Our Faculty
Tanya Bayliyeva
Tatyana (Tanya) Bayliyeva received her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Turkmen State Musical College and her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Turkmen National Conservatory, both in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Her professional career highlights include teaching as a full-time faculty member at the First Central Music School in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and the Ashgabat International School where she taught Music and English. Ashgabat International School is one of thirty-two private American schools in twenty-seven countries owned and operated by Quality Schools International. QSI schools serve the children of the diplomatic and business communities, as well as any children who want to study the English language. In 2003, Tanya won an international competition and travelled to Hyderabad, India, to participate in the International Training Program English for Professionals. Additionally, Tanya performed as both soloist and accompanist on several occasions for special Turkmenistan government events, many of them televised. Since October, 2007, Tanya has been working at the New Mexico School of Music (NMSM) as a full-time piano instructor. Several of her students have participated in and won acclaimed international piano competitions. Additional responsibilities at the New Mexico School of Music include teaching group keyboard and music theory classes and managing the school’s performance activities. Tanya also frequently accompanies musicians in the University of New Mexico’s Music Department.
Eric Brook
Eric Brook, joined the New Mexico School of Music piano faculty in the fall of 2008. As a composer, improviser, producer, teacher, and artist, he has been incorporating music in a variety of settings and wide array of musical styles for the past two decades. He began composing at the age of 5 with encouragement from his mother, who is a piano teacher. Although he studied piano for 14 years and percussion for 8 years, upon entering college he decided that he wanted to focus on creating new music, not repeating the past. Eric’s music has traversed multiple new music genres including minimalism, avant-garde, free improvisation, serialized music, and electronic music. In recent compositions, he has relied more heavily on his ear for sound material instead of abstract formulas. Eric has studied under Steven Danker at The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (LA) and with Randolph Coleman and Ross Feller at Oberlin Conservatory of Music (OH) where he received his Bachelor of Music in 2006. In 2008, Eric earned his Master of Arts degree in music composition from the University of Minnesota.
Regina Chavez
Regina Chavez completed her Bachelor Degree in Music Education, with an emphasis in percussion, at the University of New Mexico. As part of the degree program at UNM, she worked as a student teacher for Betsy Van Dyke at Madison Middle School, and Stuart Fessinger at Sandia High School. She also was the drum line instructor at Sandia High School, which under her guidance placed third in Albuquerque’s annual Duke City Drum-off. She currently plays drum set and sings backup vocals for her band Edith Grove, which has just released its second album Highway of Diamonds. She performs regularly with Musical Theater Southwest and Albuquerque Little Theater, and is the founder of the New Mexico Marimba Band.
Stacy Golden
Stacy received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Production/Engineering from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She pursued additional studies in Music Education at the University of New Mexico. She was the recipient of Berklee’s Vocal Professional Performance Award, where she studied with instructors Mili Bermejo, Bob Stoloff, Sharon Brown and Charlie Sorrento. Stacy is an award winning singer/songwriter and independent recording artist. She has twice been recognized by Billboard Magazine’s Songwriting Contest for her songwriting abilities. She has released 2 CDs on her label, Golden Elephant Music and her CD, Thin Wire Walk, was selected to showcase for the Los Angeles Music Awards in 2004. Stacy specializes in vocal students pursuing contemporary forms of music such as pop, jazz, R&B and musical theatre, as well as beginning piano students of all ages.
Cathy Hawthorne
Cathy Hawthorne received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Wichita State University, KS. She completed her Master of Music at the University of New Mexico. Cathy received the Mary Koch Award for musical achievement; was a winner of the 1998 Concerto-Aria competition; was a winner of the New Mexico MTNA State Competition in both 1999 and 2000; and won the MTNA District competition in 2001. She studied flute with Frances Shelly, Peter Ader and Valerie Potter. Cathy is currently a member of the Bosque Chamber Music Society, and has had the opportunity to join the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra for several of their concerts. Most recently, she received certification as an instructor for the Harmony Road™ Music Courses designed specifically for young children. She has written on the subject of early childhood music, and has appeared as a guest columnist for the New Mexico Kid’s™ magazine, with an article pertaining to early musical experiences.
Sara Heppler
Sara graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory and Composition from the University of New Mexico, where she is currently working on her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance. She has studied piano with Tatiana Vetrinskaya and Falko Steinbach. Prior to studying at UNM, she held the position of Assistant Music Director at Eastman Curtis ministries in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is currently a Graduate Assistant at UNM, where she has been employed to teach a theory-related keyboard laboratory.
