Powell Academy of Music

Saxophonist Francesca Wantuch is a member of the 100th Army Reserve Band in
Ft. Knox. She has been awarded the Corbett Mayerson Award, was selected as a
winner of the 2017 Ohio University Concerto Competition and the 2018 Ohio State
University Concerto Competition, and has performed at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Wantuch
regularly performs with the New Orleans-inspired funk brass band Largemouth Brass
Band, which released its self-titled album in Fall of 2018. Wantuch holds a
Bachelor’s of Music degree in saxophone performance from Ohio University where
she studied with Dr. Matthew James. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree at
The Ohio State University while studying saxophone with Dr. Michael Rene Torres.

Layne began studying piano around age 7 and, despite her aversion to practice, found that it quickly became an essential part of her life. Layne went on to study music therapy at Eastern Michigan University with a focus on piano as a primary instrument. Along the way, she gained experience with acoustic guitar. Now, Layne is a certified music therapist who has experience working with children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and mental illness. When it comes to her lessons, Layne believes in helping new students of all abilities start making music right away. With a focus on instilling passion for music, she uses teaching methods that best match the student she is working with. She is comfortable teaching adapted lessons to those who may need a different kind of music education and works with her students to make sure they are working toward their own goals for their musical development. Layne is experienced in performing classical and popular music on piano as well as popular music on guitar. She is experienced in teaching songwriting to beginners, the use of voice and guitar or piano simultaneously, and various improvisation techniques. 

Amy Conley received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas. She taught woodwind lessons and masterclasses throughout North Texas before moving to Ohio to study for her Master’s degree at The Ohio State University. At Ohio State she studied Clarinet Performance with James Pyne and Caroline Hartig.

During her studies she has performed with various groups including The Ohio State Wind Symphony, Ohio State Symphony Orchestra, University of North Texas Gamelan Ensemble “Bwana Kumala”, University of North Texas 8 o’clock Steel Drum Ensemble, Denton Community Jazz Band, various chamber groups, and pit orchestras for several Operas and Musicals.

Amy loves all genres of music and sharing her love of music with her students. She teaches each student according to their ability and musical goals. Her aim is to instill a sense of music appreciation and bring out the best musician in each student.

John Hanson has been enthralled with music his entire life. Growing up in Dublin, Ohio, he participated in choir, band, and theatre, as well as any opportunity he could find outside of school. He later attended Bowling Green State University, where he received a Bachelor of Musical Arts, and studied Voice under the direction of Chelsea Cloeter. John has been involved in many types of ensembles during his education, including elite choirs, concert band, vocal jazz ensemble, early music ensemble, and an Afro-Carribean ensemble. John has also been a part of professional recording sessions, gigs, and a professional choir. All of this is to say that John has a deep love for music, and this translates to his teaching. The most important thing in learning more about music is having fun and enjoying yourself and others! His primary teaching method is imitation as well as analyzing the music in a way that provides a cerebral connection to how your body is producing the music. John also utilizes a variety of kinesthetic choices to ingrain the music making into the body. A few activities he enjoys outside of music are tabletop games, racquetball, and most major sports.

Miljan Krunic, a graduate of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria, studied under Ulf Bästlein, receiving performance instruction from Stacey Bartsch and Julius Drake. Miljan has been fortunate to take part in numerous master courses taught by world-renowned artists such as Robert Holl, Rudolf Jansen, Emma Kirkby, and many more.

Miljan has over ten years of professional experience as a choral singer, including performing with the company of Opera House Graz, the mixed choir “Unser Klangraum” in Austria, and the mixed youth choir “luventus Cantat” in Serbia. He has been teaching cello and voice in Europe since 2008 and in Columbus area since 2015. 

Olivia Zody is originally from Kansas and moved to Ohio to be closer to family. She graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Olivia is very passionate about music and has played the piano, organ, clarinet, oboe, and has participated in many choirs as a vocalist. She looks forward to getting to know each family that comes through the doors of Powell Academy of Music. Olivia has a dog, Dixie, that she loves to take on walks. She also is a coffee aficionado and loves to watch cooking shows. 

Jasmine is a percussionist and pianist who has been studying music all her life since the age of 5. She has a wealth of performance experiences and was taught by many instructors, including Terry Moran and Brian Sweigart during her time at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory School. She received her Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and is now currently a candidate for Certification Level in the Dalcroze Method from the Carnagie Mellon Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center. During her time at CCM, she learned from Professors Jim Culley and Rusty Burge, whom are Percussion Hall of Fame members, and while at CCM, Jasmine performed with many ensembles, bands, and orchestras such as the CCM Percussion Ensemble, The Philharmonia Orchestra, and Wind Orchestra. Her favorite performances include participating in the pit orchestra for Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, gig performances with her hometown Solon Orchestra, and the Steel Drum Band. 

