Yamaha Music School of Boston Faculty and Staff

Lucy Chen, YMES/ Piano
Lucy Chen received her Bachelor of Arts degree in piano performance at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. At a young age, Chen showed talent in piano performance, winning numerous prizes in Toronto. Her outstanding results gained her admission to the Master's Degree Program in piano performance at University of Florida School of Music, receiving two assistantships, in Teaching and in International Programs. To continue her studies with Professor Boaz Sharon, she transferred to Boston University School of Music, granted with the CFA Music Scholarship.

In June 2007, she was chosen by the piano faculty at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, as a representative to perform the solo piano collection Eight Memories in Watercolor by Tan Dun at the He Lu Ding Concert Hall. This was a joint program arranged by the Shanghai Spring Recital Organization and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Chen participated in the Piano Pedagogy Program Designed for Teachers. She was a faculty member of the Royal School of Music in Shanghai, giving piano lessons to beginners and young adults who took part in the Associated Board of Royal School of Music examination system. In 2007, she was awarded "Teacher of the Year" by the music school. Lucy Chen also taught the undergraduate Keyboard Skills course at the University of Florida.

Hsiu-Lan Cheng, Piano
Hsiu-Lan Cheng is a member of the New England Piano Teachers' Association and has been teaching piano, harp, and theory in private lessons for over twenty years. Originally from Taiwan, R.O.C., Hsiu-Lan began teaching piano at age eighteen. In 1988, she received a Piano and Harp Performance Diplomas from Tainan Junior College of Home Economics. After graduation, she was invited to teach piano at the Taipei YAMAHA Music School.

In 1990, Mrs. Cheng continued her music study at The Boston Conservatory, completing a Bachelor in Harp Performance. Mrs. Cheng holds two Master Degrees; one in Harp Performance and one in Arts Administration, both from Boston University. Performances with The New England Philharmonic, Waltham Philharmonic, Franklin Performance Arts Company, Berklee Recording Orchestra, and Saint Malachy Parish Choir. Honors include The Dean Award Scholarship, Boston University.
 
Catherine Flora Con, School Office Manager
Born in New Orleans and raised in South Carolina, Catherine attended high school at South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities and received a B.M. in piano performance from the University of South Carolina, where she studied with Dr. Marina Lomazov.  While in college, Catherine founded and ran a small music camp for young children in her neighborhood and taught private piano lessons to students of all ages. She attended the piano program at Chautauqua Music Festival with a Magellan Scholars research grant, where she conducted research on contemporary Latin American music.

She recently received her Ed.M. in the Arts in Education from Harvard University, where she co-founded and ran an editing service, and coached writing.

In addition to music, Catherine loves writing short stories. Her work has appeared in the Lettered Olive Literary Review and Microchondria: 42 Short Stories Collected by Harvard Book Store, and has received numerous awards.

Sarah Corrigan, Lead Teacher YMES/ Piano/ Voice
Originally from upstate New York, Sarah Corrigan attended the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). After graduating, Sarah Corrigan went on to teach in the Rush-Henrietta School District and the Greece Central School District before receiving a position in the Greater Johnstown School District as the choral director. Sarah has directed two musicals, performed in numerous recitals both solo and as a collaborative artist and been a guest conductor in the capital district of New York.

Sarah recently completed the Master of Music (Piano Performance) program at Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, where she was awarded with the Mary Ellis Smith Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Piano Pedagogy.  She studies with Ludmilla Lifson.

Joshua Del Dotto, YMES/ Piano
Joshua Del Dotto received his Master's degree in piano performance from Boston University.  Josh is active as an accompanist with the Boston Lyric Opera and with various ensembles and professional soloists throughout the region. In addition to being a Yamaha trained instructor at the Yamaha Corporate Music School, Josh is a piano teacher and accompanist at the Community Music Center of Boston and the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest. In his free time, Josh also works as music director for St. John's Church in Franklin, MA.

Ayako Hattori, YMES/ Piano 
Ayako Hattori has taught both privately and in the classroom at Boston University, the University of Michigan, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Redlands, as well as maintaining private studios in Ann Arbor, New York City, and Orange County, California. In 2008, she spoke at the MTNA National Convention in Denver Colorado, lecturing on the use of extended techniques in pedagogical practice through the music of Henry Cowell. She has performed in California, New York City, Ann Arbor, and made a special appearance at the 2008 Midwest Composers' Symposium in the world premiere of Paul Dooley's "Dani's Dance."