Michael Herrera
Michael Herrera received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of New Mexico in 1978. He completed his Master of Music in Clarinet Performance at the University of New Mexico in 1984. Michael has worked as a Band Director for the Albuquerque Public Schools for the past 25 years, and is currently the Band Director at McKinley Middle School. He has performed in masterclasses at the Oklahoma University Clarinet Symposium and he currently plays principal clarinet for the Albuquerque Concert Band. Michael’s teachers include Floyd Williams, Robert Wingert and Keith Lemmons.
Olga Home
Olga Home completed her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, with a minor in Piano Performance from Arzamas Music College, Russia. She received dual Master of Music Degrees in Ethnomusicology and Music Composition from the Nizhgorodsky State Conservatory. Olga taught piano and music theory at the Children’s School of Music in Ashgabat, and was a full-time faculty member at the Music College in Arzamas. Olga is an accomplished composer and music theorist. Her professional teaching experience includes violin, string ensemble, piano, music theory, music history, composition and analysis. While in Arzamas, she performed with the Opera Theatre as a violinist for seven years. Olga has published several articles regarding children and music education, and has been an active lecturer on these topics. She has performed with the Santa Fe Symphony, the San Juan Symphony, the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque and various other chamber music groups in Albuquerque.
Linda Pierce Hunter
California native, soprano Linda Pierce Hunter is a graduate of the Mozarteum Academy of Music, in Salzburg, Austria with degrees in Voice and Lied/Oratorio under Paul Schilovsky. Fluent in German, French and Italian, she has appeared as soloist in concert and opera in Austria, Italy, England, France, Germany and the United States.
Ms Pierce Hunter has maintained voice studios in Paris, Boston and New York City where her students have been consistent competition winners. She was on the voice faculty of the Mannes College of Music (1994-2002), on the faculty of the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv (1994-1995), and most recently a guest on the voice faculty of the University of Kansas. She now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she teaches privately.
Sam Jacobs
Samuel (Sam) Jacobs joined the piano faculty of the New Mexico School of Music in August, 2008. As a performer, he has been heard in such esteemed venues as Symphony Hall in Boston, MA, and as diverse as the Paisiello Academy in Lucera, Italy, and Rando Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada. His principal teachers have been Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Emanuela Friscioni, Peter Takacs, and Jonathan Bass. Mr. Jacobs has also participated in competitions, master classes, and festivals in the United States and Europe, in which he has been influenced by the pedagogy of such piano teachers as Jerome Lowenthal, Boris Slutsky, and Ursula Oppens. Degrees include a Master’s from the Cleveland Institute of Music (OH) in 2008, and a Bachelor’s from the Oberlin Conservatory (OH) in 2006. Mr. Jacobs taught piano to college students and conservatory non-piano majors for several years while at Oberlin. In September 2008, he received the runner-up prize at the Thousand Islands International Competition in Cape Vincent, upstate New York.
Karles Saucedo-McQuade
Karles Saucedo-McQuade started violin at the age of 10 with Pam Parfitt. He played in his first orchestra at age 11 and entered the Santa Fe Youth Symphony as a founding member when he was 12. During his seven-year tenure with the Youth Symphony, Karles played both violin and viola in the Youth Symphony proper, the Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra III, and in Mozart y Mariachi he served as a Mentor. He served as concertmaster for the last two years of his tenure, winning the 2000 Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, the 2000 students’ choice Most Professional Award and the 2001 Conductor’s Award. Karles holds a BA from Oberlin College where he studied music and physics. He played with the Oberlin College Community Strings, Oberlin Baroque Orchestra and Black River Baroque Orchestra, and more recently with the Santa Fe Community Orchestra, Zia Singers, Canticum Novum, San Juan Symphony and the UNM Symphony, Chamber and Opera Orchestras. He has also given solo performances with Oberlin Winter Baroque Orchestra, Serenata of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Youth Symphony and the Orchestra and Choir of St. Francis. He has been teaching for 8 years in various venues, including the Santa Fe Youth Symphony’s Mozart y Mariachi program, and at the Espaņola Military Academy through the Cremona Foundation. He also maintains a private teaching studio. He is currently double-majoring in violin performance and string pedagogy at the University of New Mexico where he studies with Carmelo De Los Santos and Susan Kempter.
Sabrina Murton
Sabrina Murton, who joined the New Mexico School of Music in 2007, is currently completing a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of New Mexico, where she studies with Pamela Pyle. She began her piano studies in Heidelberg, Germany, with Ulrich Paetzholdt, currently the choir director of Deutsche Oper Berlines. She later studied in Albuquerque with Charles McDaniel and Falko Steinbach. Sabrina has attended two master courses in Heek, Germany, with Falko Steinbach and with Ratko Delorko. In addition to giving private piano lessons, Sabrina has tutored music theory at the university level. She performs with the Electronic Music Ensemble at UNM, and has performed experimental noise improvisation with the Cobra Group in Albuquerque.
