Strings Continuing Education Faculty

Learn Strings from our fantastic Continuing Education Faculty. View current courses

 

Kineko Barbini, violin

Born in Tokyo, violinist Kineko Okumura was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. Ms. Okumura received the Ysaye Award in Japan, won second place in the Paganini International Competition, and was selected to perform at the Akademia Chigiana in Italy. Ms Okumura has extensive chamber music experience, including many performances with the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, the Ariel String Quartet, and Festival San Miguel Allende. These include collaborations with John Nakamatsu, Rachael Barton Pine, Gary Karr, David Tannenbaum, Yoshi Nagai, and Philip Myers. Kineko has held the position of Associate Concertmaster for the Sacramento Symphony, the Sacramento Chamber Orchestra, and the Monterey Symphony. She has also served as Concertmaster for the Solano Symphony and the Bear Valley Festival Orchestra, as well as performed with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Pro Art Symphony. Kineko Okumura teaches privately and is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory. Her students have won Concerto Competitions, performing with orchestras in Northern California. kbarbini@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

William Barbini, violin

Diploma, The Juilliard School; studied with Ivan Galamian and Paul Makanowitsky; concertmaster, Monterey Symphony; music director, Chamber Music Society of Sacramento; former member, New York Philharmonic; performs with San Francisco Contemporary Players and Music Now; performed at Festival San Miguel Allende in Mexico, Pacific Music Festival and Other Minds Festival; faculty, California State University at Sacramento. wbarbini@sfcm.edu

Accepting advanced students.

Eric Chin, violin

Violinist Eric Chin, a founding member of the recently acclaimed Telegraph Quartet, is equally passionate about performing and teaching. Captivated by chamber music, he founded the award- winning Nexus String Quartet in 2007 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After the final season of the Nexus String Quartet, Mr. Chin received invitation to join the Hausmann Quartet and the chamber music and string faculty at San Diego State University, and held that position until 2014. He then decided to move back to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he later co- founded the Telegraph Quartet.

Mr. Chin’s concert tours as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster have taken him performing throughout Europe as well as in Asia, Canada, and the United States. He has appeared on faculty at festivals such as the Capistrano International Chamber Music Festival, LyricaFest, and Chamber Music Connection Ohio, and was invited abroad to give concerts and masterclasses at the top art universities in Taiwan, including the National Taiwan University of Arts, Tunghai University, National Pingtung University of Education, Wenzao Ursuline College, and Taiwan Normal University. Mr. Chin has also appeared as performing artist at the Great Lakes Music Festival and at Music Mountain.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Chin has performed with some of the most sought after musicians of our time, including members of the Juilliard, Concord, Meliora, Miami, Takács, and Alexander string quartets. ericchin@sfcm.edu

Doris Fukawa, violin

M.Ed., Columbia University Teachers College; B.M., Manhattan School of Music. Teachers include Raphael Bronstein, Ariana Bronne, Anne Crowden, Colin Hampton and Lillian Fuchs. Performances with San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Midsummer Mozart, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Skywalker Symphony; guest conductor, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Cazadero Performing Arts Camp; faculty, California Chamber Music Institute, Crowden Center for Music in the Community; Executive Director, Crowden Music Center. dfukawa@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students. 

Aenea Mizushima Keyes, violin

"My teaching method combines my extensive training with my international performance experience. ENSEMBLES: Inspiring students to learn advanced rehearsal techniques, create unified ensemble interpretations, and present artistic chamber music performances. VIOLIN: Through studying technical pieces and performance works, students learn to practice efficiently, perform confidently, and understand the interconnection between musical expression and technical mastery."

M.M., National Academy of Music, Bulgaria; B.A., Sarah Lawrence College; Prussia Cove International Musicians Seminar, UK; violin: Dorothy DeLay, Guinka Guichkova and Daniel Phillips; composition/improvisation: Meyer Kupferman. Toured Russia, Japan, Europe and USA as soloist, chamber musician, violinist-composer. Premieres: Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, including Carman Moore's Mass for the 21st Century. Collaborations: museums, dance, theater, film. Chamber Music: trio - MusicAEterna member and founder, annual premeires; quartet-octet with Alexander String Quartet, while member of Del Sol String Quartet. ChamberImprov: MusicAEterna; ChamberJazz: D. Matheny, trumpet. Chamber/Symphonic Orchestra: Philharmonia Virtuosi, Nova Philharmonia Portuguesa, Aspen Music Festival. Recordings include: MusicAEterna CD -- At the Museum; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artcast - Picasso Suite; Documentary Film - Senorita Extraviada, Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival. amkeyes@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Davis Law, violin

"I believe the student always comes first; I wish to foster a love of music grounded in expressive playing and technical proficiency."

