Our Music Lesson Program and Music Teacher Biographies
The Long Island Violin Shop is proud of our lesson program. We offer in- person lessons in our comfortable, spacious lesson rooms at all three of our locations, virtual lessons, or a combination of both!
Our students range in age from Pre-Kindergarten through 80 years old! It's never too late to learn to play an instrument.
Monica Capiral - Violin/Viola Teacher
Monica Capiral began her violin studies at the Port Jefferson Music Academy in 1998 (the founding year of the Academy) as a student of Sophie Arbuckle and Arik Braude. During that time, she was a member of the Academy's String Quartet which performed regularly at various local outreach events.
She later concurrently attended the Mannes College Prep where she was a member of the Mannes Philharmonic - Monica has also attended the Killington and the Green Mountain Summer Chamber Music Festivals. She began her collegiate studies of music at the Aaron Copland Conservatory of Music at Queen's College (CUNY) and is a violin student of Arik Braude.
Monica joined the Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty in 2008 and has since developed a vibrant violin & viola studio. In addition, she teaches music theory and Kindermusik classes.
Anthony Klenke - Cello/Bass Teacher
Anthony was raised in North Babylon, where he started his music career at the age of 9. Starting on the cello and quickly moving to the double bass, Anthony initially was taught by his mother until he learned bass professionally with Canadian classical and jazz bassist, John Geggie at the Crane School of Music. With Prof. Geggie, Anthony increased his skill not only as a bassist, but as a musician, too.
Orhan Rahaman-Çam - Violin Teacher
Orhan is a classically trained violinist who has been playing since he was 6,. Orhan quickly developed a love for the violin and music and began studying with various private teachers in New York.
Orhan has performed with various orchestras and chamber ensembles in the US and in Europe, including but not limited to Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, Gemini Youth Orchestras, and more. After completing his formal training and achieving a bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Hofstra University in 2018, he has performed for many opera festivals, orchestras, chamber ensembles, weddings, and jazz ensembles in New York City and Long Island.
In addition to his performances, Orhan is a dedicated teacher, sharing his love and knowledge of music with his students. Orhan is fully committed to teaching the full scope of music. Teaching music theory, jazz theory, musical phrasing, and the art of interpretation he is dedicated to helping musicians develop their skills and reach their full potential.
Drew Vella - Violin/Viola Teacher
Violist and Long Island native Drew Vella delights in performing a wide-ranging repertoire throughout New York and the tri-state area: from Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Broadway - to the UN, cafes, salsa studios, and house concerts. Former violist of the Lehman String Quartet, Mr. Vella has also performed with the Turtle Bay Piano Quartet, the NY Chamber Collective, and has made frequent appearances at Concerts on the Slope. He has performed with the Manhattan Symphonie, the Symphony of Westchester, and Amore Opera. Mr. Vella has frequently been invited to be a fellowship artist at the Pierrot Chamber Music Festival and the Bennington Chamber Music Conference. He has played in masterclasses led by Victoria Chiang, Yizhak Schotten, Lawrence Dutton, Donald Weilerstein, as well as members of the Ying Quartet, Borodin Quartet, and Kronos Quartet.
Brian Anderson - Violin/Viola Teacher
Brian Anderson is a violist and violinist from Northern Virginia. Currently working towards his Master’s in viola at Stony Brook University with additional studies in the Emerson String Quartet Institute, Brian is a passionate musician and teacher, with an approach that draws from both acting and traditional music pedagogy. In lessons, you will build a thorough understanding of technique and musicality, but even with this framework you will be encouraged to think for yourself and take risks. Brian graduated with his Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in 2022. His teachers include Matthew Lipman, Lawrence Dutton, Choong-jin Chang, and Victoria Chiang, and his festival experience includes fellowships at Madeline Island Chamber Music and the Garth Newel Emerging Artists Program. Brian has collaborated in chamber music with artists such as Andres Diaz, Isaac Melemed, and Judith Ingolfsson, and he has played in masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian, Ettore Causa, Cynthia Phelps, Misha Amory, and the American String Quartet, among others.
