Faculty

Guitar

Carlos Bendfeldt
(Guitar)
Mr. Bendfelt has been named Young Guatemalan-American guitarist and was the First Prize winner in the Artists International Youth Awards. He received his Bachelor of Music in classical guitar performance in 1994 from the Manhattan School of Music with virtuoso Maestro Carlos Barbosa-Lima and his Masters in performance from the Juilliard School of Music in 1997 where he was the student of the renowned virtuoso and two time Grammy winner Sharon Isbin. Mr. Bendfeldt gave his New York debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1997 and since then his concert career has blossomed to include a second appearance at Carnegie Hall and major concerts through out North and Central America, Hawaii and the Caribbean. He released a highly praised album which was awarded artist of the year in Guatemala in interpretation 2002. In the fall of 2005 he released an additional solo and duo recording. Currently Mr. Bendfeldt is under management with Albert Kay Concert Artists Management NYC.

Erik Rasmussen
(Drums, Guitar)
Mr. Rasmussen earned his Bachelor of Music in percussion performance and jazz studies from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He studied jazz with David Baker, drums with Steve Davis and Steve Houghton, and classical percussion with Tony Cirone. Erik is an active gigging and studio session drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He has performed Latin jazz with David Sanchez, steel pan music with IU Steel Pan ensemble, and lots of pop/rock/jazz. Erik's Latin jazz combo won first prize in the Competition in Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America in 2005 at Indiana University. In addition to percussion, Erik teaches beginning guitar and double bass. Erik is also a professional recording engineer.

Carolina Folmer
(Guitar)
Guitarist Carolina Folmer began her studies at an early age with Cristina Balparda in her native country of Argentina. At the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires Ms. Folmer was disciple of Graciela Pomponio de Martinez-Zarate and Walter Ujaldon, she continued her studies in the U.S. with Grammy-nominated Professor Marc Regnier and Professor Rene Izquierdo. Carolina Folmer has also been coached and participated in master classes by famed guitarists such as Eduardo Fernandez, Pablo Marquez, Eduardo Isaac, Lorenzo Micheli, and many others. Ms. Folmer trained in the Suzuki Method with Mary Lou Roberts and David Madsen. Ms. Folmer is an active participant in Suzuki events in Argentina. In the U.S., she is also devoted to bringing quality musical training to inner city school children. Many of her students have won first prizes at the local and state level Wisconsin School Music Association's competitions. Ms. Folmer performs regularly in Milwaukee, Chicago and Argentina.

"Carolina Folmer…played with stunning expertise both tango rhythms and the slow and contemplative music that makes you want to cry and then go kiss somebody…" The Post & Courier,SC

Brandon Seyferth
(Guitar, Songwriting)
Mr. Seyferth is a critically acclaimed songwriter and composer who is accomplished on the guitar, blues piano, drums and voice. Revue Magazine has dubbed one of the bands he has led to be "the greatest band to come out of Chicago since the group Morphine in the '80's." Centerstage Chicago calls him a "real artist," while On-The-Town Magazine has this to say: "Seyferth's travels through the mountains, China's industrial cities, and along the U.S. East Coast has afforded him a nomadic lifestyle where sleeping in the back of carnival trucks on the way to his next move in the next town created the perfect songwriting school from which he's graduated with honors." Mr. Seyferth has performed and composed with Jackson Browne and Grammy Award winning musicians. In addition to music, Brandon is an award-winning poet and a writer. He holds two degrees, one in philosophy and another in English literature.

Tim Stine
(Guitar, Bass)
Mr. Stine has studied guitar with Glenn Ginn and Jim Smith. Tim stayed close to his home in Fargo, North Dakota to earn his undergraduate degrees. After graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead with his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music, Tim joined the faculty of North Dakota State University where he taught as an adjunct guitar instructor. Tim then went to Cincinnati where he received his Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music.

