Lydia Music Center string faculty has the strongest private string team in the Pittsburgh area with acting principal second violin, assistant principal cello, violinists, violist, substitute Trombone from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, violinists who have performed as soloists with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Indiana University Philharmonic, the Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra, etc.
Some of them are Featured Artists and have held chamber music performances on WQXR in New York City with the Pops Orchestra. They are also members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Traverse City Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, Johnstown Orchestra,Westmoreland Orchestra, Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and more.
Some are first prize winners of the Carnegie Mellon University concerto competition, semi-finalists for the 2006 Sphinx Competition, etc.
Call for private string lessons at : 412-364-2210.
Some of them are Featured Artists and have held chamber music performances on WQXR in New York City with the Pops Orchestra. They are also members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Traverse City Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, Johnstown Orchestra,Westmoreland Orchestra, Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and more.
Some are first prize winners of the Carnegie Mellon University concerto competition, semi-finalists for the 2006 Sphinx Competition, etc.
Call for private string lessons at : 412-364-2210.
String Teachers
VIOLIN
Louis Lev: Violin, joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra during the 1992-93 season. During the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons he served the PSO as Acting Principal Second Violin. Previously he was a member of the Haifa Symphony Orchestra where he served as concertmaster from 1990 to 1992. His prior professional experience includes positions with the Lansing Symphony (principal second violin), Lansing Opera (concertmaster), Saginaw Symphony and Flint Symphony.
A graduate of Yale University (M.M.) and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (B.M.), Mr. Lev has performed on radio throughout Israel and Germany, and has participated in several music festivals including those in Norfolk, Gstaad, Interlochen and Long Beach, as well as the Kfar Blum Chamber Music Festival in Israel. Winner of the Rosa Albano Cavallero International Competition (1988), the University of Michigan and Yale University concerto competitions and the Washington State Scholastic Competition, he has performed concertos of Walton, Paganini, Bach, Mozart and Lou Harrison in Seattle, Ann Arbor and New Haven. Mr. Lev is an adjunct professor of violin at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Lev plays a violin made by J. B. Vuillaume, crafted in Paris in 1855.
A graduate of Yale University (M.M.) and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (B.M.), Mr. Lev has performed on radio throughout Israel and Germany, and has participated in several music festivals including those in Norfolk, Gstaad, Interlochen and Long Beach, as well as the Kfar Blum Chamber Music Festival in Israel. Winner of the Rosa Albano Cavallero International Competition (1988), the University of Michigan and Yale University concerto competitions and the Washington State Scholastic Competition, he has performed concertos of Walton, Paganini, Bach, Mozart and Lou Harrison in Seattle, Ann Arbor and New Haven. Mr. Lev is an adjunct professor of violin at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Mr. Lev plays a violin made by J. B. Vuillaume, crafted in Paris in 1855.
Zhan Shu: Violin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Holds degree in Artist Diploma Student, Indiana University under Mauricio Fuks and Alex Kerr, Performer Diploma, Indiana University under Mauricio Fuks and Alex Kerr, Master of Music in Applied Music, Moores School of Music under Emanuel Borok, Bachelor of Music in Performance, Mannes College of Music under Lucie Robert
First Prize, Indiana University School of Music Concerto Competition, 2005
First Prize, Indiana University School of Music Concerto Competition, 2005
Erin Snyder: Music Performance major (violoncello) – Carnegie Mellon University, Bachelor of Psychology with Music Performance minor- University of Pittsburgh. Cellist, Three Rivers String Quartet, 2011 - 2014
Principal cellist, The Pittsburgh Philharmonic, 2002 – 2006; 2009 – 2011. Live Radio Broadcasts:Slim Forsythe and the Parklane Drifters, KDKA 2007, 2008 and WRCT, 2006 and 2007. Live Television Broadcasts:The Cynics, KDKA-TV (cello), 1993, Erie Youth Philharmonic, (cello), 1983
Principal cellist, The Pittsburgh Philharmonic, 2002 – 2006; 2009 – 2011. Live Radio Broadcasts:Slim Forsythe and the Parklane Drifters, KDKA 2007, 2008 and WRCT, 2006 and 2007. Live Television Broadcasts:The Cynics, KDKA-TV (cello), 1993, Erie Youth Philharmonic, (cello), 1983
Nicole Myers: is a Pittsburgh-based cellist and music educator. Well-versed in both classical and alternative styles, Ms. Myers is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Music in Cello Performance. Ms. Myers teaches traditional and Suzuki lessons for students of all ages, and is on faculty at Lydia's Music Center, the Pittsburgh Music Academy and Carnegie Mellon's Music Extension division. She is a founding member of Cello Fury, a progressive rock/classical fusion ensemble.
