MARY CAY NEAL

Mary Cay Neal is the Founder and Executive Director of Buffalo Suzuki Strings, which is now in its 40th year of operation. At present, Mary Cay teaches 28 violin students and conducts the BSS Advanced Ensemble and the Friendship Touring Ensemble. Mary Cay holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Georgia State University and has done post-graduate work in Suzuki Pedagogy. She has studied with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki on many occasions including: teacher-training workshops at the International Conferences in Hawaii in 1975 and 1977; Munich, Germany in 1979; Amherst, Massachusetts in 1981; Matsumoto, Japan in 1983; and has taught at the International Suzuki Teacher’s Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1985; Adelaide, Australia in 1991; Matsumoto, Japan in 1999; and Torino, Italy in 2006. Mary Cay is a registered Teacher Trainer and has served on The Suzuki Association of the Americas Board of Directors for three terms. She has taught teacher training and violin at many Suzuki Institutes and workshops in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and South America.

NANCY BENZ

Nancy Benz is a graduate of Ithaca College where she received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Violin Performance. She studied with Pamela Gearhart, who was both a violin teacher and conductor at Ithaca College. For her Masters Degree in Music Performance, she studied with Thomas Halpin through SUNY. Mrs. Benz has done several Suzuki Teacher Training Workshops covering Books 1-5, and also attends the NYSSMA Summer Teacher Workshops. She has taught music in the Lancaster and Williamsville Public Schools, and currently teaches strings at Clarence Middle School. Her two children study violin at BSS and are also members of the BSS Advanced Ensemble. Her husband is a High School Art teacher in the Royalton Hartland School District.

HEATHER GARCIA

Heather Garcia began studying Suzuki viola at the age of nine in Greenville, SC with Lucie Fink. As a junior in high school, she was accepted into the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and she graduated with honors. Heather attended University of Memphis on a full scholarship and in May 2007 received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with a concentration in Suzuki pedagogy. Heather has completed Suzuki Teacher Training in levels 1-5 with Kimberly Meier-Sims and Mary Cay Neal. In August 2007, Heather relocated to the Buffalo area to teach violin and viola at Buffalo Suzuki Strings.

NATHAN KEAGLE

A native and resident of Buffalo, NY, Nathan Keagle has established a versatile career in performance as well as teaching. He attended The Hartt School of Music and the State University of New York at Fredonia where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. He has also attended the Ithaca College Suzuki Institute, The Chautauqua Summer Music Festival and The New York State Summer School of the Arts in Saratoga. Mr. Keagle’s principle teachers include Roman Mekinulov, Natasha Farny, Arie Lipsky, Chaim Zemach, Nancy Anderson, Clyde Shaw, David Meyer, David Wells and David Finckel. Mr. Keagle has also studied chamber music with The Audubon String Quartet, The New Arts Trio, and The Emerson String Quartet. Currently, Mr. Keagle is the cello teacher at Buffalo Suzuki Strings. He was also an instructor at the Allegheny College Summer Music Festival, where he was a featured performer. He has taught chamber music at the State University of New York at Fredonia, as well as Bravo Chamber Music Institute. Mr. Keagle performs with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, The Southern Tier Symphony, The Orchard Park Symphony, The Chamber Music on Elmwood Festival and is a member of The Western New York Chamber Orchestra, where he is the Assistant Principal Cellist. Mr. Keagle has also performed as a soloist on numerous occasions.

DAVID LEVINE

 David is Assistant Music Director at Buffalo Suzuki Strings and has taught violin and viola for the program since 1996. David grew up in Connecticut, and completed a B.S. in Music Education and a B.A. in Music at the University of Connecticut, as well as the M.M. in Suzuki Pedagogy at Ithaca College. He has studied violin and viola with several teachers, including Theodore Arm, Linda Case, Debra Moree, Sanford Reuning, and Almita and Roland Vamos. In addition to Suzuki violin teacher training at Ithaca College with Sanford Reuning, David has also taken violin training courses with Teri Einfeldt, John Kendall, Carrie Reuning, Stephanie Sandven and Mary Cay Neal, as well as many viola units with Elizabeth Stuen-Walker. David has been a faculty member of the TCU Suzuki Institute (Fort Worth, TX), Ithaca College Suzuki Institute (Ithaca, NY), The American Suzuki Institute (Stevens Point, WI), Suzuki Institutes in Columbus, Ohio. He has been a guest clinician at workshops in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas, as well as in Canada and Brazil. In addition to teaching students, ages 3-18, at Buffalo Suzuki Strings, David is also an active freelance performer on both violin and viola in the Western New York area.

SANDRA McELWAIN

Sandra K. McElwain was born and grew up in a small town near Binghamton, NY. Although she begged to take piano lessons when she was 4 years old, her parents made her reluctantly wait until she was 6 to start with a traditional teacher. After being home schooled through high school, she attended Fredonia State University and graduated in 2007 with a B.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. Sandra’s Suzuki Piano Teacher Training has been with Linda Gillette and Rita Hauck. In September of '07 Sandra began teaching 18 piano students at Buffalo Suzuki Strings. Her studio has now grown to over 40 students and is continuing to grow! When Sandra isn't in the Mozart studio, she's swimming, riding her bike, playing piano in her church's worship band, or just spending time outside. OH - and practicing every day she eats!