Annie Ding - Violin/Viola Teacher
Ms. Ding is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Laurence Dutton and Matthew Lipman. She’s a teaching assistant for the undergraduate orchestra, and chamber music at SBU. Before entering the DMA program at SBU, Ms. Ding received her Master’s degree from the prestigious Orchestral Performance Program in 2020 from Manhattan School of music, as well as a post-graduate Professional Study Certificate in viola performance in 2019. From 2017 to 2019, she studied at New England Conservatory for her first Master’s degree in viola performance. She received her BM degree from Mannes. Her principal teachers include Craig Mumm, Karen Dreyfus, Patinka Kopec, Dimitri Marruth, Daniel Panner, and James Dunham.
Ms. Ding is a prize winner in numerous competitions, such as Fuchs Chamber Competition and Widder String Quartet Competition at Manhattan School of Music, International Shining Stars Competition, International Virtuoso Competition, New York Artists International Competition, and New York International Music Concourse. She has performed at many festivals and concert venues, such as at Aspen Music Festival, Young Artist Program at Canada National Art Center, Music Mountain Festival, Mozarteum Summer Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Heifetz Music Festival, Summit Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Maine Chamber Music Seminar. And different venues, such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, and the China National Center for Performing Art. She has been invited to play several times at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Chinese foreign Minister and the Brazilian Premier, the Iranian Minister, the Korean Foreign Minister, and the Sri Lankan Minister.
Ms. Ding's article, "Charles Loeffler's Two Songs with Viola and Piano Accompaniment and Their French Influence", won second prize at American Viola Society's David Dalton Viola Research Competition and her article will be featured in their upcoming peer-reviewed journal.
Ms.Ding is a Teaching Assistant at Stony Brook University Orchestra and coached undergraduate chamber music. She’s also teaching on Long Island area preparing violin/viola students for NYSSMA and ABRSM exams.
Erica Garcia - Cello Teacher
Erica Rose Garcia is currently a junior at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying under Richard Weiss double majoring in Cello Performance and Music Theory and earning her minor in Suzuki Pedagogy.
Her multiple musical accomplishments include being selected for the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied under MaryAnn Ramos. She was also chosen to attend the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Orchestral Studies (NYSSSA) where she studied with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga Springs, New York. She is a three-time first place winner of Gemini Youth Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and has performed numerous times as a soloist. She was selected for All-State Orchestra, All-Eastern Symphony Orchestra, and has performed as principal cellist for the Long Island String Festival Association Orchestra and Gemini Youth Orchestras.
Ms. Garcia has received The Sphinx Fellowship Award, the Edward Miller Memorial Scholarship, the Kevin Cruz Scholarship, the Sylvia and Louis Osler Music Scholarship, the Long Island String Festival Association Studio Award and Antonina G. Nigrelli Memorial Award. Recently, Ms. Garcia was a cello instructor for Through the Staff, an organization dedicated to making classical music education more accessible. She maintains a private cello and piano studio and enjoys watching her students grow.
Testimonials:
"I'm a teacher, too, and Erica does all the teaching things right." - Joe M.
Joanne Natasi - Piano Teacher
Joanne Nastasi began piano studies at age five, majored in music at Hunter College, and to date continues working with a coach because learning never ends! As a Common Branch teacher in NYC, since 1969, her additional responsibility was to produce seasonal music programs for grades 3,4,5, and 6. The last several years in NYC schools were devoted exclusively to music, for which she developed and taught a diverse program for grades K-5. Through the years, she taught piano privately to children and adults using the knowledge gleaned through service as a NYSSMA piano judge to guide instruction. After 2011 an opportunity to create and teach a music program at The College of Staten Island’s Options Program proved quite interesting. Classes focusing on understanding, comparing, and critiquing piano performances were offered for several sessions. Rudimentary components of composition were introduced, the complexity of technique, and the importance of expression and emotion were the basis of critical evaluation.
Connor Leaf - Cello Teacher
Connor Leaf graduated from Skidmore College where he majored in Mathematics and minored in Cello Performance. While at Skidmore, Mr. Leaf student taught a chamber music group. He actively plays cello in community orchestras in the Metropolitan area, including the Plainfield Orchestra in New Jersey. He also enjoys chamber ensemble playing and performing. A passionate teacher by nature, Connor works with Special Education students, is a math tutor, and provides tennis lessons. He is currently pursuing a career in education.