Sandro Leal, violin: Sandro holds Master’s degree in Violin Performance and a certificate from the Performance Residency Program at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music .Mr. Leal is a member of the first violin section of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Erie Philharmonic, the Erie Chamber Orchestra, and is concertmaster of Resonance Works. Performed with former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Andrés Cárdenes, Behzad Ranjbaran’s Violin Concerto with the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic as first prize winner of the Carnegie Mellon University concerto competition.
Summer Nie, Viola/Violin: 2015--present Section Viola Erie Philharmonic Orchestra
2016--present Section Viola Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
2016--2017 Acting Principal Viola WESTMORELAND Symphony Orchestra
2015-- 2017 Principal Viola, Duquesne Symphony Orchestra
2014 Summer Nie has been played in a number of world famous concert halls: Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia, Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany SaintPrex, Switzerland, etc.
2016--present Section Viola Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
2016--2017 Acting Principal Viola WESTMORELAND Symphony Orchestra
2015-- 2017 Principal Viola, Duquesne Symphony Orchestra
2014 Summer Nie has been played in a number of world famous concert halls: Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia, Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany SaintPrex, Switzerland, etc.
Galina Istomin, violin/viola: Galina Istomin has been a respected teacher of music in the Pittsburgh community for over 20 years. As a member of the faculty of The Ellis School, she single-handedly created a successful and in demand strings program.
Galina has very talented students of all ages. Her dedication to her students has gained her a reputation as someone who is supportive, encouraging, and very knowledgeable about her craft. Many of Galina’s younger students hold section and principal positions in the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony.
Galina’s students perform at Heinz Hall and Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh.Every music student has their own path and Galina is deeply committed to making their goals a reality. Educated in Russia, Galina received a Master’s Degree from the State Conservatory. Upon her arrival to Pittsburgh, she received an Artists Diploma from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with former Pittsburgh Symphony concertmaster, Andres Cardenes.Galina is also performing solo and chamber music concerts in the Pittsburgh area. She is a concertmaster of the Edgewood Symphony.
Galina has very talented students of all ages. Her dedication to her students has gained her a reputation as someone who is supportive, encouraging, and very knowledgeable about her craft. Many of Galina’s younger students hold section and principal positions in the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony.
Galina’s students perform at Heinz Hall and Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh.Every music student has their own path and Galina is deeply committed to making their goals a reality. Educated in Russia, Galina received a Master’s Degree from the State Conservatory. Upon her arrival to Pittsburgh, she received an Artists Diploma from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with former Pittsburgh Symphony concertmaster, Andres Cardenes.Galina is also performing solo and chamber music concerts in the Pittsburgh area. She is a concertmaster of the Edgewood Symphony.
Julie Chiem, Violin, Julie Chiem earned her first Bachelor's degree at the age of 18 through a partnership with her high school and the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently finishing her second Bachelor's degree, in Violin Performance, at Duquesne University under the tutelage of Charles and Rachel Stegeman. Julie has a firm background in Western European music, having performed domestically and internationally as an orchestral musician, but as Duquesne's 2017 Endowed Honors Fellow in Creative Arts and African Studies, she has also made multiple transatlantic trips to study the traditional string music of West Africa and she incorporates a unique global perspective to her musical approach. Julie continues to perform both in classical settings and in worldbeat ensembles, always emphasizing the cultural relevance of the music she performs.
