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1-818-246-0278 or 1-888-violins 604 S. Central Avenue • Glendale, California, 91204 USA
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Teacher Recommendations

The following violin, viola, and cello teachers offer private lessons and are all highly recommended by the Metzler Shop.
They arrange their own schedules, and set their own fees.  Please contact them directly to discuss arrangements.

 

Violin and Viola Teachers

Gherman Markosian (violin/viola beginning to advanced, all ages)
Glendale
818-425-0599
[email protected]

Gherman Markosian has been playing violin and viola for 40 years, and has over 25 years teaching experience.He completed his early music studies at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, Armenia, and continued in Moscow with Gregory Zislin. In 1992 he came to the USA on a graduate scholarship to USC to study with Pamela Goldsmith. As principal violinist with the YANNI Orchestra he traveled to India, China, Mexico, Canada and throughout the USA, and also toured with Andrea Bocelli and Harry Connick Jr. He currently freelances in Los Angeles as a member of the Santa Barbara Symphony, the California Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pasadena Pops, the Burbank Chamber Orchestra, the New West Symphony, and the Riverside Philharmonic. A member of the Recording Musicians Association, he is an active studio musician, having played on the soundtracks of movies such as The Pirates of the Caribbean, Triple X, and Lizzy Mcguire.


Ruth Siegel
(violin/viola beginning to advanced, ages 6+)
Pasadena
626-793-5945
[email protected]
Ruth Siegel has been teaching privately for over 35 years. Note reading is taught from the very first lesson, as well as technique, position and tone production. Ms. Siegel has a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from Sonoma State University with special honors from the Music Department. She is a freelance violinist, and has performed regularly with Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Opera a la Carte, San Fernando Valley Symphony, Torrance Symphony and the L.A.Master Chorale, as well as with many chamber groups. She also coaches chamber music at the Humboldt Adult Chamber Music Workshop and the Grand Pacific Workshop. Ruth frequently serves as an adjudicator at the Southwest Youth Music Festival, ASTA and MTAC Regional Auditions and MTAC Certificate of Merit.


Emily Williams
(piano/violin/viola beginning to advanced, all ages)
Glendale
978-821-9950
[email protected]

Violist Emily Williams, originally hailing from Boston, is an active performing artist based in Los Angeles. She enjoys a diverse career of performing and teaching, and has appeared in concert halls throughout North America, South America, and Europe. She currently performs as a substitute violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and previously played with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for two seasons. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Williams enjoys collaboration with contemporary composers. She also works as a studio recording artist, playing on scores for major motion pictures and TV shows, and has recorded for artists such as Meghan Trainor, CeeLo Green, and Charlie Puth. She has performed at festivals such as the Breckenridge Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, Aspen Music Festival and School, Heifetz International Music Institute, and Music Academy of the West.


Sharon Harman
(violin, beginning to advanced, all ages)
Glendale
818-621-4473
[email protected]

Ms. Harman, a native Californian, received her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Southern California (USC). Studying with Eudice Shapiro, she was also a teaching assistant and a member of the USC Graduate Quartet. Her Bachelor’s degree in music, studying with Stefan Krayk, was received from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She received an additional postgraduate Specialist Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Camilla Wicks. Other teachers have included Emmanuel Zetlin and Zvi Zeitlin. She held concertmaster and principal positions, received awards for orchestra, quartet, chamber music and Pi Kappa Lambda. Currently, she plays in the Pasadena Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, Orchestra Santa Monica, film industry recordings, musical theater shows, plus a variety of other performing groups including chamber music and solo performances.


Lacey Bowen
(classical focus with film score, fiddling, and pop/rock, ABRSM, 3+ including adults)
Valley Village
818-522-2449
[email protected]

With over 15 years of teaching experience, Lacey Bowen’s students are some of the top young artists in the state, placing in international competitions, and consistently receiving top scores on their annual Certificate of Merit exams.

