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
HANNA BINGHAM is currently an actively performing violinist in the greater Chicago area. Raised in Dekalb, Illinois, Hanna holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Northern Illinois University, where she studied under Blaise Magniere as well as with soloist Yang Liu. Hanna also received her Masters Degree in String Performance from Northwestern University Bienen School of Music where she studied with Blair Milton and Desiree Ruhstrat. Hanna also studied with Ann Monztka Smelser, Okumura Kazuo, and Drew Lecher. She has soloed with a number of orchestras including the NIU sinfonia, Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, and the NIU Philharmonic. She has been featured on the WFMT broadcast "From the Top." Her chamber music experience is diverse, and features an array of ensembles including a string quartet that competed in the St. Paul String Quartet Competition and were named semi-finalists in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Indiana. Hanna has been named as a recipient of the Richard and Helen Thomas Endowed Fellowship, twice, and is a recipient of the School of Music Eckstein Fund at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.
As an instructor, Hanna has been teaching privately for over a decade and pulls inspiration from both the Suzuki method and other traditional methods of teaching. She has worked closely with Stacia Spencer at Northwestern University and Ann Montzka-Smelser at NIU for her pedagogy and teacher training. She is passionate about making sure students get off to a good start and that music making is wonderful for all levels of players.
As an instructor, Hanna has been teaching privately for over a decade and pulls inspiration from both the Suzuki method and other traditional methods of teaching. She has worked closely with Stacia Spencer at Northwestern University and Ann Montzka-Smelser at NIU for her pedagogy and teacher training. She is passionate about making sure students get off to a good start and that music making is wonderful for all levels of players.
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.
KENICHI KIYAMA is a California-born violinist who loves performing and teaching. He started the violin at the age of 9 through the music program at his elementary school. Realizing his passion for music, he started private lessons a year later and has never stopped. Kenichi was the concertmaster of several honor groups during his precollege years. He was the prize winner of MTAC Concerto Competition, Saddleback Concerto Competition, and SCP Concerto Competition. Kenichi received his BM from CSULB where he studied with Henry Gronnier, Director of Colburn Academy. He was the concertmaster of his university’s orchestra and was a member of the university’s elite string quartet. He was the featured violinist in several projects including NEOJIBA collaboration concert, Covington Concert Series, and the recording artist for several animated short films that received millions of views and awards for best picture.
After CSULB, Kenichi moved to Chicago, attending Roosevelt University to receive his Master’s in Classical Performance and Performance Diploma where he studied with Mrs. Almita Vamos. During his time in Chicago, he performed as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and other local/midwestern professional orchestras such as Minnesota Orchestra, Elgin Symphony and Rockford Symphony. He was also the featured violinist for a segment in the Ear Taxi Festival, a new music festival.
Kenichi has been teaching violin and viola for about a decade to students of all ages and abilities. He enjoys watching his students accomplish their musical goals. He will stop at nothing to exhaust all possible ways to help your student succeed at their instrument. Kenichi has a background in martial arts and in physical wellness making his approach to both the violin and viola a more physically “harmonious” one.
In his own spare time, Kenichi loves learning new things, enjoys nature walks, exploring new places, eating good food with good company, and sleeping.
After CSULB, Kenichi moved to Chicago, attending Roosevelt University to receive his Master’s in Classical Performance and Performance Diploma where he studied with Mrs. Almita Vamos. During his time in Chicago, he performed as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and other local/midwestern professional orchestras such as Minnesota Orchestra, Elgin Symphony and Rockford Symphony. He was also the featured violinist for a segment in the Ear Taxi Festival, a new music festival.
Kenichi has been teaching violin and viola for about a decade to students of all ages and abilities. He enjoys watching his students accomplish their musical goals. He will stop at nothing to exhaust all possible ways to help your student succeed at their instrument. Kenichi has a background in martial arts and in physical wellness making his approach to both the violin and viola a more physically “harmonious” one.
In his own spare time, Kenichi loves learning new things, enjoys nature walks, exploring new places, eating good food with good company, and sleeping.
MK GUTHRIE was in Atlanta, Georgia, MK Guthrie began her violin education at age 4. By middle school she was concertmaster of the (Atlanta) Metropolitan Youth String Orchestra and frequently played with a chamber music group and a nationally ranked céili (Irish music) band. In high school she was concertmaster of both the Georgia Piedmont Youth Orchestra and the Buckhead Youth Orchestra, and a section violinist of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. She attended numerous summer music festivals and was twice selected for the Georgia All State Orchestra. In 2015 and 2019, she was co-concertmaster at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival.
MK studied violin performance at Kennesaw State University with Prof. Helen Kim and graduated with her bachelor’s degree with honors in 2020. While a student, she played with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, the Lagrange Symphony, and the Augusta Symphony. MK earned her graduate degree in 2022 under Dr. Lin He at Louisiana State University, and performed with the Constantinides New Music Ensemble at Carnegie Hall the same year.
MK is an active teacher and performer in the Chicago area. Outside of music, she is a prolific tattoo artist and devoted parent of Wolfgang (the sweetest and smartest dog ever) and Wolf’s siblings Bear and Nala (both cats). Her fiancé and co-parent, Nick Collins, is principal tubist and fellow the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and principal tubist of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. The family lives in Rogers Park.
MK studied violin performance at Kennesaw State University with Prof. Helen Kim and graduated with her bachelor’s degree with honors in 2020. While a student, she played with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, the Lagrange Symphony, and the Augusta Symphony. MK earned her graduate degree in 2022 under Dr. Lin He at Louisiana State University, and performed with the Constantinides New Music Ensemble at Carnegie Hall the same year.
MK is an active teacher and performer in the Chicago area. Outside of music, she is a prolific tattoo artist and devoted parent of Wolfgang (the sweetest and smartest dog ever) and Wolf’s siblings Bear and Nala (both cats). Her fiancé and co-parent, Nick Collins, is principal tubist and fellow the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and principal tubist of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. The family lives in Rogers Park.
TORSTEIN JOHANSEN is a bassist, educator and composer based in Chicago, IL. He has performed with many orchestras and new music ensembles in Europe and North America. Born in Fredrikstad, Norway, he started his studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music before coming to Chicago to study at DePaul University. In addition to teaching and classical music, Torstein is active in the experimental music scene in Chicago and releases music with his partner under the name "¡Bananaquit!".
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.
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.