Penny Brill, Viola/Violin, a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s viola section since 1980.
In 1985, she won the Pittsburgh YWCA Tribute to Women Award in part for her work on redesigning the hiring process at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In May 2002, she won the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Vince Calloway Customer Service Excellence Award for her work with Music and Wellness. In 2003, she won the National American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Advocacy Award. In 2006, she won AdagioHealth’s Tempo Award in recognition of “generous and significant contributions to improve the health and wellbeing of women and families in western Pennsylvania.” In 2010, she won the AMTA Mid-Atlantic Region’s Advocacy Award. In 2013, she won the Paul J. Ross Award for excellence in education and community engagement.
She was part of the A.W. Mellon Orchestra Forum, as well as the Mellon Task Force, which were looking at the future direction of orchestras. She is the former treasurer of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and is one of only two women to have chaired the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Committee. She was a founding member of Blues on First, a jazz string group.
She is currently on the board of United National-affiliated Music as a Global Resource, as well as the International Association of Music and Medicine (IAMM).
Brill is originally from Seattle and Portland, Oregon. She began her music studies on viola and piano. She competed internationally in middle distance track events (when women were allowed to run in them), including the finals of the first national women’s 1500 meters in Denver, Colorado (1968). She is a graduate of Smith College and the Juilliard School. She taught at the Oberlin Conservatory for two years, played for the Buffalo Philharmonic and one year later joined the Pittsburgh Symphony.
In 1985, she won the Pittsburgh YWCA Tribute to Women Award in part for her work on redesigning the hiring process at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In May 2002, she won the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Vince Calloway Customer Service Excellence Award for her work with Music and Wellness. In 2003, she won the National American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) Advocacy Award. In 2006, she won AdagioHealth’s Tempo Award in recognition of “generous and significant contributions to improve the health and wellbeing of women and families in western Pennsylvania.” In 2010, she won the AMTA Mid-Atlantic Region’s Advocacy Award. In 2013, she won the Paul J. Ross Award for excellence in education and community engagement.
She was part of the A.W. Mellon Orchestra Forum, as well as the Mellon Task Force, which were looking at the future direction of orchestras. She is the former treasurer of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and is one of only two women to have chaired the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Committee. She was a founding member of Blues on First, a jazz string group.
She is currently on the board of United National-affiliated Music as a Global Resource, as well as the International Association of Music and Medicine (IAMM).
Brill is originally from Seattle and Portland, Oregon. She began her music studies on viola and piano. She competed internationally in middle distance track events (when women were allowed to run in them), including the finals of the first national women’s 1500 meters in Denver, Colorado (1968). She is a graduate of Smith College and the Juilliard School. She taught at the Oberlin Conservatory for two years, played for the Buffalo Philharmonic and one year later joined the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Roy Sonne, Guest Artist: Violinist, Conductor, Educator. After 28 years in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and 12 years as Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra, Roy Sonne took early retirement in order to devote himself to an ever-increasing number of musical projects and interests.
Organizing an El Sistema type program in Pittsburgh: Roy is the President and Project Director of “Orchestra on the Hill,” an after school music program in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, based on the spectacularly successful El Sistemaprogram in Venezuela, which has transformed the lives of over 800,000 Venezuelan children from impoverished circumstances.
Private violin teaching: He is currently on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory Dept .
Concert appearances: Recitals, chamber music, concertos, and conducting appearances in the Pittsburgh area.
String teaching project in Bolivia: From 2009-2011 Roy designed, organized and led an Educational Festival/Seminar for strings in La Paz, Bolivia, working with string players from the Bolivian National Symphony and the National Conservatory of Music.
