Faculty

Mrs. Anthony holds a B.A. in Music Performance in voice/piano from Moravian University.   She also studied at Berklee College of Music and with faculty members from the Curtis Institute of Music.  She has a love for all genres of music:  pop, classical, jazz, R&B, etc.  She also performs throughout the Lehigh Valley & surrounding areas.

Matthew Blanchard holds a B.A. in Music Education, with a minor in vocal performance from The Pennsylvania State University, where he studied under Eric Henry, David Yinger, and Velvet Brown. While at Penn State, Matthew performed with the Marching Blue Band, Concert Choir, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, various jazz bands, and many other chamber groups on tuba, sousaphone, trumpet, and trombone.

He is a high school music teacher and the band director for the Palmerton Area School District. Originally from Boiling Springs, PA, Matthew uses inspiration from the outdoor world in his playing and composing to combine his two passions: music and nature.

Watch Matthew Blanchard’s PSU Senior Recital

Lynda Chen is an accomplished pianist specializing in collaborative piano, solo work, orchestra, and various ensembles. She is a graduate of Ithaca College where she earned a B.M in Music Performance as well as a M.M. in Collaborative Piano. She studied with teachers Diane Birr, Nathan Hess, Dmitri Novgorodsky, and Tomoko Kanamaru.

During her time at Ithaca College, Lynda was a part of the Ithaca Talent Education (ITE) as a Suzuki pianist. She also performed in masterclasses with guest artists such as Margo Garrett, Benton Hess, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, Libby Larsen, and Kate Baldwin. Ensemble work includes the Women’s Chorale, Madrigals, Ithaca Contemporary Ensemble, and collaboration with vocalists and instrumentalists at the school.

Lynda also teaches piano at DeSales University and is the choral pianist for Nazareth Area High School.

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Mrs. Gaul started playing violin at the age of nine and went on to receive a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Wheaton, IL. She has performed in many orchestras and chamber groups and has a wide range of training and experience in classical, folk, jazz, and Celtic genres. Ms. Gaul has taught string students of all ages and skill levels in individual and group lessons. Her experience includes teaching in private studios, running a home studio, and instructing in public schools. She also enjoys composing violin arrangements in her spare time.

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Mr. Gonzalez holds an M.S. in Education and B.S. in Music Percussion Performance from Mercy College. He began playing music at a young age, developing his craft in drum corps activities and military bands. He is a former U. S. Army Bandsman & senior instrumentalist with the New York Army National Guard, which included a year-long deployment to Iraq with the 42nd Infantry Division Band.

His teaching experience includes many years as a paraprofessional and special education teacher in New York City public schools. This experience taught him to approach each student with empathy. He enjoys teaching students of all ages on drums, Latin percussion, drum circles, and marching drum line.

Mr. Gonzalez continues to perform around the world in a wide range of musical settings.  His technical abilities and unique sound are the result of formal study and years of experience performing on numerous stages in Hawaii, California, Las Vegas, New York, Pennsylvania, Russia, and more. Daniel has contributed musical talent to various artists’ recordings throughout the years and continues to enjoy an engaging music career as a live performer, recording artist, and teacher.

Visit drumiel.com

Kelly Hooper is a recent graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University, where she received bachelor’s degrees in both music and psychology.  In college, she studied under Dr. Timothy Shafer and was recognized for exemplary jury performances in two honors recitals and participated in the university’s concerto competition. She also offered her skills to two weekly religious services, where she was applauded for both prepared and improvised performances.  In addition to teaching private and group piano lessons at CMS, as the Program Coordinator, Kelly is responsible for developing and coordinating new and existing classes, programs, and recitals for our students. In her spare time, Kelly performs music at local country clubs and vineyards; she plays and sings contemporary works on her keyboard and ukulele.

Visit Kelly Hooper’s personal website.

Watch Kelly Hooper perform Kapustin’s Prelude from 8 Concert Etudes

Ryan Hill holds a B.M. in Music Education with a concentration in piano, summa cum laude, from Bucknell University, where he studied under Dr. Qing Jiang and Dr. Sezi Seskir. At Bucknell, he performed in the symphonic band, jazz band, and choir. He holds his Pennsylvania PreK-12 Music Certification and is an experienced multi-instrumentalist educator with a love of both instrumental and choral music. He is the Band Director at Trexler Middle School in the Allentown School District.  A Lehigh Valley native, Ryan has great interest in Moravian music and music history. He is equally passionate about music education, and he was invited to present his research on collaboration in music ensembles at the 2024 PMEA conference in Erie, PA. Ryan is also an accomplished church accompanist and chamber musician who regularly performs throughout the area.

