Native San Franciscian, Alia Kuhnert, began playing trumpet at age ten. Alia originally chose the trumpet to disturb the peace and annoy her mom but ended up falling in love with the instrument. Growing up, she studied piano and was a member of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, where she performed all over the Bay Area and sang regularly at Davis Symphony Hall. Today, you can see her perform in groups such as Oakland Symphony, Marin Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Modesto Symphony, Stockton Symphony, and more. Committed to education, Alia is a faculty member at SFCM PreCollege Division, East Bay Center for Performing Arts, Schools of Sacred Heart and Cazadero Music Camp. She conducts weekly coachings and masterclasses at schools all over the Bay Area and maintains a private studio of successful trumpet players of all ages and experience levels. Alia received her Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory, her Masters of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University in New York. While living and performing in New York, Alia was a founding member of eGALitarian, an all female brass ensemble dedicated to inspiring and improving the lives of women and was a regular substitute teacher at the Juilliard PreCollege. Her principal teachers include Catherine Murtagh, Ben Wright of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tom Siders of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Kevin Cobb of the American Brass Quintet.