Trumpet Style: A stylistic Analysis of Modern Lead Trumpet Playing through the Examination of Five Prominent Lead Trumpet Players features the stylistic analysis and interviews of Wayne Bergeron, Tanya Darby, Jon Faddis, Tony Kadleck, and Bobby Shew. Dr. Albrecht has continued his career in the DMV area, freelancing both as a performer and educator. Dr. Albrecht is the Director of Jazz at Immanuel Christian School and provides numerous clinics to middle schools, high schools and colleges in the area.

Eliane is a graduate of the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, where she earned degrees in Music and piano. She performed piano nationally in Brazil as a recitalist and played chamber music in the Conservatory of Music of Annapolis, Brazil. She has had a great passion for music since childhood where she started playing in church at a young age. She has played piano for her previous church in California, and currently for her church in Stafford, VA. She has been teaching students of all ages to play piano since 1994, and currently plays locally in concerts, weddings, and church services. Eliane helps students of all ages develop their skills and to become independent musicians, learning to play and enjoy the music that they love!

Emily began taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and studied for several years. She placed 3rd in a piano contest while in high school. She graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2019 with a degree in Music Education. During this time she performed in “Trual by Jury” and “The Mikado.” She has taught private lessons for the past 4 years, and is looking forward to working with you!

Gary Luciani began playing guitar at the age of 12 and was self-taught for his first 15 years on the instrument, before attending and graduating with honors from the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media. Gary’s performance experience includes playing lead/solo guitar in jazz, rock, metal, pop, and progressive styles, while specializing in classic/hard rock/progressive rock and metal.

Gary’s teaching style places emphasis on learning by ear and ear training with a strong basis in music theory and exposure to various styles and diverse techniques on both acoustic and electric guitar.

Jordan is a Pennsylvania native who first picked up the guitar at 8 years old and began to take it seriously when Guitar Hero became too easy. He was primarily self-taught and played and sang in multiple bands of varying styles. At one point, he played in a band that opened for Bret Michaels of Poison. At age 21 during undergrad at Messiah College, he began studying jazz improvisation under Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Kirk Reese and jazz guitarist Jay Umble. Currently, Jordan gigs locally playing classic/hard rock, country, metal, acoustic, and he plays praise & worship at various churches in PA and VA. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of classic rock/country cover group the Lonesome Ryder Band.

His main inspirations are Jerry Garcia, Andy Timmons, Eric Johnson, Chet Atkins, and George Benson among others. Jordan views playing guitar as another language we can use to tell a story or communicate our emotions so his lessons focus on helping students unlock the tools and knowledge to express those feelings.

Since graduating in 2018 with a B.A. in Chemistry Education, Jordan moved to the Woodbridge area and currently teaches chemistry at a local Prince William high school. He also stays active in the local high school sports scene coaching multiple varsity teams throughout fall, winter, and spring.

Juan started playing guitar at the age of 14. He went on to study classical guitar and musical theory at Radford University, where he received his BA in Music. He has performed and recorded with numerous DC rock and metal bands, to include Garden of Shadows, Brave, While Heaven Wept, Black Horizon and Modulus. Juan brings to his teachings not only years of experience with students of all ages and levels, but most remarkably his ability to address the spectrum of guitar techniques and musical fundamentals in a uniquely thorough and well organized way.

Katherine Nelson-Tracey, director of the New Dominion Choraliers of Prince William County, is originally from North Dakota. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Music Education and a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Dakota. In 1998, she earned a second Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from George Mason University. Katherine teaches voice and piano in her private studio in Woodbridge, Virginia. She serves as the applied music coordinator and as an adjunct professor for the Woodbridge campus of Northern Virginia Community College, teaching voice and piano. She is the founding director of the New Dominion Choraliers (NDC) through which NVCC students can earn ensemble credit. She is active in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). She sings with the National Philharmonic Chorale at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Katherine lives in Woodbridge with her husband, Bill, and is the proud parent of four children and grandparent of nine grandsons and two granddaughters.

Olivia Plessinger, an accomplished pianist and violinist, has been teaching elementary through high school students since 2017. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Music from Ambassador Baptist College, she taught part-time in her hometown in Ohio. In 2020, she made the transition to Woodbridge, VA to begin teaching music at a Christian school full time. She continues to assist Christian schools in Northern Virginia, manages her own music studio, participates in the music department at her church, and is involved with the Old Dominion Association of Christian Schools (ODACS) fine arts division. Her goal as a teacher is to bridge the gap between general music education and individual music excellence.