Watch Ryan Hill’s Senior Recital at Bucknell University

Ms. Kanik holds a B.A. in Music Education from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY). She is currently the Strings Teacher at the Circle of Seasons Charter School in Fogelsville and has been teaching privately for over 10 years.  Before attending college, she studied at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY) with Chien-Kwan Lin and played in the Eastman Community Wind Ensemble. At Ithaca College, she played in the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Nuovo Saxophone Quartet and soloed with the Symphony Orchestra. While teaching in public schools in Maryland, she also performed with the Middle River Concert Band (Baltimore, MD), Anne Arundel Community College Concert Band (Arnold, MD) and Bay Area Community Band (Stevensville, MD). She currently performs with the Macungie Band on tenor saxophone and on cello in the Valley Community Orchestra.

Ms. Kistler holds a M.M. from The Juilliard School and B.M. from Oberlin College Conservatory. She has studied Baroque repertoire with Nancy Wilson, Princetown, New Jersey; and Stanley Ritchie. Ms. Kistler has served on the faculty of Lehigh University, Cedar Crest College, Kutztown University, and the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts. Currently, Ms. Kistler is a member of the CMS faculty, an artist-lecturer at Moravian University, and maintains a private studio. Performance schedule includes playing both modern and Baroque violin.

Mr. Klump is an experienced brass and folk musician, arranger, conductor, and music educator.  He holds a B.A. in music from Moravian College, where he studied trumpet with Larry Wright, voice with Trisha Budlong, and guitar with John Arnold.  He performs locally with the South Side Brass, Mariachi Montaña del Sur, the Peace Singers, and serves as Assistant Conductor for the Marine Band of Allentown.

Since 2001, Mr. Klump has worked as a private tutor, ministry leader, performance coach, and music teacher.  He is currently the Band Director at Notre Dame High School in Easton and was previously the Band Director at Bethlehem Catholic High School.  He is experienced in directing wind, string, and jazz ensembles and teaching music theory, history, and technology.  He has worked with all levels of learners, from beginners to pros, and joins the faculty of CMS to offer lessons in trumpet and guitar.

Mr. Klump hails from New England, where he grew up and attended school in western Connecticut.  He now makes his home in South Bethlehem.  When he’s not working, he toils with various home improvement projects, plays recreational tennis, and enjoys frequent trips to New York as an avid fan of the Mets.

Mr. Leeds holds a Master’s in Performance from the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Timothy Lines, as well as a Bachelor’s in Music Performance from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, where he studied with Bil Jackson. He began playing the clarinet at age nine. Through his studies with some of the best players in the world, he learned the importance of making a connection with students and tailoring lessons to each student’s personal needs. His lessons focus heavily on clarinet fundamentals and external musical skills, such as sight singing, rhythm, and dictation. This approach prepares students to be flexible and to approach any music with confidence.

Mr. Leeds has been featured in some the most prestigious venues in the world, from playing principal clarinet in Queen Elizabeth Hall to participating in Royal College of Music’s residency in Cadogan Hall. Having played under the baton of today’s most sought-after conductors, premiered pieces by his generation’s most prestigious composers, and performed in chamber concerts in London’s most historic churches, Mr. Leeds has worn and continues to wear many musical hats. When it comes to music, he is always at home, whether it be performing a duet by Elliott Carter, playing a solo in a Strauss tone poem, or presenting a Mozart Serenade.

An experienced orchestral musician, Mr. Leeds has had the honor of playing under conductors such as Rafael Payare and Vladimir Jurowski. With these orchestras, he has performed in repertoire ranging from Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben to Dutilluex’s violin concerto Sur le même accord. As part of the RCM Symphony Orchestra, he twice had the opportunity to record at the Abbey Road Studios, making recordings of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Holst’s The Planets in sessions produced by Grammy-winner Stephen Johns. As an active chamber player, Mr. Leeds has also presented concerts in some of the world’s most beautiful locales, including the St. Bartholomew-the-Great church, one of the oldest places of worship in London.

As comfortable in the world of contemporary music as he is in the classical canon, Mr. Leeds is an avid performer and advocate for new and modern music. With the RCM’s New Perspectives Ensemble, he took part in more than ten world premieres and performed standards of the modern repertoire, such as Webern’s Concerto for Nine Instruments. In 2019, Mr. Leeds had the honor to perform on various occasions at the Royal Academy of Art’s New Music Showcases; one performance included the premiere of Thomas Foster’s Bass Clarinet and Alto Flute duet, “Making Light.” Since then, he and flautist Sarah Parkes Bowen have performed the duet numerous times to great success, including having garnered commendations in RCM’s annual contemporary competition.

