The SOUNDS Academy Team

Kirk Johnson has been on a mission to provide the gift of music to lower income schools and children. As a musician, performer, and educator; Kirk believes that all children should have access to music education. Out of this belief, he founded SOUNDS Academy, a non-profit music education organization that teaches, mentors, and provides musical experiences and opportunities for...

Justin is a long-time music enthusiast from the Sunnyslope, Phoenix Area. He has a passion for inclusion and access across all curriculums and industries; at the core of it, helping people is what drives him. He has experience working in an educational setting for over 6 years, where he served as a paraprofessional mentor to undergraduate students at Arizona...

Ben MacDonald is a recognized performing saxophonist whose musical endeavors have propelled him to the vanguard of creative and collaborative musicianship. MacDonald has presented concerts across the United States and Europe in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Croatian National Theatre. During his career, Ben has received awards and recognition in prestigious solo competitions such the Patricia Nixon Woodwind...

Mat is a singer/songwriter native to the Phoenix area. His introduction to music came at an early age through piano lessons and playing the trombone in his grade school band. But it was later as a teenager, playing guitar and singing at church, that he discovered a passion for performing. In 2004, he began writing, recording, and performing music...

Hi I’m Zarinah Nadir and I am thrilled to join Sounds Academy in Development. I am a professional with many years of experience in law and community development. I was raised amongst diverse cultures in West Phoenix and Tempe by socially conscious parents raised in the 1960’s New York. My love of culture and languages led me to Arizona...

Karen Escobar is a proud native of Phoenix, Arizona. Karen comes from a family of immigrants who travelled from Guatemala in pursuit of a better future for themselves and their children. Being a first-generation college graduate, Karen has always been driven to find a career path that not only aligns with her family values but also allows her to...

Cindy Baker began her instrumental music studies in the public schools here in Phoenix. She earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education and a Masters in Violin Performance from the Indiana University (Jacobs) School of Music, where she also studied the harp. She has been a member of the Phoenix and Tucson Symphony Orchestras and the Sinfonia da Camera in...

Karen Bea has been a member of The Phoenix Symphony since 1999. A native of California, she grew up attending concerts by the San Francisco Symphony and taking lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  She attended Indiana University, where she received a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance.  She continued her studies at Carnegie Mellon University, receiving...

Kate started playing the violin in the fourth grade and holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin (2012). While at Lawrence, she developed a great love for world music and music traditions from many different cultures. She studied the tradition of Balinese Gamelan very intensely with a master musician...

Talya’s musical career began at the age of ten, when she picked up the cello for a school project and never put it down. Growing up close to New York City, she attended the Mannes and Juilliard pre-college programs under cellists Barabara Mallow and Bonnie Hampton, and soloed with the Juilliard Preparatory Orchestra. She received her undergraduate degree from...

Katie started playing the cello at six years old and was lucky to grow up in a public school system in Michigan that prioritized its music program. She went on to study at the University of Notre Dame, where she double majored in philosophy and music and studied cello with Karen Buranskas. Katie’s love of the humanities led her to...

Frederick Chao, a member of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Quartet Sabaku was previously the Associate Principal Cellist of the Honolulu Symphony. An avid chamber musician, he has been a member of the Delmar Trio, Stonybrook Trio, and the Philharmonic String Quartet. Mr. Chao received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Indiana University, where he was awarded the coveted...

Janie is a pianist, teacher and composer from Los Angeles California. She began piano lessons at age seven and after receiving a full-ride music scholarship, continued her studies at Grand Canyon University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance under the direction of Dr. Juan Hernandez. Janie has performed live in over 300 concerts, toured the U.S....

Chris Finet is part of the faculty of NAU’s School of Music. He teaches double bass along with directing the jazz ensembles and teaching jazz improvisation courses. Originally from the Phoenix area, Chris attended NAU as an undergraduate studying under late professor, Joel DiBartolo. While in Arizona he worked with many of the state’s great jazz artists including Chuck...