SARAH MITCHELL

Sarah Mitchell is a Southern native, having “grown up� in Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. She began studying the violin at age 4½ as a Suzuki student of Dr. Michael Gattozzi at the University of Alabama. She attended Florida College in Temple Terrace, FL, and received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education Degree from Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, KY. She began her Suzuki violin teacher training at the University of Memphis with Kimberly Meier-Sims, earning a Master of Music in Suzuki Pedagogy. Her additional Suzuki training includes courses with Lorraine Fink, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Carol Smith, Mark Bjork, Hiroko Driver, Joseph Kaminsky and Mary Cay Neal. In 2006, Sarah received training in Suzuki Early Childhood Education, with Dorothy Jones. Before coming to Buffalo in 2005, Sarah helped launch the Pre-College String Program at Western Kentucky University and introduce string teaching in the Bowling Green/Warren County schools as Professional-in-Residence. She is very excited to now be a part of the collaboration and cooperative spirit at Buffalo Suzuki Strings. Oh, and yes… she loves the snow!!

RASA STALYGIENE

Rasa Stalygiene is a graduate of the Lithuanian Music Academy in Vilnius, Lithuania, Europe. She holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in piano performance, accompaniment and instruction. Before coming to the United States, Rasa taught piano and accompanied string, wind, and vocal students. She also toured Europe as a soloist, and accompanist. Rasa Has completed Suzuki Piano Teacher Training Units 1-7 with Rita Hauck and Mary Craig Powell. Currently Rasa is a full-time Suzuki piano instructor at Buffalo Suzuki Strings and Music Director at the Holy Spirit Church. She resides in Grand Island with her husband, Jonas, and their son and daughter.

PETER ZALOCHA

Peter has been a student of the guitar since the age of six. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance in 2003 from the University of Colorado in Boulder where he studied classical guitar with Charles Wolzien. Returning to his home town of Buffalo, Peter received a Masters Degree in Music Performance in 2008 from the University of Buffalo where he studied with Joanne Castellani.

Peter has been teaching guitar privately since 2000 with students of all ages. He works primarily with classical guitar students, however he also enjoys other genres of guitar music including Folk and Jazz among others. He began his Suzuki training in 2005 with Suzuki teacher trainers throughout the country including Mary Cay Neal, Joanne Castellani, Frank Longay, and Mary Lou Roberts. He has taken part in several Suzuki guitar festivals, seminars, and training courses. He plans to continue his Suzuki guitar training to include registration in all nine books. Peter began as an instructor at Buffalo Suzuki Strings in the Summer of 2007.

JONAS STALYGA

Jonas is a graduate of Lithuanian Music Academy in Vilnius, Lithuania, Europe. He also holds a Masters Degree in Double Bass performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Before coming to the United States, Jonas played for the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and was Principle Bassist for the St. Christopher's Chamber Orchestra in Vilnuis. He toured Europe as an orchestral player and soloist playing with his wife, Rasa Stalygiene.

ADJUNCT FACULTY

KAREN ROBINSON teaches Elementary General Music in the Cheektowaga Central School District. She recieved her Bachelor of Music Degree from Westminister Choir College in Princeton, NJ, her Master of Science Degree from Buffalo State College with specialization in Multi-Disciplinary Arts and her American Orff-Schulwerk Certification from Memphis State University. She is a member of ECMEA and has participated in the All-County Festivals. She is also a member of the Western New York Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), having served as a member of its Board and Past-President, as well as the National Orff-Schulwerk Association. She has been as an Orff-Schulwerk clinican for the ECMEA Conference Day and for many other colleges and organizations. In addition to her public school teaching, Karen also teaches children's classes in Orff-Schulwerk for BSS as part of the Saturday morning program.

LINDA ROSS serves as the BSS Administrative Director and member of the Board of Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College in Music Education with a piano concentration and an Education Masters Degree (Ed.M) from SUNY at Buffalo also in music education. Prior to her retirement from public school teaching she taught for 33 years at Smallwood Elementary School in the Amherst Central School District. In addition to her administrative duties for BSS, Linda also teaches Rhythm Reading, accompanies Saturday morning classes and students recitals, and is a co-tour director for the Advanced Class Ensemble.

SHANNON ROSS is a 2000 graduate of Buffalo Suzuki Strings having studied with Marilynn Standard and Mary Cay Neal. She continued her violin studies at Ithaca College while attending the Ithaca College Park School of Communications. She recieved her Bachelor's Degree from Ithaca College with a mahor in Radio/TV Production in 2004. In addition to teaching violin Saturday classes for BSS, Shannon is employed as a news producer at WIVB, Channel 4 in Buffalo.