Dr. Kyle Werner
Director, The Geneva Conservatory of Music | Music Theory, Ear Training, and Composition
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B.M. in Composition, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
M.M. in Composition, Manhattan School of Music
D.M.A. in Composition, Manhattan School of Music
Kyle Werner is a New York-based composer who creates new music for the audiences, performers, and students of classical music. His works have been featured by The Washington Ballet, Wolf Trap, MarqueeTV, Guggenheim Works & Process Digital Commissions, Windscape, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Grand Rapids Symphony, guitarist Jordan Dodson, members of Eighth Blackbird, the Colburn School, Manhattan School of Music, University of Cincinnati, University of Michigan, University of Colorado-Boulder, Southern Methodist University, Rutgers University, The King’s College, Hindemith Music Centre, Midwest Composers’ Symposium, MusicX Festival, Strings on Hudson, Opera on Tap, Palais de Fontainebleau, Society for American Music Annual Conference, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Marble Collegiate Church, Geneva School of Manhattan, New York-Presbyterian’s Allen Hospital, the Yamaha Piano Salon, and Greenwich House Music School. Dr. Werner has also been composer-in-residence at Chamber Music Campania in Varano, Italy. He completed the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Composition at Manhattan School of Music, where he received the Lloyd Gelassen Fellowship Fund Scholarship and the Nicholas Flagello Award; he previously completed a Bachelor of Music in Composition, at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, in addition to summer study at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France. His primary teachers have included Joel Hoffman, Michael Fiday, Susan Botti, and J. Mark Stambaugh. A passionate music educator, Dr. Werner is currently a member of the faculty at Manhattan School of Music Precollege and has taught music theory at the Geneva Conservatory since 2013 prior to becoming Director. He also served as Music Director of Christ Church Anglican NYC for three years. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, as well as cooking, hiking, birding, sailing, and exploring NYC. www.kylewerner.com
Ms. Lydia Becker
Violin
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B.M. in Violin Performance with German Concentration, Eastman School of Music
M.M. in Violin Performance and Early Music, Eastman School of Music
M.M. in Historical Performance, The Juilliard School
French-American violinist Lydia Becker unites historical performance practices with creativity and curiosity, engaging diverse audiences through explorative music-making. Lydia currently serves as concertmaster for La Forza delle Stelle, and has held concertmaster positions for Juilliard415, the Boston Early Music Festival Young Artists program, and the Eastman Collegium Musicum. As a core member of Juilliard415, Lydia toured the Netherlands and Germany, and has performed with Rachel Podger, Reggie Mobley, William Christie, and Lionel Meunier, among others. She has appeared as a soloist with Juilliard415 (under the direction of Masaaki Suzuki), Publick Musick, and the Eastman Collegium Musicum (with Christel Thielmann and Paul O’Dette). She is a founding member of the Berwick Fiddle Consort, an ensemble that explores historical fiddling traditions of the British Isles, and also co-founded the Kenaniah Project, an eclectic jazz-classical-folk Christian chamber ensemble. Lydia served as teaching assistant to Oleh Krysa, Paul O’Dette, and Christel Thielmann during her graduate studies, providing. She regularly teaches and performs at Rencontres Musicales Internationales des Graves (France), where she has also premiered new works by composers such as François Rossé and collaborated with Maxim Vengerov. Lydia is a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant recipient and a Mercury-Juilliard Fellow. She is also a former Presser Scholar, Morse Teaching Artist fellow, and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. Lydia holds degrees from the Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, and the Conservatoire de Bordeaux.
