MUSIC & ART ACADEMY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Drawing and Painting Instructor
Art has always been a passion for Angela. In 2011, she decided to hone her artistic skills by starting a weekly art practice class at the Ontarioville Art Center. Over the next 8 years, she studied a variety of media and learned the fundamentals of fine art and began teaching at the Art Center in 2018. She enjoys working with beginning students as well as those with a background in art, introducing new mediums to her students and helping them create and expand their ideas and skills. Angela is a member of the Nature Artist Guild of the Morton Arboretum and her artwork is inspired by the natural beauty of the world around us.
As A&A's first "home grown" faculty member, Austin Porter was initially introduced to the piano when he began lessons as a seven-year-old with faculty member Carole Irwin at A & A Music Academy. He immediately loved to play the piano and always had a performer's heart. He performed in numerous A&A recitals over the years, as well as participated in school talent shows and high school jazz band. As the years passed, his performance repertoire became more advanced at each recital. He continued taking lessons at A&A throughout his high school years, studying with Mrs. Tatiana Kuznetsov, and even occasionally returned for instruction while in college. Additionally, through the encouragement of his instructors at A&A, he first performed at the annual Granquist Music Competition in Geneva, Illinois when he was eleven years old. He returned annually until completing his college degree. For the competitions, he and his teachers chose some of his favorite classical pieces by Brahms, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and other composers. Performing at Granquist was both a fun and beneficial learning experience which helped hone his performance skills.
Austin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Elmhurst College in 2018 and also received a certificate in Piano Pedagogy. During college, he studied numerous genres of music, played in jazz ensembles, and achieved awards for his performances, including induction into Lambda Sigma Psi, a Music Honor Society. Prior to becoming an instructor at A&A, Austin taught piano lessons to beginner and advanced level students through a park district program, as well as worked with students individually and in groups. He is also an experienced accompanist to students playing other instruments at competitions. He joined the faculty at A&A Music
Academy in June 2020, and has felt like he has returned home to where it all began for him. He hopes his talent and dedication to playing and teaching will inspire future generations of musicians.
Beth Kaplan holds a Master's degree in Music Education from National Louis University with a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University. She worked as a music educator and English teacher in the Bellwood School District 88 for 23 years, educating children ages five through fourteen. From 1998-2002 she ran the music programs at Grant and McKinley Elementary Schools. She retired in 2014 and has since worked as a teacher and music teacher in various locations such as Big Barn Preschool in Schaumburg, Kensington School in Wheaton and the Wheaton Park District. She is also a working musician and has been a lead singer, keyboard and guitar player for a variety of bands in the Chicago area since 1980. We are delighted to have her with us as she brings her talents to teaching our piano and guitar park district classes as well as inspiring her private students to learn and perform music.
Job Titles:
- Flute and Piano Instructor
Chantale has been teaching music to children for over two decades. Her own teachers inspired her to also become a music educator at an early age. She has taught groups of flute sections as summer band camps as well as Master Classes during the school year. Her focus is on the individual student to help strengthen their talents and encourage them to conquer the more challenging aspects of the flute or piano. She loves to utilize fun and educational tools and aspires to keep her students engaged in learning.
Mrs. Shea knows the local area well after graduating from Lake Park High School. Her high school musical studies are inspiring, participating in band all 4 years, orchestra pits for school musicals and local productions, and leading a Woodwind Ensemble group at a local church. After graduating, she attended Valparaiso University and graduated with a double major in Music and Business while minoring in Flute performance. She performs in local community musicals, orchestras, and at churches and weddings or private events when she can. She continues to attend Master classes by other flute professionals and is a member of the Chicago Flute Club.
Chantale is excited to continue her private teaching schedule here at A & A Music Academy. Her many years of teaching experience and love of music is an inspiration to her students and a splendid addition to our already distinguished faculty.
Heidi has been on staff for over 20 years and graduated in 1987 with a BA in Vocal Performance from Trinity University. She also plays French horn and attended the University of Illinois Champaign on a French horn scholarship from 1977-1980. She performed for 14 years with Chicago Symphony Chorus, under Duane Wolfe from 1995-2009. She was also a private vocal instructor, Northwest Assembly Music Academy from 1995-1999. Joining our faculty at the Hassell Rd. location, we have watched her share her expertise with many students in piano and voice. She took a short leave of absence to raise her family, and has returned in 2011 to our faculty. Heidi works well with children and enjoys beginners. Little ones are especially fond of her, and love her joy and ready laugh during lessons. She is an accomplished musician, and vocalist. Working with voice students to correctly learn to utilize their instrument is one of her main goals. Her voice students learn classical as well as popular pieces and perform at recital programs to the delight of everyone. She has 4 children, and we have watched them all grow and learn to play and sing through their lessons at the academy.
Natalia Kozeva-Diehl has a Master's Degree in Music / Piano from Rostov State Music Institute, Russia, and taught piano for 11 years at the School of Fine Arts, Taganrog, Russia and also held a position of accompanist for voice students at concerts, competitions, and regular exams. She immigrated to the U.S. in 2000. Since 2001 she has been teaching piano at different studios and came to A & A Music Academy in 2005. She brings her exuberance for music and the piano to her students each day, and enjoys teaching budding young musicians. Her expertise is exceptional, and her students love that she is equally interested in popular styles along with the classics. She divides her time at A & A with her family life where she has three daughters, the youngest just beginning school, and a loving husband.
Wanda has been on the faculty of A & A Music since 1997 teaching beginning piano, voice and brass. She enjoys teaching students of all ages with a focus on understanding the language of music as well as playing. She has helped many special needs students learn to play music successfully.
She earned a BA degree from the University of Minnesota, with additional studies done at the University of Michigan through the Interlochen Arts Camp there. She studied privately with Priscilla McAfee, principle horn of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in MN. At Interlochen, her teachers were Rebecca Root, principle horn of the Rochester Philharmonic and John Jacobsen of the Cleveland Orchestra, and John Ceriminaro. In Chicago she has studied with Grace Kang and Daniel Fackler. Wanda has continued to expand her musical education by studying voice with Susan Dennis, and piano with Ellen Mosher at Harper College. She has been active as a church musician for churches in the northwest suburbs.
Wanda is currently principle horn with the Harper Symphony Orchestra. She also is a member of the Chicago Symphonic Pops Orchestra, and the Manitowoc Symphony. She has appeared regularly with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Paderewski Symphony, Solid Brass Ensemble and has played numerous musicals for multiple community theatres. She is a member of the Wheaton Municipal Band, considered one of the country's 10 top community bands since 1996, and has soloed with the Northwest Suburban Concert Band. She is a member of Musicians Union 10-208 and the International Horn Society.
Tatiana immigrated to the US in 1999, after 20 years of teaching professionally at the State University, Kharkiv, Ukraine. She was also a coach-accompanist and chamber performer at the Kharkiv State Philharmonic and participated in numerous opera productions in different cities in the Ukraine. Upon her arrival in the US, she continued to pursue her career as a professional musician and educator. She is currently the pianist-accompanist for Glenbard High School, as well as the pianist/organist for Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Bartlett. She has accompanied the high school choir on numerous concert appearances throughout the country and Canada. Since joining the faculty of A & A Music Academy in 2002, she has become one of our favorite teachers! She shares our staff's love of music education, and professional integrity. She teaches all levels from beginners to professionals. Several of her students have won college scholarships and have continued to follow in her footsteps. Tatiana continues performing with vocalists, and instrumentalists through her musical contacts. We have been pleased to enjoy her talents as she plays duets with another faculty member, Natalia Diehl on several occasions at our recital performances.