Music Institute

Katie Chambers is an accomplished and passionate cellist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY.  She has played on various television shows, at many prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center and Strathmore, and has performed chamber music on several tours in Europe. Katie performs in pit orchestras up and down the East Coast and with various singers/songwriters/performers, including Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, Brian Falduto and Victoria Vox.  She received her Masters Degree in cello performance from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Pianist/composer Nicki Denner has worked with diverse artists such as Sheila E., Randy Brecker, Savion Glover, and Michelle Shocked as well as other jazz and Latin artists in The United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Ms. Denner has released three CDs under her own name. Her trio recording, Moliendo Café, was named one of the "Top Ten Picks of 2006" in Latin Beat Magazine.  She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Apollo Theater, and has performed for the United Nations as a musical ambassador for the State Department in Central America. She is currently the Musical Director for the highly acclaimed group Cocomama whose debut CD Quiero was included in the 2016 Grammy pre-nominations for Best Tropical Latin album.

David Gopoian is a pianist, vocalist, and music educator specializing in piano and vocal instruction. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Piano from William Paterson University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In addition to his work as an educator, David is a songwriter and musical theater writer. He has released five albums of original music and co-wrote the musical Don’t Go It Alone (music and lyrics). His teaching emphasizes strong technical foundations, creativity, and confident musical expression across a variety of styles.

This is Hayley’s third year teaching at SRDS, where she teaches Lower School Music, directs Middle School Chorus, and serves as Music Director for both the Lower and Middle School musicals. She previously taught for seven years in Michigan.

An accomplished soloist specializing in oratorio, Hayley has toured Europe with choirs, performing at venues such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Oakland University.

Vocalist and recording artist Sofia Tosello is on the faculty of Jazz at Lincoln Center and New Jersey State University.  Her album Lluvia Fue, a collaboration with Latin Grammy winner Fernando Otero, is a journey through classic and contemporary songs from the tango repertory.  She has performed with Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, Aquiles Baez, Thalia, Julio Santillan, Alex Cuba, Folklore Urbano, at Summerstage Central Park, the Blue Note, the Heckscher Theater, the Jazz Standard, BAM Café, the Aaron Davis Hall and other NYC landmarks, as well the Art Museum of Philadelphia, Ryles Club, the Michigan Women’s Festival, el Teatro Real (Argentina), Macau Jazz Festival (China) and more.