B.M., New England Conservatory of Music; studied with Zaven Melikian and Dorothy DeLay; alumnus, Conservatory's Preparatory Division. dlaw@sfcm.edu

Accepting beginner, intermediate, and advanced students.

Joseph Maile, violin

"My teaching style is a fusion of the styles of each of my teachers over the years - from Itzhak Perlman and Kathleen Winkler to Ian Swensen. I try to give each of my students a firm technical foundation with a strong focus on scales and some etudes. While solid, relaxed technique is a crucial part of my focus, I mainly see it as a tool for better musical expression and my real interest is in exploring the music with my students and bringing it to life, no matter what their age."

B.M. The Juilliard School; M.M. Rice University; AC Chamber Music San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Violinist Joseph Maile has been passionate about teaching and chamber music from very early on in his musical studies and he has performed in various ensembles throughout the United States. Mr. Maile has taught at the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and is currently on the violin and chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music teaching both Pre-College and Collegiate students. Mr. Maile is a founding member of the San Francisco-based Telegraph Quartet, the Quartet-in-Residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and winner of the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Naumburg Award. jmaile@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Alena Tsoi-Barantschik

“My teaching is influenced by my musical training in Russia and performance career across Europe and the United States. I blend styles and teaching concepts in a way that helps students achieve their highest potential and develop a lifelong love for music.”  

Russian-born violinist Alena Tsoi-Barantschik began her musical studies at the Central Music School in Moscow and later graduated from the Moscow Conservatory of Music, studying with Zinaida Gilels, Valery Klimov, and members of the Borodin Quartet. In addition to maintaining an active solo and chamber music career, Alena served as first violinist of the Orquesta Principal de Asturias in Spain, Netherlands Ballet Orchestra, and Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Now residing with her family in San Mateo, she regularly performs as a soloist with the Russian Chamber Orchestra and plays chamber music with her husband, Alexander Barantschik. Ms. Tsoi-Barantschik has recorded and toured with the San Francisco Symphony. She currently teaches in numerous Bay Area music schools and maintains a private violin studio. atsoi@sfcm.edu  

Accepting advanced students

Pei-Ling Lin, viola

"The main focus of my teaching is to develop positive learning mind set and constructive practice methods with students. I wish my students to be their own teachers at home. Other aspects of my teaching include building a solid foundation for technique, opening the students' ears and encouraging creative thinking in music."

Founding violist of the Fischoff award-winning Telegraph Quartet, Ms. Lin is an active performer and teacher. She holds a B.M. degree from The Juilliard School, M.M. from Rice University, and Artist Certificate from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Miss Lin has given masterclasses throughout the U.S., and performs both nationally and internationally including major festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center and Yellow Barn Music Festival, where she taught for two years in the Young Artist Program. Recent chamber music collaborations include Paul Katz, Joseph Lin, Roberto Diaz and Robert Mann. plin@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Randolph Fromme, Cello

"Using standard repertoire, etudes and technical studies, I focus on practice methods and strategies in order to help the student reach musical and technical independence."

Artist Certificate, San Francisco Conservatory of Music; M.A., University of Minnesota; B.A., University of Wisconsin; studied with Mark Sokol and Clive Greensmith; collaborative performances with Frederica von Stade, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein; member, Fromme Duo with pianist Shu Li; former member, Oberon and Del Sol quartets; performances in Other Minds and Sandpoint Festivals; former faculty, UC - Santa Cruz, Nueva School. Developer - "Cello Playing" - Pedagogy Channel on Youtube. rfromme@sfcm.edu

Accepting beginner, intermediate, and advanced students.