Jasmine incorporates Dalcroze Pedagogy in her lessons, making fun, purposeful exercises that keeps music learning fun while refining students' innate musicality. She believes that everyone has potential to become great musicians! She is dedicated in helping everyone find their method of music making and mastery of basic core skills, creating confidence and understanding of themselves. Today, Jasmine continues to explore new, interesting methods of teaching musicianship, and composes music for fun. Outside of music, she has many hobbies such as video games, cooking, anime, tinkering around with computers, and anything creative based.

Yuri gains her master's degree of piano performance and pedagogy from Ohio University, where
she was a graduate assistant and accompanist for music theater, vocal and instrumental students.
She also played in OU's orchestra. During her master’s degree, she was a winner of concerto
competition (piano division) in 2019. Moreover she co-presented a cooperative project in Music
Teachers National Association (MTNA) in 2021.

Since undergraduate years, Yuri starts to offer both piano and violin lessons to students of
different skill level and background, with a goal to develop each student’s passion to music.
Yuri’s students have won multiple music competitions and passed ABRSM exams.

Sara has been playing music since about 5 years old. On piano, French Horn, Cello, and Bass, she has been performing for 16 years. Sara began teaching in 2011. Having lived in Columbus since 2016, Sara freelances throughout the city on bass and cello, and has worked on various albums in studios. Not only can she work on playing strings and bass proficiently, but there will also be lessons involving music theory and how to work as a musician.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Liz Drollinger earned a B.A. in Music from Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. She recently earned a Master's in Music for Vocal Performance from Kent State University. She has sung roles including Hansel from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, the Sorceress from Dido and Aeneas by Handel, and various choruses for both opera and musical theater. She can teach varying styles like classical, pop, and musical theater; and has taught students aging from seven to twenty eight. Liz has also played the piano and guitar since she was eleven and twelve, respectively. She has been very passionate about music from a very young age, and she wants to show how powerful music can be. 

John‘s interest in music came about rather late as he started guitar and piano at ages 13 and 14 respectively. However, he was dedicated and was accepted at Bowling Green State University as a Piano Performance major 4 years later. Later he received his Master’s in Piano Performance from the University of Iowa where he was also awarded a Teaching Assistantship. While John‘s own interest in piano is primarily classical, he is comfortable teaching and playing many styles. On guitar, John enjoys playing rock, blues, finger-style, and other genres. John’s teaching philosophy focuses on helping students genuinely understand the concepts in whatever they are learning. He believes that it is also important to help students develop their own passion for music and learning. John moved to Ohio in 2017 with his wife and daughter from Texas where he lived and taught music for 4 years.

As a drummer and percussionist, Kyle has performed with Vic Juris, Todd Coolman, Pete Malinverni, Jon Faddis, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Tony Monaco, Rick Depofi, Radam Schwartz, Cameron Brown, and James Weidman. He also has a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from Purchase College in New York. He has composed music for theatre, television, and film. Television shows include Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, Sins & Secrets, Disappeared, Fatal Attraction. He also scored films for Magic Dog Productions, B12 Productions, Killer Goose Films, and Wildlife Productions.

As an educator he has taught as an adjunct professor at William Paterson University, Purchase College SUNY, The Thurnauer School of Music, and The School of Rock.

Elizabeth Reeves received her B.M. in music performance from Wright State University in 2012, where she studied with Dr. Christopher Chaffee. While at WSU, she was a winner of the 2010 School of Music Concerto Competition, for which she performed as a soloist with the University Symphony Orchestra. In 2009 and 2010, Elizabeth was also a finalist in the Collegiate Division of the Central Ohio Flute Association Competition. She was honored to receive the 2010 Agnes Fowler Scholarship from the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, and the Robert Stofer Music Award in 2011 from Wright State University. In 2012, Elizabeth moved to Phoenix to pursue her Master’s degree in music performance at Arizona State University, where she studied with Dr. Elizabeth Buck. At ASU, she performed regularly with the ASU Symphony Orchestra, the ASU Flute Choir, and the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) before receiving her degree in 2014. A native of Southwest Ohio, she and her husband moved to Columbus in 2015. They enjoy cooking, spending time with their friends and family, and being outside with their dog, Rey.