Clinics and workshops for student orchestras: Roy continues the work he started as a Pittsburgh Symphony Ambassador, making frequent visits to high schools in the Pittsburgh area, to do workshops and coaching sessions. His innovative string workshops for community and student orchestras combine group technical instruction, masterclasses and string orchestra.
Jazz Violin Excursion and “STRINGS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES” Roy started playing jazz violin at age 60, after a 40 year career as a symphony musician. studied jazz improvisation with Christian Howes and James Johnson. Currently he is the violinist with the “Hot Club of Pittsburgh” which specializes in Gypsy Jazz.
Through playing jazz, Roy’s musical universe became so much richer that he became determined to share this experience with other classically trained string players. Working with some exciting and phenomenally talented folks, he founded the Pittsburgh Jazz and Fiddling Camp at Duquesne University, now renamed Strings Without Boundaries.
In May, 2014 Roy will appear as soloist with Sheldon Bair and the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, performing the Concerto for Jazz Violin by Scott Routenberg.
Organizing an El Sistema type program in Pittsburgh: Roy is the President and Project Director of “Orchestra on the Hill,” an after school music program in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, based on the spectacularly successful El Sistemaprogram in Venezuela, which has transformed the lives of over 800,000 Venezuelan children from impoverished circumstances.
Private violin teaching: He is currently on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory Dept .
Concert appearances: Recitals, chamber music, concertos, and conducting appearances in the Pittsburgh area.
String teaching project in Bolivia: From 2009-2011 Roy designed, organized and led an Educational Festival/Seminar for strings in La Paz, Bolivia, working with string players from the Bolivian National Symphony and the National Conservatory of Music.
Clinics and workshops for student orchestras: Roy continues the work he started as a Pittsburgh Symphony Ambassador, making frequent visits to high schools in the Pittsburgh area, to do workshops and coaching sessions. His innovative string workshops for community and student orchestras combine group technical instruction, masterclasses and string orchestra.
Jazz Violin Excursion and “STRINGS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES” Roy started playing jazz violin at age 60, after a 40 year career as a symphony musician. studied jazz improvisation with Christian Howes and James Johnson. Currently he is the violinist with the “Hot Club of Pittsburgh” which specializes in Gypsy Jazz.
Through playing jazz, Roy’s musical universe became so much richer that he became determined to share this experience with other classically trained string players. Working with some exciting and phenomenally talented folks, he founded the Pittsburgh Jazz and Fiddling Camp at Duquesne University, now renamed Strings Without Boundaries.
In May, 2014 Roy will appear as soloist with Sheldon Bair and the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, performing the Concerto for Jazz Violin by Scott Routenberg.
Simon J. C. Cummings : Cellist, composer and teacher based in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating from the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in 2004, he attended Carnegie Mellon University and received his BFA in 2008. Mr. Cummings is a cellist and composer in the cross-genre cello ensemble, Cello Fury, based in Pittsburgh. With Cello Fury, Mr. Cummings has also performed across 26 states and for audiences of over 70,000 people, and co-wrote and recorded three full length albums. Mr. Cummings currently collaborates with other numerous Pittsburgh based cultural groups, such as Texture Contemporary Ballet, Attack Theatre, Resonance Works, and Alia Musica. He is also a founding member and teacher of Cello Fury Rock Camp for Strings, a summer music program entering it's 10th year that teaches alternative string music to children.
Quddus Khamooshi, Violinist, Quddus Khamooshi enjoys a multi-faceted life as an orchestra musician, chamber player, and teacher. After being chosen as a prizewinner of National young artist competition in 2001, he presented numerous solo and chamber music recitals in all major cities of Iran.
Mr. Khamooshi studied under the direction of Charles and Rachel Stegeman at the Mary Pappert School of Music (Duquesne University) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music performance. He also holds a performance certificate from Depaul University in Chicago where he studied with Olga Kaler. Mr. Khamooshi has performed in masterclasses for such great artists as Ilya Kaler, Cyrus Forough, Sherry Kloss, Noah Bendix-Balgley, and several members of the Pittsburgh and Chicago symphony orchestras.
