Vera Stern Franklin Lakes Nj
Agnella Datson
Lou Caimano began his musical career as a woodwind doubler by studying saxophone with Jean-Marie Londeix and Elaine Zajac; flute with Maurice Prouvo and Andrew Lolya; clarinet with Yves Didier, Dan Trimboli and Les Scott; bassoon with Loren Glickman, William Scribner and Dr. Edgar Kirk; oboe with Dan Stolper, Mark Hill and Marsha Heller; improvisation with Phil Woods and Eric Kloss.
Lou holds Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University, where he graduated with Honors as a Woodwind Specialist. He is also a Lauret Du Conservatoire De La Region De Bordeaux, France.
Over the years, Gary has firmly established his career as a professional oboist with an emphasis in orchestral and chamber music. In addition to frequent solo appearances and recording projects, he has performed on oboe with many notable orchestras including the Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Chamber Symphony, New York Pops, Mostly Mozart Festival, New York Choral Society, Little Orchestra Society, Opera Orchestra of New York, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony Orchestra, National Chorale, Amor Artis Chorale Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Soloisti New York, American Ballet Theatre and the American Symphony Orchestra. To date, he has also been an affiliated member of twelve successful Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Aida, Miss Saigon, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Ragtime, Titanic, Jekyll and Hyde, Cinderella, and Showboat.
Gary began his musical studies in Florida and, after attaining a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Central Florida, he continued studying with Ronald Roseman, receiving his Master of Music at the Juilliard School in New York. Prior to completing his M.M. at Juilliard, Gary founded the Brioso Woodwind Quintet which won the Artists International competition, resulting in a Carnegie Recital Hall debut and two successful return engagements.
Critically-acclaimed clarinetist and bass clarinetist, Don Mokrynski was the Principal Clarinetist with the national tours of Phantom of the Opera and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has also performed with the New Jersey Symphony, the New Haven Symphony, and Orchestra New England, Jersey Lyric, and the New Haven and Connecticut Grand Opera companies.
Margaret holds a M.A. from the Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY-Queens College, and both a B.F.A. and B.A. from Johnson State College. She studied flute with Edward Powell, Thomas Nyfenger, Sophie Sollberger, and Trudy Kane, and has taught flute privately to students of all ages and levels for over thirty years.
Susan Heerema has been performing as violin soloist since age 9. Over the years, she has played internationally under the baton of Rostropovich, Rampal, and Menuhin in France; toured Norway, Iceland and Scotland; performed with the Spoleto and Sarasota Opera Festivals, and with every major Baroque festival in the United States.
Currently on the music faculties at Seton Hall University and Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School, Susan has previously taught violin and viola in schools in Westchester NY and in Bergenfield, Berkeley Heights, Short Hills and Ridgewood NJ. Susan graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Richard Simon. We are so delighted that Susan has joined our String faculty here at The Ridgewood Conservatory, teaching both violin and viola students of all ages and levels.
Cello virtuosi Lanny Paykin has enjoyed a highly diverse musical career spanning over thirty years. His professional credits include regular appearances with the illustrious orchestras of the New York City Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera, performances in various solo and chamber music concerts, and a wide range of recordings with major studios.
Sally holds a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she received the Hugo Kortschak Award for Excellence in Chamber Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola from the University of Kansas. A longtime advocate of the Suzuki philosophy of teaching violin, Sally is currently teaching Suzuki group and private violin lessons at the Montessori Spring School in Tenafly. She also started a Suzuki violin program at The Learning Center of Clifton NJ. In addition, she has taught beginning Strings classes to 5th and 6th graders and conducted the orchestra at the Fieldston School of the Ethical Culture Society.
Sally has been instrumental in developing our Suzuki-plus! Violin Program, where young musicians ages four through seven learn to play the violin through listening, imitation and repetition, as well as learning to read music, in our own Ridgewood Conservatory approach to the Suzuki method!