Ms. Lacey encourages a well-rounded approach to learning music, incorporating alternative genres like pop/rock, fiddling, and film scores so students understand that they can use their developing skills to explore any kind of music that inspires them!

Lacey Bowen has studied the violin since the age of four, graduating from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. She has taught young students for almost 20 years. While her expertise is in classical music, she also enjoys playing electric violin in her rock band, City of Sound. She is a participating member of the San Fernando East Valley branch of the Music Teachers Association of California.


Meagan Shung Smith
(classical + jazz violin/viola beginning to advanced)
Pasadena
626-264-3520
[email protected]

Megan Shung, often described as ‘the 21st Century violinist’, is a Grammy-nominated international violinist, composer, and pedagogue based in Los Angeles, California. She is adept at non-traditional performance practices and styles including jazz, pop/rock, experimental music, and has performed/recorded with artists including The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jhene Aiko, Billy Childs, Kimbra, George Watsky, and Miles Mosley. During the summer, alongside fellow Suzuki cello trainer Avi Friedlander, Megan performs a classical-crossover program as the AM Duo, performing at various Suzuki institutes across the country.

In addition to being an active performer, Megan is a passionate educator. She is on the violin/viola and jazz violin faculty at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music with an active studio. She’s the co-founder of Leading Extraordinary Lessons Online with Carrie Salisbury where she’s trained hundreds of teachers to incorporate technology to enhance their teaching. Her primary mission as an educator is to create a strong technical foundation for her students, by encouraging creativity and experimentation beyond the boundaries of ordinary musicianship. She has taught and performed at several institutes and international schools with a specialty in teaching improvisation to string players.


Gayaneh Kumar
(violin beginning to advanced, all ages)
Porter Ranch
818-357-4179
[email protected]

Gayaneh Kumar graduated from KSC of Armenia, M.M., and she has 40 years of teaching experience since 1976. She taught violin at the TSS of Music, and working as a violinist with the RTS orchestra Armenian Chamber Orchestra.
Many of her students were winners including New York's SMF Concerto Competition, Bronislaw Kaper Award for YAC Stradivarius International Competition, Discovery Artist, MCSA and International YAPFM.
Many of her students were accepted to prestigious Music Institutes as:
Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia, University of Texas of Austin, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Juiliard School of Music in New York and others.


Brandon Encinas
(violin/viola beginning to advanced, all ages)
Pasadena / Van Nuys
310-801-2680
[email protected]

Brandon currently holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance, a Master of Music degree in viola performance, and has been working as a professional musician in the Los Angeles area for over a decade.

He has performed under the baton of countless renowned composers and conductors such as,  Inon Zur, Gary Schymann, Chris Lennertz, Austin Wintory, Bruce Broughton, Russell Brower, John Debney, and Jack Wall. He’s performed with artists such as: Leslie Odom Jr., Sofia Carson, Tori Kelly, Michael Bolton, Serj Tankian, Jennifer Lopez, and Billie Eilish for her 2022 Academy Award winning performance of, “No Time to Die.”  Brandon has also performed on live television for the ESPY Awards, American Song Contest and The VOICE; and has recorded for films and video games such as Fortnite and Coming 2 America. He has also spent over 12 months on the road, performing in over 30 U.S. states and in the countries of Haiti, Colombia, Portugal and France, as a violinist and music director with the Celebrant Singers. 


Laurie Niles (Suzuki + traditional violin beginning to advanced, all ages)
Pasadena
626-376-2755
[email protected]

Laurie lives in Pasadena, Calif., where she maintains a private studio. She free-lances in LA, and has played for the Long Beach, Pasadena, New West, Redlands, Omaha (Neb.) and the Colorado Springs Symphonies. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, where she studied with Gerardo Ribeiro, and a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from Indiana University, where she also studied violin with Henryk Kowalski. Growing up in Denver, Colorado, she studied with James Maurer and Harold Wippler. She is registered with the SAA, having trained in Suzuki Books 1-10 with James Maurer at the University of Denver, and with Mark Bjork, Helen Brunner, Ellie LeRoux and Enid Cleary at the Colorado Suzuki Institute. In addition to her Violinist.com blog, she has also written articles for The Strad magazine, Strings magazine, Symphony magazine and the American Suzuki Journal.

