Karen Koyama, Piano
Lessons with Ms. Koyama -
1/2 hour - $25
Karen Koyama graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts in 1999. She studied with Richard Cass at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Upon graduation, Karen earned her commission as an Artillery Officer in Army Air Defense. She started her teaching career in 1995. Her students range from ages 6 – adults and she teaches beginning through advanced piano.
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Karen is an accomplished pianist and has been asked to perform twice for the California State Conventions in San Francisco and San Diego. Currently, she performs as the pianist for the Turtle Creek Trio. She is an active member of the National Music Teacher’s Association and McDowell Music Club and serves as the Secretary on the Board of Director’s for the Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra.
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Previously, she has taught in CA, NV and now in WI. She has participated, as well as judged, in various events ranging from Jr. Festival, South Western Youth Music Festival, Liszt Competition and most recently the Nie Young Artists Competition and the Chopin Piano Competition here in WI. Along with teaching at Beloit College, Karen maintains an active private studio at Creekside Music Academy.
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Karen is a mother of two boys, Jacob and Jonah. In 2018, she opened up a store in Downtown Beloit called Nine Bells and Cat Tails. She has recently taken ownership of Creekside Music Academy. She is a firm believer that teachers can affect their students far beyond the classroom and strives to prepare her students for a lifelong pursuit of excellence in music and in life.
Zach Peterson, Violin/Viola/Cello
Lessons with Mr. Peterson -
1/2 hour - $25
Zach Peterson, a Beloit-based violinist, has an extensive background in performance. He is comfortable teaching violin, viola, and cello to all ages and ability levels. He is also comfortable teaching people in fiddle and non-classical styles.
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Zach holds degrees from The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (Bachelors 2006-2010), The University of Western Ontario (Masters 2010-2012) and Roosevelt University (Performance Certificate 2012-2014). After completing his degrees he went right into a two year contract with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, one of the countries leading training orchestras.
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Zach grew up in the Beloit area where he studied with Lori Davis (Wier) and John Pickart, and later with Janet Chisholm in Madison. After graduating high school, he went on to study with Klara Bahcall, Annette Barbara-Vogel, Jaime Weisenblum and Stefan Hersh. While studying at the collegiate level, Zach received various honors and opportunities. He was a featured soloist with both the Western Ontario and UW-Oshkosh Orchestras playing the Mozart Adagio and Rondo (Western) as well as Dvorak’s violin romance (Oshkosh). Other honors include being a UW-Oshkosh Honors Recitalist as well as passing his Master’s Degree final recital with a mark of Distinction, a mark given to exceptional student recitals at the University of Western Ontario. Zach has also had the honor of working with and performing alongside some of the leading classical musicians of our time. Toward the end of his time at UW-Oshkosh, he had a teaching studio at Mike’s Music in Fond du Lac, where he taught students aged 6 - 60.
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While at Roosevelt, Zach’s quartet was given the honor of playing the Mozart Viola Quintet with Julliard Professor of Viola Toby Appel. While at the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Yo Yo Ma worked extensively with the Orchestra giving masterclasses, workshops and coaching. During the Bach Brandenburg Concertos Marathon Concert in 2015, Mr. Ma sat in with the Brandenburg group Zach was playing in. He has also played under many influential conductors, including Riccardo Mutti, Charles Dutoit and Sir Andrew Davis.
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Outside of his training, Zach has organized and performed in many solo recitals and concerts. He has a passion for finding and performing obscure and under-performed masterpieces and championing lesser known composers. In addition to classical performance, Zach is an accomplished fiddler, which he hopes to showcase more in the coming years.
Brianna Trainor, Drums and Percussion
Lessons with Ms. Trainor -
1/2 hour - $25
Kay Schultz, Brass & Woodwinds
Shannon Schoville, Voice
Lessons with Ms. Schoville -
1/2 hour - $25
Noted for her power, range, and warm color, soprano Shannon Schoville completed the Master of Music in Vocal Performance program at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, where she studied with Dr. Beverly Reed Hay. She made her professional debut as “Rosalinde” in Die Fledermaus with the Spartanburg, SC Repertory Company and has since performed a variety of roles, including “Mrs. Mullin” in Carousel, “Mother” in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, “First Lady” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote and “Musetta” in La Boheme. She is also in demand as a guest artist and recitalist, most recently on the summer concert season with Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra and as the featured soprano on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra.
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Ms. Schoville began singing in church at the age of eight and continued throughout high school. After taking a few years away from music, she returned to singing as a member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received her Bachelor of Music in Performance degree from Indiana University, where she won the Concerto/Aria competition in 2009, and was awarded the Emilene Manheim Scholarship for Soprano. She has had the privilege of singing under the batons of Maestros James Ian Nie, Rob Tomaro, Edvard Tchivzhel, Francesco Carotenuto, Andrew Constantine, and Hidetaka Niyama, as well as working with acclaimed vocal instructors, coaches and directors including Dr. Sam Savage, Dr. Robert Alan Saunders, Mary Grogan, Arlene Shrut, and Richard Harrell. Ms. Schoville has appeared as a soloist on numerous occasions throughout the United States, as well as in Rome, Italy.
Since moving home to Wisconsin, Ms. Schoville has been active in the community as a member of the Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra board of directors, and a member of faculty at Beloit College. When not teaching or performing, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and pets.