Tessa Gotman, a native of St. Louis, MO, began her studies at age 5. She received her Bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory of Music in 2008 studying with Lucy Chapman. She then received a Master’s degree in violin performance from Arizona State University under the instruction of Dr. Jonathan Swartz. In addition to being Dr. Swartz’s teaching assistant,...

Annie is a pianist, accompanist, and teacher. Her mother introduced her to the music world. She started playing piano when she was 8 years old through a school program and later received private lessons. She fell in love with the sound of piano and used piano competitions to improve her playing. While in high school, she was the accompanist...

I am Mahadevan Iyer pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at ASU. I have been learning violin for over thirteen years, currently with Mr. Dana Pasely of the Phoenix Symphony. I also play the viola. Music is a very big part of my life. I am also trained in low brass – euphonium. I was selected to the Arizona Regional...

Loving to play music as a youngster, Jaime decided to dedicate her life to learning how to play the violin and viola as well as she could. After over 50 years of practice and playing, she is still learning and practicing. Jaime spent A LOT of time in college, earning three degrees in Music from Arizona State University. An…

Teaching people to play the cello has been Jamie Kellogg’s passion ever since she gave her first lesson at the age of nineteen.  She received her Master of Music degree in Performance/Pedagogy from Arizona State University and spent many summers in California studying with Irene Sharp, her principal teaching mentor.  Some of Jamie’s students have successfully auditioned into the nation’s...

Thomas started playing drums at age 13 in junior high band and continued his education after high school at Phoenix College studying with Cleve Huff and ASU, where he studied jazz performance with Dr. Mark Sunkett and Dom Moio. An active performer for over 35 years and teacher for over 25 years, Thomas has traveled to over 20 countries...

Loving to play music as a youngster, Jaime decided to dedicate her life to learning how to play the violin and viola as well as she could. After over 50 years of practice and playing, she is still learning and practicing. Jaime spent A LOT of time in college, earning three degrees in Music from Arizona State University. An…

I am a musician with fifty years of piano playing experience. My motivation to play the piano began with an outstanding beginning teacher who inspired me, encouraged me, and showed me tough love when I did not practice. The persistence, purpose, and vision I was fortunate to gain is what I will pass on to my piano students. I...

Violist Christopher McKay joined The Phoenix Symphony in 2008 as section viola and is currently the  Acting Assistant Principal Viola, a post he has held since 2009. From 2007-2008 he held a one-year  position with the Louisville Orchestra and from 2001-2007 he was Principal Viola of the Evansville  Philharmonic Orchestra (IN). His other orchestral experience includes positions with Central...

Laura Meador (she/her) Laura is an Arts Professional trained in the Kennedy Center Arts Integration method. She holds a Masters in Music Education and a Masters in Guitar Performance Pedagogy from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University.

Mexican, with roots in El Norte of Chihuahua, I found music as my truest language when young and since then my life has been a voyage through sounds and the way they connect to the life we daily encounter. I believe creativity has the power to germinate in each aspect of everything we do wholeheartedly and I strive to...

In 2015, Julian Nguyen earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with a Business Minor from Rice University.  He currently studies with and serves as T.A. for Dr. Jonathan Swartz at ASU where he is earning his DMA in Violin Performance. Outside of his studies, Julian devotes his time to his students and his ensembles, giving back to...

Dr. Yeil Park (pronounced ‘Yale’) is a dynamic cellist who enjoys his career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and educator. He is a tenured member of Arizona Opera since 2014. Other orchestral engagements include the Castleton Festival Orchestra, where he sat assistant principal under maestro Fabio Luisi, and as a regular substitute with The Phoenix Symphony, Tucson...

Cellist Bridget Pasker began her musical studies at the age of 4. Originally from Dubuque, IA, she studied at the Preucil School of Music before earning her Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School. She then moved to San Francisco where she earned a Master’s degree in Chamber Music and Professional Studies diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music....

The Polish born violinist, Dagmara “Daga” Suchon, began her violin studies with her father, Stanislaw Suchon, the concertmaster of Poznan Philharmonic. Under the guidance of Prof. Michal Grabarczyk, she graduated cum laude from the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Music Academy in Poznan, Poland.  Upon graduation Daga lived in Germany, where as a pop musician she joined her sister Joanna in...