Tasha Baron - Piano
Tasha has experience teaching people of all ages and abilities in diverse settings . She teaches a range of styles from jazz to classical music, to pop, rock, r&b, soul, blues etc. She can help you learn to read music as well as how to improvise/play by ear, and she can help you to acquire knowledge of jazz and/or classical theory. Her music studies credits include a B.A. in Music from the University of Minnesota, where she studied jazz piano and classical trombone. She also attended the School for Improvised Music in Brooklyn, NY and the Tanglewood Institute for the Arts in MA. She plays keyboards with Black Blondie (a band that juxtaposes soul, hip hop, dancehall and jazz) and Hips Don't Lie (an instrumental trio centering on original song writing and improvisation in the styles of jazz, hip hop and drum'n'bass). She has also played with and/or recorded with such bands as Atmosphere, Sferic Witch (an electro-acoustic improvisation two piece), Heiruspecs, P.O.S. of Doomtree, the Omaur Bliss band, Traditional Methods, Edupoetic Enterbrainment, Brother Ali, Oddjobs and Kill the Vultures. Websites for Tasha's music projects:
www.myspace.com/blackblondiemusic
www.myspace.com/ourhipsdontlie
www.myspace.com/sfericwitch
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Dale Dahlquist - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ensembles, Classes
Dale built his own guitar amplifier in high school and started a rock band that won a talent show. While studying electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, he realized his underlying passions were not strictly technical, but creative. It blossomed into a career of music performance and teaching with a "side" of music recording and sound reinforcement. His first professional stint was in the mid 70's touring with June Apple recording artist Dakota Dave Hull, playing bass as a sideman in concerts at upper-midwest colleges and universities. Since then, public venues have included folk festivals, county fairs, art festivals, TV and radio shows, Minneapolis Aquatennial, Minnesota state fair and numerous bars and music clubs, as well as corporate and private affairs. Teaching experience includes metro-area junior and senior high schools, a junior college and classes for the MN Songwriters Association, Jewish Community Center and community education. Very diversified in terms of music genres (or can't make up his mind), Dale has played in professional bluegrass, jazz, rock, pop and dance bands. Blues, swing and ragtime guitar are a specialty. In addition to album tracks, he has recorded music for commercials with clients ranging from retail products to the Minnesota DNR, and a governor. Arts administration has been another hallmark of Dale's life. He was a board member at the Extempore Coffeehouse (music club) for 6 years. He served as a board member of West Bank School of Music from 1979-83, and executive director from 1984-89. During this period he started the Ensemble Program and the Marching Guitar Orchestras, the latter of which made front page headlines in 1987 and 1988. Dale is currently building a recording studio due to be completed in 2005.
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Stephen
Dewey - Piano website
Stephen welcomes aspiring piano students of all ages. He is open and
willing to help a student accomplish their personal goals, be it playing
Misty to impress friends at a cocktail party or aiming for Carnegie
Hall! Stephen attended the University of Iowa, majoring in piano performance.
He has worked extensively in the musical theatre as a conductor/musical
director/keyboardist. His credits include national tours of Oliver!,
Some Enchanted Evening & Gigi
(starring Louis Jourdan & Betsy Palmer). He has worked regionally
across the USA in various theatrical venues, including the National
Jewish Theatre, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse and Opryland.Stephen
is currently the musical director of the Bloomington Civic Theater
and serves as Music Director of the Jewish Community Center/St.Paul's
teen drama program.
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Elizabeth
Draper - Upright Bass, Electric Bass
Elizabeth Draper received a Bachelors of Music in Double Bass Performance from the University of Minnesota in 2004. It was there that she studied under St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's Chris Brown and Minnesota Orchestra's Peter Lloyd and James Clute. Her classical endeavors have found her performing both as a featured soloist and as an active section member in countless orchestras and chamber ensembles. Elizabeth has been a professional gigging jazz bassist since age 16. She performs regularly in the big band and jazz combo circuit around the Twin Cities. Her improvising has led her to The School For Improvised Music in New York and a European tour with Ireland's Nick Roth. Her eclectic background has found her performing in indie rock bands, casino stints, musicals, and studio jingle work. Elizabeth is a member of the group The Ditch Lilies, a string band whose style ranges from honky tonk, 1930s swing, bluegrass and country. She is also a member of the touring band Black Blondie, a trip hop, dub influenced, alternative r&b project. Elizabeth has taught privately since 1998.
