Ciaran Roberts-Osterberg
Drums | Piano | Voice | Composition | Arranging | Music Production
(Virtual Only)
Ciaran Roberts-Osterberg is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist from Dundee, Scotland. He graduated from the world famous Berklee College of Music (Summa Cum Laude) with a dual Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and Contemporary Writing & Production. Ciaran also helped found Berklee’s Student Disability Club, which showcases and supports musicians with accommodation needs. Ciaran has played on international stages for and with a multitude of notable incredible artists and award-winning composers in venues such as Windsor Castle for the British Royal family and the infamous Rockwood Music Hall NY.
Ciaran’s area of knowledge include Drum Set, Piano, Voice, Jazz Performance, Harmony & Composition, Arranging, Score Production, Commercial Scoring and Music & Audio Production. He has a special dedication for helping student musicians that may have accommodation or access needs due to disability.
Koki Lortkipanidze
Piano | Composition
Konstantine (Koki) Lortkipanidze is a distinguished pianist and composer. Taking up piano as a young child, Koki’s passion for the piano ignited during his formative years. As a teenager, his fascination with composition flourished, laying the foundation for his accomplished career in music today. Koki earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory Pedagogy and Composition, and his Master’s Degree in Composition from the Tbilisi State Conservatory.
Koki has many years of private piano teaching experience, and has worked with a wide range of students, from four-year-olds to adults. He takes pride in providing musical opportunities for children with behavioral or developmental challenges, as well as those benefiting from music therapy. Konstantine’s teaching approach focuses on making lessons enjoyable and interactive for students, incorporating classical, pop, jazz, and other genres into his curriculum.
Additionally, Koki has worked as the resident composer, pianist, and music arranger at the Synetic Theater Company since 2007. These professional experiences not only enrich Koki’s understanding of music, but also imbue his teaching with real-world insights and practical expertise.
Shelton Siegel
Piano
Shelton Siegel started playing the piano at 4 years old and recently completed a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in piano performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His repertoire spans from the Baroque to modern day. Shelton possesses a thorough knowledge of pop, rock, and jazz music history–collecting vinyl records in all three genres and more! No matter what musical interest a student may take on, Shelton can guide them on their musical journey. He caters each lesson to the individual, with an understanding that not every student has the same musical preferences or goals.
Shelton is passionate about teaching and confident that his wide array of musical interests and experiences can inspire his students to set and achieve their own goals, no matter what those may be! In Shelton’s lessons, students of all ages work on rhythmic accuracy, steady tempo, tone production, dynamics, ear-training, music theory and music history.
Ali Harvey
Voice (Virtual Only)
I took piano lessons and music classes as a child, and fell in love with singing through my high school choir and theater performances. I decided to study Music Education at The Hartt School of Music, thinking I would like to teach high school choir and give other students a similarly great experience. During my undergraduate studies, I was surprised to uncover my passions for singing solo repertoire and teaching early childhood music. I was quickly fascinated by the technical side of singing classical music and loved how incredibly expressive opera and art song can be. I spent the next three years teaching Kindergarten - Second Grade music while studying voice, singing in as many choirs and operas as I could, and teaching privately. I became increasingly curious about vocal pedagogy and completed my Master's Degree in vocal pedagogy and performance at Penn State. At Penn State, I developed my own singing, took a deep dive into vocal anatomy, learned a wide range of repertoire, and taught lots of voice lessons. I love sharing my knowledge with students! I teach healthy, beautiful singing while inspiring a lifelong joy of music. Outside of teaching and singing, I like to push the boundaries of how many plants I can fit in my apartment.
Daniel Clark
Piano | Guitar | Trumpet | Music Production
Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be able to play music. I remember listening in awe every time my uncle played the piano. At age three, my parents put me into piano lessons, and to this day I am forever grateful. In elementary school I joined band and started playing trumpet, and at age 15 I began teaching myself guitar. I had also been interested in writing my own music since I was nine years old, and I started getting into beat making when I was 14. Eventually I received my Bachelor’s in Music Technology at Virginia Tech with emphases on composition and trumpet performance. I began teaching music in college as well and have since fallen in love with sharing my knowledge and passion with others. I like to emphasize mindful practice and make sure my students are always having fun. Aside from teaching, I run a company where I produce music and audio for short films and documentaries, and have received awards from the Poe Film Festival and Seattle Black Film Festival for artistic merit and best documentary respectively. Outside of music, I enjoy traveling, playing video games, hanging out with my significant other, and cuddling with my dog Freckles.
