Mat Fieldes

Bass & Guitar

all styles (Online only)

Mat Fieldes graduated from The Juilliard School with a Master’s degree. He has over 30 years of experience teaching guitar (all styles), bass guitar and double bass (jazz and classical) in his native New Zealand and New York, notably including over 20 years at the prestigious Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY. He maintains a private studio with students of all ages.

He has toured and recorded extensively, including 4 Grammy nominations with one win, English Rocker Joe Jackson’s ‘Symphony No. 1’. He has played many of the world’s finest stages including the Sydney Opera House, London Barbican, Köln Philharmonie, Concertgebouw and Seoul’s Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. In New York among many notable collaborations (Jay-Z, Sufjan Stevens) he played on many Broadway shows, most notably a 4 year run at ‘Matilda’.

Mr Fieldes is only available for Zoom lessons at your convenience due to location.

Mark Linley

Drums and Percussion

Mark Linley is a percussion instructor for the People's Music School in Chicago, and was a percussion and drumline coach for the Bronzeville Scholastic Institute until the program ceased in 2014. At DePaul University, he spent a semester coaching an undergraduate percussion ensemble overseen by percussionist and educator Michael Kozakis. He has taught private lessons to area musicians since high school, and has coached advanced rhythmic studies classes for dancers.

Mark Linley began his percussion studies at age eight. By high school, he had already performed with groups ranging from the Colorado Air Force Band of the Rockies and the Disney Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, to pop sensation Shania Twain and the WSMA state honors jazz band. He received his bachelors of music performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and his masters degree in music performance from DePaul University's school of music. His teachers included Ed Harrison (Principal Timpanist – Lyric Opera of Chicago), Vadim Karpinos (Percussionist – Chicago Symphony Orchestra), David Herbert (Principal Timpanist- Chicago Symphony Orchestra), and Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny Group).

Equally active in both orchestral and jazz groups, Mark has performed with artists ranging from the Wisconsin Philharmonic and the Rockford Symphony to Chicago jazz legend Henry Johnson. He is highly active in world percussion, with an emphasis on the music of Cuba, Columbia, Venezuela, and Brazil. Mark also accompanies modern dance classes for Columbia College and throughout Chicago, and has been teaching percussion privately for many years.

Susan Wright

Piano

Chicago native Susan Wright is a classically trained pianist with a Master degree in Piano Performance from Northwestern University. She is as adept at interpretation as she is at expression. Susan glides easily from Vivaldi to Chopin, Sondheim to Loyd Webber. She is truly a musician of many moods. Training with a number of Chicago legendary pianists such as Laurence Davis and William Browning honed Susan’s love of all genre of music.

Her students have ranged in age from 4 to 74.  Susan can change direction to tailor her skills to accommodate students' needs or interests as they progress.  Some of her piano students have excelled from an early age, developed a love of music beyond piano, and have also turned to composition.

Susan also performs a classical piano/lecture concert series at Senior Facilities, including memory-impaired residents in Alzheimer Wings on the North Shore.

Yuki Tasaka

Recording and production

Yuki Tasaka is Grammy-Award & Soul Train Award nominated audio engineer from Chicago. He has recorded, engineered and mixed numerous major and independent artists for more than a decade. He is also an arranger, midi-programmer, musician, producer, sound designer, live sound engineer, DJ & teacher. 

He has worked with Ace Mac / ädiana ross / Arnold Hennings / Avantist / Black Eyed Peas / Brandon Howard / Caleb James / Chance The Rapper / Charles Jenkins / Cody Vavrik / Donald Lawrence / Early E / Felix Da Housecat / FinleyKnight / Jadakiss / Jamie Principle / Joey Waronker / Lupe Fiasco / Meesha / Solow Redline / Sterling Hayes / Steve Stone Huff / The Tommies Reunion / Vince Lawrence / and more.

John Cicora

Guitar, Piano, keyboard, bASs, Producer, director & composer

John Cicora holds his bachelor of jazz studies from Colombia College and has been teaching privately as well as performing since 2005. John has taught Guitar and Piano to all ages, skill levels & styles. Some of which have included players from our very own Chicago Blackhawks!

John has written original underscores for film, dance, theater, musicals, television, and commercials.  He has arranged, performed and directed for nationally touring tribute acts, variety shows, pit ensembles, sketch comedy troupes, big bands and much more including being the performing Guitarist for - "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde, Produced by Chicago Childrens Theater, Bassist for - "Love Kills" by Kyle Jarrow, Produced by Steppenwolf, Keyboardist, Guitarist, and Arranger for Winehouse: A Tribute to Amy to name a few. Since arriving to Chicago in 2004, John has had the opportunity to work with Kurt Elling, Lupe Fiasco, Rene Fleming, The Handsome Family, John Prine, Michelle Williams, Jessie Mueller, and many more.  

