Faculty
Yulia Roubtsova
Director/Piano/Music Theory
Pianist and educator Yulia Roubtsova holds a Masters degree from the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory (Russia), where she studied music history, music theory, piano and harpsichord. For ten years, Ms. Roubtsova taught music theory, ear training, music harmony and music history at the prestigious Saint-Petersburg Music Lyceum (which serves as St. Petersburg Conservatory Prep Division). She has also worked as a music critic, editor and as a TV producer for a music-themed documentary.
Since coming to the United States in 2009, Ms. Roubtsova has established a reputation in both piano and music theory instruction. Her private theory students consistently receive the highest honors at their RCM examinations and AP Music Theory. And her piano students have won numerous prizes in local and statewide competitions, such as the North Carolina Bach Festival, UNCSA Piano Weekend, Moxley Piano Competition and NCMTA Festival/Competiton. In teaching both theory and performance, Yulia Roubtsova remains committed to the idea that good musicianship requires both. Ms. Roubtsova is also a founding Music Theory faculty at the UNCSA Community Music School.
Outside of her work duties Ms. Roubtsova enjoys singing with Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, reading, hiking and traveling around the world with her family.
Olga Steinberg
Piano
Pianist and educator Olga Steinberg holds a Masters degree from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music (Moscow), where she studied with the legendary pianist Maria Grinberg. Over the course of half a century, Ms. Steinberg taught pianists of all levels, including many who became professional musicians. She has numerous international competition prizewinners, as well a scholarship recipients at Juilliard and New England Conservatory, to her credit.
As a performer, Ms. Steinberg played the Kabalevsky Piano Concerto with the composer conducting, and won the Moscow Piano Teachers Competition. For many years, Olga Steinberg performed alongside her husband, violinist Leonid Steinberg, as a violin/piano duo and in numerous piano trios. She recorded music by living composers, co-wrote incidental music for a prominent Moscow theater, and worked for many years as a vocal accompanist, most recently at the Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Olga Steinberg is equally fluent in American and Russian piano methods, and is accepting students of all ages.
Dr. Stephen Saviola
Piano
Dr. Stephen Saviola is a native of Buffalo, NY, who moved to Greensboro to complete his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at UNCG. He completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees in piano performance at SUNY Fredonia and at Boston Conservatory.
Dr. Saviola frequently performs throughout the greater Greensboro area as an accompanist, chamber musician, and as a solo artist. An experienced teacher since 2012, he has taught for three years at UNCG as a group piano instructor and aural skills instructor as well as teaching privately.
Stephen enjoys teaching students of all levels, from young beginners to advanced performers as well as adult students.
Listen to Stephen Saviola here.
Ranara Rahimova
Piano/voice
A native of Azerbaijan, Ranara Rahimova holds dual Masters degree in Piano Pedagogy and Vocal Performance. She is a passionate and motivated teacher who has over 25 years of teaching experience with all ages and skill levels.
Ms. Rahimova is a soloist at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro. She also was a soloist at St. John's Lutheran Church in Winston-Salem. Ranara Rahimova has sung with Greensboro Opera Company, Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus and taught piano and voice at the B'nai Shalom Day School in Greensboro.
Ranara Rahimova offers voice lessons to adults and kids (8+). She welcomes piano students, adults and youth, and is focused on using dynamic and creative ways to connect with students.
Annah Hyojin Oh
Piano
Annah Hyojin Oh, a native of South Korea, began her piano studies at the age of five and has been teaching the piano for over ten years. She has her piano studios in Winston Salem and in High Point, North Carolina. Mrs. Oh is also an active performer as a collaborative pianist at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She has worked as a studio accompanist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Mrs. Oh completed her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
Her summer study includes the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and the International Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Her principal teachers have been Allison Gagnon, Andrew Willis, and Mayron Tsong. She has also worked with Anne Epperson, Eric Larsen, Jura Margulis, and Inara Zandmane.
Mrs. Oh has experience with other keyboard instruments including organ, fortepiano, harpsichord, celesta, clavichord, and synthesizer. She is active in church choir and band.