Mr. Leeds is currently a freelance clarinetist in the Philadelphia area. When not working, his favorite hobbies include playing with his cat, Snickers, and trying in vain to complete the New York Times Saturday crossword puzzle.

Visit clarinetjon.com

Mrs. Martin earned her B.A. in Music Education from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, summa cum laude. Elaine was principal flutist with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra for nearly 30 years. As principal, Mrs. Martin gave pre-concert lectures at retirement homes to prepare residents for concerts; so too, she performed in smaller ensembles as part of ASO’s outreach programs.

Mrs. Martin is a member, along with Andrea Wittchen, harp, of a duo, Elan, which performs for recitals, weddings, receptions, and church services. Currently, she is a Lecturer of Flute, Muhlenberg College as well as faculty here at CMS.

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Leah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Spanish from Gettysburg College.  She is classically trained in violin (advanced/professional level) and piano (late beginner/intermediate level).  During her collegiate career, Leah was active in music in the Gettysburg community.  She performed with the Gettysburg Community Chamber Orchestra, Crossroads Contemporary Band at Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, and EnVaGe Faculty Ensemble at Gettysburg College. 

She has a wide range of private and group teaching experience in classical genres with students of all levels, in both English & Spanish.   While studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, she assisted with the Grupo Talía youth orchestra’s rehearsals and interned at WikiUp Las Rosas language academy.  She also interned in Allentown as a teaching artist with El Sistema Lehigh Valley.

As a former CMS student herself, she makes sure that her students feel both challenged and respected in their lessons, so that each student receives instruction that follows their unique needs and interests.

Watch Leah’s Senior Recital at Gettysburg College (March 2024)

(CMS Berks, in-person & online)

Katie holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Mansfield University, with a concentration in violin. She performed on clarinet with the Mansfield University Wind Ensemble and performed with the Mansfield University Marching Band in the 2024 New Year’s Day Parade in London.

She is a music teacher and orchestra director in the Reading School District.  Outside of teaching, she performs with the Reading Philharmonic Orchestra and The Sunday Sinfonia Orchestra at Albright College.  When she is not teaching or performing, she enjoys the outdoors and building LEGOs.

Watch Katie Mitchell’s Senior Violin Recital (Dec 2022)

Ms. Murthy holds a B.A. in Music Education from Indiana University and a M.B.A. from Lehigh University. She is certified by the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has extensive experience teaching and performing classical music. She is a member of the Moravian University Community Orchestra and performs locally at events.

Evan Nelson holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance with a minor in Historical Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under the tutelage of baritone Randall Scarlata. 

Hailing from Sinking Spring, PA, Evan is a text-driven lyric baritone who found an affinity for song early in his career. He completed his first performance of Franz Schubert’s monumental song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin in April 2021. He also spent time singing chamber music in Austria as a participant in the AlpenkammerMusik festival in 2019.  In addition to song, he has performed standard operatic roles such as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (Peabody Opera Theater), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (LHSOW), and Top in The Tender Land (West Chester University Opera). Evan was an Operafest Fellow and Emerging artist at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival for two summers, performing bel canto, American opera, and musical theatre repertoire. He is a recipient of the Azalia H. Thomas Prize in academic excellence. 

He is equally dedicated to nurturing students’ creativity and honing their artistic skills, and is committed to fostering a growth mindset in learners of all ages with a deep understanding of the importance of grace and patience. He takes pride in guiding students toward achieving new heights, while cultivating a healthy relationship with their chosen artistic medium, whether it be voice or piano.

Watch Evan Nelson perform “Under the Greenwood Tree” by Ivor Gurney

Mr. Nieznay holds a B.A. in Music (Trumpet) and a B.S. in Music Education from Kutztown University. He has been teaching privately for over 20 years in the Berks and Lehigh County areas. He served as a Brass instructor for the Spring-Ford Area HS Marching Band in Royersford, PA from 2013-2018. Aside from his teaching obligations, Mr. Nieznay is also an active perform with the Mirandola Fanfare Trumpets, the Galena Brass, and the Little Brass Band of the Lehigh Valley. He was a member of the Municipal Band of Allentown for 16 years and their solo cornetist for 10 years. He has also performed with the Reading Choral Society Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Chamber Brass, the Pottstown Symphony, the Schuylkill Symphony, the Schuylkill Choral Society Orchestra, and as a member of the pit orchestra for Muhlenberg College’s summer theater programs. He is versed in all styles of performance and has also played in rock, funk and big bands throughout the tristate area. Mr. Nieznay is also a proud veteran of the United States Navy where he served 15 years as a Hospital Corpsman for the Fleet Marine Force. Currently, in addition to teaching with Community Music School, he is the Director of Operations for Zeswitz Music.