Ayako began her musical studies at the age of 4 at the Yamaha Music School in Orange County, studying both piano and composition. While a student at Yamaha, she received both first and second prizes in the Music Teachers' Association of California Composition Contest. She received her Bachelors' Degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Phillip Kawin. She received her Masters' Degree in Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Michigan as a full-tuition scholarship student of Louis Nagel (piano) and John Ellis (pedagogy). She currently attends Boston University, where she is pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree as a scholarship student of Boaz Sharon.

Rebecca Helm, YMES/ Piano
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Rebecca Helm began her study of piano and violin at the early age of two. She obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory in both piano performance and vocal accompanying and began her Masters degree on a full scholarship in accompanying at the University of Miami. While in Miami, she was on faculty at the New World School of the Arts as staff vocal accompanist/coach.

She has been in attendance at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Oberlin in Italy program in addition to receiving various awards at competitions including the Kingsville International Competition, New York Piano Competition,and the Oberlin International Piano Competition. Rebecca's other interests include scuba diving, traveling, and spending time with her teacup shih tzu, Simba.

Yerim Kang, Piano
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Yerim Kang started playing the piano at the age of 6. Taught by her mother initially, she continued her studies at SunHwa Art School, regarded as Korea's most prestigious music school.

Yerim's family relocated to the UK when she was in high school, and she attended the Royal Academy of Music, Junior Department, studying with Tessa Nicholson. She completed the Bachelors of Music degree from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, UK, studying with Peter Bithel.

Yerim has a strong interested in early childhood music education. She is currently studying with Dr. Mia Chung at Gordon College, Wenham, MA, is active as a church accompanist, and also teaches at Merry Melody Music Academy in Norwood, MA.

Jim Keenan, Director YMS Boston/ Double Bass/ Electric Bass
Originally from the Buffalo, NY area, Jim began his musical studies on piano before moving to double bass with the late Nick Molfese of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Jim was principal double bass and taught string education courses as a graduate assistant at the Ithaca College School of Music, studying with Henry Neubert. 

Upon graduation, Jim served with the US Air Force Band of Liberty performing as double bass/electric bass, playing in over 80 annual performances throughout the US with the Ambassadors Big Band, Jazz Combo and Concert Band.

After the Air Force, Jim started a new string education program for the Adams County School District (Colorado), freelanced in the Denver, CO area with Colorado Opera and Nancy Goodwin Trio, and then went on to work in administration for Berklee College of Music.  In 2005, he was recruited by Yamaha Corp of America to start a company-owned school in Boston to serve as the showcase center for the Yamaha Music Education System (YMES) in the US.  Jim has led the school from start-up to over 700 students in the first few years.  He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal (US Air Force), and the Outstanding Service Award (Berklee College of Music).

Jihye Kim, YMES/ Voice/ Piano/ Violin

Susan Larson, Voice/ YMES
Susan (Craft) Larson (BM, MM in Vocal Performance, University of Wisconsin) has been a Yamaha instructor for twelve years and is an Education Specialist for the Yamaha Music Education System.  She is a licensed K-12 music educator in Massachusetts and a teaching artist with the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Urban Voices program, delivering integrated vocal music instruction to urban schools without adequate funding for music programs.

Susan frequently combines her education and performing experience to present outreach concerts for children, and mentors high school and community performing groups to do the same. She is the former Education Coordinator for the Cantata Singers.  Susan appears as a soloist with many area orchestras, choruses and opera companies and is on the voice faculty at the Middlesex School in Concord. 

Emily Murphy, YMES, Piano/ Keyboard Encounters
Emily holds a Masters degree in Musicology from the University of Washington in Seattle and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Collaborative Piano from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA.

In 2002, Emily was one of two recipients of the Artsbridge Scholarship for facilitating the creation and production of original operas in Salt Lake City public schools. She continued her work educating children as Music Director for Studio East Children's Theater and Youth Theater Northwest in Seattle from 2004-2006. She was awarded a teaching fellowship at the University of Washington and in 2008, Emily was named a Stern Fellow to participate and perform in Songfest, an international program for pianists and singers held in Malibu, CA.