Piano

Svetlana Belsky
(Piano)
Ms. Belsky has been active as a recitalist and chamber performer throughout the United States both in concert and on the radio. Locally, she has performed with the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva and was featured in a solo recital at a Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, which was broadcast on WFMT. Belsky also writes and lectures on various musical topics. She earned her Bachelor of Music in piano as well as her Masters degree from Peabody Conservatory. Her Doctor of Musical Arts was completed at the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to teaching at the North Shore School for the Arts, Ms. Belsky is on faculty at the University of Chicago.

Emi Kelsey
(Piano)
Ms. Kelsey received her training in Early Childhood Education with an area of concentration in music and recently completed a Suzuki Teacher Training program at the Chicago Suzuki Institute. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois. Ms. Kelsey has studied privately with Emilio del Rosario and Edward Parmentier (harpsichord); and coaches with Wolfgang Laufer of the Fine Arts Quartet. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Kelsey has participated in numerous workshops including the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin College, and Harpsichord Workshops at the University of Michigan. She also performs in many local venues.

George Radosavljevic
(Piano)
Mr. Radosavljevic's performances have been described as "polished and elegantly shaped" by the Chicago Tribune. His virtuoso performances can be heard frequently in live broadcasts on WFMT Radio. He has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series and as an orchestral pianist with the Metropolis, Elgin, & Lake Forest Symphonies. Mr. Radosavljevic received his Bachelor of Music in piano from the American Conservatory of Music and his Masters at DePaul University School of Music.

Strings

Jessica Jordan
(Violin)
Ms. Jessica Jordan received her Bachelor's of Music degree and is currently pursuing her Master's of Music from Northwestern University studying under Gerardo Ribeiro. She serves as his graduate assistant as well as an assistant to Stacia Spencer, director of Northwestern's Music Academy. Jessica has been teaching since high school and is Suzuki certified. Her students range in ages 4 to adult. She began her studies at the age of 5 with Stan Smith of Aurora Suzuki Violins. Her performances have been broadcasted over WFMT and most recently over WPR when her chamber group won the Neale-Silva Young Artists Award. Jessica has attended the Chicago Chamber Music Camp, ARIA International Summer Music Festival, and the Meadowmount School. She also works and teaches at Midwest Young Artists.

Daniel Katz
(Cello)
Daniel Katz received his Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University and his Masters with Distinction in Performance and Academic Honors from New England Conservatory of Music. He has also studied at Rice University. Mr. Katz has been a regular substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra, and was previously a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. He is also an experienced chamber musician, having given performances at The Tanglewood Music Center, Sarasota Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Daniel also has had training in teaching the Suzuki method, and has enjoyed teaching students of a wide variety of ages and levels.

Ashton Lim
(Cello)
Ashton Lim began his studies with Audrey Nodwell at the Vancouver Academy of Music and obtained his ARCT diploma in Cello Performance. He then earned his BMus under the tutelage of John Kadz at the Mount Royal College Conservatory and the University of Calgary, and recently received his master's degree at Northwestern University, where he studies with Hans Jorgen Jensen. As a chamber musician, Ashton has worked with members of the Emerson, Guarneri, Shanghai, St. Lawrence, and Vermeer String Quartets. His piano trio won first place in the 2004 Canadian Music Competition and the 2006 Canadian National Music Festival. In 2007, as part of the University of Calgary String Quartet, Ashton premiered Difficult Things: 124 by Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy. Coached by Judith Fraser, Ashton has also enjoyed playing in a cello quartet, receiving top honours in the Friends of Chamber Music Competition, Elsje De Ridder Armstrong Chamber Music Competition, Vancouver Kiwanis Festival, and BC Festival of the Arts. During the summers, he has participated in the Banff Summer Arts Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Morningside Music Bridge, and National Arts Centre Young Artists Programme. Ashton also has had training in teaching the Suzuki method, and is familiar with the curriculum and style of examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, as well as the National Music Certificate Program. He has enjoyed teaching students of a wide variety of ages and levels.

