Search RSC’s Website

Philippe Crettien Saxophone, Jazz Department Chair Director, Jazz Program, The Rivers School Philippe Crettien, saxophone, is the Jazz Department Director for both RSC and The Rivers Upper School. He earned his BA from Berklee College of Music and the French Lycée of London. In addition to touring in Europe and South America with the Philippe Crettien Quartet, he has performed with Andy Jaffe, Bill Baron, Ed Blackwell, Mr. Jelly Belly, Brandford Marsalis, Mario Pavone, and currently freelances throughout Boston. p.crettien@rivers.org

Susanne Friedrich Cello Susanne Friedrich, cello, was born in Vienna, Austria, and received her cello training at the Vienna Conservatory and the Innsbruck Conservatory. She freelances throughout New England as a baroque and modern cellist and also teaches cello and chamber music at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Dana Hall School of Music. s.friedrich@rivers.org

Patrick Mottaz Jazz Guitar Patrick Mottaz, guitar, specializes in jazz, blues, rock and pop, covering techniques specific to both acoustic and electric guitar. He is an active performer in the Boston area and his work can be heard on numerous recordings with the Marlene Ensemble, MCFC, Gifrants, and many others. He also writes music and performs with the Philippe Crettien quartet. He graduated from Berklee College Of Music in 1993 and subsequently studied with Jerry Bergonzi. p.mottaz@rivers.org

Kenneth Mok Violin Kenneth Mok, an active musician in the New England area, has performed as concertmaster of Calliope and principal second violin for the Unitas Ensemble, the Video Game Orchestra, and the Boston Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, he’s appeared with the Collegium Musicum Hong Kong, UMass Boston Chamber Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Baptist University Orchestra. Kenneth has performed in numerous national and international locations including Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Beijing (China), Fukuoka (Japan) and London. His teaching repertoire ranges from Bartok, Prokofiev, and Paganini, to Bach, Shostakovich, and works by local living composers such as David Patterson. Kenneth’s students have received awards and acceptances through the Dedham School of Music Concerto Competition, the Hong Kong School Festival, and Youth & Muse Boston International Music Festival. Kenneth holds a Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory and an undergraduate degree from Hong Kong Baptist University. In 2003, he was awarded a diploma in Violin Performance by the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music. Recently, he completed the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Music Educator/Teaching Artist (META) fellowship program. He also currently serves as a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. k.mok@rivers.org

Matthew Stavrakas Bass, Jazz Ensemble Coach Matt Stavrakas is from Medfield, Massachusetts, and began playing the upright bass at age 15. After participating in the nationwide Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center with the Medfield High School jazz band, Matt knew he wanted to pursue a career in music. Matt graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2014, where he studied under Cecil McBee, John McNeil, Dave Holland, and Frank Carlberg, among others. Matt also studied classical technique under Don Palma at NEC, and after graduating from the conservatory continued his studies under Hal Crook. Matt had the privilege of playing with Jerry Bergonzi in the fall of 2014, and has performed regularly with Jerry ever since, including a weekly live stream performance every Wednesday starting in 2020. Matt has performed with other notable musicians including George Garzone, Bob Gullotti, Billy Hart, Kenny Werner, Leo Genevese, and Gilad Hekselmen, and has performed regularly in the Boston scene since 2014. At The Rivers School, Matt teaches ensembles, private lessons, and the color ear training course. m.stavrakas@rivers.org

Nancy Dimock Oboe, Chamber Music Nancy Dimock is the principal oboist of the Springfield and Vermont Symphonies, a member of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra and the Chameleon Arts Ensemble. She frequently performs as a guest with ensembles around Boston, including Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, BMOP and the Boston Pops. She has been the principal oboist of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and can be heard performing with the HSO on the Grammy-nominated recording Rosemary Clooney: The Final Concert. She has been on the Prairie Home Companion radio show, NPR’s Performance Today, and PBS’s Great Performances, and she regularly performs live on Boston’s classical radio station, WGBH. Nancy has performed the Bach Concerto for Violin and Oboe many times with renowned violinist Jaime Laredo, and she has collaborated with such artists as the Jacques Thibaud Trio and the Lydian String Quartet. She studied with Alfred Genovese and Joseph Robinson at the New England Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. n.dimock@rivers.org