Catherine went on to study violin at the Manhattan School of Music under Peter Winograd of the America String Quartet. During her college years, she performed at the Caramoor Center, the Rosen Theater, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC as a member of Chamber Sinfonia, Isaac Stern Hall at Carnegie Hall, and as associate concertmaster for The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in collaboration with the Oratorio Society of New York.
Catherine has a certificate from Juilliard Pre-College Division, and both Bachelor and Masters of Music performance degrees from Manhattan School of Music. As an instructor, her students have earned recognition at Little Mozart, Crescendo, American Protege Competition and National Artists Competition. She teaches at the Green Meadows Waldorf School and at the Rockland Conservatory of Music.
Bill Ash is a highly respected brass musician, band leader, composer/arranger, teacher and music journalist with over 45 years of impressive credits ranging from big band, musical theater and classical performances to smaller jazz groups, pop, rock, polka and Klezmer bands.
Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University. Besides performing on brass instruments ranging from piccolo trumpet to tuba, Bill has taught private lessons to students of all ages and levels at the Wharton Music Center in Berkeley Heights and at the Link School in Newark. We are so delighted that Bill has graciously consented to teach Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, Tuba and Trumpet to our students here at The Ridgewood Conservatory!
Kathleen holds a Master of Arts from Western Illinois University and a Bachelor of Music from Hartt College of Music. She studied with Paul Ingraham, William Capps, James Jacobs. As an educator, she is a former faculty member, pre-college divisions of Manhattan School of Music and Hartt College of Music. Kathleen currently teaches privately, at the Wharton School of Music, and at select summer band camps nationwide.
Jay holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, having previously studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Mannes School of Music, Preparatory. He was formerly a Brass instructor at the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City, the longest-running community music school in the United States.
Trumpeter Roger Widicus is a 30-year member of the New Jersey Wind Symphony, and has been their principal cornet for more than a decade. Over the years, he has performed on trumpet, cornet and/or piccolo trumpet with a variety of ensembles in the metropolitan area, including Imperial Brass, Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, Adelphi Orchestra, Ridgewood Symphony, Livingston Symphony Orchestra, Plainfield Symphony Orchestra, Summit Symphony Orchestra, Greater Newburg Symphony Orchestra, and The SymphoNYChorus.
In addition to his many orchestral credits, Roger frequently performs as a church soloist, in the holiday brass choir, and in oratorio orchestras, as well as at local events as a soloist or as part of an ensemble.
As a longtime educator, Sergio has been a former lecturer-demonstrator for the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Science, composer/sound designer for Marymount Manhattan College, Music Instructor for Fieldston Summer Performing Arts Institute. He has also taught workshops in composition using computers, synthesizers, and MIDI technology. For the past 22 years, Sergio has been teaching students of all ages and levels at The Ridgewood Conservatory.
In addition to her broad range of experience, Cathy holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattanville College, a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. Upon completing her DMA at Eastman, she became the Executive Director at a non-profit community music school in NYC. After that, she committed herself to teaching piano, both to children and adults.
Eric has performed to great acclaim throughout much of the United States and in Europe. In 2018, he was invited as the only American contestant to attend the First International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments in Warsaw, Poland, where he was admitted to the semifinal round. In 2014, Eric performed the Grieg Concerto in two consecutive concerts with the Space Coast Symphony in Vero Beach and Melbourne, Florida, conducted by maestro Michael Hall. He was selected to perform a recital at the Rockefeller University in New York City for the screening round of the Fourteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013. In addition to a 2010 recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall sponsored by the Cuban Cultural Center of New York, in 2011, Eric performed in the prestigious Concerts at One series at Trinity Wall St. in New York.
Eric is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied with Enrique Graf, Sergey Schepkin and Earl Wild. Winning first-prize in the 2009 Concerto Competition at Carnegie Mellon, Eric was invited to perform the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, conducted by Ronald Zollman.
Pianist Linda Decker has dedicated the last 30-plus years to imparting the joy of music to students of all ages. With a strong belief that music can change lives for the better, she equips her students with the performance, composition and theoretical skills that will help them excel.
c80f0f1006