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Milo
Fine - Drums website
Milo Fine, a lifelong resident of the Minneapolis area, was born
1/22/52. His father is well-known percussionist Elliot Fine, with
whom Milo studied informally as a child. Milo started teaching drums
in the late sixties, and specializes in beginning to intermediate
levels of snare drum and drum set reading and technique, covering
classical, rock and jazz styles. He has been on the WBSM faculty
since the mid seventies. Milo's focus as a musician is improvised
music, a field he has submerged himself in since 1969. Further information
about his music, including details on his ongoing concert series
at the WBSM, can be found on his website.
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Paul Fonfara - Clarinet, Saxophone website
Paul Fonfara graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998 with a BA studying clarinet and has since pursued a career as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter also playing Saxophones, Guitar, Cello and Bandoneon. Paul has performed with the Jefferson, Westminster, Centennial, and Littleton Symphonies and has taught private lessons through Rockley Music, the Ascot Music Academy and Denver Public Schools. Paul is also very active in writing original music that takes influence from
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Christina
Henry - Piano (Suzuki)
A native of the Twin Cities, Christina Henry has had training from such renown teachers as Katherine Bina, Mary West, and Sally O'Reilly, and earned a Bachelor's of Music in Performance at the University of Minnesota. Christina has received various awards and recognition from both state and Midwest competitions. She has been an active freelance performer playing for weddings, churches, and various social events on both piano and violin and has been involved with several local orchestras. Christina began teaching at West Bank in the summer of 2003.
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Bill
Hinkley - Fiddle, Mandolin, Banjo
Bill Hinkley has worked as a professional musician and teacher for over thirty-five years. An original member of the performing cast of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, and a member of the faculty of the West Bank School of Music, he has been awarded three Folk Arts Apprenticeship Master grants by the Minnesota State Arts Board. In 1999, Bill was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. In 2000, along with his wife and musical partner, Judy Larson, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA). It is not possible to talk about Minnesota’s vital acoustic music scene with acknowledging Bill & Judy’s contribution to that vitality. Recently, Bill was filmed as part of the cast for a Prairie Home Companion movie which is planned for release in winter of 2005.
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Clint
Hoover - Harmonica website
One of a select group of musicians to have mastered both the chromatic
and diatonic harmonica, Clint's work has earned him a place in the
Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. From pre-war blues to modern jazz,
Clint has delved deep into the musical possibilities of the harmonica.
His most notable recordings to date are his jazz CD "Dream
of the Serpent Dog" and "Take Your Time Mr. Brown"
by the jug band influenced group The Sugar Kings; both of which
received rave reviews nationally and internationally. Having been
called "...an extraordinary player..." by the Minneapolis
Star and Tribune, his studies of a broad range of American musical
styles has made him a sought after studio session player and a respected
harmonica educator. In NYC, he attended the Parsons/New School Jazz
and Contemporary Music BFA Program and studied with renowned classical
harmonicist Robert Bonfiglio.
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Julie Johnson - Flute, Ensembles
Julie Johnson began playing the flute at the age of 10 in Graceton, MN. At 15, she studied with Susan Nelson, professor of flute at Bemidji State University through an Artist-Mentor scholarship. At Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, she studied with Trudi Anderson, and played principal flute in both the orchestra and band. She was also a two-time winner of the Concerto/Aria Competition, and served as principal flute of the Minnesota Inter-Collegiate Honor Band under the direction of Frederick Fenell. In 1999, Julie served as co-principal flute of the Rome Festival Orchestra, assisted by a Career Opportunity Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. She has also performed with the Duluth/Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Orchestra of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra. She has served as Artist-in-Residence at Patrick Henry High School, St. Francis Middle School, and the Minneapolis Jewish Day School. She also recorded the Native American flute music for the PBS documentary Return to the Circle. In the spring of 2004, she was invited to study with Sibel Kumru-Pensel in Antibes, France, where she was a featured soloist in two chamber recitals. She returned to France in the spring of 2005 to play at the Fete de la Flute in Menton.
www.julieflute.com
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Stefan Kac - Tuba, Trombone, Euphonium, Composition website
Stefan Kac has been recognized nationally as both a performer and composer. Born in Minneapolis, MN in 1982, he received his Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance from the University of Minnesota in 2005. Also in 2005, he was a finalist in the WAMSO Young Artists Competition, the winner of the ITEA Upper Midwest Regional Solo Competition, and a participant in the prestigious Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. As a composer, he has twice won the Eric Stokes Song Contest sponsored by Twin Cities based chamber ensemble Zeitgeist, and currently has works published by Tuba-Euphonium Press and Brass Chamber Music Press. In addition to performing and composing, he has been active as a low brass instructor in the Twin Cities since 2003.
