Chris LaRosa
Founder & Co-Director
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.
Gabrielle Gaudreault
Founder & Co-Director
Coming from a family of musicians, I was introduced to classical music at a very young age and began piano lessons at 5 years old. A few years later, I was given the chance to choose a second instrument and so I started learning the flute, which I studied seriously through high school. Adding voice lessons to the mix at the age of 12, I soon spent most of my time practicing my three instruments. The piano has always remained my first love; for as long as I can remember, I would read through new books of repertoire (classical, pop, jazz) like my life depended on it, constantly eager to learn more and more music. My hunger for constantly learning new music helped me develop a strong sight reading ability that has been a valuable skill in my professional life, and that I encourage all of my students to cultivate. My first piano teacher instilled in me a love and curiosity for music theory that I carried with me through my masters degree, and strive to pass on to my students of every level. As a teenager, I also loved to sing and play songs by my favourite artists and bands, which led me to begin writing my own songs. In my hometown in Quebec, Canada, I taught piano, voice, music theory and choir for many years, in English and French. Since completing my doctoral degree in choral conducting at McGill University in Montreal, I have moved to Virginia to advance my conducting and teaching careers. When I’m not making music in some way, I love to cross stitch and go ice skating.