Our Director
NATALIE FRAKES is a violinist and educator who believes deeply in using music as a vehicle for social change. When she’s not teaching, she keeps busy performing and has been part of live productions for current artists such as Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Kygo, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and more.
Ms. Frakes is a passionate educator and has devoted her time as a teaching artist and educator in the public schools and with El Sistema-inspired programs. She was Director of Orchestras for Oxford Community Schools and has been a teaching artist with the Sphinx Organization, Detroit Symphony's Civic Youth Ensembles, MSU Community Music School-Detroit, and El Sistema-inspired programs including Accent Pontiac, Baltimore Symphony's OrchKids, and has lived and taught in Costa Rica and Chile. She is actively engaged as a music educator in disempowered communities, knows the schools from first hand experience and shows keen judgement in their needs.
Ms. Frakes was born, raised, and educated in Detroit, MI and graduated from Wayne State University, magna cum laude. She is excited to bring new music education practices to Niles to work on musical and social leadership, collective composition, improvisation and deep exploration through interpretation of multiple genres in the orchestral setting.
Ms. Frakes is a passionate educator and has devoted her time as a teaching artist and educator in the public schools and with El Sistema-inspired programs. She was Director of Orchestras for Oxford Community Schools and has been a teaching artist with the Sphinx Organization, Detroit Symphony's Civic Youth Ensembles, MSU Community Music School-Detroit, and El Sistema-inspired programs including Accent Pontiac, Baltimore Symphony's OrchKids, and has lived and taught in Costa Rica and Chile. She is actively engaged as a music educator in disempowered communities, knows the schools from first hand experience and shows keen judgement in their needs.
Ms. Frakes was born, raised, and educated in Detroit, MI and graduated from Wayne State University, magna cum laude. She is excited to bring new music education practices to Niles to work on musical and social leadership, collective composition, improvisation and deep exploration through interpretation of multiple genres in the orchestral setting.
Our Faculty
JESSE CALCAT is a multi-instrumentalist, having begun his college music studies focusing on piano and viola as an undergraduate. After beginning graduate studies in viola, Jesse realized that his true love in the string family was cello, to which he switched, and earned a Master’s of Music in Cello Performance from Bowling Green State University in 2015. He has played in over two dozen orchestras in four different states, maintained a studio of violin, viola, cello, and piano students, and has also worked in piano accompanying and church music directing. Jesse also plays several instruments outside of classical and the Western spheres, such as Celtic harp, guzheng, and erhu, and has performed on multiple instruments in two Celtic groups in his native Michigan.
CAITLIN EDWARDS began studying the violin at the age of eight, through the Music Opportunity Program in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2018, she was awarded the Rising Star award from the Gateways Music Festival and helped lead the Nairobi Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the first live ballet/orchestra production in Kenyan history. She also recorded the movie score for Disney movie, “The Lion King”, in April 2019. She’s performed and recorded behind artists such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Common, Yolanda Adams,India Arie, Tori Kelly and etc. She has had the pleasure to perform with orchestras such as the Chicago Sinfonietta, Grant Park Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Re-Collective Orchestra. In 2020, Caitlin was featured as a soloist in the “Dreams of Hope” documentary which premiered on PBS stations across the US and has received awards both nationally and internationally. She is also a proud member of the ensemble, D-Composed Chicago, which recently made their national television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Caitlin is a graduate of DePaul University, receiving her Masters with distinction.
MALIK JOHNSON is a cellist, composer, and class of 2021 DePaul University School of Music graduate. Since attending DePaul, Malik has worked with the Matt Jones Orchestra which has opened the doors for him to appear on NPR's Tiny Desk in 2017, record on John Legend's Christmas album released in 2018, featured on Kirk Franklin’s Grammy award winning album, Long Live Love, and work with countless other professional and local recording artists.
Malik was introduced to the cello in 3rd grade through Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Progression's Program (MYSO). During his ten years with MYSO, Malik has received numerous commendations for his dexterity as a cellist. In addition to his skill as an outstanding cellist, Malik is a self-taught guitarist, and a formally trained pianist. One of Malik’s most honorable, and memorable experiences was being selected to accept the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award on behalf of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. This award which is regarded as the highest honor in the nation for after school arts and humanities programs was presented to the honorees by First Lady Michelle Obama in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
Malik's passion of service has not subsided since attending college. In the summer of 2018, Malik traveled to Tanzania to do service projects for the Maasai people of the Longido District. He currently volunteers with non-profits in the Chicago area and with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.
Malik was introduced to the cello in 3rd grade through Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Progression's Program (MYSO). During his ten years with MYSO, Malik has received numerous commendations for his dexterity as a cellist. In addition to his skill as an outstanding cellist, Malik is a self-taught guitarist, and a formally trained pianist. One of Malik’s most honorable, and memorable experiences was being selected to accept the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award on behalf of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. This award which is regarded as the highest honor in the nation for after school arts and humanities programs was presented to the honorees by First Lady Michelle Obama in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
Malik's passion of service has not subsided since attending college. In the summer of 2018, Malik traveled to Tanzania to do service projects for the Maasai people of the Longido District. He currently volunteers with non-profits in the Chicago area and with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.