Mr. Khamooshi has appeared as an orchestra musician with several ensembles in the United States including Westmorland, Altoona, Peoria, and Akron symphony orchestras.
Mr. Khamooshi studied under the direction of Charles and Rachel Stegeman at the Mary Pappert School of Music (Duquesne University) where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music performance. He also holds a performance certificate from Depaul University in Chicago where he studied with Olga Kaler. Mr. Khamooshi has performed in masterclasses for such great artists as Ilya Kaler, Cyrus Forough, Sherry Kloss, Noah Bendix-Balgley, and several members of the Pittsburgh and Chicago symphony orchestras.
Mr. Khamooshi has appeared as an orchestra musician with several ensembles in the United States including Westmorland, Altoona, Peoria, and Akron symphony orchestras.
Silvia Games DuBos: Cellist established in Pittsburgh for more than ten years. In 2005 she received a degree in Music, Symphony and Chamber Orchestra orientation. Mrs. Games obtained the Artist Diploma degree in 2008 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she studied with Mr. Misha Quint and Mr. Adam Liu (Pittsburgh Symphony).
Mrs. Games is working with private students combining traditional and Suzuki as a method of teaching depending on the student and parents’ choice.
Mrs. Games DuBos has participated in numerous orchestras around Pennsylvania and Ohio such as Butler Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, and Ohio Valley Symphony among others. She is a founding member of Aura Ensemble, chamber music ensemble created in 2011 and has also participated in numerous chamber groups, such as the Ohio University String Quartet 2009-2010, as well as in the Duquesne University Contemporary Music Ensemble 2006-2008.
Mrs. Games is working with private students combining traditional and Suzuki as a method of teaching depending on the student and parents’ choice.
Mrs. Games DuBos has participated in numerous orchestras around Pennsylvania and Ohio such as Butler Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, and Ohio Valley Symphony among others. She is a founding member of Aura Ensemble, chamber music ensemble created in 2011 and has also participated in numerous chamber groups, such as the Ohio University String Quartet 2009-2010, as well as in the Duquesne University Contemporary Music Ensemble 2006-2008.
Marco Ferri, Violin/Viola/Cello, Marco Ferri holds a bachelor in Violin Performance from Florida Gulf Coast University, and is currently coursing his Masters in Violin Performance at Duquesne University under the guidance of Charles and Rachel Stegeman. He performed with the Experimental Repertoire Orchestra of Sao Paulo, Academic Orchestra of Sao Paulo, and the Brazilian Young Trio, of which he is a founding member. Marco also performed with the Port Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and Theater Zone (Naples). As a teacher, Marco Ferri has experience teaching all ages in violin, viola, cello, music theory, music history, and conducting. For over 13 years, Marco has been coaching students from beginning to advanced level. Currently, he has dedicated his time to his private studio, teaching in person and online lessons as well.
VIOLIN
Louis Lev
Zhan Shu
Sandro Leal-Santiesteban
Galina Istomin
Roy Sonne
Summer Nie
Julie Chiem
Quddus Khamooshi
VIOLA
Penny Anderson Brill
Roy Sonne
Galina Istomin
Summer Nie
Julie Chiem
CELLO
Nicole Myers
Erin Snyder
Simon Cummings
Silvia Games
DOUBLE BASS
Erin Snyder
Mike Liu
Louis Lev
Zhan Shu
Sandro Leal-Santiesteban
Galina Istomin
Roy Sonne
Summer Nie
Julie Chiem
Quddus Khamooshi
VIOLA
Penny Anderson Brill
Roy Sonne
Galina Istomin
Summer Nie
Julie Chiem
CELLO
Nicole Myers
Erin Snyder
Simon Cummings
Silvia Games
DOUBLE BASS
Erin Snyder
Mike Liu