Sarah Core
Piano
Sarah Core is an Arizona-based pianist, having studied music for over 15 years. She recently completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory & Composition at Arizona State University, graduating Magna cum Laude from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts as well as Barrett the Honors College. Her past teachers include Robert Hamilton, Cathal Breslin, Andrew Campbell and Christina Eide.
Sarah Core is a graduate student at UNCSA piano performance program, where she studies with Prof. Dmitri Shteinberg as a teaching assistant. She has worked for the Yamaha Music School as a private instructor since 2021 teaching children of all ages, with a primary focus of teaching students at the beginning and intermediate levels of their piano journey.
Nathan Thomeer
Violin
Nathan Thomeer is a violinist from Buffalo, NY. He began playing the violin at the age of three. Nathan received his undergraduate degree in violin performance from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music (BW) studying under Dr. Julian Ross. Currently, he is a 2nd year graduate student at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) studying with Kevin Lawrence.
Nathan is a member of the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra, UNCSA Opera Orchestra and UNCSA Ballet Orchestra, which provides students with an opportunity to work with guest conductors from around the world. This past year he has played under Karen Ni Bhroin, Robert Franz, Thomas Wilkens, Jiannan Cheng, Jamie Allbritten and Michael Butterman.
This past year Nathan won a position with the Western Piedmont Symphony in the violin 1 section. He also subs professionally with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle in Durham as well as other orchestras in the area.
At UNCSA, Nathan is a member of ArtistCorps, a program that provides arts instruction, integration and exposure to school-aged children and seniors in the Winston-Salem community. ArtistCorps serves at a variety of settings including Title I Schools, Head Start programs, and community organizations. In ArtistCorps, Nathan has been teaching violin to middle schoolers and high schoolers around the Winston Salem community. He is looking forward to returning as a member for the upcoming 2022-23 school year!
Max Vitullo
Violin
Max Vitullo is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from UNCG. An avid performer, he can be found throughout much of NC with the UNCG Graduate String Quartet and is substitute violin for Western Piedmont Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, and others. Max received dual majors from the University of Minnesota in 2020 in Violin Performance and Music Education. After completing his undergraduate education, he taught orchestra classes at St. Peter Catholic School, served as music director and conductor of Cannon Valley Youth Orchestra, and maintained a private lessons studio of over 15 students of all ages and ability. As a performer, Max was section leader of St. Croix Valley Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra. His private violin instructors have included Young Nam Kim, Peter McGuire, and Steven Copes. Max now studies with Professor Marjorie Bagley at UNCG.
Max believes music provides a special opportunity for anyone to hear the world in new and imaginative ways, connect with deep emotions, learn a unique form of communication, and participate in a valuable human experience that brings joy, belonging, and wonder to our lives. When not playing the violin, Max enjoys spending time with friends and family usually around a dinner table or a competitive board game.
Chang Zhang
Violin
Violinist Chang Zhang holds a Bachelor Degree from the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing and a Masters and post-graduate diploma from Temple University in Philadelphia, where she studied under Amy Oshiro-Morales of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Chang Zgang is currently pursuing a Doctorate in music at UNC Greensboro, studying with Prof. Marjorie Bagley.
At UNCG, Ms. Zhang works as a teaching assistant, and serves as the concermistress of University symphony orchestra. Always in demand as an orchestral musician, she also plays with the Greensboro, Salisbury, Greenville and Fayetteville Symphony orchestras.
Mike Connors
Guitar/Harp
Guitarist/harper Mike Connors is a resident of High Point North Carolina and the founder and director of the classical guitar and harp programs at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, a grade 6-12 public school arts magnet. He earned master of music degree in classical guitar from the University of South Carolina in 1992 and a bachelor of music degree from Southern Illinois University in 1987. He studied guitar in Spain, and currently studies Scottish harp with William Jackson and Irish harp with Grainne Hambly.
