Meet Our Team
Get to know our instructors, teaching this semester
CEDRIC THOMAS
DRUMS, PIANOCedric Thomas is a musician and producer who has played, preformed, and directed music his entire life.
He studied music performance and theory at shoreline community college and has worked with multiple groups such as the Eriam sisters Michelle Lang and Stillwater. When he is not producing music you cam always find Cedric playing for multiple churches and various events around Seattle . He has also been apart of the summer musical programs at Langston for the past 5 years. Cedric is a dedicated person who loves music and to work with young people. Most of all Cedric believes that to achieve your goals you must work hard, be reliable and work with a smile because Gods got it |
EMILY KURLINSKI
VIOLIN/CELLO/VOICEOriginally from the Pacific Northwest, Emily Kurlinski holds a Master’s degree from the University of Maryland where she studied chamber and viola literature with Katherine Murdock and Doris Lederer and orchestral literature with Daniel Foster. She has been featured in chamber music concerts on 91.5 WBJC’s Music in Maryland.
As a performer, Emily was a fellow and principal violist of the Marrowstone Music Festival Orchestra and was also awarded a fellowship to perform in the Orvieto Musica chamber music festival. She served as the violist of the Niles String Quartet, with whom she played two seasons in the Festival de Pâques. She has also performed with the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Symphonic Ensemble, with which she toured Puerto Rico and South Africa and also served as guest principal violist for the Ensemble’s seasons with Mid-America Productions in Carnegie Hall. As an educator, Emily has enjoyed working with students aged 6 to 60. She has taught private lessons extensively in addition to coaching chamber ensembles and leading youth and collegiate orchestral section rehearsals. Though a registered Suzuki instructor, she continues to utilize a variety of teaching methods to foster student success. |
ZACH TRANDUMPIANO |
BRONSON BRAGG
PIANO/GUITAR/UKULELEHi! I'm Bronson. I teach guitar lessons and piano lessons, as well as ukulele, bass and music theory. take pride in my ability to change my teaching style based on what my students need and to work well with children as well as adults. I have found that some teachers neglect to branch out of their general teaching patterns. I prefer to first learn how each of my students best absorb information and to then target weaknesses. Meanwhile, I have my students listen to a huge variety of music and keep a list of songs they'd like to learn to play; inspiration is crucial.
I teach classical and jazz disciplines and pieces to help with development and technique. Modern songs are used to build repertoire, and have fun in the learning process. |
ELENA MAQUE (SAXOPHONE)
Growing up in a rich cultural center of Russia, St.-Petersburg , Elena Maque was always drawn to art. . Elena`s first instrument was piano, which she started playing at the age six. By her teenage years Elena became fascinated with jazz music which eventually determined her switch to saxophone. Great passion for jazz as she entered Mussorgsky College of Music in St.Petersburg gave way to many musical collaborations and projects in the future. Being a student of legendary russian jazz giant Gennady Golshtein she was offered to join his big band "Saxophones of St.Petersburg" which carried in it some of the finest musicians of the city.
Alongside school and jazz band , Elena was consistently playing in a local church band where she would develop her skills in gospel and funk styles. Her interest in funk grew as she was mentored by a renowned saxophonist, her inspirator and a good friend in Latvia,Riga - Dennis Pashkevich.
After moving to the US Elena Maque continued her music journey. Here she was deeply influenced by her new friend and mentor, Alexey Nikolaev. Elena has been playing with various Seattle musicians as well as working on her own compositions and teaching saxophone for the past several years.
Elena Maque has always worked on developing and evolving her individuality in music. Desire to create music that would show her european roots, deep love for jazz and vast experience in electro sound inspired Elena to form her current band, MaqueAttack.
Alongside school and jazz band , Elena was consistently playing in a local church band where she would develop her skills in gospel and funk styles. Her interest in funk grew as she was mentored by a renowned saxophonist, her inspirator and a good friend in Latvia,Riga - Dennis Pashkevich.
After moving to the US Elena Maque continued her music journey. Here she was deeply influenced by her new friend and mentor, Alexey Nikolaev. Elena has been playing with various Seattle musicians as well as working on her own compositions and teaching saxophone for the past several years.