Bryan Percoco is a pianist, composer, and guitarist. He was invited to tour internationally as a pianist with New York City-based music education company 'Discover Melody'. Percoco's orchestra compositions have been performed by the Brno Philharmonic and Janacek Philharmonic in the Czech Republic. He has studied, performed, and premiered his own compositions throughout Europe. Among these were the Highscore Festival and Soundscape Festival in Italy and the Upbeat International Summer School in Milna, Croatia. He has performed as part of the OSU-N “Great Performer Series” and as part of concert series at the Toledo Museum of Art. Percoco's orchestra music and chamber music has been awarded as finalist and semi-finalist in the American Prize National Competition. Percoco earned a MM and BM from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Percoco greatly enjoys teaching and is versatile, teaching styles ranging from jazz/blues, classical, rock, and many other popular styles. 

Graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Tom has been studying and playing music his entire life. He has played in ensembles ranging from symphonic orchestra and big band to jazz blues and rock. He has performed and traveled extensively throughout the United States. He has also worked as a producer and arranger in the studio, working with recording artists and also doing commercials for radio and tv. He has been teaching music in central Ohio for over twenty years.
Tom is currently the director of the strings program at Union Scioto schools in Ross County and music director for the Contemporary Worship Service at Ascension LutheranChurch in Columbus.

As a graduate of Ohio University, Tracy Lipscomb has been teaching string instruments for thirteen years. Ms. Lipscomb has performed with professional orchestras since high school when she was accepted into the West Virginia Symphony apprentice program. In 2001 she joined the American Federation of Musicians and has since performed with orchestras such as the North Carolina Symphony, Ohio Valley Symphony and the Huntington Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Lipscomb’s teaching philosophy is centered around the concept that every student learns in different ways, thus lessons are structured around the students individual learning style in a way to help broaden the students musical abilities while also having fun.

Jenna Hunnicutt has had a lucrative start to what promises to be an exciting opera career. Recent performance highlights include Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, and Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice. Hunnicutt’s voice has been called “one of the most beautiful I’ve known” by Dr. Scott McCoy, author of Your Voice: An Inside View. Touring with national choirs has led to performances from the Denali range in Alaska to the esteemed Carnegie Hall in New York City. Hunnicutt received a music degree from Ball State University and is pursuing an MA in Voice Pedagogy from the Ohio State University, where they just received The Swank Voice Lab Award for Excellence in Voice Pedagogy.

Currently choir director and worship accompanist at New California Church. Worship accompanist at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Powell, Ohio. Over 30 years of teaching and performance experience, including 16 years as music director for The Ink Spots. First call keyboardist for Broadway touring shows in Columbus and Dayton, performing over 40 Broadway tours. Band leader or pianist for Bob Newhart, Buddy DeFranco, Doc Severinson, The Four Aces, The Four Lads, The Drifters, The Coasters, The Platters, John Lithgow, Hal Linden, Jim Nabors, Don Knotts, The Dorsey Brothers, The Four Freshman, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, World tour of The Zelda Symphony Symphony, many cruise lines, and most notably, Andrea Bocelli, and Il Divo.

Certified instructor of The Yamaha Music Education System. Local teaching experience includes five years as Adjunct Instructor of Piano at Denison University, and many years of instruction at Coyle Music Centers, Hauer Music, Columbus Music Academy, and others. I have also served as a church accompanist for as long as I can remember, and have been signed to a major record label (Curb Records) in Nashville.

Katrina Cortes is a pianist and teacher from Hilliard, Ohio. She began taking piano lessons at the age of 5 and was performing, teaching, and collaborating by the time she reached high school. She received her Bachelor‘s degree in Piano Performance from Cedarville University in 2011. During her time there she won first place in the University’s concerto competition and performed with the school orchestra. She also received the Charles and Margaret Clevenger scholarship for exemplary musical stewardship and character, and was published in Musical Offerings, the University‘s Journal of Musicology. Katrina later studied Collaborative Piano under Dr. Allison Gagnon at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is currently the music director at Whitehall United Methodist Church and is a certified Kindermusik instructor. When she isn’t playing piano, Katrina enjoys taking bike rides with her husband and two children, reading, and salsa dancing.