Ms. Eileen Buck
Piano
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B.M. in Piano Performance, Curtis Institute of Music
B.M. in Piano Performance, Mannes College of Music
Pianist Eileen Buck has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist in North America, Europe, and Scandinavia. She has won several competitions, including taking First Prize at the Josef Hofmann Piano Competition in 1996. She has appeared as soloist with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Etherridge Chamber Orchestra, Collegium Westchester Orchestra, and the Mannes Orchestra. Ms. Buck is a frequent chamber music collaborator with other instrumentalists, including cellist Wendy Warner, with whom she recorded Paul Hindemith’s complete works for cello and piano for Bridge Records and Popper and Piatigorsky’s works for cello and piano for Cedille Records, to universally high critical acclaim. She has also performed with members from the Guarneri and Brentano Quartets, the MET Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, among others. Ms. Buck received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music, where her teachers were Eleanor and Vladimir Sokoloff and Edward Aldwell, respectively. She also studied with Carl Schachter at the City University of New York Graduate Center, Adolph Baller and Maria Curcio. She studied chamber music with Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Julius Levine and Robert McDonald. Ms. Buck has taught piano at Vassar College and chamber music at Queens College. Currently, she serves on the faculty at the Mannes School of Music Preparatory Division and Geneva Conservatory of Music, teaching piano and chamber music. She also coaches chamber music for the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Program and the Mannes Summer Chamber Intensive.
Dr. Calvin Chan
Cello
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BM in Cello, Eastman School of Music
MM in Cello, Manhattan School of Music
Calvin is a versatile New York City based cellist fluent in pop, Broadway, and classical settings. Most recently, he was the cellist with the Broadway show Jagged Little Pill. Calvin received degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and has been teaching and performing in NYC since 2014. Additionally, Calvin is the Associate National Director of Arts Ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, leading ministry at Juilliard, MSM, Curtis, Eastman, and other music schools. Calvin loves to run, cook, and take care of his three cats.
Dr. Patricia Davis
Violin
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Suzuki Teacher Certification, School for Strings (NYC)
B.M. in Violin Performance, Eastman School of Music
ARCM (Performer’s Certificate), Royal College of Music (London)
M.M. & D.M.A. in Violin Performance, Stony Brook University
Violinist Patricia Davis is based in New York City where she performs with American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and in several Broadway show orchestras. She has participated in music festivals throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada and has collaborated with such artists as Montserrat Caballe, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Andrea Bocelli, The Smashing Pumpkins and rock star legend, Peter Gabriel. Recent performances include at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and the White House. Ms. Davis has also performed with various ensembles on NPR’s Performance Today, MTV, A&E, CNN, PBS’s Great Performances, The MacNeil-Lehrer Report and on Good Morning America. She was recently featured as solo violinist on WQXR (NYC) with pianist/composer Beata Moon. Dr. Davis graduated from the Eastman School of Music, London’s Royal College of Music and SUNY Stony Brook where she received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in violin performance as a student of Joyce Robbins. Dr. Davis has served as jurist for The Juilliard School Pre College Concerto Competition, The New York String Orchestra Seminar and Columbia University’s Concerto Competition. She is on the faculty of the Geneva Conservatory (NYC) where she trains young violinists in the Suzuki Method.
Dr. Calvin Hu
Piano
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B.A. in Music, University of California, Los Angeles
M.M. in Piano Performance, Stony Brook University
D.M.A. in Piano Performance, Stony Brook University
Dr. Calvin Hu is a pianist, chamber musician, and active photographer in both San Francisco and New York City. A passionate educator, Calvin was the 2019 recipient of the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation Scholarship, and has most recently served as an instructor and chamber coach at Stony Brook University’s undergraduate music program. He has also previously been on faculty at the Young Artist’s Program and maintains a private studio. In the 2021-2022 year, Calvin was a recipient of the Silicon Valley Chamber Music Festival Fellowship program, and worked on a pilot program in conjunction with the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music for multi-month residency outreach music program. As a chamber musician, Calvin has been mentored by pianist Gilbert Kalish through his Chamber Music Piano Intensive, as well as members of the Emerson String Quartet. In recent summers he has received fellowships from Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival and has performed recently alongside Alan Kay, Carol Wincenc, James Austin Smith, and David Requiro. Calvin completed his undergraduate studies with Antoinette Perry and Inna Faliks at UCLA and his Master’s of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance at Stony Brook University with Christina Dahl.
