Instructors
Our instructors are experienced professional teachers and musicians. All styles, all instruments beginning to advanced . . . . . . . including Piano. Visit our School of Music page for lesson information.
David A. Asti • Banjo, Mandolin and Fiddle
David is an experienced professional musician. His substantial knowledge in a wide variety of music and instruments enables him to instruct beginners to advanced with great success. David is the main and original member of “The Hillbilly Gypsies. Aside from touring for many years they have performed on NPR: West Virginia Mountain Stage, PBS, Song of The Mountains, Old Time Radio Hour BBC Documentary among many others. He has won and placed in many Mandolin and Bluegrass contests in West Virginia and Maryland.
Theresa Carson • Violin
Theresa Carson has many years of private violin instruction experience. She has studied at the New School of Music and the Lebanon Valley College, both in Pennsylvania. Additionally, she has performed with the Harrisburg symphony for over eleven years. Her students excel early and participate in all of our recitals.
Click here for more info on Violin Classes.
Andrea M. Diggs • Flute, Voice, Music Together®
Andrea Diggs is a graduate of Shenandoah University Conservatory of Music. She has a Masters and Bachelor of Music Degree in Flute performance. Andrea has performed and studied in numerous arts festivals and other summer programs under the direction of Claude Monteaux, Ervin Monroe and Jan Wagner. She has won many awards and scholarships with Shenandoah Conservatory and was a winner of the Bach Handel Festival Competition in 2001. She currently performs with The City Choir of Washington and Symphony of the Valley. Andrea is an experienced teacher with children and adults and is a registered Music Together® teacher.
Brian Ellsworth, Owner • French Horn
Mr. Ellsworth attended the University of Maryland, New England Conservatory, and The University of the Pacific as a Bachelor of Music Performance Major. Mr. Ellsworth is an experienced performer and teacher of the french horn. He has studied with Sam Ramsey and Orrin Olsen of the Washington Opera Orchestra at The Kennedy Center and Tom Newell of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Ellsworth is active in the music community as owner of Ellsworth Music and performs in numerous ensembles as well.
Nancy Ellsworth • Violin
Nancy Ellsworth, a native of California, received her early training there with Lucie Bruch, Nathan Abas and Naoum Blinder. She graduated from Mills College in Oakland, California where she studied composition with Darius Milhoud. She was then invited to attend The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to study violin with Efrem Zimbalist where she received an Artist’s diploma. Her professional experience includes membership in the Denver and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the orchestras of the National Gallery of Art, Wolf Trap, and the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, holding her position of concertmaster for 25 years. She has taught privately and played many solo and chamber music engagements throughout her career.
Click here for more information on Nancy Ellsworth.
Dave Goldman • Guitar and Pedal Steel Guitar
Dave Goldman has been teaching guitar since the mid 1960’s. A student of the late Bill Gibson of Washington, D.C., Dave’s early influences were well grounded in theory and technique. He attended Los Angeles City College as a music major and while there was fortunate to take private lessons from the renowned George Van Eps. As a professional musician, Dave made a living for many years performing all styles of music. Along the way, he branched out to include the Pedal Steel Guitar in his repertoire, studying with the great Buddy Charleton. Presently retired from “the road,” Dave likes to refer to his main venue as “the stump by the river.” Dave also was the guitarist for for Doc Severinson’s band on the Tonight Show.
Jessica F. Hardesty • Violin/Viola and Suzuki String Class
Jessica is presently finishing her BA in Music Performance at the Shenandoah University and studies violin with Akemi Takayama. She is a member of The Suzuki Association of the Americas , certification fr the Ithaca Suzuki Teachers Institute.
She was awarded as Maryland Distinguished Music Scholar in 2008. Jessica worked with pre-college division students at the Philidelphia International music Festival on orchestral studies, ear training, sight reading and private instruction in June of 2011. Jessica is a welcome addition to our instructors as qualified, young and energetic teacher for our growing musicians.
Ryan D. Guerrero • Guitar
Ryan Guerrero holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Shepherd College in English and Music. He has knowledge and experience in the realms of music performance, theory and composition. Ryan teaches guitar and other folk instruments, and performs in a number of local groups.Jessica F Hardesty
Samuel Jannotta • Jazz Piano, Jazz Theory, Composition & Improvisation
Sam Jannotta studied jazz piano with a number of prominent jazz pianists including latin jazz pianist Maria Rodriguez of Wash.D.C. and Marc Copland of New York City who studied with Lennie Tristano. Sam studied Jazz piano, theory and composition at the University of Miami in Florida and performed with the St. Mary’s jazz band directed by Marc Humphries. Sam performs and records with many local groups and artists as well as solo work and with his wife, Lisa, at many venues including the Yellow Brick Bank. His unique teaching approach brings together a strong theoretical foundation, technical facility and a developed aural to technical confluence to allow the student to express their own ideas and inspirations as freely as possible.