Laurel Nolin holds a Master of Arts Administration (M.A.A.) with a concentration in Music Leadership from Ohio University (Athens, OH) and double major from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) with a B.M. in Piano Performance and a B.M. in Piano Pedagogy.  She is also certified in several Musikgarten classes.

In her teaching, Laurel draws on her experience in piano performance, music pedagogy and community music-making to create engaging learning experiences for all students, from beginner to advanced level. Her teaching philosophy focuses on the student’s strengths, weaknesses, needs, interests, and learning styles and nourishes each student’s musical potential. Laurel prioritizes physically experiencing music to help her students develop their embodied musicianship. Physical and vocal exercises are the vehicle of instruction for steady pulse, musical expression, melodic comprehension, intervallic reading, timbre exploration, and formal analysis. As a result, students acquire skills in listening, singing, reading, sight-reading, harmonizing, theorizing, composing, executing technique, learning by ear, exploring the full range of the piano, and playing in multiple keys. Though each student has their own goals for studying the piano, Laurel delights in partnering with each of them on the road to lifelong musicianship.

As a performer, she believes music should create connections among people, and she often programs music that tells a story. She has performed as a soloist with the Ohio University Symphony Orchestra and in Masterclasses with Timothy Ehlen, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Yuxi Wang, and Kathryn Brown. Finding joy in playing with others, Laurel has collaborated with winds, brass, strings, voice, choirs, and chamber musicians.

Laurel is the Director of Cantabile Choir at Sola Gratia Musicians, based in Telford, PA.  In her free time, Laurel enjoys hiking, playing with her cat, and seeking out the spiciest food she can find.

Watch Laurel Nolin perform Fryderyk Chopin – Barcarolle, Op. 60

Andrew holds a B.A. in Music Performance, with honors, from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, where he studied jazz, ear training, voice, and the art of improvisation.

Hailing from Emmaus, PA, Andrew developed his love of music at age nine, when he began studying saxophone, guitar, and voice.

In addition to being a teacher, solo performer, and session musician, Andrew has been the guitarist for The Philadelphia Funk Authority since 1998.  This award-winning dance and party band is a fan favorite at festivals, weddings, and corporate and private events in the tri-state area and beyond.  

Andrew has over 25 years of experience as a private music instructor in acoustic and electric guitar (pick-style and fingerstyle) and music theory instruction at all levels, as well as beginner-level mandolin, ukulele, piano, and bass guitar. He has also coached small music ensembles and group classes. 

He uses a student-based teaching approach to guide students in the music direction to which they aspire, paying special attention to proper technique and getting the best possible sound out of the instrument.  Andrew is experienced in teaching a variety of genres, including jazz, blues, rock, folk, R&B, classical, pop, and singer-songwriter.  He has worked with students from age 5 to 78, including students with learning disabilities and those on the autism spectrum.  

Through his work as a session musician, Andrew discovered the thrill of songwriting, and the art of creating songs through lyricism, improvisation, and recording production.  He released his debut album Blue Lake California in 2008.  He recently performed on Dina Hall’s Firefly (2024) and Chris Powers’ The Unknown(2024).

Watch Andrew perform “Disco Inferno” with Philadelphia Funk Authority

Dr. Saturen holds bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and was the first to complete the doctor of musical arts degree at Temple University. He studied piano principally with Gisa Adler of the Chopin-Liszt tradition.

Before arriving at Community Music School in 1994, Dr. Saturen held full-time faculty positions at Fairleigh Dickinson University for 17 years and Moravian University for 6 years. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia commissioned a good number of his compositions. Other compositions of his are recorded on the Contemporary Record Society and Verra Classics labels.

Dr. Saturen believes that a student should acquire certain basic skills but should be free to pursue his or her special interests. His musical styles include both the classical and jazz traditions as well as standard popular songs.

Joseph Wagner holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from Moravian University and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies through the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.  He was a Founder’s Scholar at Moravian University and the first graduate of the Martin Guitar Finger-Style Guitar Program. He has studied privately with the iconic Pat Martino.

Mr. Wagner is an experienced educator of all ages.  He has taught master classes with Jim Weider, (the Band), focused on improvisation, traditional jazz, and gypsy jazz styles.  In addition to teaching private lessons in guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, and mandolin, has also created and directed student ensembles and managed stage sound systems for student performances.  He ensures all students have a solid foundation in music reading, theory, composition, and ear training.  He is also a substitute teacher in the Saucon Valley and Bethlehem Area School Districts.