LARISSA MAPUA is a Filipino-American performing violist and instructor based in Chicago. Selected by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, she performed Debussy's String Quartet, Op.10 at the U.S. Capitol for members of the 114th U.S. Congress. She was invited to perform a solo recital for Fidel V. Ramos, 12th President of the Philippines, in 2012. Currently, she performs with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In 2019-2021, she was a violist in The Orchestra Now. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and on live television for Georgia Public Broadcasting. Ms. Mapua has worked with conductors Fabio Luisi, Robert Spano, Donald Runnicles, and Valery Gergiev. Her chamber music appearances include the National Music Festival and Madeline Island Chamber Music. The National Federation of Music Clubs recognized her achievements with the Rose Thomas Smith Award. Additional honors include awards by the Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia, Galing Foundation, Inc., and Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta. She received her Bachelor of Music at DePaul University, from the studio of Rami Solomonow. Additionally, she studied with Matthew Daline and Doyle Armbrust. She completed her Master of Music at Indiana University Jacobs School, from the studio of Edward Gazouleas.
JAMES ROSS is a Chicago-based musician, composer and educator. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music degree from Roosevelt University where he studied jazz double bass performance. He has recorded many albums of original music with bands such as Hello Industry, The Astronomer, The Whole Sky, and has appeared as a side man with many others such as Jon Guerra, Chad Burton, Packy Lundholm, Maggie Speaks and the Mike and Joe Band. Since 2012 he has been the Music Director and Sunday Service Coordinator at New Community Covenant Church. He currently leads the wedding band Enough Said. As an educator he has taught private and group lessons on bass and guitar. He has been a guest teacher at the Bellas Artes Music School and has taught sectionals for Lane Tech High School orchestras and The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons.
KRISTINA ZLATAREVA is a native of Bulgaria and is building a multifaceted career as a performer, educator and arts entrepreneur. She has appeared on the international stage alongside artists Sarah Chang, Ray Chen, James Ehnes and Rohan de Silva, and her performances have been broadcasted on NPR and Los Angeles’ KUSC. She has given recitals across the United States and Europe, including a 2016 performance at the Supreme Court of the United States, honoring 2016 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, Danielle Belen. Ms. Zlatareva worked alongside esteemed violin pedagogues Danielle Belen at the University of Michigan and Blair Milton at Northwestern University in mentoring a growing studio of superb young musicians in the Midwest. Ms. Zlatareva’s students have been accepted into prestigious institutions such as University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Northwestern University in Chicago, Indiana University in Bloomington, The Oberlin Conservatory, University of Texas at Austin, String Academy at Indiana University, Center Stage Strings and Credo Festival at Oberlin.During the summer seasons, Ms. Zlatareva teaches at Center Stage Strings at UM’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance and at the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival in Alaska. In the summer of 2018, Ms. Zlatareva served on the violin faculty at the Luzerne Music Center in NY.
As a pedagogue dedicated to supporting a new generation of extraordinary classical musicians of color, Ms. Zlatareva has served on the faculty at the Sphinx Organization’s Overture Program in Detroit and Flint, MI where she has worked with under-represented students ages 7-10.
Ms. Zlatareva enjoys a parallel career in arts entrepreneurship and administration. In 2019, Ms. Zlatareva traveled to Cambodia with concert violinist & UN Messenger of Peace, Midori, for an outreach tour to over 20 NGOs as part of the International Music Engagement Program (ICEP). Every summer, Ms. Zlatareva comes back to Ann Arbor, MI to teach and serve as Executive Assistant to Prof. Danielle Belen at Center Stage Strings. She has held previous intern positions at Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Community Engagement & Outreach Department and at New York City’s leading management agency, Primo Artists.
Ms. Zlatareva currently pursues a Doctoral Degree in Violin Performance at Northwestern University in Chicago under the tutelage of Prof. Blair Milton.
As a pedagogue dedicated to supporting a new generation of extraordinary classical musicians of color, Ms. Zlatareva has served on the faculty at the Sphinx Organization’s Overture Program in Detroit and Flint, MI where she has worked with under-represented students ages 7-10.
Ms. Zlatareva enjoys a parallel career in arts entrepreneurship and administration. In 2019, Ms. Zlatareva traveled to Cambodia with concert violinist & UN Messenger of Peace, Midori, for an outreach tour to over 20 NGOs as part of the International Music Engagement Program (ICEP). Every summer, Ms. Zlatareva comes back to Ann Arbor, MI to teach and serve as Executive Assistant to Prof. Danielle Belen at Center Stage Strings. She has held previous intern positions at Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Community Engagement & Outreach Department and at New York City’s leading management agency, Primo Artists.
Ms. Zlatareva currently pursues a Doctoral Degree in Violin Performance at Northwestern University in Chicago under the tutelage of Prof. Blair Milton.