Eileen Moon, Cello

Cellist Eileen Moon is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, born and raised in Los Altos. Her main musical experiences as a child revolved around her participation in the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, cello studies with Frances Bennion, and cello and chamber music Irene Sharp in the Preparatory Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Eileen received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and continued her studies with Valentin Erben of the Alban Berg String Quartet at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna, Austria. She has received 2nd Prize at the Geneva International Cello Competition in 1991, and 4th Prize at the Tchaikovsky International Cello Competition held in Moscow, Russia, in 1994. She has been a substitute cellist in the San Francisco Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and joined the cello section of the New York Philharmonic in 1998. In 2007 she was named Associate Principal Cello with the New York Philharmonic, and in 2022 she received the honor of becoming Executive Assistant to the President of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Eileen continues to enjoy performing, teaching, and experiencing the highest joys of living with her husband and 7 dogs. emoon@precollege.sfcm.edu

Andrew Luchansky, cello

M.M., State University of New York at Stony Brook; B.M., New England Conservatory of Music; studied with Laurence Lesser, Timothy Eddy, and chamber music with members of the Guarneri and Juilliard Quartets and Beaux Arts Trio; master classes with Gregor Piatagorsky, Bernard Greenhouse and Anner Bylsma; performances with The Classical Band, Musica Sacra, Brooklyn Philharmonic and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and as soloist at the Festival International de Musica in Deia Spain, Italy and Denmark; former faculty, Florida State University, currently director of string studies at the CSU Sacramento School of Music. aluchansky@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Corina Santos, Violin

Corina Santos is a violinist and music educator based in San Francisco, CA. In 2021, she received her Master of Music Degree from DePaul University in Chicago, IL, where she studied under Janet Sung. She completed her undergraduate studies with Sandy Yamamoto at the University of Texas at Austin.
Corina is a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College, and maintains a studio of private students in the Bay Area. Additionally, she has served as a teaching artist and faculty member for various community and non-profit music organizations, including Music Mission San Francisco, The People's Music School, and The University of Texas String Project. Her passion for teaching comes from the belief that students learn best when they are supported, encouraged, and challenged, and she strives to provide experiences for her students that bring them joy.
Corina has performed as a soloist with the Austin Civic Orchestra and has worked with acclaimed violinists and teachers such as David Kim, Laurie Smukler, Danielle Belen, Sally O’Reilly, pianist Rohan de Silva, violist Paul Neubauer, the Juilliard String Quartet, and the Miró Quartet. When she is not playing or teaching, Corina enjoys latin dancing, listening to podcasts, and visiting San Francisco’s many parks. csantos@sfcm.edu

Jeremiah Shaw, cello

As the cellist and co-founder of the Telegraph Quartet, Jeremiah’s ensemble won top prizes in the Fischoff (2014) and Naumburg Chamber Music (2016) Competitions. His chamber music mentors include the Audubon, Juilliard, Cleveland, and Concord string quartets. Jeremiah attained a B.M. at the Cleveland Institute of Music, a M.M. at the Juilliard School in cello performance, and a 2nd B.M. at Shenandoah University in Music Production and Recording Technology. In addition to studying with Richard Aaron at CIM and Joel Krosnick at Juilliard, he was a New World Symphony Fellow for a couple years where he performed a cello concerto with the NWS as a competition winner. Mr. Shaw has toured the U.S., Asia and Europe with various chamber ensembles and performed at such notable festivals as Kneisel Hall, Spoleto Italy, Emilia Romagna, Chautauqua Institute, and Yellow Barn. jshaw@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Eric Sung, cello

Dedicated to teaching students of all age levels to integrate music into their lives and achieve their goals. Principal cellist, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Mr. Sung studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Southern California, and the Juilliard School. His principal teachers have been Stephen Geber, David Geber, Ronald Leonard, Fred Sherry and Lynn Harrell. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Sung has performed at the Taos, Sarasota, Scotia, Kent/Blossom, Aspen, Tanglewood, Mendocino and San Luis Obispo Mozart Festivals. He studied with members of the American, Cleveland, Orion, Takacs, and Guarneri String Quartets and has performed in concert with the California E.A.R. Unit, Duke String Quartet, Joshua Bell, Michael Tree, Ronald Leonard, Alexander Kerr, John Graham, Lawrence Dutton, and Jeffrey Kahane. Mr. Sung has been heard as soloist with the Colburn Chamber Orchestra, Saratoga Symphony, Contra Costa Chamber orchestra and the Aspen Academy of Conducting Orchestra. He has participated in the New York String Seminar, Piatigorsky Seminar and has attended the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestra Institute, Pacific Music Festival and Verbier Festivals. He was a member of the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra and was Assistant Principal of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Mr. Sung has served as Acting/Guest Principal of the Sydney Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra and has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. esung@sfcm.edu

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.