Jeff Kauffman • Guitar
Jeff has been teaching guitar since the 1970’s. He is an experienced performer as well as a recording techniques and equipment specialist. His bands (rock, reggae, jazz) perform all over the eastern panhandle and beyond. Jeff’s students enjoy learning a variety of genres and eventually start to perform in our Rockn’ rolcitals and begin to form their own groups.
Matt Lewis • Guitar, String Bass, Electric Bass, Beginning Cello
Matt Lewis attended West Liberty State College and Shepherd College as a classical guitar student. He has studied and performed since age 9. Matt studied with Dr. Nels Leonard, a student of Segovia. He has participated in Master classes with Sharon Isben and Christopher Parkening. Matt also studied composition with Dr. Harold Weisner and Dr. Edward Wolfe. Matt is a very busy performer on String and Electric bass playing in numerous jazz, rock, and classical ensembles. He is comfortable in any genre of music.
Patrick E. Lowry • Guitar, Jazz Theory
Pat Lowry graduated from the University of Miami, Florida where he studied woodwinds and piano and received a Bachelor of Music in Music Merchandising. Pat has managed stores for Veneman Music in Silver Spring, Rockville, and Bethesda, MD and Springfield, VA. Patrick is an accomplished musician able to instruct students in almost any genre of music.
Camilo Pérez-Mejía • Cello, Strings Class and ensemble
Camilo received a Bachelor of Music from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. In 1999, he began his studies at Shenandoah University where he earned a Master of Music in Cello Performance, an Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies and completed courses in the Doctoral program.
He received concerto competition awards with the Colombian National Symphony, Universidad Javeriana and the Shenandoah Conservatory. As a member of Pergine Spettacolo Aperto, Cello12 and other ensembles, he has performed in Italy, Mexico, Brazil and at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, DC. He was Principal cellist of the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra, has performed with Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Two River Chamber Orchestra, Frederick Symphony Orchestra, Loudoun Symphony Orchestra and the Shippensburg Festival Orchestra and is currently Principal Cellist with Symphony of the Valley.
He has been teaching strings throughout Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia since 2002. Previously he taught in Bogotá, Colombia. He has been a string adjudicator for the Virginia Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts and Shenandoah Valley Youth Chamber Orchestra.
Jesse Schultzaberger • Percussion, Trumpet
Jesse is a graduate of Shepherd University and has played drums in the Shepherd University Jazz Ensemble and Combo. Jesse is a professional musician perfroming in a number of groups in the Eastern Panhandle, such as Ginada Pinata and Steller-Watson. Jesse is an experienced teacher in all styles of music including jazz, rock, funk, fusion and world beat percussion.
Yvonne Stewart • Piano & Clarinet Instruction
Yvonne holds a Bachelor of Music and a Masters of Music Degrees from Lambuth University and Austin Peay State University in Piano Performance. She is a recepient of many awards and graduted with honors from Austin Peay State University on 2007. Yvonne was also principle clarinetist for the Wind Ensemble in 2007. Yvonne is an experienced instructor and well qualified to teach children and adults.
Bob Strain • Piano, Jazz Piano and Jazz Improvisation
Bob is one of the great Jazz pianists in the area, performing at many different venues here and in the Washington D.C Metropolitan Area. He earned a BA in piano performance at Shepherds University, a Masters and a PHD in piano from Shenandoah University. Bob currently is a professor of piano at Shenandoah University.
Suzanne Tabb • Piano Instructor
Suzanne received her degree from Shepherd University in Piano performance, with vocal studies as a secondary emphasis. She has studied piano with Patricia Prattis Jennings, the pianist with the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Guy Frank and Mary Kathleen Ernst. She has performed with the Millbrook Symphony Orchestra and is an active church musician as well, serving an area congregation for the past twelve years. Ms. Tabb is a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers and the Music Teachers National Association. She has been teaching students of all ages for sixteen years. Her students regularly participate in adjudications and recitals.
Steve Valentine • Guitar
Steve is a graduate of Shepherd University with a degree in classical guitar performance. At George Mason University, he studied with Larry Snitzler who was an student of Andres Segovia. Steve also studied with Gerry Kunkel and Dave Reynolds, at Shepherd. Although Steve is a specialist in classical guitar, he also teaches folk, blues, and rock styles.
David Van Deventer • Violin, Mandolin and Banjo (bluegrass, celtic, jazz and swing fiddle)
David is an accomplished musician and teacher who studied at Virginia Commonwealth University as a violin major.David is a full-time bluegrass fiddler in the Furnace Mountain Band, and performs as a duet ensemble with his wife, Morgan. He plays at numerous festivals throughout the region and has played many times in our own part of West Virginia.
Jim Webb • Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle
Jim recently moved to the Eastern Panhandle. He has been performing and teaching bluegrass and oldtime music for the past forty years in the Louisville, Kentucky area. Jim is accomplished on guitar fingerstyle and flatpicking, bluegrass and old time banjo, old time and bluegrass fiddle. His cds and videos can be found on the internet.