Hedvika Miller – Piano, Music Theory, Singing

I come from a musical family. My mother was a classical music piano teacher and my father was a professional piano player. My mother was strict on teaching piano based on music theory and using the proper hand technique. My father played by ear and preferred jazz, singing and improvisation. I started playing piano at a very early age. I don’t remember exactly when, because it has always been a part of my life.

When I was eight years old I was accepted to the School of the Arts in the Czech Republic and entered the third level, as a result of piano lessons with my mother. I continued my education and in 1990, I graduated from the University of Hradec Kralove College of Education with a Masters Degree in Musical Education. I started teaching piano at the age of seventeen and continued teaching music for another fifteen years until 1998, when I moved to the USA. In 1999, I started teaching private piano lessons in Huntersville, North Carolina. In 2000, I started the music program at the Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy School of excellence for highly gifted students located in Charlotte.

Over the past ten years I developed a curriculum which included music history, theory, chorus, singing, dance, recorders and guitar.

Wendy Falls – Piano, Voice, & Singing

Wendy Falls, a native of Baltimore, MD has always had a love of music and singing. She grew up surrounded by professional musicians and began singing solos at the age of 6. Wendy received her BM in Voice from Stetson University in DeLand, FL where she studied with Bob and Mollie Rich. Wendy served as a soloist and choreographer for the annual Stetson University Broadway Revue, sang multiple times at The Bob Carr Performing Arts Center (Orlando, FL), The Peabody Auditorium (Daytona Beach), The Times Union Center for the Performing Arts (Jacksonville, FL) and performed the lead role as “Sandy” in the musical Grease (Jacksonville, FL). Wendy has mostly used her vocal talents in music ministry as a worship leader and songwriter for the past eighteen years. She is also a former Miss Teen of Florida and Magic Kingdom Entertainment Performer at Walt Disney World Resort. As a teacher, Wendy delights in bringing out and cultivating the unique treasures found within each student and greatly enjoys instructing them in the art of singing. Wendy is married and has three children ages 12, 10, and 6.

Sam Kyzer – Piano, Guitar, Wind Instruments

Sam Kyzer taught public school instrumental and choral music in the southeastern U.S. for over 36 years. He earned degrees in music education from The University of Georgia and Louisiana State University. His concert and jazz bands received numerous awards, including six grand championships at regional festivals. An accomplished trombonist, trumpet player, worship leader, conductor, and guitarist, Sam is also an experienced private teacher of piano, guitar, and wind instruments at Ludmila. He and his wife have three college-graduate children and five adorable grandchildren!

Gina Abbots

I have been teaching piano/voice for over thirty years.I studied music theory,ear training,and music appreciation at Liberty University for two years in the early eighties. After studying there, I traveled and sang with several music groups including The New Directions and the Liberty singers. In the late nineteen eighties I attended Sandhills Community College, where I trained in vocal performance, and was a member of the Pinehurst Dinner Theatre. We did musical numbers such as “The Boyfriend”, South Pacific, Oaklahoma, etc. From 1991 to 1994 I attended NC Wesleyan College where I won a vocal scholarship. I was a member of the jazz choir, and also sang with the Wesleyan choir. I studied piano and voice at Wesleyan,and during my three years there, I directed a childrens and adult choir at a Methodist as well as a Baptist church. My experience with teaching began in 1982, and continued throughout my college years. After college I taught privately for 10 yrs., and then worked for private christian schools such as First Assembly in Concord. Since 1998 I have been teaching piano and voice full time. My personal philosophy regarding music and the arts is that music is an “all inspiring gift”.To be able to pass that along to my students and observe each persons unique talents and style is such a rewarding experience. It is an honor to be a part of the process of learning, and to have the realization that maybe I made a difference in a childs life.

Denys Gorski-Daigle – Violin

A long-time resident of Charlotte, and native of Long Island, NY, Denys Gorski-Daigle began studying violin at the age of 10 with fiddler Charles Kinder (Sound Symphony Orchestra, NY). She has long held a passion for chamber, orchestral and rock music, and has participated with numerous groups since age 14. Denys graduated from SUNY-Binghamton University with a minor degree in Music Performance where she studied under Janet Brady (Prometheus Trio, Danbury CT) and Timothy Perry, DMA, MMA, MM and Conductor.

