Learn from Great Strings Teachers

Vasco Mendes Canastra is a Portuguese violinist from Porto. He began his musical studies in May 2011, studying violin with Professor João Paz. Four years later, he continued his studies with violin teacher Pedro Rocha. From 2015 to 2019, he studied at the Academia de Música de Costa Cabral (AMCC) under Professor Sergey Arutyunyan, where he completed the Professional Course of…

I am an an international performing arts educator and an opera singer and cellist with over 25 years experience. Some of my professional performance credits including New York Philharmonic, One World Symphony, Headlining Acts - New York Public Library, recitals, outreach and more in San Francisco, New York, New Delhi and Beijing.

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Mr. Galbraith began playing violin at the age of four. He switched to viola during the summer of 1995, before his eighth grade year. After switching, he earned principle viola in his local region orchestra. He went on to attend the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, specializing in viola performance and graduating in 2000.

She began her studies at the Collegium Musicum and then at the López Buchardo National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires. As a violinist she was part of the Academic Orchestra of the Teatro Colón, the Chamber Orchestra of the National Congress, the Municipal Orchestra of Avellaneda, the Marta Argerich Chamber Orchestra, among others.

Tara Shupe was raised playing traditional American Fiddle Music and Bluegrass. She began playing festival stages at 6 years old and toured the US and Europe playing mandolin and singing with the award winning youth bluegrass band String Fever starting in her teens, taking the stages of Telluride, Rockygrass, La Roche Festival in France, GreyFox, IBMA, and more.

Dakota developed a strong passion for the violin very early in her life. She started playing at age 2 after showing strong interest while hearing a recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major on the radio. Since then she has continued her studies performing in many recitals and concerts.

Hi! I’m Isaac, a guitarist, bassist, and vocal coach with over 20 years of hands-on playing, performing, and teaching experience. I specialize in fingerstyle guitar, jazz harmony, and creative genre-blending, helping students discover their own sound and play with confidence.

Gina received her Masters Degree in Viola Performance from Hopkins University. She has studied and worked with Roberto Diaz, Mick Wetzel, Peter Marsh and Michelle LaCourse. Gina can be heard and seen in numerous TV, recording and Film projects that include United Airlines, Apple TV, the TV series “Fargo” and The Alan Parsons Project to name a few.

I started my musical studies at the age of 4 singing in a Chorus. At age of 7 I started my violin studies and later Piano studies. Music has been my life since then, and I always strive to transmit that passion to my students. I have played all around the world, in Israel, Europe, South Africa and USA.

Rachel Leader (she/her) is violin/fiddle and clawhammer banjo teacher and performing artist based in Western Massachusetts. Initially trained in classical violin through the Suzuki method, Rachel has expanded her expertise to traditional genres including folk, old-time, country, Cajun, bluegrass, klezmer, Greek, and Balkan music.