Mr. Wagner is an inventive guitarist, educator, and composer who leads several jazz ensembles comprising some of the most talented musicians in Eastern Pennsylvania.  He performs regularly around the region as a solo jazz guitarist, and leads a traditional jazz trio, a quartet, a gypsy jazz group, and an improvisational fusion band. Various distinguished musicians have appeared live with him, including Tony Marino, bass (Dave Liebman), Paul Rostock, bass (Frank Sinatra Jr), and Rodney Holmes, drums (Santana).

As the owner of Keystone Sound Design, Mr. Wagner is an experienced composer and recording engineer for TV and film soundtrack projects.  He has designed and installed soundscapes for local museum installations, including the Destination:  Northampton County at the Sigal Museum in Easton and at the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem.

Visit joewagnermusic.com

Ms. Walsh, soprano, holds a M.A. in Voice (Opera) from Hunter College of The City University of New York and a B.M. in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. She most recently performed the roles of Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Taufee and Sandmann in Humperdinck’s Hänsel & Gretel in Munich and Stuttgart, Germany with the Freies Landestheater Bayern.

She has participated in Masterclasses in New York City with Margo Garrett in 2020 at the NATS Winter Workshop, and with Mark Markham, as part of the 2019 Art Song Preservation Society’s Masterclass series. At the 2017 & 2016 Schubertiade Festivals in Schwarzenberg, and Hohenems, Austria, she was a participant in Masterclasses with Thomas Quasthoff & Justus Zeyen, and Thomas Hampson & Wolfram Rieger. She has also performed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the Richard-Strauss- Festival’s 2016 and 2014 Masterclasses with Angelika Kirchschlager, and Brigitte Fassbaender and Michelle Breedt. She has performed many solo recitals in and around New York City, Central and Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, Reading, and Allentown, PA, as well as Munich and Straubing, Germany, where she has received critics’ praise for her technical vocal mastery and her believable interpretations.

She is a champion of the music of women composers as well as the lesser-known works of Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss. She has enjoyed operatic successes in both the USA and Germany, singing the roles of Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Theater Lünen, Oper Schloss Laubach), Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Junge Oper Detmold, IVAI), Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Oscar in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (Center City Opera Theater), Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Charlottesville Opera), as well as Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, all in concert performances.

She has been teaching private voice lessons for 13 years and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), as well as the New Jersey and Lehigh Valley chapters of NATS, the Professional Women Singers Association of NYC, and musica femina muenchen in Munich, Germany.

Visit juliakatherinewalsh.com

Mr. Woodard is a pianist, composer, bass clarinetist, and bandleader who believes in the transformative power of music. Woodard graduated from Oberlin Conservatory in 2020 with a B.M. in Jazz Studies with a Composition Concentration and earned the equivalent of a minor in Africana Studies from Oberlin College. He earned his M.M. in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory in May 2022.

Mr. Woodard is a multifaceted composer whose pieces have been performed by a variety of esteemed ensembles and soloists including the NEC Jazz Composers’ Workshop Orchestra, the Bach Festival Orchestra of Bethlehem, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, concert pianist Michelle Cann, and organist Stephen Williams. Woodard’s composition, Kyrie was awarded the 2022 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. The Griffin Woodard Quartet recently released their debut EP Kyrie, and is currently working on their full-length debut album, Completion.

Visit griffinwoodard.com.

Watch Mr. Woodard perform on bass clarinet.

Watch Mr. Woodard conduct one of his original compositions.

Learn more about Mr. Woodard’s recordings and performances.

Abigail Zuckert is a prolific and experienced musical performer who has a passion for educating people of all ages in voice, piano, and ukulele. She is well versed in the instruction and performance of Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock, and Soul, Jazz (including improvisation and technique), and Classical singing. Abigail has nearly a decade of experience in the one-on-one instruction of voice, piano, and ukulele.

In her lessons you can expect to learn proper techniques required to produce a healthy and strong voice, music that excites and challenges you, and a lot of laughter! Abigail carefully tailors every lesson to the individual artist with the intention to create empowered, well-prepared, and comfortable performers, whether in voice, ukulele, or piano.

Originally from Connecticut, Abigail received a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Theatre with concentrations in Vocal Performance, Acting, and Directing from Muhlenberg College. A graduate of the Stella Adler School of Acting’s conservatory (Acting and Musical Theatre) and Interlochen Center for the Arts (Singing-Songwriting), she is well versed in devising original works of music and theatre. Having been a musician for over 20 years, Abigail truly delights in teaching those who share a similar passion for music.

Abigail is also a Stephen Sondheim enthusiast – follow the links to watch her perform two of his very diverse pieces: “I Remember” and “The Glamorous Life”.