Performance highlights include winning Principal 2nd Violinist with the NYC Youth Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center (NYC), and playing with the Binghamton Symphony, and the Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York at age 21. Ten years ago, Denys expanded her playing repertoire on the electric violin as a soloist and duets with Kevin Brawley and Matthew S. Ablan, Acoustic Guitars. Coming soon, an electric violin, mandolin and electric base. She never stops learning.

A private music educator in Charlotte, North Carolina, Denys continues to teach young violin students in her private studio and encourages a mix of traditional lessons, improvisation, theory and composition. She believes that every violin player deserves the opportunity to find their individual voice through violin and music.

David G. Lorusso – Violin

David comes from a long line of Italian musicians. He started lessons with his father, George Lorusso. At age 4, his Uncle, Raphael Lorusso, a master violinist, made David’s first violin!
At age 5, he entered the violin program from at Longy School of Music just blocks from Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He studied various works from J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Georg F. Händel, Mozart, Vivaldi and others. His studies included Music Theory, Solfege, Composition, Ensemble playing and private lessons through his college years. He played solo violin Concerti, and duets for violin & piano. He continued with private lessons from an Arlington Philharmonic violinist, where his Father and Uncle played.
Later, he studied piano and the works of J.S. Bach (2 & 3 Part Inventions) and Chopin and sang and toured with the Chorale while attending Barrington College in Rhode Island. David played in competitions, Church Praise & Worship, Radio (Boston) and in Taiwan with a Filipino Band.
David currently plays as a guest violinist at a local Assisted Living Facility. He has traveled extensively and lived in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and in Taiwan. He enjoys foreign languages, teaching and desires to pass on the gift of music to the next generation.

Jessica Young – Voice, Piano, Guitar, Songwriting

Jessica Young started playing piano at the age of three. One of five children, she grew up in a very musical family, with each child, and her father, playing multiple instruments. She started competing in piano competitions at the age of twelve. She went on to Queens University of Charlotte, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Piano and Voice Performance. Instead of pursuing a Master’s Degree in Theory and Composition, Jessica decided to move to Nashville, TN, to pursue a songwriting career after composing songs with guitar. After two albums, she decided to come back home, to Charlotte, NC, and begin teaching again, to spread her love of music through the next generation. She teaches piano, guitar, voice, and ukulele.

Travis Lee – Piano, Guitar, Voice, Music Production

My musical journey started when I was 8 years old. The initial step in piano lessons ignited my musicality and I began exploring other instruments such as drums, guitar, bass guitar and voice. In 2005, I got accepted into the music program at The University of North Carolina at Asheville. I continued studying classical piano privately under Dr. Belcher’s supervision. Furthermore, I studied advanced music theory, music history and aural skills. I received the Bachelor of Science in Music Technology in Fall 2009.

During my Undergrad, I grew extensive knowledge in recording and music production after every studio session and recording projects. I have developed an understanding in using instruments such as theremin, keyboard synthesizers and electronic components that can generate a pure sine wave to make a musical note. I studied advanced recording practicum and audio engineering at UNCA’s state of the art recording facility for over 3 years. Currently, I own a professional home recording studio and I have produced 3 records to date. I am an established musician, producer and engineer in most Hmong communities and other areas around the United States. I have been teaching piano, guitar, drums and voice for over 8 years. I am heavily involved in music production and music education since 2010.

Mitchell Lewis

Mitchell Lewis holds a Bachelor of Choral Music Education degree from Florida State University and a Masters in Choral Conducting from Winthrop University. During his tenure as a choral educator, Mitchell has taught middle and high school chorus in the public school systems of Leon County, Tallahassee, Florida and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Charlotte, NC. He also served as the graduate assistant for the Winthrop University Collegiate choir during his graduate studies. Mitchell currently serves as the conductor for the Men’s Choir at UNC Charlotte and keyboardist for Forest Hill Church. In addition to his conducting assignments, Mitchell has served as choir director and accompanist for churches in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Mitchell is an active member of both ACDA and NCMEA.