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Will
Kemperman - Percussion (Congas, Djembe, Dumbek, Tupan) website
Will is a freelance percussionist in the Twin Cities area and teaches
percussion at Hamline and St. Thomas Universities. Having been a
percussionist since the age of 10, he plays drum set, orchestral
percussion, marimba, timpani, hand drums, and steel pan. Orchestrally,
he has appeared with area groups Vocal Essence and Plymouth Music
Series, and plays timpani regularly for area church services. Tony
DiSanza and Joe Holmquist were his principle orchestral percussion
teachers. Will performs professionally on drum set, having appeared
with Minnesota’s Great American History Theatre, the Twin Cities
Gay Men’s Chorus, the Klezmer group Maritza, and the roots
rock group Urban Hillbilly Quartet among others. His drum set teachers
include Dave King and Gordy Knutson. Will has also studied world
drumming with teachers Roberto Viscaino, Sowah Mensah, and Eliezer
Freitas. His has appeared with area Latin music groups Xibaba and
Brasamba, and teaches hand drum basics on Congas, Djembe, Dumbek,
and Tupan. As a teacher, Will focuses on the interests and needs
of the student and, while keeping a sense of fun, strives to awaken
a deep sense of how we learn and grow musically. Will earned a Masters
of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin,
Madison in 2001 and a Bachelor’s in Music and Spanish from
Macalester College in 1994.
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Nickolai
Kolarov - Cello
Nickolai Kolarov
graduated from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music, Sofia and received
his Masters degree from the Conservatory of Music at the University
of Missouri, Kansas City. He is currently working on his thesis of
the Doctorate degree in Cello Performance at the University of Minnesota.
In addition Mr. Kolarov studied with Igor Gavrish from the Moscow
Conservatory of Music. Nickolai Kolarov is a devoted performer both
of solo and chamber music. He has given concerts in Bulgaria in many
places including the largest concert hall in Sofia - the National
Palace of Culture. Since his arrival in the United States he has performed
with distinguished musicians classical and contemporary music on numerous
occasions, including Kansas City, Missouri; Baker University, Lawrence,
Pittsburg, Kansas; and the Twin Cities area. Some of his performances
were broadcasted and featured by the Bulgarian National Radio, the
Bulgarian National TV, 90.1 Kansas City Radio Station, KCTV Channel
9. Nickolai Kolarov is the founder in 1993 of Art Salon Zora –
an organization that promotes the work of different artists. Nickolai
has taught cello both in Bulgaria and the U.S.A., most notably at
the Heart of America College, Kansas City; St. Bernadette School,
Kansas City; and K & S Conservatory of Music, Woodbury, MN. He
currently also teaches at the University of St. Thomas.
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Curly Martin - Drum Set, Ensembles
Ernest "Curly" Martin is an award-winning drummer who has been playing professionally for forty-seven years with National and International jazz and blues artists. He studied Percussion at the Musician's Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California, and has been teaching since 1971. Curly's resume reads like a history book of jazz and blues. He has played with such jazz legends as Sonny Stitt, Bobby Lyle, Carmen McRae and Jack McDuff, and blues greats including Etta James, Percy Mayfield, B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland. In 2005, Curly was inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.