Heidi Braun-Hill Violin Violinist Heidi Braun-Hill enjoys a musical career as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. She is the violin soloist and concertmaster of the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music as well as concertmaster of Odyssey Opera of Boston and the Marsh Chapel Collegium at Boston University. She performs regularly with many groups including Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Pops, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, A Far Cry, Boston Festival Orchestra, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. At Emmanuel Music, she performs regularly as part of their weekly Bach Cantata Series, having performed over 150 Bach cantatas. Ms. Braun-Hill has appeared with numerous chamber groups, including the Arneis Quartet, Token Creek Music Festival, Sheffield Chamber Players, Baroklyn, Winsor Music, and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. She can be heard on recordings with various groups on the Arsis, Nonesuch, Naxos, BMOP/sound, and Albany labels as well as recordings of Bach arias on Spotify. As an educator, Ms. Braun-Hill is devoted to her students and is in demand as a skilled and nurturing teacher. She currently teaches at the Rivers School Conservatory, the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts, and the Bach Institute at Emmanuel Music. h.braun-hill@rivers.org

Dan Loschen Classical & Jazz Piano, Theory Department Chair Dan Loschen is a graduate of Oberlin and New England Conservatories. He is assistant chair of the Jazz Department at the Rivers School Conservatory, where he teaches many piano students in both jazz and classical genres, as well as coaches jazz ensembles and teaching music theory. In addition, he is the music director and arranger for Boston Musical Theater, which recently performed tributes to musical theater giants the Gershwins and Frank Loesser. With BMT, Dan has traveled to Moscow and Seoul, where he performed and presented master classes. d.loschen@rivers.org

Allyn McCourt Voice Allyn McCourt is a versatile artist whose passion and dedication have left a lasting impression on the realms of music education, performance, and artistic leadership. Hailing from Jamaica Plain, MA, Allyn holds a Masters in Voice Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory of Music and proudly serves as the Director of Music and Choirmaster at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Chestnut Hill on Boston College’s campus. He previously served as the Executive Director of the UML String Project & Youth Orchestra, overseeing showcases and securing grants, including a $50,000 grant from the Parker Foundation and the Office of the Chancellor. In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, Allyn’s talent as a baritone has earned him recognition as a frequent soloist with the Cambridge-based choir, Cantata Singers. He has performance credits with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera, Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, Franklin Performing Arts Company, and Ogunquit Playhouse, to name a few. With his rich voice, energetic directing, and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence, Allyn continues to captivate audiences and inspire future generations through the transcendent power of music. a.mccourt@rivers.org

J.P. Heston Bass, Jazz Ensemble Coach J.P. Heston has been teaching music for over 10 years. Growing up in Ogdensburg, NJ he got his first guitar/bass when he was 11 years old and played with local bands in high school and in church. He started studying jazz and advanced music theory with Jeff Ciampa in 2010. He eventually began playing in several groups all over the NJ and NYC area. He signed up at Berklee College of Music in 2011. He completed their online course and received his Professional Certificate in 2015. J.P. then moved to Boston April of 2017 to teach music privately and became immersed in the live music scene. He soon began playing in a number of different groups all around the Boston area, performing music genres ranging from Pop, RnB, Jazz, Hip Hop, and more. In 2018 while living in Boston, he received a full scholarship to return to Berklee College of Music to continue his education. J.P. now lives in South Boston where he plays live music weekly and teaches private lessons. jp.heston@rivers.org