In June 2009, Emily received a scholarship to attend the Collaborative Piano Program as part of the Vancouver International Song Institute which included master classes and concerts throughout the Vancouver, BC area. Emily studies with Brian Moll, and has most recently participated in master classes with Margo Garrett, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, John Harbison, Kenneth Griffiths and Paul Sperry. She continues to enjoy freelancing with singers and instrumentalists throughout the Boston area.

Lindsay Rinaldi, Voice 
Lindsay is an active performer and educator originally from New Hampshire.  Lindsay began to pursue the art of singing in high school and quickly fell in love with classical music.  

Lindsay can be found performing throughout New England on the operatic stage.  Recent operatic engagements include Così Fan Tutte with Riverside Theater Works, Trial By Jury and Die Fledermaus with Friends of the Performing Arts Concord, MA, and The Magic Flute with Metrowest Opera.  She was also recently given the opportunity to sing the famous “Flower Duet” from Lakmé with the Diva Day Foundation. 

Before coming to Boston to complete her Masters in Opera Performance at The Longy School of Music, Lindsay studied and performed in Milan, Italy at the Accademia Internazionale della Musica,  L’Università Cattolica and Scuola Politecnica di Design.  Lindsay holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Performance from the University of Maine, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with High Honors. 

Lindsay is also a dedicated voice instructor at The Bedford Youth Performing Company and is on the faculty at Rivier College as an Adjunct Professor of Music in New Hampshire.

Yuki Shibata, YMES/Piano/ Keyboard Encounters
Yuki Shibata is a music teacher, jazz pianist, and composer originally from Himeji, Japan. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Yuki maintains an active teaching and performance schedule, including recent gigs as a band leader at Mile's Cafe and Shrine in NYC and The Fireplace, Cafe Luna, and Kings Back Bay in Boston.

Studying classical ballet as a child, Yuki was introduced to jazz, classical, and contemporary music. Because her dance teacher was a big fan of jazz, she got a chance to dance to the album, "Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown" in concert, which was the first time for her to feel a strong passion for jazz.

Yuki's principal piano teachers are Yuki Arimasa (Tokyo, Japan), Frank Carlberg, and Ray Santisi (Boston, MA). She has also studied with Danilo Perez, Joanne Brackeen, and jazz improv with Hal Crook.

Andrew Smith, Guitar/ Composition
Andrew Smith is active in Boston’s musical community as a composer, guitarist and educator.  His music has been performed throughout the United States in venues such as Southern Illinois University’s Outside the Box new music festival, the Aspen Composer’s Conference, the University of Central Missouri’s New Music Festival and has even received airtime on WDBX of Carbondale, IL.

Dr. Smith has worked closely with groups such as ALEA III, the SIUC Percussion Ensemble, the Xanthos Ensemble and the Boston Composers’ Coalition.  He has written for a variety of instrumentations ranging from solo to full orchestra and even electronic media and has been the recipient of numerous honors including the Carl Deis Prize for excellence in music composition and an honors award from the music faculty at Boston University.  Dr. Smith earned his D.M.A from Boston University and his M.M. and B.M. from Southern Illinois University.  He has studied with Samuel Headrick, Martin Amlin, Theodore Antoniou, Richard Cornell, David Kopp, Joshua Fineberg, Frank Stemper, Kathleen Ginther, Eric Mandat, Joesph Breznikar and Sharon Isbin.

John Stapp, Piano
John Stapp received recognition at the 1998 Nina Wideman International Piano Competition in Shreveport, LA, where he won the Robert G. Mogg & Family Award.  He also won concerto competitions at The University of Tulsa and Oral Roberts University, where he was a full scholarship recipient, and earned his B.M. in Piano.  He was a finalist in The Naftzger Young Artist Competition in Kansas in 1999. 

In 2001, he was the Grand Prize winner of the 20th Century Music Competition at ORU.  In 2003, he was awarded the Silver Medal at the Crescendo National Music Awards in Tulsa, Ok, which included a $4,000 cash prize.  That same year he also won Oklahoma's Collegiate Artist Scholarship Competition.  He was named 1st Alternate in The Churchill Full Scholarship Competition at The Boston Conservatory, where he earned his M.M. in 2005.  Stapp spent summers studying at The Aspen Music School and The Van Cliburn Institute.  He is on the faculty of Quincy College and the New School of Music.