Michael Butkus - Bomier, Piano - Michael has also played guitar, electric bass, saxophone, trombone and keyboard. His academic music background includes private lessons as a child with well-known educator Ruth Schoening, a BM degree in composition from UW-Madison, master classes in jazz improvisation in NYC with Barry Harris and Hal Galper, and graduate work with John Downey at UW-Milwaukee.
Michael performs throughout Southern Wisconsin so look for his groups in entertainment listings, or visit www.michaelbb.info for updates.  
Vlada (Syabrenko) Henderson, Piano, Theory, and Composition (classical) - Vlada started her music education at the age of 4, taught first by her mother, and later by a graduate of Moscow Conservatory. She played her first solo concert in Krasnodar at the age of 12. She attended schools of music in Krasnodar, Grozny, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka and Saratov. She completed her Master in Piano in 1995 with Dr. N. M. Smirnova, and her Doctorate in 2005 with Dr. L. I. Shugom, both from the L.V. Sobinov Conservatory of Music in Saratov.
Vlada has played numerous concerts throughout Russia and has held teaching and administrative positions. She played for the 300th anniversary of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka and was invited to play for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg in 2003. She has lived in the United States for nine years, where she teaches music and performs.
Aaron Johnson, Voice Instructor (bass-baritone) - Aaron Johnson is a recent transplant from the Chicago area, where he enjoyed a varied musical career as a soloist, chorister, music director, stage director, classroom instructor, and singing teacher for over a decade. His academic training includes a Master of Music in vocal performance from Northwestern University, a Master of Science in speech-language pathology, specializing in voice, and a Certificate in Vocology, the study of vocal habilitation and rehabilitation.
In addition to teaching and performing in the Madison area, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in speech-language pathology at UW-Madison, focusing on the prevention and treatment of voice disorders in professional voice users. His philosophy of teaching is to guide students to find a healthy vocal production that can be applied to any musical style, using an individual approach for each student based on extensive knowledge of vocal physiology, motor learning principles, and teaching experience. 
April Kang, Piano (classical) - Born in South Korea, April started piano lessons at age seven, and came to the United States when she was 14. She received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Music in piano performance from the UW-Madison in 2006 after piano studies with Dr. Catherine Kautsky. She was the recital winner of Georgia Music Educators Association Piano Competition in 2003. In the summer of 2005, she participated in Castelfranc Summer Piano School in France and studied with French piano music expert, Paul Roberts. While pursuing piano performance degrees, she also studied harpsichord, organ and choral conducting.
Throughout her high school and undergraduate years, April was an active choir member as an alto section leader, a piano accompanist and a student director. She was an official accompanist for Cumberland County’s All County Middle School Choral Festival in North Carolina and Music Teacher National Association Regional Competition in 2005. She enjoys working with choirs as both a pianist and a conductor. In addition to teaching at Farley's, she is an accompanist for Madison Ballet and Madison Youth Choirs and organist at Lakeview Moravian Church in Madison.
Natalie McKechnie, Piano (classical) - Natalie is originally from Stowe, Vermont, where she was an avid pianist, ski racer, tennis, and field hockey player. In 2000, she enrolled at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and was the freshman winner of the annual concerto competition. She graduated from Colby College in 2004 with a B.A. in music with honors, and in mathematical science. After graduation, she lived in Portland, Maine, taking piano pedagogy classes and lessons from the University of Southern Maine, and teaching piano privately. In 2005 she moved to Madison and recently completed her Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin. In 2007, she was the winner of the annual University of Wisconsin Beethoven Sonata Competition. Natalie wants to enter the performing arts medicine field through occupational therapy and ultimately work with, and teach, injured pianists.
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