Noam Faingold
Piano | Guitar | Bass | Drums | Composition
For as long as I can remember, I have been making up and singing melodies to myself. When I was 12, I got my first guitar and started playing snare drum in middle school concert band. By senior year of high school I had been writing songs for a few years, playing guitar and bass in bands, drum set in my school’s jazz band, and taking AP Music Theory. In college I started my formal music composition studies, studied piano and played orchestral bass in the university orchestra. I played drums/percussion in musicals like Kiss Me Kate and The Fantasticks. A Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Fellowship took me to New York City and London for graduate school in music composition, where I continued working as a freelance performer. After receiving my PhD in Music from Kings College London, I came back to the US and started teaching music students of all ages how to write and perform music in many different styles. My teaching career has included teaching private students, directing a college preparatory after-school program, leading a high school and middle school orchestra program, teaching at a few universities, and supporting musicians through continuing education programs and workshops. I love using music to help my students discover joy, self-confidence and self-expression, and develop leadership and teamwork skills. When I am not teaching or making music, I love nerding out over SciFi comic books and movies, playing with my cats Mocha and Oscar, and reading novels.
Piano | Recorder
Leopoldo Angulo is a Frederick, MD based pianist and conductor.
He studied Piano at the National Conservatory of Music in Quito, Ecuador and Choral/Orchestral Conducting at the University of Arts (UNEARTE) in Caracas, Venezuela.
Teaching brings him great joy. He has taught piano, recorders, music theory, conducting, and has served as a vocal coach. He approaches each student with a carefully individual plan according to their interests and needs.
He has served as the Washington Recorder Society’s director and has performed as pianist, collaborative pianist, recorder player. Leopoldo has conducted vocal ensembles, chamber music ensembles and orchestras in Ecuador, Venezuela and United States.
Leopoldo Angulo
Victoria Mancuso
Voice | Beginner Piano
Victoria Mancuso is thrilled to be teaching at CG Music Academy with their wonderful students! Originally from Florida, Victoria has dreamed of living in the DC area for years, and is so happy that she finally made it happen. A recent graduate of Utah Valley University, she has performed in a variety of opera and musical theatre roles over the last few years. In the summer of 2021, she attended the Neil Semer Vocal Institute just outside of Salzburg, Austria and performed in several recitals. Victoria has a true passion for performing and helping others perform. Her recent roles include Cinderella in Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans, Sophie in Mamma Mia, Ms. Prism in Nicolas Giusti’s American premiere of the Opera La Importanza di Essere Onesto (The Importance of Being Earnest), and Mother Mary in Rob Gardner’s modern Oratorio Lamb of God. Victoria also loves classroom teaching and is currently a General Music teacher in Alexandria. When she’s not singing or teaching, she loves exploring the area or and completing DIY projects around her apartment.
Chris LaRosa
Composition | Arranging | Orchestration | Music Production |
Piano
I started playing piano when I was 6 years old, because my brother was taking lessons and I wanted to do everything he did. I quickly learned that I had a natural gift and love for the piano. When I was 8 years old, I played for my grandmother for the first time, and she asked me if I would write some music to her poetry. The thought of writing my own music had never crossed my young mind, but I went home and started composing music for the piano, and then eventually moved on to songs and other instruments. As I got older, I spent a lot (maybe too much!) of my practice time improvising. (Luckily, I am also good at scales!) I went to college for music, eventually getting my Doctorate of Music in composition from Indiana University. I have been teaching music for seventeen years—passing my musical knowledge and skills to students of all ages brings me great joy.
Although I am classically trained, I also love playing pop, jazz, and Broadway music. When not teaching music, I compose music for film, television, video games, and the concert hall. I served as a staff arranger for The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” where my music and arrangements were regularly performed for sitting U.S. Presidents and world leaders at the White House, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Pentagon. I have prepared music for Hal Leonard’s John Williams Signature Series, and regularly arrange music for ensembles such as l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Ottawa Choral Society. In my free time, I jam out to Elton John, ride my bicycle, read about space rockets, and play with my cat Rory-bel.
Antonio Espinal
Piano
I'm Antonio, and I have played the piano since I was three years old. I grew up with a piano at home, and my father was my first piano teacher. I gave my first solo recital at age 13, with a review! Shortly after that, I started studying piano at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. I began teaching the piano at age 16, when my father gave me my first piano students. That's when I learned how to create rapport with younger kids, kids my age, and even adults. I help my students develop a passion for playing the piano and find a way to make practice enjoyable. After all, it takes some time to succeed on the piano, so why not enjoy the ride!
I hold a Master of Music degree in Orchestral and Choral conducting from Carnegie Mellon University, and am currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in conducting at Catholic University of America. Some of my professional highlights include apprenticing with Maestro Essa-Pekka Salonen with the LA Philharmonic, serving as Chorus Master in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, where I prepared the chorus for seven operas under the baton of international conductors, and founding the “Harmonies Girls’ Choir,” which gained an international reputation through concert engagements with Demi Lovato and recording for the film soundtrack “Brownstones to Red Dirt.” Through all of these exciting professional opportunities, teaching piano to students of all levels has remained an important and vital part of my life.