Eya Setsu Violin, Chamber Music Violinist Eya Setsu enjoys performing in the greater Boston area in addition to her administrative responsibilities. At RSC, she teaches chamber music as part of the Studio Chamber Music program and Summer Music. She currently plays with Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and has also recently played with Cape Ann Symphony. Her Graduate Professional Diploma was completed at The Hartt School under the guidance of Anton Miller. She received her dual masters in Violin Performance and Music Theory at the University of Akron. Her undergraduate studies at Stony Brook University included both Biology/Bioengineering and Music (with her long-time mentor, Dr. Linda Sinanian). She has been fortunate to have masterclass appearances with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Merz Trio, and Escher String Quartet. Her performance opportunities have taken her across the country, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and even El Rey Theater. Committed to new music, Eya has premiered and recorded contemporary works during her residency as a String Fellow with the Next Festival of Emerging Artists. Aside from performing and being at RSC, Eya enjoys hiking in the New England outdoors with her husband. e.setsu@rivers.org

Lilit Karapetian Piano Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian has performed extensively in her native Armenia and the former Soviet Union, as well as internationally. Her solo appearances and frequent contributions to a number of ensembles have won acclaim from the renowned authorities in the musical world, including praise from Paul Badura Skoda, Mikhail Pletnev and Daniel Pollock. After finishing the Tchaikovsky Music School in Yerevan under the guidance of Professor E.Tandilian Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian graduated with honors from the graduate piano class of Professor Lev Vlasenko and Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory. Among the highlights of her performing and teaching career are the prize at the Transcaucasian Music Competition in 1981 and the professorship at the Yerevan State Conservatory, where she taught a piano class and also the methods of piano teaching from 1988 to 2005. From 1986 to 1988 Lilit Karapetian- Shougarian also assisted Professor Lev Vlasenko in his piano class at the Moscow Conservatory. Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian is at home both with the classical and modern repertoire. Her spirited interpretations of Rakhmaninov, Liszt, Chopin, Debussy and Olivier Messian invariably fascinate the public. Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian has had an impressive number of solo recitals in Syria, Jordan, the United States, Great Britain, Italy and Argentina. In 1994 she was invited to perform in the prestigious Grande Finale concert together with Ann Shein, a world-famous pianist, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Her 1995 recital at the Washington Arts Club and a series of concerts in Buenos-Aires and Cordoba in 1996 were highly praised by international press and the local musical circles. Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian also performed with the Arlington Symphony and the Williamsburg Symphony orchestras. Her most recent recitals with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra featured Mozart’s Concerto # 23 (A-Major) and Saint-Saens’s concerto #2 (g-minor). In 2006- 2007 she had solo recitals in Venice, in the National Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome and Teatro di Marcello of Rome (the recording of that concert can be found at the following internet address: www.tempietto.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=60). Lilit Karapetian- Shougarian also performed during the internationally broadcasted 1st anniversary of Telepace Armenia. Mrs. Karapetian-.Shougarian has authored several articles on musicology and theory of piano interpretation. Among them are Methodological Observations in the Process of the Advanced Piano Teaching (2004); The Vocal Element in Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonatas (2004); The Art of Interpretation and International Competitions. (2007) Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian is currently a resident of Wellesley, Massachusetts. In September 2009 she joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory and Continuing Education Departments, where she currently teaches a piano class. Mrs. Karapetian-Shougarian also teaches piano at the Rivers School Conservatory and Sharon Music Academy. Being the spouse of Rouben Shougarian, Armenia’s first Ambassador to Washington (1993- 1999) and Italy, Spain and Portugal (2005-2008), Lilit Karapetian- Shougarian had to travel extensively and in addition to her professional career performed many social and diplomatic duties. Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian continued her performing career after moving permanently to the United States. In 2009-2011 she had solo recitals in Watertown and Washington DC. She also played together with Dr. Magdalena Richter (violin) in Arlington, MA. The highlight of her recent performing career were her two solo recitals at Williams Hall, NEC in January 2012 and March 2014. In March 2013 Lilit Karapetian-Shougarian had a master class and guest artist gala concert at Bridgewater State University, Department of Music. Since April 2013 she has also started collaborating and performing with Levon Chilingirian, a world- renowned violinist from London, UK. Lilit performed a solo recital at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in 2016, where she premiered V. Sargsyan’s new arrangements of Komitas songs. She is committed to promoting contemporary music and is a frequent participant in Contemporary Musical Seminars. …the wonderful pianist Lilit Shougarian played so well… Paul Badura Skoda Austrian pianist of international acclaim Her performance is exclusively refined, full of genuine lyricism and technically polished. Willie Sarkissian Professor, Yerevan State Conservatory Bright artistic sophistication, charm and professionalism. Sergey Dorensky Professor, Moscow Conservatory Virtuoso interpretations, thoughtful approach… Mikhail Pletnev World-famous Russian pianist and conductor The second movement’s elfin Scherzo (Saint-Saens’s Concerto #2) delivered characteristic spark and clarity in the arpeggios and runs. The standing ovation…was well deserved. The Washington Post l.karapetian@rivers.org