Voice

Allison Hull
(Voice)
A Wisconsin native, Allison has been an active and accomplished singer and teacher for the past 15 years and is currently a guest lecturer in music at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Allison has maintained a large and diverse studio at the Waukesha County Conservatory of Music for the past eight years. She stresses strong technique in a relaxed and fun environment. Allison has taught a wide range of ages and abilities in classical, pop, jazz, and musical theater styles. She also leads the Kids Broadway and Disney classes offered at the North Shore School for the Arts. Allison holds her Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Lawrence University and received her Masters at UW-Milwaukee where she also interned with the Skylight Theater.

Kay Rutherford
(Voice, Kindermusik)
Kay has a BM from the Eastman School of Music, and MM in voice and pedagogy from Roosevelt University. She began teaching voice in 1995 and for the North Shore School for the Arts in 2001. Although her degrees are in classical performance, she has performed in rock bands, musicals and rock operas. Recently she has appeared solo and with many local companies including; Chamber Opera Chicago, Opera for the Young, and Improv Olympic.

Students of Ms. Rutherford’s studio perform many genres of music; musical theater, classical, folk, rock, and pop, raging from age 10 to senior citizens. Her technique is designed for what best suits each student. Focus points are; breathe control, phrasing, diction, musicality, acting, and having fun! The goal for each student is an easy and natural sound production that can be applied to any singing style. Her students often perform in local and regional theater productions, rock bands, and continue studies at Universities.

Lindsay Schoenberger
(Voice)
Lindsay is an Indiana University School of Music graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. She recently completed her Master of Arts Degree in Coval Pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University under the tutelage of the renowned Dr. Ronald Combs. There, she performed roles in an array of operas including Cendrillon, The Magic Flute, and Suor Angelica. Currently, Lindsay sings in a professional quartet at Chicago Sinai Congregation. She has also sung in various professional engagements, including L'Opera Piccola, St. Catherine Labouré in Glenview, and Temple Beth Israel in Skokie. Lindsay has attended several summer programs, including the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and the Oberlin in Italy Program at Centro Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy.

Brass

Jeff Marcilliat
(Tenor, Alto, Bass Trombones)
Jeff Marcilliat is a freelance musician in Chicago and the surrounding areas.  Jeff is also an active musician in New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jeff has performed with many orchestras including the Santa Rosa Ballet, Cinnabar Opera Theater, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Danville Symphony and the Orquestra Sinfónica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico.  At the age of 24, Jeff was a Finalist in the Frank Smith/S.E. Shires International Trombone Competition.

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he studied with Carl Lenthe and Peter Ellefson.  Jeff graduated high school from the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky.  His additional trombone teachers include Brett Shuster, Raymond Horton and Bill Thomas.

Jeff is currently the principal trombonist of the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and is a founding member of the Quintus Brass Ensemble.  Jeff joined the faculty of the North Shore School for the Arts in 2010 and is passionate about teaching eager students to play the trombone well in a fun and relaxed environment.

Visit his site at: www.jeffmarcilliat.com

Percussion

Woodwinds

Keith Bjorklund
(Oboe)
Keith Bjorklund is a performer and teacher in the Chicagoland area. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Oboe Performance and Literature from Northwestern University where he studies with Scott Hostetler and will graduate in June of 2011. In 2008 Keith graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Texas with a Bachelors degree in Oboe Performance where he studied under Dr. Charles Veazey. From 2008 to 2009 Keith maintained a private studio of 22 oboe students in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

As a native of Spokane, Washington, Keith has performed extensively throughout the Northwest, Texas, and Chicago. He has performed with Spokane's Royal Fireworks Orchestra, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, the Sherman Symphony Orchestra, the Denton Bach Society, and has held positions with the Madera Winds as well as the Sol Winds. Keith has also performed in masterclasses by the Dorian Woodwind Quintet, Eighth Blackbird, Nancy Ambrose King, Scott Bell, and Nathan Hughes. Keith is also very interested in musical crossover and is a member of the Chicago-based chamber rock ensemble, The Renegade Lightning Rebellion.