Rachel Peale
Rachel received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Iowa, where she studied with Katherine Wolfe. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Violin Performance at the University of New Mexico, where she studies with Carmelo de los Santos. Rachel is also working toward a long term Suzuki Teacher Certification at UNM with Susan Kempter. She has 18 years of experience with the Suzuki Method, both as a student and as a teacher. Rachel is a former member of UNM’s Abe Franck String Quartet, and has participated in music festivals, symphonies, and taught at music camps in Oklahoma, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Kansas, Iowa, and Arizona.
Kathy Postel
Kathy Postel received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with Vocal Emphasis, Kindergarten through Grade 12 from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While attending Northwestern College, she was the alto section leader for College Choir, winner of the college’s aria competition, a frequent soloist with the orchestra, and third place winner of the MN state vocal competition. She has taught elementary music, private piano, private voice, class piano, class guitar, choir, band and orchestra. Currently, she is teaching band and orchestra at Van Buren Middle School in Albuquerque, and teaches class piano at Sandia Prep during the summer months. Kathy joined the New Mexico School of Music in January, 2009, teaching voice and guitar.
Julietta Anne Rabens
Julietta Anne Rabens teaches classical and Celtic harp, composition, and piano. She received a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition, with a minor in Piano Pedagogy from University of Nebraska in Lincoln. For her dissertation she composed a harp concerto, Bitterroot Soundscape. She received her Master of Music in Harp from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where she studied harp performance with Liz Cifani, and received training in Healing Harps and special education from Dr. Ron Price. During her program she developed a series of four graded pedagogical books for beginning harpists, Classics at Your Fingertips. She has also composed a piano concerto, cantata, chamber works, and has arranged flute and harp repertoire for the Bell’ Alma Duo’s CD, La Belle Vie. As a performer, she is an enthusiastic advocate for new music, and has performed with a variety of ensembles ranging from orchestral to experimental jazz. She also has a passion for a variety of folk harp traditions including Celtic and Paraguayan. As a teacher she has experience working with students with special needs, such as visual and hearing impairment, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation, autism, anxiety issues, specific learning problems, and brain cancer survivors. She currently works as a harpist in the Arts-in-Medicine program through the University of New Mexico.
Elizabeth Rincon
Elizabeth will complete her Bachelor’s degree in music at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque by December, 2009. She has studied guitar with Michael Chapdelaine, Jeremy Mayne, Neal Martinez, Luis Campos, and Pedro Cuadra, as well as participating in master classes with Badi Assad and Johan Fostier. She also has assisted in teaching after-school guitar programs in several Albuquerque elementary schools. As a classical guitarist, she has performed for private events given by various UNM departments, for the National Science Foundation, and various charitable organizations. She was honored to be chosen for perform for Governor Richardson’s reception for the first Presidential Democratic debates held at the University of New Mexico in 2004. In addition to her work in guitar performance, she is also the Assistant Sound Engineer in the UNM Music Department Keller Hall Recording Studio. Elizabeth has sung in the UNM Concert Choir, University Chorus and is a long-time member of Las Cantantes, the UNM Women’s Chorus. Most recently, Elizabeth’s projects have included Polyphony, Albuquerque’s newest professional vocal ensemble under the direction of Maxine Thevenot. In August, 2008, she traveled to England with the Cathedral Choir of St. John, in residence at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle and Canterbury Cathedral.
Natalia Ross
Natalia Ross graduated from the Ural Conservatory, Russia in 1998. While studying at the conservatory, she took part in several festivals in Ekaterinburg, Russia. In 1996 she participated in the M.K. Ciurlionis International Piano competition in Vilnius, Lithuania. After completing her studies at the Conservatory, she worked for several years at the Ekaterinburg Musical Theatre and at the Music School as a piano teacher. In 2001 she moved to the United States. Natalia currently lives in Albuquerque, where she has been working as an accompanist at the University of New Mexico.
Timothy D. Saeed
Timothy D. Saeed received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Pacific Conservatory of Music. He completed a Master’s degree in Music Theory from Boston University, where he was awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship. Over the past nine years, Timothy has instructed students in multiple learning environments: from group piano classes to theory courses, as well as private individual tutorials. He has taught at the University level, at elementary schools, and to all ages privately. Timothy studied piano with Sharon Mann from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Frank Wiens from UOP’s Conservatory of Music, Goodwin Samuel from Mills College and Antonio di Bonaventura from Boston University. Most recently, Timothy was accepted into the studio of Falko Steinbach at the University of New Mexico, where he is pursuing a second Master’s degree in Piano Performance and serving a Graduate Teaching Fellowship in the music theory department.
