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Sarah Tenney Chair, Percussion Department & Director, Marimba Magic Ensembles Sarah Tenney serves as Chair of the Percussion Department at Rivers. Sarah founded Marimba Magic, a program she has taught at the Rivers School Conservatory since 1986, introducing children as young as 5 years old to keyboard skills, singing, drumming, improvising, and playing together in an ensemble, giving them a solid foundation for future music lessons on any instrument. Some students choose to continue in the Marimba Magic program, enjoying playing on a marimba team. Sarah’s students are regularly accepted to perform in the District and All State festivals. Sarah has led Marimba Magic in concerts at many National and International conferences, including two Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, MENC Eastern District in both Baltimore and Springfield, several MMEA All State Conferences, the AOSA National Conference, The MTNA National Conference, The European Piano Conference, and The Brussels Marimba Week. Sarah is a certified improvisation teacher for the organization Music for People. Sarah received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. s.tenney@rivers.org

Lauren Cless Violin, Suzuki Programs director Lauren Cless is an experienced pedagogue, orchestral violinist, and chamber musician. At the Rivers School Conservatory, she teaches Suzuki Violin and Chamber Music. In 2017, Lauren received the Certificate of Achievement from the Suzuki Association of the Americas, an award that recognizes teachers for their commitment to excellence, life-long learning, and self-improvement. Previously, Ms. Cless was a member of the faculty at the Western Springs School of Talent Education. She is a graduate of long-term teacher training in the Suzuki violin method with Kimberly Meier-Sims at the Cleveland Institute of Music Sato Center for Suzuki studies. Her complete Suzuki method training includes units 1-10, practicum, and Suzuki Principles in Action. In the summer, Lauren can be found teaching at the Colorado Suzuki Institute, and she previously served as faculty at Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp, where she taught violin and coached chamber ensembles. In addition to being an enthusiastic pedagogue, Ms. Cless is an active freelance performer in the greater Boston area. Together with her husband, a violinist/composer, Lauren owns a thriving business that performs live string music for weddings all over New England. She lives in Acton, MA with her three young children and is also a Suzuki parent. Lauren Cless earned a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Northwestern University. Major teachers and mentors include Kenneth Goldsmith, Gerardo Ribeiro, David Updegraff, Stephen Rose, and Kimberly Meier-Sims. l.cless@rivers.org

Kirstin Seitz Peltz Cello Kirstin Seitz Peltz is an award-winning cellist, educator and conductor. She has performed as a cellist with several American orchestras and was a cello instructor at the summer festival, Luzerne Music Center, for ten years. Kirstin has earned music degrees in cello performance and music education from Southern Methodist University and from the Eastman School of Music. Kirstin currently teaches cello and is a member of The Glens Falls Symphony (NY). k.peltz@rivers.org

Vytas J. Baksys Accompanist Accompanist Vytas J. Baksys is a frequent keyboardist with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras, and has worked with other area ensembles such as the Concord Chamber Music Society, Boston Musica Viva, Boston Secession, and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players. Since 1989 he has been the faculty pianist with the Fellowship Conducting Program at Tanglewood. Of Lithuanian descent, Vytas is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and State University of New York at Stony Brook. His principal teachers include Angel Ramon Rivera, Victor Rosenbaum, and Gilbert Kalish. v.baksys@rivers.org

Michael Monroe Piano Pianist Michael Monroe teaches music theory, coaches chamber music, and accompanies student recitals at the Rivers School Conservatory and for Rivers Summer Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from The New England Conservatory and has collaborated in recital with acclaimed violinists such as Stefan Jackiw, Ayano Ninomiya, and Arturo Delmoni. He serves as the director of music at Catholic Memorial, a boys’ prep school in West Roxbury, and as organist and music minister at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, MA. As a composer, he has written twenty-five fugues on hymn tunes and a wide variety of works and arrangements for choirs and other ensembles. Dr. Monroe has also served as conductor and music director for many stage productions including The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and multiple performances of his own English translation and chamber orchestration of Gounod’s comic opera The Doctor in Spite of Himself. He has a unique social media presence with a blog that has run for almost twenty years and hundreds of videos with more than a million total views. These videos, fulfilling a range of pedagogical and playful purposes, include creative score animations and dozens of musical mashups. m.monroe@rivers.org

Sean Larkin Violin Violinist Sean Larkin maintains an active and multifaceted career playing music of diverse styles. As a member of the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music, he has extensively performed the works of Bach and was honored as a Lorraine Hunt Lieberson fellow during the 2019/2020 season, where he was featured as a soloist and ensemble leader. He regularly performs with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera, recording and presenting contemporary orchestral works and numerous world premier commissions. In the summer of 2024 he performed in a quartet accompanying the Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom during the company’s residency at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. His versatility extends to musical theater, with performances at the American Repertory Theater, Boston Opera House, and the Ogunquit Playhouse. He also frequently plays in orchestras throughout New England, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, where he studied with David Salness and members of the Guarneri Quartet, and a master’s degree from Boston University, where he studied with Bayla Keyes and served as her teaching assistant. s.larkin@rivers.org

Bill Jones Jazz Saxophone Bill Jones grew up Marion, MA and began his Jazz studies at the University of New Hampshire, where he had the opportunity to play with Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, and Slide Hampton. He continued on to pursue his Masters degree at the New England Conservatory where he studied with Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeil, and George Garzone. After graduation, he continued his studies with Charlie Banacos and Hal Crook. As a performer, Bill plays regularly at many venues in and around Boston such as Wally’s, Ryles, The Beehive, Beat Hotel, and Lilypad. He has performed with many revered musicians such as Bob Gullotti, Leo Genovese, Bruno Raberg, Tim Ray, John Lockwood, and with the Orchestra at Indian Hill. At the Rivers School, Bill teaches theory and private lessons and directs the Middle School Jazz Band. Bill is also on faculty at the University of Rhode Island and the Indian Hill Music School in Littleton, MA. b.jones@rivers.org