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Siama Matuzungidi - Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Ensembles website
Siama has taught and performed many styles of African and Caribbean guitar, including soukous, mbetani, calypso and highlife. His life-long performing experience has taken him throughout Africa, Japan and the United States. Siama's music is a mixture of traditional music from his home in Mbetani and Soukous, and he composes and sings in Lingala, Kingo, Swahili, French and English. He has performed with Ibeba System, Shangoya, Cyril Paul, Kavin Furhman, and his own current band Marimba Africa. Siama welcomes all levels of interested students. Back to top Private Lessons
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Bobbi Miller - Voice, Vocal Ensembles
Bobbi Miller is an accomplished singer, songwriter and producer with a wide variety of styles to her credit. She studied Theatre Arts and Music at the University of Minnesota, and went on to study Jazz Vocal Performance at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Best known as the lead singer for Twin Cities' electronic band Autonomous, Bobbi has been thrice nominated for awards by the Minnesota Music Academy, and has released two full-length albums. She is also the featured vocalist on many house, techno and downtempo tracks, produced by various Minneapolis and Boston DJs. She has served as the musical director for various productions throughout the Twin Cities, as well as holding the title of Performing Arts Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Minneapolis. She is currently working on an EP for Hula, a jazz-tinged electronic outfit, as well as performing throughout the Twin Cities with a fellow West Bank teacher, pianist David Hamilton. She is also writing, directing and producing the musical revue "Sin Cities 7", to be performed in August 2006. She believes that the most important part of learning to sing is enjoying yourself, highlighting your strengths and finding your own voice.
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Chris Moody - Guitar, Ensembles, Classes
Born in England, Chris began playing guitar at age 11. Although it was the electric guitar that initially inspired him to play music, he soon became interested in the Classical guitar. Lessons at the Spanish Guitar Center, London followed and Chris subsequently gained a degree in Music Performance at Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames. Since this time he has been active as a performer on both classical and electric guitar, playing in and around London. As a teacher, he has extensive experience of teaching all ages and various styles which include: Contemporary Rock Guitar, Fusion, South American and Classical Guitar. Before his recent move to the Twin Cities, Chris was the Regional Guitar Coordinator for Surrey County Arts East in England.
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Karen
Mueller - Guitar, Mandolin, Autoharp, Mountain Dulcimer
website
Karen is a national-touring performer with over 20 years of teaching
experience. An international autoharp champion, she has released
3 critically-acclaimed CDs and authored two books, published by
Mel Bay publications. Karen is a teaching artist with Young Audiences
of Minnesota, and performs in the band of Katie McMahon, the original
lead singer from "Riverdance". She enjoys teaching many
styles, including folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and more.
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Jim
Ouska - Guitar website
Jim Ouska won a West Bank School of Music Jazz Composers Series
grant in 1991 and has been featured in Twin Cities Jazz Society
and Twin Cities Guitar Society concerts. His recordings have been
heard on many radio stations including an interview and music feature
on Leigh Kamman's nationally broadcast "The Jazz Image"
on KSJN. He has received nominations from the Minnesota Music Academy
as guitarist of the year in jazz, R&B and bluegrass divisions.
Jim formed the jazz quartet Jordu (Mpls. Star & Tribune says
"Jordu is tight, offering solid, disciplined jazz and bop sounds")
and the R&B/swing/blues group The Slim Hippos (Blues Review
says of their CD "well recorded original songs with well oiled
cats doing their thing"). Jim has also performed extensively
solo and duo in acoustic settings and is active as a freelance guitarist
having performed with many of the areas finest musicians.
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Bill
Philipp - Banjo (5-string)
, Dobro (Resophonic Guitar)
Bill has played bluegrass music throughout the Midwest for over
25 years, and has been teaching at WBSM for nearly seventeen years.
Though his specialty is 5-string Scruggs-style banjo, he also plays
Dobro, guitar, bass and mandolin (but not all at the same time).
In addition to an active performance schedule, his most recent band
Drivetime released a new CD last fall, ‘The Bluegrass Road’,
featuring two of Bill’s original songs. He has also performed
in numerous theatrical productions with the Children’s Theatre
Company, Old Log Theater and several other local groups. Bill is
largely self-taught, having garnered much of his knowledge by jamming
and trading licks with countless musicians at shows and festivals
all around the country. When he’s not playing music, Bill spends
his time building and repairing stringed instruments, renovating
old houses, and maintaining his small fleet of British cars and
motorcycles.
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Paul
Renz - Guitar, Ensembles, Classes website
Paul Renz is the Director of Jazz Studies at the West Bank School
of Music. Renz started the jazz ensemble program in 1993 and currently
leads three adult jazz ensembles that perform regularly in the community.