In piano, Olivia’s expertise lies mainly in sacred and classical styles. With strings, she also enjoys fiddling and playing orchestrally. She prefers to tailor her teaching style and materials to each individual child, bringing out their strengths and personal interests. She believes a musical ear is just as important as music theory, and strives to create a well-rounded, functional musician in every child.

Ricardo Cordero Gonzalez is an accomplished composer, educator, author, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He possesses a Bachelor of Science with a specialization in Music Production from Full Sail University and a Diplomaed in Music Education (Pedagogy) from Martin Luther University (UML) in Nicaragua. He studied jazz piano at Kansas State University, under the instruction of Dr. Wayne Goins and Dr. Kurt Gartner and extended piano at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music with Prof. David Fuentes. He participated as the lead pianist and assistant director of the Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra in Puerto Rico and the Coral of the Regional College of Carolina, Puerto Rico. He has also participated as a leading pianist for the Kansas State University Latin Jazz Ensemble and as a contract pianist for orchestras in South America.

Ricardo is the owner of the independent record production companies “A Tempo Dexterity” and “A Tempo Music''. He participated as a voting member for the Grammys and Latin Grammys producing for artists such as Júnior Rodríguez, Tony Craddock Jr, Eric Pérez and Wilmer Romero. He has shared the stage with Tanya Dallas Lewis, Ben Tankard, Christine D'Clario and René González. He has released two self-produced singles "Te Amare" and "Camino Contigo" among others, showing the wealth of talent while posing as a musician and producer. His arrangements have been broadcast on 9 WUSA and Telemundo Washington DC news channels. Author of the books "Manual for the Musician of Excellence", "Philharmonic, Musical Study Manual" and "Music, The Hidden Creativity". Ricardo has dedicated himself to the musical education of the new generation of musicians that is rising, giving workshops and conferences all over the United States.

Sam is an active musician in the greater DC Metro area and a native Virginian. He holds a BachelorÕs of Music with a concentration in Jazz Studies from George Mason University. Sam started music lessons at the age of 12 and was initially influenced by alternative rock, but soon became inspired by the sounds of jazz and fusion. Sam has six years of experience teaching students of all ages and plays locally in a variety of styles including rock, funk, pop, straight-ahead jazz, big band, and musical theatre. He has performed with Steve Novotel, Cristian Perez, Kenny Rittenhouse, Eric Alexander, Wade Beach, The Peter Edelman Trio, the GMU Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Afro Cuban Ensemble, and many more.

Scott studied saxophone, clarinet and flute locally and at NVCC and JMU, taking private lessons from Dennis Brown(Hylton HS), Joe Eckert(USAF Airman of Note), Drs. John Gunnar Mossblad and Rick Crowley(JMU) and Robert Holmes(US Army Band). Scott studied music theory and jazz improvisation privately and at NVCC and JMU. Scott has taught 40,000+ music lessons in a 20+ year career and students have gone on to play professionally and just for fun. Scott has performed in VA/MD/DC and the East Coast and participated in national touring ensembles including marching bands, jazz bands, wind ensembles, rock, funk, blues, original and cover bands, wedding ceremonies, recaption ensembles and corporate events.

Shelby Brown began playing the drums at the age of 16 with a driving passion to learn and grow as a musician. A graduate from Music Tech in Minneapolis Minnesota with an associates degree in music performance, Shelby has had the privilege of studying with many reputable drum instructors in the drumming community such as Dom Famularo (known as drumming's global ambassador), and Gordy Knudtson (the drummer for the Steve Miller Band) as well as others. He has also performed in many bands and ensembles in a variety of styles including: Metal, Jazz, Funk, Rock, Fusion, Country, and World Music, etc. Shelby's goal as an educator is to inspire growth and creativity. Through developing a solid base in the fundamentals of music and technical proficiency, he hopes to expand each student's musical vocabulary. The goal would be to help every drummer to develop their own voice on the instrument.

Tim Carolla has been playing music for over twenty years and teaching music for around 13 years. He holds a BM from George Mason University in Classical Guitar Performance, as well as an MM and Grad. Perf Diploma from Longy School of Music of Bard College in Jazz/Free Jazz performance. Tim started playing guitar at the age of 12 after taking an interest in alternative rock drifted into fingerstyle guitar playing, and later jazz and related styles based in improv. Tim has played in numerous settings including as a band member, as a member of pick-up jazz groups, as a solo musician, with pit orchestras in music theatre, and as a bass player in a church music setting. Tim is comfortable with many styles so he can help you out with whatever you’re looking to learn, and can teach guitar, bass, piano or ukulele lessons!