Barbara Wirth, cello

“Though I have had a lot of professional experience, teaching has always been my priority. I learned from the best and endeavor to pass it on.  My students play in many Bay Area ensembles.”  

Received a B.M. from Northwestern University and a M.M. from Indiana University. She studied with Janos Starker and Pierre Fournier. She has been a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and has played for the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Theater Orchestras.  

Ms. Wirth has taught cello for the Northwestern University Preparatory Department, Eastern Kentucky University, Louisville Academy of Music, Dominican College, San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco and is currently a member of the Continuing Education Division faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. bwirth@sfcm.edu   

Accepting beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

Amos Yang, cello

M.M. and B.A., The Juilliard School; alumnus, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division; studied with Irene Sharp, Channing Robbins, Paul Katz and Steven Doane; assistant principal cellist, San Francisco Symphony; former member, Seattle Symphony; appearances with Seattle Chamber Music Society and Olympic Music Festival; former faculty, Peabody Conservatory, University of Iowa, Grinnell College and Interlochen Advanced String Quartet Institute. ayang@sfcm.edu  

Accepting intermediate and advanced students.  

Stephen Tramontozzi, double bass

Assistant principal double bass of the San Francisco Symphony, studied with Robert Olson of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Oscar Zimmerman at the Eastman School of Music. He held the position of principal bass of the Symphony Orchestra of Sao Paolo, Brazil and has also performed with the Chamber Music West Festival, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and the Cabrillo Music Festival. Formerly on the faculties of Stanford University and the Universities of California at Berkeley and Santa Cruz, Tramontozzi currently serves on the faculties of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Mills College. He has been called upon to present clinics and master classes for the Hammond Ashley Double Bass Symposium, Indiana University, University of Michigan, University of Texas, New England Conservatory, New World Symphony, Pacific Music Festival and the Asian Youth Orchestra. Engagements as a recitalist have taken him to Japan, Washington and throughout California. He received a B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Lawrence Wolfe, and an M.M. from the Conservatory. stephent@sfcm.edu  

Accepting beginner, intermediate and advanced students.

Jennifer Ellis, harp

Committed to pushing the boundaries of harp performance, Jennifer R. Ellis (DMA University of Michigan, MM Cleveland Institute of Music, BM Oberlin) has performed ninety premieres. She embraces firsts; she was the first harpist to be a One Beat Fellow, a fellowship through the US State Department, the first harpist to attend Bang on a Can, Fresh Inc., and Splice summer festivals. She has served as a featured performer for the Festival of New American Music, Sound of Late, Spitting Image Collective, Kerrytown Edgefest, Creative Arts Orchestra, and OINC. Her recordings run the gamut from American Indian fusion (Dha Re Dha with Sumkali) to solo improvisation (“January Lullaby” on Persist) to new music for harp and saxophone (Launch with Jonathan Hulting-Cohen).  

From kinesthetic music education to ergonomics to teaching for diverse learning needs, Dr. Ellis is dedicated to innovative music pedagogy. In addition to the classical tradition, she welcomes the opportunity to teach electroacoustic harp performance and improvisation. She enjoys helping harp students design and meet their own creative goals. She was named an inaugural University of Michigan Engaged Pedagogy Fellow, earned a UM CRLT Graduate Teacher Certificate, and trained in eurhythmics pedagogy at CIM. She was a guest instructor for MPULSE 2016, a 2017 featured clinician at the International Harp Festival, 2018 harp faculty at Nief Norf Summer Festival, and a 2017-2018 Artist-In-Residence at UC Davis. She currently teaches for Mills College, Harps Etc. and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  

Accepting beginning, intermediate and advanced students