Before moving to North Carolina in 2002, Mike spent 15 years in Columbia South Carolina as a classical guitar performer, teacher, and owner of The Classical Guitar Studio. He started guitar programs at Hammond Academy, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, and taught guitar and kindermusik at the Montessori Early Learning Center. He administrated the Summer Guitar Camps at Hammond and Heathwood, and organized and presented the South Carolina Guitar Competitions.
In 2002, he moved to Greensboro and transferred to Penn-Griffin in 2003. His students are active performers and have won competitions, have been featured in numerous venues, continued studies and earned degrees at universities and conservatories.
Mike Connors discovered the harp in 2005, and has rapidly made a name for himself in the Celtic harp world. He attended the Somerset Folk Harp Festival in New Jersey and took his first classes with Billy Jackson and Grainne Hambly. In 2011 he received 2nd prize at the master level in the US National Scottish Harp Championship.
Listen to Mike Connors here.
Samuel Magill
Cello
Cellist Samuel Magill has been called “...a world-class artist...” by Fanfare Magazine in 2018. Of his Centaur release of Andrew Rudin’s Cello Sonata, Fanfare wrote “Throughout, Magill’s beautiful cello tone is in evidence, endlessly expressive, subtle in shading.....He is a first- rate artist and instrumentalist.” His first Naxos CD of Vernon Duke’s Cello Concerto was hailed as “flat-out magnificent” by the American Record Guide. In 2014 The Strad Magazine raved about Magill’s “sumptuous tone” in his 2014 recital at New York’s Bargemusic series, in which he and Beth Levin played the rarely heard Czerny arrangement of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Violin Sonata. This led to their 2016 Navona CD which includes the Kreutzer, the Solo Cello Sonata by Artur Schnabel, and the Ballade by Emanuel Moór. Writing in Classics Today, Jed Distler said “Magill’s superb technique, range of color, and intelligent pacing make a compelling case (for the Schnabel)”. He wrote about the Beethoven, “The point is that the musical message transcends any questions of instrument on account of Magill’s supple bow arm, spotless intonation, and tonal evenness, abetted by Levin’s intense response to Beethoven’s subito dynamics and her sound collaborative instincts.”
Mr Magill has appeared as soloist throughout Japan and the U.S., including performances of both the Schumann Concerto and the Brahms Double Concerto in Tokyo’s famed Suntory Hall, and the Brahms and the Haydn D Major Concerto in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.
He has partnered with the pianists Oxana Yablonskaya, Pascal Rogé, and the late Grant Johannesen, and has given annual recitals since 1994 at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. He is a co-founder, with flutist Lucian Rinando and harpist Mélanie Genin, of the flute, cello, and harp trio Sono Auros. They made their New York debut a Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall to critical acclaim. Strings Magazine declared them “masters of their instruments.” Magill is also a founding member of the New York Piano Quartet.
A pupil of the late Zara Nelsova, Mr. Magill also studied with Laurence Lesser at the Peabody Institute and with Shirley Trepel at Rice University. He is the former Associate Principal Cello with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, former member of the Houston Symphony, and former member of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Listen to Samuel Magill here
Lucian Rinando
Flute
Flutist Lucian Rinando performs a vast range of music in orchestral, theatrical, and in a variety of chamber ensembles in New York City, across the United States and in festivals abroad. From 1993 - 2020, Mr. Rinando performed in the New York metropolitan area. He was an Artistic Extra for the Metropolitan Opera, Principal Flute for the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and Principal Flute for Cantori New York. He held the position of Principal Flutist with the Garden State Philharmonic for the eighteen seasons. Mr. Rinando has also performed with the New York City Opera National Touring Company and Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.
Lucian co-founded the award winning trio, Elysian Ensemble, with cellist Samuel Magill and harpist Elaine Christy. They were winners of an Artists’ International Award and performed their debut recital at Weill Recital Hall in 1997.