Saori Collins has taught a variety of students from diverse age groups and cultures by adjusting methods and strategies based on each individual’s needs and goals for almost 20 years.  Her methods keep students involved and interested in the material, thereby encouraging them to reach their full potential. She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy at Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, CA.  Saori served as voice trainer for Ragazzi, the Peninsula Boys Chorus in the San Francisco Bay Area where she worked with boy sopranos and young male singers.  At the San Francisco School of the Arts, she taught voice, musicianship and theory classes.  She directed a choir at the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program West Elementary School, San Francisco, CA.  Saori is a member of National Association of Teachers of Singing and Music Teachers National Association for which she served as president of the San Francisco Chapter.  Her teachers include Eileen Davis, Pamela Fry and Nancy Hiller. 

Helen Cates began studying the violin at age 5 at the Staedtische Musikschule Aalen, Germany. Her primary teachers include Liviu Bogdan, Jonathan Thomas and Gabriele Turck in Stuttgart, Germany. At a young age she performed with orchestras such as the Aalener Sinfonieorchester, the Kammerorchester Rosenstein and the Junge Philharmonie Ostwuerttemberg. With them she has travelled throughout Europe, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, France and Austria. She has performed as a soloist with the Kammerorchester Rosenstein in 2010 and the Indiana University South Bend Philharmonic in 2013. In 2011 and 2012 Ms Cates participated in the MasterWorks Festival.

She has completed a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University South Bend studying under Jameson Cooper. In addition she holds a Masters in Music degree from Bowling Green State University, where she was a member of the Graduate String Quartet. Ms. Cates enjoys teaching and inspiring young musicians toward excellence. She continues to be passionate performer of chamber and orchestral music.

James has over 20 years experience and is a versatile guitarist, proficient in many styles of music. Formally trained at the renowned G.I.T. in Los Angeles he has studied with such greats as Scott Henderson and Paul Gilbert. His training and extensive knowledge of jazz, blues, rock, country, slide guitar, classical and more, make him an ideal music teacher for those with broad musical tastes. His teaching emphasizes music theory, reading standard notation and guitar tablature, overall musicianship, building repertoire and playing for pure enjoyment. James teaches ages 6+ and can accommodate groups of 2.

Professionally trained with a B.A. in percussion from McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul Minnesota, Alex has been practicing the art of drumming for over 20 years. Throughout his musical journey Alex has studied and performed a range of musical styles including rock, blues, jazz, fusion, hip-hop, country, funk, disco, R&B and Latin from studio settings to music festivals. Along with stylistic methods Alex has also had the opportunity to study rhythmic methods and conceptual approaches with renowned drummers such as Gordy Knudston, Marve Dahlgren, David Stanoch and Michael Bland.

As a musician, Alex utilizes a variety of coordination methods, techniques, applications, and pedagogy to accommodate any skill level and strives to provide a creative positive learning environment that fosters confidence and encourages each student to reach his or her full potential. With many years spent honing his craft and gaining musical experiences from touring and performing live across country to working in the studio and collaborating with artists, Alex is ready to guide you through creative musical pathways and improve your performance. Alex Vaughn has been teaching at the Powell Academy of music since 2018.

Jack Walbridge earned a Bachelors degree in music from Susquehanna University in 2012. Jack has taught guitar, bass, upright bass, and piano for over twelve years. In addition to teaching, Jack has worked as an Off-Broadway pit musician in New York and as a Session musician in Los Angeles. Jack has also worked as a freelance composer where his music was featured on television and movies.

Matt Michalski is a instructor, guitarist and composer whose early influences include many of classic rock’s greatest bands such as Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and the Rolling Stones. Further studies of these types of acts brought Matt to the same conclusion as many other guitarists: “The Blues had a baby, and they called it Rock and Roll.” With his late teenage discovery of what is now called Alternative rock, the world of music opened up for Matt, and his life long love of music blossomed.

Like many guitarists, Matt is primarily self taught, but has studied classical guitar repertoire with Paul Reilly at Ball State University. He has also taken lessons with many of Columbus, Ohio’s finest players, including Stan Smith at Capital University and local blues master David Friedlander.

Matt has been teaching guitar to students of all ages for over a decade and is a 33 year veteran of the Columbus music scene. He currently plays with the Instrumental Surf band, The Bastard Sons of Neptune (https://www.facebook.com/THE-BASTARD-SONS- OF-NEPTUNE-109881392377629/?ref=bookmarks) and his own quartet Match (https://www.facebook.com/The-Band- Match-1024720584321663/), and also plays solo throughout Central Ohio. He looks forward to helping you achieve your musical goals.

