Faculty Directory

Pianist Charlotte Hill is a chamber musician, songwriter, radio DJ, and educator. Holding degrees in Piano Performance, Politics, and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College & Conservatory, Charlotte is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Musical Arts at Stony Brook University. Her major mentors include Gilbert Kalish, Haewon Song, Angela Park, Rie Matsumoto, and James Howsmon. Charlotte and her mother co-run Music at Port Milford, an international chamber music festival and summer school founded in 1987. As a result, Charlotte has an unusually developed knowledge of string quartet trivia and an expansive repertoire of piano trios, quartets, and quintets. From 2022 to 2025, she brought her administrative experience to Stony Brook University, where she was the Head Piano Teaching Assistant. In this role, she oversaw the undergraduate piano department and taught both piano and chamber music. When not practicing, teaching, or doing administrative work, Charlotte writes songs with her best friends in a Brooklyn-based band called The Mops. She also enjoys canvassing with neighbors, cooking lentils, and spending time with family.

David Gale was born in December 1986. He began studying the violin at the age of nine under the tutelage of Bonnie Aher. From 2001-2005 David was enrolled at the Prestigious Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division, where he was a recipient of the Hansoree Scholarship. In May 2009, David graduated from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music with a degree in violin performance, while studying under Professor Lucie Robert. In 2004, David was the Grand Prize Winner of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra’s Fifth Annual Music Performance Competition, which resulted in a performance with the orchestra, and also took 2nd in the Danbury Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artists Competition in November that same year. In June 2006, David was a finalist and received the audience prize in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Young Artists Competition held in Houston, Texas. In June 2008 David was declared, unanimously, the winner of the 2008 Deming Family Scholarship hosted by the Danbury Music Centre. David has given recitals in Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Caribbean, along with appearances throughout the United States. He has appeared as guest soloist with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, Cheshire Symphony Orchestra, Danbury Community Orchestra, Casalmaggiore Festival Orchestra (Italy) and Summit Festival Orchestra. David has received great praise from reporters and the press for his “dazzling virtuosity” “electrifying stage presence” akin to a “Young Mozart.” David has participated in music festivals in New York, Texas, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. He has participated in masterclasses, as well as private lessons, with world famous violinist/pedagogues Aaron Rosand and Zakhar Bron (teacher of Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin). He has also worked with cellist Raphael Wallfisch, violist Roger Chase and pianist Akira Eguchi. David was a student of the world famous violinist and renowned pedagogue Maestro Aaron Rosand. In November 2023, David made his European debut in the UK performing Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Thames Philharmonia under the baton of Maestro Vladimir Choi.

Hsin-Tzu Hsu is a classical violinist and pianist from Taiwan. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Molloy University in New York. She holds a Master’s degree in Violin Performance and has extensive experience in solo and chamber music performance. In addition to her artistic career, Hsin-Tzu is passionate about using music to support emotional expression and well-being.

South Korean soprano Jihye Seo, based in New York, is an acclaimed performer and educator. She holds a Bachelor's in Classical Voice from Seoul National University and a Master of Music from Mannes School of Music. Currently pursuing her Professional Studies Diploma at Mannes, she has performed extensively in the USA and South Korea, including her New York debut in La Calisto (2022). Her awards include the 2023 Vienna Summer Music Festival competition and Rome competition. Jihye Seo is known for roles in Don Giovanni, Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Maria Stuarda.

Kevonna Shuford is a vibrant violist who has a passion for collaborative projects. Kevonna completed a bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Martha Katz. She is currently a member of the Boston Philharmonic and also performs with numerous Boston based ensembles. A native of Florida, she established a youth string program at Faith’s Place Center for Arts Education. With a continued love for teaching, she is a current resident musician with Musiconnects. Kevonna served as principal viola under the baton of Valery Gergiev and has had the pleasure of working with esteemed artists such as Janine Jansen, Denis Matsuev, Emmanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo,and Christoph Eschenbach. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to play in masterclasses for distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Paul Katz, Dimitri Murrath, and Clive Greensmith. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra (2016), Kevonna greatly enjoyed traveling to new places through past performances at major concert halls across Europe and the US, such as the Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall; now, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys taking walks or rollerblading around Boston.

Lukas Shrout, an accomplished violist, began his studies at age nine and discovered his passion for chamber music at the CW Post summer chamber music festival. He studied under Matthew Pierce and at Stony Brook Pre-College division with Tomoko Fujita, later attending Kinhaven Summer Music School. Lukas participated in the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program, performing in masterclasses with renowned musicians. He studied at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings under Rebecca Albers and Lawrence Dutton, performing with esteemed artists like Annie Fullard of the Cavani Quartet and in masterclasses with the Calidore Quartet and others.