Ms. Yuyu Ikeda
Violin
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B.A. in Violin Performance and Biology, Oberlin College and Conservatory
M.M. in Violin Performance, The Juilliard School
Professional Performance Diploma (expected 2026), Manhattan School of Music
Yuyu Ikeda debuted at the age of ten as a soloist with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra, and has since then appeared as a soloist with the Ueno no Mori Ensemble in Japan and the Orchestra Collective of Orange County. Currently based in New York City, Yuyu performs with various ensembles such as the New York Classical Players, Continuum Ensemble New York, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. She served as concertmaster in the 2022 Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster for Juilliard Orchestra in the 2022-2023 season. An avid chamber musician as well, she has appeared in the 37th Annual Focus Festival directed by Joel Sachs, a multimedia performance of ICEBERG with award-winning theatre group RenGyoSoh, and The 15th Annual Circle Winds concert at Merkin Hall. A passionate educator and outreach artist as well, Yuyu was a violin instructor and chamber/orchestral coach for Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program (MAP), and served on faculty for the 2023 The Artists Program Chamber Music Festival in Manhasset, Long Island. Yuyu also enjoys bringing performances and music education to those who cannot access concerts easily, a project she started in middle school in Japan and continues both individually, and with organizations such as Midori and Friends, Concerts in Motion, and Project Music Heals Us. Yuyu holds a Masters degree from the Juilliard School where she studied under Laurie Smukler, and a Bachelor’s in biology and violin performance from the Oberlin College and Conservatory, under David Bowlin. In Fall 2024, she will be a Professional Performance Diploma student at Manhattan School of Music under Nicholas Mann and Koichiro Harada.
Ms. Hoi-Young Jang
Piano
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B.M. in Piano Performance, Peabody Conservatory of Music
M.M. in Piano Performance, The Juilliard School
A native of South Korea, Hoi-Young Jang, made her orchestral debut at the age of 14 with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. She came to the United States at the age of 16 to further her studies after she had given recitals and won competitions in Korea. She was a prize winner for numerous competitions, such as Mary Graham Lesley Scholarship Competition, Lily Chiang International Young Artist Piano Competition, Wideman Competition, etc. Winning competitions gave her opportunities to perform in Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Nicolas Music Hall, and Banff Centre. She was invited to give a solo Recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as the recipient of a Special Presentation Award of International Young Artists Piano Competition in 2006. She was also invited to play at Permanent Mission of the Republic Korea to the United Nations in 2006 and 2007.Hoi-Young Jang received her Bachelor’s degree from Peabody Conservatory of Music, her Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, as a student of Julian Martin, and her Doctorate degree at Rutgers University as a student of Susan Starr and Min Kwon. Dr. Jang served as a lecturer and as a pianist of Helix contemporary ensemble at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She regularly appeared as a chamber musician in Sunday Concert Series at Metropolitan Koryo United Methodist Church. She currently serves as a faculty member at The Geneva Conservatory of Music, and operates her private piano studio in New York City.
Ms. Milena Martinez
Piano
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B.A. in Piano Performance, Hochschule für Musik Basel
M.M. in Piano Performance, Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Profession Performance Diploma, Manhattan School of Music
Milena Martínez is an award-winning Spanish pianist, currently based in New York City. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship awarded by La Caixa Foundation. In addition to providing career support, this scholarship advances Milena's research into developing and implementing new concepts for presenting classical music to broad and diverse audiences. This project builds on her previous research concerning how priorities in the arts evolve over time and profoundly affect the way musicians interpret and disseminate music amid shifting social expectations. Milena made her debut in 2022 at Madrid's National Music Auditorium, organized by the Scherzo Foundation, where she shared the stage with such prominent musicians as Arcadi Volodos and Joaquin Achúcarro. She has performed extensively throughout Europe, both as a soloist and with orchestras including the Symphonic Orchestra of Castille and Leon and Sweelinck Baroque Orchestra, and has participated in many music festivals; Mozarteum Summer Academie, Academie of Laussane, International Music Holland Sessions and PresJovem. In addition to her current postgraduate studies at Manhattan School of Music, she has studied at Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, Hochschule für Musik in Basel, and Conservatory van Amsterdam, where she has worked with Ana Guijarro, Galina Eguiazarova, David Kuyken and Dr. Wael Farouk. In addition too that, she has received masterclasses from Ferenc Rados, Robert Levin, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Boris Berman, Gordan Nikolic, Stephan Kovacevich, Dmitri Alexeev, Julian Martin, Lang Lang, among others. She is the first prize-winner at the VI Teresa Llacuna International Competition (2010), the XXX Marisa Montiel International Competition (2011), XVI Pedro Bote (2013), IX Ciudad del Ejido International Competition (2009), and XIX Jacinto Guerrero International Competition (2010), among others; she is the second prize-winner at the XV Infanta Cristina Loewe-Hazen Competition (2010). With ample experience as a piano teacher, Milena started teaching at the Amity International School in Amsterdam in 2018. Milena joined the faculty of the Geneva Conservatory of Music in 2023. Milena was awarded a Bösendorfer grand piano by the National Musical Foundation (NMF) in 2018.