Sarah Dudley is a soprano originally from the Columbus, Ohio area. She recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. She also graduated Cum Laude with a duel Bachelors in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Bowling Green State University.

Her performance repertoire includes opera, musical theatre, and concert works. Her most recent roles include Magda de Civry in La Rondine, Dido in Dido; Aeneas, and Beggar Woman (cover) in Sweeney Todd with The Ohio State University Opera and Lyric Theatre. She also sang the role of The Fairy Godmother/Step Mother in Cinderella and Jack’s Mother/The Giant’s Wife in Jack and the Beanstalk with Opera Columbus’s “Opera Goes to School.” Other performance credits include The Figaro Project: Scènes de la Beaumarchais (La Contessa), The Heist (Mrs.Westbrook), Dido and Aeneas (First Witch), and La bohème (Chorus). Her concert works include soprano soloist for Link Up! The Orchestra Rocks with The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with Dayton Opera.

Sarah has taught private voice lessons for over six years to students of all ages and levels. She has experience teaching various genres such as classical, musical theatre, pop, and jazz. It is her passion to perform for audiences, as well as help students discover their own voice and unlock their own passion for the stage.

Ike’s passion for music formed early on in his life with piano lessons beginning at 6. From 2007 onward, he regularly volunteered at assisted living homes to provide music for the infirmed, and, beginning in high school, he received his vendor's license to act as a street musician at farmer’s markets. He was also deeply involved in local concert and jazz bands.

Ike earned his Bachelor of Arts at Otterbein University in 2017. During this time, he spearheaded Otterbein’s chapter of FMTA’s (Future Music Teacher’s Association) community outreach program, which provides free piano lessons to students who are otherwise unable to pay for lessons. All the while, he participated heavily in Otterbein’s Classical, Folk, and Jazz community.

After college, Ike continued to participate in local community choirs and in the Saint Michael’s Church Choir.

All of these experiences have informed him of two fundamental ideals regarding music: 1) Anyone can make music if their heart is in it. 2) Music is supposed to be fun; if it isn’t, someone’s doing something wrong!

Renee Holzmeier recently settled in Columbus, OH after living and working in New York City for 9 years. She has had a versatile performance career, appearing in numerous opera and musical theatre productions, summer festivals, concerts and recitals, outreach and educational programs, and with jazz and folk ensembles, as well as premiering new works in classical, jazz and cross-over genres. 

A graduate of Cincinnati College's Conservatory of Music, Renee received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance in 2007. While attending CCM, Renee studied voice with both William McGraw and Barbara Clark (Paver) and was awarded the John Lehman Award for Excellence in Leadership and Musicianship. Renee also studied with the Opera Theatre of Lucca, Italy and the Moores Opera Center in Houston, TX. 

While living in NYC, Renee taught voice privately, working with students ranging from young beginners to professional performers. Her students have appeared in regional and national Broadway touring productions.  Renee’s teaching methods are individualized, encouraging, and focused, addressing the unique needs of each student. 

An active member of The Voice Foundation, Renee stays up to date with the latest in voice science and pedagogy - her future goals include further education and specialization in speech pathology and singing health. She also works regularly as a voiceover artist, producing a wide range of content from her Grandview recording studio. 

Christiana Calantropo is a violinist and dancer from Virginia Beach, VA. She started violin with the Suzuki method at age 5, participating in her first international Suzuki performance tour to Italy at the age of 10 with the Suzuki Strings of Hampton Roads. Christiana furthered her musical studies in high school at The Governor’s School for the Arts, with whom she had the privilege of performing as Concertmaster at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Christiana received her Bachelor’s in Music with a concentration in Music Industry from James Madison University. During her studies, she has performed extensively in musicals, weddings, opera orchestras, chamber music groups, for nursing homes, and for city events in Virginia Beach with the group Dolce Strings. In recent years, she has branched out into improvisational playing and creating her own electronic-based music. Christiana is new to Columbus and is looking forward to building her studio! She strives to craft a fun teaching experience that inspires you and your musical heart.

Citing his family as his biggest musical influence, and coming from 4 generations of professional musicians, Chad started his musical education at 3 years old. He began his college training at the age of 16, in Jazz Studies as a Pianist and has also studied under Jazz legend Tony Monaco. In addition to his training in Jazz piano he has studied classical technique in the Taubman Method and is one of only a handful of pianists in Ohio that teach the technique. As a member of the National Piano Guild and the Music Teachers National Association, he is dedicated to providing high quality music education in a fun environment.