Eugene Kim Cello, ChamberMusicLab Cellist Eugene Kim has enjoyed a distinguished teaching career. He is the 2019 recipient of the Jean Stackhouse Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Preparatory Division of New England Conservatory. His students have performed concerti with the Boston Symphony (under Andris Nelsons), the Boston Pops (under Keith Lockhart), the NEC Youth Philharmonic and Youth Symphony Orchestras, the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the New England Philharmonic, as well as numerous other Boston area orchestras. An active Boston-area performer, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as an extra player, as well as the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Eugene has been guest principal cellist with the Boston Philharmonic, Boston Classical Orchestra and the Pro Arte Chamber Ensemble. Formerly, he was the principal cellist of the Vermont Symphony. In addition to his serving on the faculties of the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Eugene was formerly a member of the faculties of UMASS/Boston and Brandeis University. Eugene received his A.B. magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard University, and a master’s degree from New England Conservatory. He has studied with cellists Andres Diaz, Colin Carr, Laurence Lesser, and Carter Brey. e.kim@rivers.org

John Emery Violin/Viola John Emery is a violin and viola teacher at RSC and also teaches chamber music. He plays for many performing groups and is concertmaster of the Rivers Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of Harvard University. j.emery@rivers.org

Donna Taub Bassoon Donna Taub performs and teaches bassoon in the Boston area. She is second bassoonist with Symphony by the Sea, guests with organizations in the region including Symphony New Hampshire, Cape Symphony, and Claflin Hill Symphony and she maintains an active teaching schedule. Donna is a graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and New England Conservatory. d.taub@rivers.org

Ian Lindsey Piano Ian Lindsey has been an active teacher and pianist in the Boston area for the past fifteen years. A graduate from the Walnut Hill School, Ian Lindsey continued his studies at the New England Conservatory with Randall Hodgkinson, receiving both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Mr. Lindsey has become known for presenting virtuoso repertoire such as the complete sets of etudes by Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninoff. He is one of the few pianists worldwide to have performed the complete Hungarian Rhapsodies by Franz Liszt, notably during the celebrations of the two-hundredth anniversary of the composer’s birth in 2011. i.lindsey@rivers.org

Neil Godwin French Horn Neil Godwin is a native of Louisiana and holds degrees in horn performance and conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2001, he began studies at Boston University with Eric Ruske. In Boston, Neil has had a busy career as performer and teacher. As a new music specialist, he performs frequently with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and the Callithumpian Consort. At the other extreme, he has explored natural horn performance with Grand Harmonie. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Neil performs with the Boston Woodwind Society Octet and the Epic Brass Quintet. He is a member of the Plymouth Philharmonic and has played with the Discovery Ensemble, the Hillyer Festival Orchestra, the Simon Sinfonietta and the Gardner Museum Chamber Orchestra. Neil has performed with many of the region’s orchestras, including the Boston Philharmonic, the New Bedford Symphony, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Orchestra of Indian Hill, Symphony by the Sea, and the Claflin Hill Symphony. n.godwin@rivers.org

Adult Chamber Music About Adult Chamber Music Adult intermediate/advanced musicians are invited to join the RSC chamber music program. Groups are formed with 2-5 adult players of similar ability following an informal placement audition. Adult chamber groups will be coached by an experienced faculty member on a weekday or weekend according to each person’s schedule. Each semester includes 15 hours of coaching, either in weekly 1-hour sessions or bi-weekly 90-minute sessions. Getting Started Contact Director Kristen Krauss at k.krauss@rivers.org

Youth Symphony Rehearsals: Fridays, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Christopher Memoli , conductor This is the only full orchestra for both string and wind players. RYS provides orchestral training for advanced student musicians. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to rehearse and perform advanced orchestral repertoire and excellent sight-reading skills. Audition Requirements: Strings: – Excerpts from 2 contrasting selections – All 3 octave major scales Winds and Brass: – Excerpts from 2 contrasting selections – Full range chromatic scale – All major scales Percussion (students must audition in at least two of the following areas): – Mallets: 12 major scales in 2 octaves, solo that demonstrates ability, sight-reading – Timpani: Tuning to given pitches, solo that demonstrates ability, sight-reading – Snare: Long Roll (open-closed-open), Single Stroke Roll, solo that demonstrates ability, sight-reading Watch Other Recent Performances: Youth Symphony at Regis College, February 8, 2026 Youth Symphony Concerto Competition All Youth Symphony members are eligible to enter. LEARN MORE

Private Lessons About Private Lessons The Rivers School Conservatory believes that being placed with the right teacher is vital to a student’s progress in and enjoyment of music. After a placement interview with the Department Chair, the student is assigned to a faculty member who best meets the student’s musical needs and style of learning. Private lessons are available for students and adults of any age and ability. Students younger than 5 may benefit from starting in programs designed especially for younger students. Private lesson tuition includes: Weekly 30-, 45-, or 60-minute private lessons Frequent evaluation of student development through workshops , mid-year progress reports and end-of-the-year evaluations Rehearsals and performances with professional accompanists Weekly Friday night student recitals Masterclasses Placement, as recommended by a student’s private lesson teacher, in special performance opportunities throughout the year, including the Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young and participation in competitions Learn more about our tuition rates Getting Started Please fill out an application and you will be contacted to set up a placement interview. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at music@rivers.org or call 781-235-6840.