Keith joined the North Shore School of the Arts staff in 2010 and looks forward to providing fun, rewarding, and engaging oboe lessons.

Andy Oberhausen
(Saxophone, Flute, and Clarinet)
Mr. Oberhausen earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Vanderbilt University and his Masters of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Andy has been an active performer, educator, composer, and clinician in the Chicago area since his arrival in 2007. He has joined several groups including his most recent project, the Clifton Trio. In addition to the North Shore School for the Arts, he also teaches at the Steckman Studio of Music, Wheeling High School, and the Village Music Store. Originally from Louisville, KY, Andy had been active in numerous music scenes before arriving in Chicago including venues in Nashville, TN, Cincinnati, OH, Raleigh, NC, and Aspen, CO.

Dana Jackson
(Bassoon)
Dana Jackson is a Masters student at Northwestern University where she studies with Christopher Millard and is an active member of Northwestern's music community. She is an associate member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and enjoys the symphonic orchestra experience as well as playing with chamber groups. She also enjoys teaching and was on the faculty of the Burton Music Camp and an intern at Marrowstone Summer Music, both in Northwestern Washington State. Dana received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, in Los Angeles, where she studied with Judith Farmer and was on the Dean's List all four years. She received the Chamber Music Student of the Year award in 2009. In 2008 and 2009 Dana played with the YMF Debut Orchestra, one of the leading pre-professional orchestras in the country. She also freelanced in the greater Los Angeles area, playing with groups such as the Jacaranda Chamber Orchestra and the Jewish Symphony of Los Angeles. In the spring of 2009, Dana performed the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with the Brentwood Symphony Orchestra after placing second in its concerto competition. During the summers Dana has attended a variety of premier orchestra festivals throughout the country including Brevard, National Orchestral Institute, Roundtop, and the National Repertory Orchestra. For two consecutive winters she was a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, during which the orchestra gives two performances in Carnegie Hall. In the spring of 2010 Dana was awarded the Farwell-Trust Scholarship from The Musician's Club of Women, based in Chicago.

Dance

Annie Jo Fischer
(Dance)
Annie Jo Fischer is going on her 3rd year teaching for the Northshore School for the Arts on the dance faculty. Fischer began dancing at the age of 3 in Fond du Lac, WI and choreographed her first musical at the age of 15. Originally trained in Broadway style jazz and tap, as well as being introduced to lyrical, modern, street tap, and hip hop by attending NADAA dance conventions (2003 scholarship recipient) , she decided that she wanted to know more about all styles of dance and enrolled in the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Fischer graduated with honors and her BFA in Dance in May 2007 and moved to Chicago to pursue her dancing dreams. During college, she was seen in many dance concerts, studied under Ed Burgess, Simone Ferro, Elizabeth Johnson (Your Mother Dances), Andre Tyson (Alvin Ailey), and guest artists such as Bill T. Jones and the Fosse 2 Company. She was also seen in the musicals Hair (dancer) and West Side Story (Graziella), and as a dancer/singer at Six Flags Great America for 4 years. After arriving to Chicago, Fischer began teaching and choreographing throughout the area. She recieved a best supporting actress role for Alice in Wonderland at Highland Park Players, as well as best choreography for the same through AACTF at the regional level. She has also performed around the country with The Chicago Honey Bears and was a the lead actress in Just the Wind, a Chicago 48 Hour Film Festival submission in 2009. Currently, Fischer teaches at various studios in the north and northwest suburbs and choreographs for the Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences (equity affiliated) and Northbrook Theatre Children's Company. She performs whenever she can, most recently as Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie at NSTW and Tammy in Hairspray at Up and Coming Theatre. Annie loves teaching children her passion and thrives on what she also learns from it! Sharing her joy of this great artform has been a lifelong goal and looks forward to teaching every chance she gets.