He also teaches guitar and bass, jazz theory, composition, sight-singing
and improvisation classes. Renz has a Bachelor's degree in jazz
composition and arranging from Berklee College of Music and a Master's
degree in composition and jazz studies from the New England Conservatory
of Music. He has been featured as a guitarist and composer on National
Public Radio. Renz's works have been commissioned by Tidewater Performing
Arts of Virginia, Tidewater Classic Guitar Society, Minnesota Center
for Arts Education, MacPhail Center for Music and Roseville Area
High School in Minnesota. Renz's A Symphonic Poem, recorded by the
Silesia Philharmonic Orchestra of Poland, was released on a CD entitled
Robert Black Conducts by MMC records. Renz's jazz CDs, Everlasting,
Dish It Up and Hubbub feature original compositions, some of the
finest players in the Upper Midwest and have received widespread
national attention and accolades. Renz also teaches jazz guitar,
bass, composition and theory at MacPhail Center for Music. He performs
frequently in the Twin Cities and his quartet tours nationally every
other year. Renz is a well-known clinician and presents master classes
throughout the United States.
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Maggie Roston - saxophone, flute
Maggie has been teaching professionally and freelancing for many years. She started teaching at the West Bank School of Music in the early 70’s. After graduating from the U of M in French and music, she soon left for Los Angeles, where she played with the L.A. Actors Theater, the Hollywood Orchestra, Maiden Voyage, a 17-piece all-woman big band, Passion, an all-girl Top 40 group, and many other groups. She moved to Santa Barbara where she played with the Civic Light Opera and formed her own jazz quartet, after which she moved to France and continued teaching flute, saxophone and jazz workshops at the CIAM in Bordeaux, as well as continued playing with her jazz quartet, in big bands, and in reggae, rock, and Creole groups. After returning to the U.S. in 2000 she has played with the Children’s Theater, the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, the Prophets of Soul (R&B), Ticket to Brasil (Latin), continuing to freelance with a variety of groups and teach.
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Bill
Simenson - Trumpet
Bill Simenson has been teaching and freelancing in the Twin Cities
since 1983. Has performed in a wide variety of styles and with such
groups as the Wolverines Classic Jazz Orchestra, Latin Sounds Orchestra,
at Mixed Blood and Guthrie Theaters, as well as with other groups
and his own ensembles. Member of: International Trumpet Guild, American
Composers Forum, American Federation of Musicians. Awards include:
Bush Foundation Fellowship in Music Composition, Jerome Foundation
Travel and Study Grant.
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Paul
Storms - Guitar, Ensembles, Classes
Paul studied music at the Universities of St. Thomas and Minnesota. He studied guitar at the University of Minnesota with Jeff Van, Charles Pedersen and Paul Berget. Other teachers include Michael Hauser and Pedro Bacan. He was chosen to perform at Master Classes conducted by Christopher Parkening, Larry Coryell and Shar Isben. He has taught at the West Bank School of Music for eleven years. Before that, he taught guitar classes for the University of Minnesota and through community education programs. He has also taught private lessons at studios throughout the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. His performance venues range from retirement communities to TV studios, with highlights including performances on television (WCCO, KTCA) and radio (KFAI, WCCO and KDWB). Recently he performed with the all star youth choir at the American Choir Director's Association Convention.
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Barb
Tilsen - Children's Music Program website
Barb Tilsen teaches Sound Beginnings, a creative children's music program, at West Bank School of Music as well as in child care centers, schools,community programs and recreation centers around the Twin Cities. Barb has been singing and working with children since 1985, and she has been writing songs and performing for audiences of all ages since 1971. She can work magic with young children. Her songs are rooted in her wonderful sense of what kids can relate to and how they feel. Her music, her classes and her performances are hallmarked by her great sense of fun, her respect for young children and her unique way of musically touching their hearts. Barbs performances for adults have brought her to gatherings both great and small from coffeehouses to concert halls, from living rooms to peace marches, labor rallies, and community events. As an activist and musician, her music is rooted in the rich history of grassroots movements for social change in this country. Her songs, whether for adults or children, celebrate this world and our capacity to change. They are all about sustaining hope, creating vision, and uplifting spirit. Barb has been published several times in Sing Out! Magazine as well as other books and publications. Her CD, "Make a Circle Like the Sun", received the 2001 Children's Web Award for Best Recording for Young Children.
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Dan
Turpening - Accordion
Dan Turpening has enjoyed performing on accordion for more than 12 years, playing at parties and weddings, in theater productions, and in restaurants. He is a graduate of A.R.T.S. Accordion Repair and Technicians School in Duluth, MN (since moved to Superior, WI) and continues his accordion studies. He has been teaching at the West Bank School of Music for over five years.
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