More recently, Mr. Rinando performed with world renowned musicians in the prestigious New York Chamber Music Festival for three seasons. Mr. Rinando made his first recording on the Azur label with the premier release of René de Castéra’s Concert for flute, clarinet, cello and piano as part of the International Albert-Roussel Festival. That disc was named a “Record of the Year” by the U.K. based www.musicweb-international.com. In addition, he has served as Assistant Conductor of the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons. Lucian Rinando is currently on faculty at Ocean County College in Toms River, New Jersey, and at the Count Basie Center for the Monmouth Conservatory of Music in Red Bank, New Jersey. Mr. Rinando earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from Duquesne University as a pupil of Bernard Z. Goldberg. He studied privately with Jeanne Baxtresser and Judith Mendenhall while in New York.
Cameron MacManus
trombone
Trombonist and bandleader Cameron MacManus moved to Winston-Salem in 2010 to attend UNCSA’s Professional Artist Certificate program. He is a regular performer with the Camel City Jazz Orchestra, Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphony Orchestras, Durham-based Afro-Brazilian ensemble Caique Vidal and Batuque, Charlotte salsa orchestra Orquesta Mayor, along with many local and regional classical, jazz, salsa and pop groups. In 2018, MacManus was named artistic director of the UNCSA Community Music School.
Cameron recently recorded trombone parts for projects by the progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me and singer-songwriter Becca Stevens. He can also be heard on recordings by the Brian McCarthy nonet, Clark Terry/Louie Bellson, and Nellie McKay. As a freelancer, Cameron has performed with a wide variety of artists including the legendary Motown group The Four Tops, Cuban vocalist Aymée Nuviola, and indie-rock band Broken Social Scene. He holds a Bachelor's of Music degree in studio music and jazz from the University of Tennessee, a Masters of Music degree in jazz performance from The William Paterson University of New Jersey and a Professional Artist’s Certificate from UNCSA. Previous positions include Director of Music Admissions at The William Paterson University of New Jersey, teaching artist in the Open Dream Ensemble, and personal assistant to jazz legend Dr. Clark Terry. Other hobbies and interests include jazz saxophone and hiking.
Listen to Cameron MacManus here.
Cindy Spell
RCm Music Theory Classes
Cindy Spell grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and spent her college years near the coast. She recently returned to her home state and is happy to be surrounded by the beauty of our natural environment and vibrant arts community.
Cindy holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from East Carolina University, where she studied with Dr. Elliot Frank. While living in Utah from 2013-2021, Cindy was instructor and guitar coordinator at Utah Valley University and the Gifted Music School, and served as president of the nonprofit organization, Utah Classical Guitar. She once had the amazing and rewarding experience of joining the Salt Lake Symphony for an arrangement of Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.
Cindy has served as music instructor at several schools in North Carolina, including Barton College, Pitt Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, and the Music Academy of Eastern Carolina. She has appeared as guest soloist with the Wilson Symphony Orchestra, PCC Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of Hope. Cindy also works with the East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival, where she has been Administrative Director since 2003.
Motivated by her passion for lifelong learning, Cindy continues to seek opportunities to bring people of all ages and experiences together through music. She is a Creative Activation Partner with the City of Greensboro, and regularly hosts events as a performer and educator. Cindy has been fortunate to continue her own training with William Kossler, co-author of the Suzuki Guitar Method. She teaches Suzuki guitar at the UNCSA Community Music School. Engaging the human capacity for learning through play, Cindy incorporates games and music theory challenges into each lesson. Her students follow the Royal Conservatory of Music Celebrate Theory series.
Outside of the classroom, she can be found walking in the woods, planning art and craft projects, and spending time with family, friends and cats.
Melissa Zacharias
Gate City Musikgarten
Melissa Zacharias ("Miss Melissa") remembers music being a part of her life ever since her father sang her to sleep as a little girl. As a student in Virginia Beach, VA, she played French horn in the school band. She earned both a bachelors and masters degree in Music Education from The Florida State University. After teaching middle school and high school band, chorus, guitar, and general music in Florida, Melissa moved to North Carolina to teach elementary music with Guilford County Schools before eventually dedicating herself to early childhood music education. She lives in High Point with her husband and daughter. Melissa first became interested in Musikgarten after attending her daughter's first class; she couldn't stop singing and dancing! Melissa became director of Gate City Musikgarten in 2019, and is honored to provide quality music education to families of the Triad.