Elena Maque has always worked on developing and evolving her individuality in music. Desire to create music that would show her european roots, deep love for jazz and vast experience in electro sound inspired Elena to form her current band, MaqueAttack.
ADAM SYED (VIOLIN)
Adam Syed eAdam Syed has devoted himself to teaching and performing the violin for more than a decade. He is new to the Pacific Northwest and originally hails from Ohio. Himself a child of the Suzuki Violin Method, Mr. Syed began his first violin lessons at age 3 at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Syed began his undergraduate training at the Ohio State University, where he studied under the late Michael Davis, who was first prize winner of the Carl Flesch Violin Competition, as well as concertmaster of both the Scottish National Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony. After three years, Mr. Syed transferred overseas to his teacher's own Alma Mater, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied with the world renowned pedagogue Yfrah Neaman and completed his B. Mus. degree with Honors. His Masters studies brought him home to Ohio, where he received the tutelage of David Updegraff at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Since completing college, Mr. Syed has performed in orchestras, and taught, extensively. He recently completed a decade's worth of tenure with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra as a core member of the violin section. In addition to also performing regularly with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, he has performed with the Ohio orchestras of Canton, Youngstown, Opera Columbus, Opera Circle Cleveland, Mansfield, Ohio Valley Symphony, and River City Symphony as well as Huntington WV. In 2004, Mr. Syed embarked on a 3-week tour of Taiwan as a member of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra.
Mr. Syed has personal friends and professional contacts in the Pacific Northwest, and in 2014 decided his life needed some new adventure, and from the flat wheat fields of Ohio, the mountains and Puget Sound appeared very appealing, and, realizing that one can play and teach violin anywhere, decided to embark upon a new chapter of life's journey. In his short time so far in Seattle, Mr. Syed has performed with the orchestras of Tacoma, Yakima, Lake Washington, Federal Way, Pacific Northwest Lyric Opera, in addition to chamber ensembles for weddings and other events. In addition to being a new faculty member of PNSM, Mr. Syed has been regularly serving as orchestra violin coach in the music program at Bellevue's Newport High School.
Mr. Syed is thrilled to be in a position to artistically serve the musical communities and programs of this most beautiful and culturally diverse part of our country.
Mr. Syed began his undergraduate training at the Ohio State University, where he studied under the late Michael Davis, who was first prize winner of the Carl Flesch Violin Competition, as well as concertmaster of both the Scottish National Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony. After three years, Mr. Syed transferred overseas to his teacher's own Alma Mater, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he studied with the world renowned pedagogue Yfrah Neaman and completed his B. Mus. degree with Honors. His Masters studies brought him home to Ohio, where he received the tutelage of David Updegraff at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Since completing college, Mr. Syed has performed in orchestras, and taught, extensively. He recently completed a decade's worth of tenure with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra as a core member of the violin section. In addition to also performing regularly with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, he has performed with the Ohio orchestras of Canton, Youngstown, Opera Columbus, Opera Circle Cleveland, Mansfield, Ohio Valley Symphony, and River City Symphony as well as Huntington WV. In 2004, Mr. Syed embarked on a 3-week tour of Taiwan as a member of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra.
Mr. Syed has personal friends and professional contacts in the Pacific Northwest, and in 2014 decided his life needed some new adventure, and from the flat wheat fields of Ohio, the mountains and Puget Sound appeared very appealing, and, realizing that one can play and teach violin anywhere, decided to embark upon a new chapter of life's journey. In his short time so far in Seattle, Mr. Syed has performed with the orchestras of Tacoma, Yakima, Lake Washington, Federal Way, Pacific Northwest Lyric Opera, in addition to chamber ensembles for weddings and other events. In addition to being a new faculty member of PNSM, Mr. Syed has been regularly serving as orchestra violin coach in the music program at Bellevue's Newport High School.
Mr. Syed is thrilled to be in a position to artistically serve the musical communities and programs of this most beautiful and culturally diverse part of our country.