 

Cello Teachers

Leah Metzler Leah Metzler (beginning to advanced cello)
Mount Washington
Phone: 818-749-1404
Email: [email protected]

Leah holds her B.M. in cello performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she studied with cellist Darrett Adkins. She received her M.M. in cello performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with former member of the Kronos Quartet, Jennifer Culp. Currently based in Los Angeles, Leah is an active recording artist, teacher, and performer of chamber, orchestral, contemporary, and early music. An experienced orchestral musician, Leah has been the principal cellist of multiple orchestras including the YMF Debut Orchestra, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, and Aspen Concert Orchestra. To contrast her life as a classical musician, Leah is also a member of the Bella Electric String Quartet and enjoys an active performance schedule playing rock music on her Yamaha electric cello in cities around the world. Additionally, In 2014 Leah went on a world tour of 10 different countries with the Japanese super star Yoshiki. Conversely, Leah has continued to explore her love for early music since studying the baroque cello and viola da gamba in graduate school, and actively performs renaissance and baroque consort music with various groups in Los Angeles. Leah is a passionate cello teacher and maintains a private studio in Los Angeles. In addition, she is also a teaching artist for The Harmony Project, a non-profit organization based on the El Sistema model that brings music education to low-income communities.

Jennifer Goss (beginning to advanced cello)
Glendale
Phone: 818-437-5560
Email:  [email protected]

Jennifer Goss, cellist, is a native of California, where she received her training in the San Francisco Bay area from Margaret Rowell and Irene Sharp, and earned a BA in German and Music from Pacific Union College. Subsequently, she moved to Vienna, Austria, where she studied with Valentin Erben, cellist of the Alban Berg Quartet, and earned a Concert Diploma in Violoncello from the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (Academy of Music).

While in Vienna, she was active in many chamber ensembles and played in both the ÖRF (Austrian Radio) Orchestra and the Vienna Chamber Opera. Upon returning to California, she performed in the Inland Empire, serving as principal cellist of the Redlands Symphony, the Redlands Bowl Orchestra, and the Riverside Symphony. She also taught at the University of California, Riverside. Since 1986, Ms. Goss has been a member of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Orange County. She maintains teaching studios at both the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles and at home in Glendale. She is also active in freelance playing and performing in chamber music concerts. Ms. Goss is a member of ASTA, MTAC, the Los Angeles Violoncello Society, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

 

Zack Reaves (beginning to advanced cello)
La Crescenta
Phone: 972-900-2005
Email: [email protected] 

Zack is a professional cellist in Los Angeles and joined the Metzler staff in the summer of 2020. As a performer, he has help leadership positions with the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and was a founding member of the Altius Quartet. He is also a dedicated teacher and has taught at institutions such as Oklahoma City University, University of Colorado-Boulder, Denver School of the Arts, and Boulder Valley Waldorf School, while also maintaining his own private studio. He loves spending time getting to know the cellos and bows in the shop, and is dedicated to finding the perfect instrument for our customers.

For more info about Zack's performing and teaching, visit www.zackreaves.com

 

Anthony Schnell (beginning to advanced cello)
The Valley
Phone: 818-792-0535
Email: [email protected]

Anthony graduated from the University of Redlands in the Spring of 2021 with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance. While attending the University of Redlands, he studied with Kyle Champion. He attended the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival in 2018 and 2019, studying under Alistair MacRae. Anthony has a passion for teaching cello and spreading the love of music. Currently, he teaches students of all levels in his private studio, and is the Strings Coach at both Granada Hills Charter High School and Robert Frost Middle School.