Kay Rutherford

Voice coach, Musical Theater & Piano

Mrs. Rutherford uses a natural approach to enhance the singing abilities of her students, giving each a unique vocal technique that can be applied to most singing styles. Many of her students have continued their studies in notable colleges and universities around the country in genres of Jazz, Musical Theater, and Classical. 

Kay Rutherford holds her MM from Roosevelt University in Voice Performance and Pedagogy, and BM from the Eastman School of Music.  Mrs. Rutherford is currently appearing with the touring production of Jane Austen’s Persuasion with Chamber Opera Chicago. She has previously appeared as Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice: A Musical. A featured artist in COC’s Te Amo and The Menotti Tribute, she has also appeared in the company’s productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors, Hansel and Gretel, Vanessa, and Carmen. Having performed in recital on such stages as New York’s Alice Tully Hall and the Odilien Institut in Graz, Austria, Mrs. Rutherford sang the role of Jennie in the Midwest premiere of Ronald Perera’s The Yellow Wallpaper with the Chicago College of Performing Arts. She also performed as Jezibaba in the Opera for the Young touring production of Rusalka. Her artistry has been recognized in competition as the recipient of the Dorothy Darr Foundation Scholarship and a semi-finalist in the renowned Meistersinger Competition in Austria. Aside from music, Mrs. Rutherford recently began a career in Early Intervention Speech Therapy.

Anastasia Royal

Classical to Popular Piano -Composition & Voice

Anastasia Royal, received her early training from Lili Simon, a pupil of Bela Bartok and then studied with Julian Levitan, chair of the Music Department at Depaul University. She received a 4-year piano scholarship to Depaul University. She has been teaching piano for over 30 years and is passionate about bringing the joy of music to the next generation—all ages welcome, at whatever level and whatever amount of talent! She also enjoys helping students learn to compose their own music and has mentored many students. Her unique, individualized approach makes learning fun.

After all, it’s not working the piano, it’s playing the piano.

Anastasia embraces all kinds of music. She has toured and recorded with a New Wave band in Germany, where she was the lead singer, and has also played in punk bands in England and in alternative rock bands in the United States. She produced her own one-woman shows in the Chicago- area for many years. With her sister, she forms the classical piano duo The Royal Sisters. In 2015, they performed at the International Poland Piano Festival in Nałęczów Poland. Anastasia composes her own music and, under the collaboration HanneStasia, released her debut album Exclusion Park in 2019.

Ryan Grostefon

Recording Engineer

Ryan Grostefon is a Chicago based, music producer and a sound engineer. Ryan has worked as an audio engineer for Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins from 2010-2016, and works at the Field Museum in Chicago in Media Services. He as been working with the Glencoe Academy of Music since 2012.

Andreas Kapsalis

Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Composer, Producer, Improvisation

Andreas Kapsalis began performing nationally with the Andreas Kapsalis Trio and recorded two discs featuring his compositions.  While performing in LA, he was invited to apply for the Sundance Composers Labs.  He was awarded the fellowship, an honor awarded to only six composers a year.   This was his initiation into film composing. At the end of the Sundance Composers Lab, Andreas was invited by the directors to complete a score for their documentary film "Black Gold" among the documentaries selected for the January premier at the Sundance Film Festival.   Founder of the Sundance Institute and Festival,  Robert Redford, noted this was the first time in Sundance Institute history that documentary fellows and  a composer fellow had an "official selection" at the Sundance Film Festival.  Subsequently, he composed scores for several documentary and  feature films such as "Pig Business" and "Mulberry Street" to name a few.  He also has been commissioned by Northwestern University and Notre Dame to compose music for their silent film festivals as well. 

Following this, Andreas performed and  recorded several discs with the Megitza Quartet and the AKGI Duo. More recently, he has been performing internationally, solo and in various ensembles for festivals and concert series in Europe and Asia, such as Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Calcutta Guitar Festival in India, Austria Jazz festival and the Guitar Festival in the Phillipines.  In addition, concerts have taken place in Germany,  Poland, Slovakia, Spain, France and Canada.  Throughout his career  he has also enjoyed teaching guitar for many years, first at the Kapsalis Music Shoppe then Elgin Community College, Old Town School of Folk music, and Northwestern University Mini Courses.   Being very much a self taught musician with a relatively unique  playing technique and musical perspective,  together with the variety of cultural experiences in the world of music, and as a traveler, Andreas continues to be inspired and eager to share  the beauty of music and how it can enrich one's life.  Among his many projects, Andreas is composing and arranging pieces for a solo album.