Natalia Tikhovidova
Natalia Tikhovidova received her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Turkmen National College of Music in Turkmenistan, and completed her graduate studies as a music teacher at the Nizni Novgorod Pedagogical University, Russia. Since moving to the United States in March, 2008, she has been actively performing as a collaborative pianist with a variety of distinguished musicians. Most recently, Natalia participated in an ensemble recital with a world known violist, Nokuthula Ngwenyama. She also works as an accompanist for the Southwest Opera and the Teatro Nuevo Mexico. Since the fall of 2008, Natalia has been working as a staff accompanist and a piano teacher at the New Mexico School of Music.
Russell Turek
Russell Turek graduated with his Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from the University of New Mexico. His formal education also includes guitar studies at Columbia College in Chicago and the College of DuPage in Illinois. Among his teachers were Norman Ruiz, Fareed Haque, Scot Johnston, and Michael Chapdelaine. While living in Chicago, Russell managed a successful music store, held a full-time private guitar studio and maintained a regular performance schedule at several local venues. He has received special recognition for his electronic compositions and is currently playing guitar in the local punk/rock bank “Free Range Clones”. Russell has been with the New Mexico School of Music since its inception in 2005.
Devin Ulibarri
Devin Ulibarri began playing guitar during his sophomore year of high school and soon caught the attention of his school’s music teacher. Devin was then recommended to Albuquerque’s local Maestro, Jeremy Mayne. Devin continued his studies with Jeremy while playing in Rio Rancho High School’s top jazz bands as guitarist and bassist, as well as playing in a rock group, which he and his friends formed. Devin graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BA in Guitar Performance under the guidance of Michael Chapdelaine. He has played in master classes with some of the world’s greatest classical guitarists, such as Oscar Ghilia, Eliot Fisk and Lorenzo Michelli. He frequently attends festivals and competes regularly throughout the U.S. Devin joined the guitar faculty at the New Mexico School of Music in the fall of 2008. He continues to enjoy playing jazz, rock, and all styles of music.
Tatiana Vetrinskaya, Director
Tatiana received her Master of Music in Piano Performance from Turkmenistan. She completed the Doctoral Program in Piano Ensemble Performance at the Gnesin Academy of Music in Moscow. After arriving in the United States, Tatiana acquired a second Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of New Mexico. She came to the United States in 1995 as a first recipient of the John Donald Robb Musical Trust Fellowship. Tatiana has soloed with the St. Louis Kamergild Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Albuquerque, the University of New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. She has performed extensively throughout the United States and has presented concerts and lecture-performances at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the University of Texas at El Paso, the Steinway Society Concert Series in Princeton, New Jersey, the 2003 Society of American Music Conference in Tempe, Arizona, and the American Symphony Orchestra League’s 58th National Conference in San Francisco, California. Currently, she performs for the University of New Mexico’s Keller Hall Performance Series, and is a part-time piano faculty member at the University of New Mexico. Tatiana is the featured performer of two CD recordings: Pictures of New Mexico and Piano Concerto with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has released a CD featuring the music of Russian composers, Russia into a Modern World.
Steve Wiseman
Steve Wiseman received his Master of Music Degree in Music Education from Truman State University. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Emil Danenberg. He had additional Doctoral studies in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas. While at Oberlin, Steve was awarded the Pi Kappa Lambda Award of Achievement and became a student faculty member at both Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Steve has served as a faculty member at the University of Wyoming, Truman State University and the University of North Texas. He taught at the Quincy Conservatory of Music, where he also served as the School’s President. Steve has performed extensively in the U.S. with ensembles such as the New Quincy Trio, and the Colorado Arts Trio. Steve currently resides in Corrales, NM, and teaches piano there as well as at the New Mexico School of Music.
Dan Wright
Dan Wright received a Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition from the University of New Mexico. He did additional graduate studies at UNM, where he performed as a Tenor with the Faculty Early Music Ensemble. He followed this with a year of study at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, one of the few college music schools with accordion in their curriculum. Currently, he works as the Choral Department Manager and Print Advertising Production Manager at Music Mart, Inc. He is the Director of Die Polka Schlingel, an 11–piece German band. He also serves as the leader of the Albuquerque Accordion Club and its relative, the Albuquerque Accordion Ensemble.
Kelly Williams
Kelly Williams received her Bachelor’s degree in Music with emphasis in piano from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. Prior to relocating to Albuquerque, she owned and directed a studio of ten teachers and approximately 200 students in Rapid City, South Dakota. In addition to being a member of and state officer for the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), she accompanied the Dakota Choral Union and high school musicians performing in local and regional competitions. With fifteen years piano teaching experience, her professional highlights include teaching early childhood music education, creating a curriculum for music theory classes and guiding several of her students who performed in local and regional competitions. At the New Mexico School of Music, Kelly co-teaches the Harmony Road Music Course™ to early childhood music students.