Paul Huberdeau Accompanist Paul Huberdeau, accompanist, received a B.M. in music education from New England Conservatory, and studied with pianist Patricia Zander. p.huberdeau@rivers.org

Liz Foulser Double Bass Elizabeth Foulser, Double Bass, has been freelancing in Boston over 25 years. Previously Principal Bass of the Jacksonville (FL) Symphony she performs regularly with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston Classical Orchestra (now Bach, Beethoven, Brahms Society) and the Portland Symphony. She has held first desk position in the Springfield and New Haven Symphonies. She has played as substitute with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops and she has performed in Tokyo with The Super World Orchestra. Her chamber music collaborations include the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Boston Chamber Music Society with Stephanie Chase. Ms Foulser’s students regularly participate in Junior, Senior District, and All-State Orchestras, as well as in the BYSO system. e.foulser@rivers.org

Suzuki Programs About Suzuki Group Classes & Private Lessons Students are instructed in the method developed by the late Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, based on the ease with which children develop fluency with their native language. The method focuses on step-by-step mastery of proper technique and beautiful musicality, while enjoying a positive nurturing community of like-minded Suzuki families. Advancing students develop fluency in note-reading in addition to developing mastery of their instrument. The Rivers School Conservatory Suzuki Program requires a commitment of time and energy, and this dedication will be rewarded as your child develops their beautiful musical talent. The parent attends all lessons and classes, assists the child in practice sessions, and works to create a positive musical environment in the home. Suzuki Program Tuition Learn more about our tuition rates Suzuki Offerings Suzuki Violin Young Beginner Primer for 3-year-olds (minimum 2.9 by September 1) Sundays, 12:30–1:15 p.m. This class will introduce preschool-age students and their caregivers to studying the violin. We will explore violin posture, beginning violin technique, and general musical concepts such as rhythm and melody. Weekly practice assignments will foster the routine of daily home practice that will become vital in future Suzuki violin lessons. A caregiver is required to observe each class, participate in partner activities, and help their young beginners practice the home assignment between class meetings. Please contact Lauren Cless at suzuki@rivers.org for more information. Suzuki Violin (ages 3 and up) Lauren Cless , Sean Larkin , Lisa Lederer , Jenna Potts , & Emily Rome , violin faculty All Technique and Musicianship classes are on Sunday afternoons, please inquire for available private lesson times. Suzuki Viola (ages 3 and up) Emily Rome , viola faculty Please inquire for available times. Suzuki Cello (ages 3 and up) Taylor Stobinski , cello faculty All Technique and Musicianship classes are on Wednesday afternoons, please inquire for available private lesson times. Suzuki Guitar (ages 4 and up) Catherine O’Kelly , guitar faculty Lessons are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. New! Suzuki Flute (ages 3 and up) Kelly Watson Woelffer , winds faculty Suzuki Flute students receive weekly private lessons and 12 group classes each semester. Using a joyful, whole-child approach, students develop ear training, music reading, and playing the flute with a beautiful tone alongside building ensemble and music theory skills in group classes. Caregivers can expect to attend lessons and will learn how to practice with their child at home, strengthening connection and lifelong learning. Ages 3+ welcome. Getting Started Interested students should set up an informal interview with the Program Director to be placed with the appropriate group and teacher. Email suzuki@rivers.org to make an appointment.