Philip Kuehn is an accomplished bassist, arranger, composer, and educator whose career is marked by collaborations with some of the most esteemed figures in the music industry, including Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Jonathan Batiste, and Quincy Jones. His bass lines feature in the Grammy-winning Disney/Pixar film "Soul," and he has performed at prestigious events, including a State Dinner at the White House with Jon Batiste in 2022. Kuehn's arrangements for "Christmas with Jon Batiste" reached #3 on the Billboard Jazz chart. His early musical foundation, nurtured by his musician parents, and formative experiences in the Pittsburgh Jazz Scene have shaped his exceptional artistry. Now residing in Eastern Pennsylvania, Kuehn continues to influence the music world with his dynamic talent.

Born in New York to Chinese parents, Roslyn Huang began to study the violin at the age of three and within a year performed at the Botanical Gardens in Flushing, New York and the Queensborough Community College. Admitted to the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School where she studied with Ms. Margaret Pardee, Ms. Huang made her recital debut performing at C. Michael Paul Hall and orchestral debut with the Brooklyn Philharmonic a year and a half later. She has also been featured as a soloist with the South Shore Symphony and the Great Neck Philharmonic. As a soloist, Ms. Huang has appeared in every major venue on the East coast such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Hall, Tilles Center, the Polish Embassy in Washington D.C., The Kennedy Center and many more. She has collaborated with many great artists such as Aaron Rosand, Yo Yo Ma and Pamela Frank. In 1998 she was the recipient of the George E. Bryant Award for Creativity and the N.S.C.A.P. for Excellence in Music. In that same year she was the First prizewinner of the South Shore Symphony Young Artist Competition, a Finalist in the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Auditions, a semi-finalist in the Long Island Philharmonic Young Artist Competition and appeared as a guest artist on WQXR’s Robert Sherman’s Young Artist Showcase. Alongside her solo work, Ms. Huang has long been interested in chamber music. Nearly every summer she has appeared as a chamber musician and soloist with the festivals’ orchestras at Summit Music Festival, Killington Music Festival and most recently Casalmaggiore Music Festival in Itlay. She has studied chamber music with the Tokyo String Quartet, Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson Quartet, the Penderwski Quartet, Gerard Robbins, Leon Fleisher, Vadim MOnastirsky, and Oxana Yablonskaya. She has played under the baton of Maestro Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Pierre Boulez, Sydney Harth, Gerard Schwartz, Jerzy Semkov, Joann Falleta and Kenneth Kiesler. In recent projects, Roslyn Huang can be heard playing on the Albany CD release of Lee Hoiby’s A Month in the Country and on the DVD released by SMHMusic featuring Ms. Huang performing selections from Beethoven and Prokofiev piano and violin sonatas. She also appeared as a guest artist on Pleasantville’s Television’s The Arts in Westchester. In May of 2007, Ms. Huang graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a Master’s of Music degree in violin performance as a student of Lucie Robert. Recently she was the first Prizewinner of the 34th Annual Artists International Auditions and awarded the New York Debut Award. As a result, she gave her New York recital debut at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall to critical acclaim. Since then she has been re-invited by Artists International to perform at Merkin Concert Hall in the Spring of 2008 as the recipient of the “Outstanding Alumni Award in Violin Performance” and the “Distinguished Artist Award”.

Seeri Guarino, a NYS certified music educator for pre k-12, brings a wealth of expertise to her role as the orchestra teacher at Lawrence Elementary School. With degrees from the prestigious Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and membership in the National Association for Music Education, Seeri is dedicated to nurturing young musicians. Her comprehensive background ensures that students receive top-notch music education, making her an invaluable asset to any music program. If you're searching for the best music lessons near you, Seeri Guarino's classes stand out for their excellence and dedication.

Chuxuejie Zhang began her violin studies at the age of four, studying with Xu Lu at the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School in China. While studying at the Central Conservatory, she participated in the China Youth Chamber Music Group and was a member of the China Youth Symphony Orchestra, the only national youth orchestra in China. She went on tour with the orchestra in northern China as well as Taiwan and Korea, working with conductors Xincao Li, Lin Chen, Cellist Bonian Tian, Violinist Xiaoming Wang, and Siqing Lv. She has participated in master classes led by Kim Kashkashian, Hsin-Yun Huang, Teng Li, Ning Feng, Don Weilerstain, Christian Tetzlaff, the Miro Quartet, Takacs Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, St. Lawrence Quartet, Kronos Quartet, and the Telegraph Quartet. Chuxuejie is presently pursuing her Master of Music degree in viola at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she also received her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance. She currently studies with Jay Liu and Dimitri Murrath.

Zhuangxi Wang is a classical pianist who earned her Master of Music degree in Classical Piano at the Manhattan School of Music, studying under Alexandre Moutouzkine. Her playing spans a diverse and technically demanding repertoire across multiple eras, and in March 2024 she performed a major recital at the William R. and Irene D. Miller Recital Hall.

Zitian is earning a master’s degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory. Zitian has performed in Juilliard ChamberFest, and was recognized as Outstanding Member of Viva La Viola Ensemble. She is a teaching assistant at Julliard.