Ms. Joy Son
Piano
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B.M. in Music Composition, Ewha Womans University
M.A. in Music Composition, New York University
M.F.A. in Musical Theater Writing, New York University
A multi-award-winning composer Joy Son's musical inclination started at age nine, inspired by a carousel ride which led her to compose a solo piano waltz. By 11, a live performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 by the Vienna Philharmonic deeply influenced her, prompting formal training. She honed her craft at Sunhwa Arts School and Ewha Womans University, then expanded her horizons in New York at NYU Steinhardt and Tisch. Her unique writing voice, deeply rooted in classical music, has been shaped by diverse influences, from classical maestro like Schubert to musical theater giants like Rodgers and Hammerstein, French jazz/film composer Michel Legrand and even 90's K-Pop ballads. Joy has various experiences in theater field as a composer, pianist, arranger, orchestrator, and music director, and her musicals has been commercially produced and performed in Asia and in the U.S., such as Manon (Takarazuka Revue Company, Japan) and Lovers In Paris (South Korea). Passionate about nurturing genuine love of music in young children, she's currently a Dalcroze teacher trainee at The Dalcroze School at Lucy Moses School. She is a proud alumna of BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, a Tony-honored theatre writing program.
Mr. Eric Tsai
Violin
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B.M. in Violin Performance, Curtis Institute of Music
M.M. in Violin Performance, The Juilliard School
D.M.A. (in progress) in Violin Performance, Stony Brook University
Eric Tsai is an up and coming Taiwanese-American violinist whose playing has been described as both “dashing” and “heart-wrenching” (NZ Herald), and whose thoughtful approach to old and new works alike has earned him a place on stages across the globe. The 2nd prize winner of the most recent Michael Hill International Violin competition, Eric has garnered critical acclaim as a soloist and chamber player, as well as a champion of music from his home country of Taiwan. Simultaneously, he is a committed educator, passionate about raising up the next generation of young musicians, and works frequently with children from underserved communities and schools. Performing as a featured artist throughout the United States, Europe, Taiwan, and New Zealand, Eric is deeply committed to spreading hope and light to audiences around the world through his art. In 2021, at the height of the worldwide pandemic, his quartet partnered with Taiwan Connection’s education outreach program and traveled to elementary schools situated in under-reached communities across the country. Other past community engagement projects include performances at homeless shelters, hospitals, and veteran homes across New York and Philadelphia. Eric’s previous teachers include Catherine Cho, Ida Kavafian, and Shmuel Ashkenasi, and he has also worked closely with renowned artists such as Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley, Joseph Lin, Ralph Kirshbaum, and Joseph Silverstein. Recent awards include the bronze medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition with his piano trio, the prestigious 2022 Chimei Arts Award, and his quartet, the Quatuor Cael, being selected as an Honors ensemble at Juilliard for the 2022-23 season. Eric received his bachelors of music from the Curtis Institute of Music and his masters of music from the Juilliard School. He is currently a doctoral candidate at StonyBrook University.
Ms. Claire Spencer
Voice
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Dallas Baptist University — B.M., Music Education
Southern Methodist University — M.M., Vocal Performance
Claire Spencer holds a B.M. in Music Education from Dallas Baptist University and M.M. in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University. Not only does Ms. Spencer have extensive experience in musical theater and opera, but she is also a classically trained pianist and harpist. Prior to joining Geneva School, she taught music at Covenant School of Dallas and directed a youth choir at Park Cities Presbyterian Church. She joined Geneva School in 2022 after she moved to New York City with her husband.