OUR FACULTY

ELM teachers inspire and mentor our students. They are skilled musician/educators who set the bar high and share their profound love of music with joy and enthusiasm. We are committed to giving our students an intensive, individualized and high quality music and ensemble education.

Carol Adee

Teaching Artist - Flute

  • Carol Adee was surrounded by people singing and playing music as she was growing up. She began playing flute, violin and cello in grade school and continued in high school while also studying dance and singing in choirs. Holding a M.M. from Yale School of Music, she has played with San Francisco Symphony, Ballet and Opera Orchestras along with other Bay Area orchestras, including touring and recording as principal flute with Women’s Philharmonic for 15 years.

    As a founding member of ECHO Chamber Orchestra, Carol is working to create collaborative orchestral experiences for musicians and audiences. She has taught flute and chamber music at Stanford and Dominican Universities. Her many years as Music Director at Marin Waldorf School have contributed to her collaborative spirit and interest in integrating music, art and movement into other subjects.

Annamarie Arai

Teaching Artist - Lower Level Violin

  • Annamarie received her B.A. in violin performance from UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music and her Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory. A native of Sacramento, Annamarie enjoys creating music with ensembles of diverse backgrounds and sizes. She currently performs with One Found Sound, a conductor-less chamber orchestra in San Francisco, often serving in principal roles.

    Annamarie has developed a passion for teaching and sharing musical ideas with players of various skill levels. She is currently on faculty with Inspire Music Center and Amabile School of Music in San Francisco as well as ELM. She believes that musical instruction should continually birth artistic inspiration.

Karlson Can

Teaching Artist - Upper Level Cello

  • Karlson is a recent graduate with a B.A. in Music from Cal Poly SLO. With experience in Baroque and modern cello, he is on a musical journey to highlight the accomplishments of Asian and Asian American composers in the modern cello repertoire.

    Karlson teaches because some of the best moments of his musical career have been with supportive educators. He values the relationship built with his students as well as honors the special journey they embark on. He is passionate about making music education more accessible.

    In addition to cello and teaching, Karlson cares deeply about mental health, specifically as seen in students and musicians. He believes that the depiction of the "starving artist" is a reality for most musicians and unfortunately is part of the reason why musicians struggle to gain recognition for their work, financially and socially.

Byron Hogan

Teaching Artist - Lower Level Cello

  • Byron Hogan is an acclaimed and multifaceted artist hailing from Lakeland, Florida. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as on stages in Germany, Amsterdam, and Montreal. Hogan holds degrees from Florida Southern College, the University of South Florida, the Boston Conservatory, and as a founding member of the Julius Quartet he has held residencies at Montclair State University and Southern Methodist University. With the Julius Quartet, he also won first-place awards at both the Yellow Springs and Massachusetts American String Teachers Association Chamber Music competitions and participated in The Saint Lawrence Chamber Music Seminar, Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival, Banff Chamber Music Seminar, and Music from Salem. Byron is currently writing and performing, now based in Hayward, California.

Sarah Jaegers

Teaching Artist - Clarinet

  • Sarah Jaegers performs as principal clarinetist with Araya: Sounds of Latin America, the Golden Gate Park Band, Rhode Island Recording Ensemble, and the DesertLake Duo, and has performed with Bay Area symphonies and pit orchestras including the Santa Cruz Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and Berkeley Playhouse.

    She is also on the faculty at Amabile School of Music, where she teaches clarinet, saxophone, and piano, is a Mentor Artist and Music Specialist with Youth In Arts, and maintains her own private studio. A proponent of new music, Dr. Jaegers has commissioned new works and arrangements by several composers, including Zachary Friedland, Manuel Hurtado Dueñez, and Francisco Javier de Alba.

    An international performer, Dr. Jaegers has toured in countries throughout Europe. She is devoted to expansion of the clarinet repertoire and diversification of the canon, especially by promoting works by Turkish composers. Dr. Jaegers holds a DMA in clarinet performance from The Ohio State University, an MM from Michigan State University, and BM and BA degrees from Iowa State University. She loves working with students of all levels and helping them to express their unique voice through music

Yuri Kye

Teaching Artist - Upper Level Violin

  • Yuri Kye is a violinist and violist who is an active performer and educator throughout California and beyond. She is a member of Sarasota Opera in Florida, and performs regularly with orchestras in the Bay Area and beyond, including the Monterey Symphony, Merced Symphony, Opera San Jose, Berkeley Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, and more.

Chris Lege

Teaching Artist - Brass

  • Chris is a trombonist, trumpeter, writer, and arranger who has been performing, recording, and teaching music for over 50 years. Chris has played on 30 albums, and held a decade-long role in BAMMIE-award winning salsa band Avance.

    Chris has journeyed from stage to classroom and is a well experienced, highly praised Marin County private music brass tutor and teacher helping students have the confidence they need to overcome the fear that haunts all beginners, performing in front of people.

Christina Lesicko

Teaching Artist – Violin/Viola

  • Christina holds degrees in Viola Performance and Education from Youngstown State University and the University of Guadalajara. She has played with numerous small ensembles and orchestras across the country and has taught violin and viola students of all ages.

    Her passion and love for music and excellence in music education has given her the opportunity to perform and teach in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Christina is passionate about the El Sistema model that recognizes that music is not only enrichment, but can positively impact students’ lives forever.

Owen Miyoshi

Teaching Artist – Trumpet

  • Owen, a Berkeley native, graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with David Burkhart. He has been performing and teaching trumpet in the Bay Area for over 25 years. A member with the Monterey Symphony since 2000, and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra as well as a regular sub with Symphony San Jose for the last 22 years. He also freelances with many orchestras throughout the Bay Area.

    In addition to performing and teaching at ELM, Owen teaches private lessons and is the trumpet coach at Berkeley and El Cerrito high schools. Outside of music, Owen is an avid cyclist where he does masters racing and endurance ride events.

Juan Palacios

Music Conductor and Wind & Brass Director

  • Juan brings passion to his work as a conductor, his creativity as a composer and his commitment as an educator. He is always seeking to share his love for music with others. During his nearly 40 years as a conductor, Juan has led orchestras in Venezuela, Brazil, and the U.S.

    As an educator, he collaborates with the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, NIA National Youth Orchestra program in Philipsburg and Sint Maarten, and the Guayaquil Youth Symphony.

Sydney Moss Pérez

Teaching Artist - Upper Level Cello

  • Sydney is a professional cellist and devoted educator committed to creating and uplifting musicians of all types. She began her cello studies at the age of 13 under the guidance of Kyle Champion of Redlands and Long Beach Symphony, and received both her BM and MM in Music Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, CSU Long Beach. Sydney has performed with numerous ensembles, including San Francisco Philharmonic, Orange County Orchestra Collective, on the big stage for music festivals such as Bottlerock.

    As a classically trained and active freelance orchestral musician, Sydney uses her personal experience and perspectives to aid in her ensemble directing and programming to ensure that the students and ensembles she directs are not just successful performers, but well-rounded and versatile individuals.

ELM provides youth with an immersive music education that empowers them to pursue their dreams and access resources they need to succeed in life.