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. 
Photo credit: Joseph Blough 
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 Crossroads United Methodist Church of Waunakee. 
Crystal Buck-Riese, Piano, Voice - Crystal began singing publicly through her church in Kansas City at the age of 5. After beginning private voice and piano lessons while in high school with Terri Harris, Crystal quickly found her love of opera and classical voice. Crystal attended the University of Missouri in Kansas City Conservatory of Music for a semester before transferring to Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana studying voice with Dr. Laurel Thomas and piano with Dr. Jeffrey Jacob and graduated magna cum laude receiving honors on her senior music comprehensive presentation of Guillaume de Machaut and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and double minor in piano and modern languages.
Crystal's awards and honors include 1 ratings at state solo competitions, four year member of the Kansas district, regional, and state honor choirs, third place at the Indiana NATS in 2006, two year Saint Mary's College choir board president, founder and president of the Saint Mary's College Modern Language Recital Series, founder and vice president of the Saint Mary's College Music Club, and her participation with the Rome Festival Opera in 2007 where she performed the role of Barbarina. Crystal has performed various roles include Soir Angelica from Soir Anglica, Miss Sweetsong from Impressario, Christine from Phantom of the Opera, and an understudy for Leonora at the world premier of the opera Witness. Crystal has worked with various conductors including Dr. Nancy Menk, Maestro Fitz Maraffi, Dr. Eef Eily, Maestro Tsung Yeh, and Dr. Carol Neiss. Crystal is currently studying voice with Dr. Valerie Errante and in addition to teaching at Farley's sings with the Madison Opera and the Four Seasons Theatre.  Jacey E. Faulkner, Piano - Jacey E. Faulkner began her piano performance studies at the age of four. Throughout her career, Jacey has had the opportunity to perform at notable venues, such as Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Oxford University in England, and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Scotland. She was a featured soloist at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah as part of the Temple Square Concert Series. Jacey received yearly scholarships, attending the University of Utah School of Music wherein she received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2003, and then completed her Master of Music in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano in 2005, graduating summa cum laude. While at the University of Utah she was named as the Presser Scholar in 2001, the single highest honor awarded to one music student per academic year. She received recognition not only as the winner of various competitions, but also as a peer review judge of the Gina Bachauer International Artists competition, and piano double on the hit television series, Everwood. She has studied with Steinway Artists, prominent conductors, and Carnegie Hall Artists including Susan Duehlmeier, Leon Fleisher, and Joseph Silverstein.
Jacey began teaching in 2001 at the Preparatory Division of the University of Utah School of Music and joined the faculty at Farley's House of Pianos in 2009. In addition to teaching, Jacey enjoys using music to benefit patients in elderly care facilities as well as hospitals, organizing and performing concerts. She volunteered and co-created the Utah Healing Arts Program, a service organization providing music therapy to patients and their families at prominent hospitals in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jaime Gusicafré , Classical Guitar - Emmy award winning guitarist/ composer Jaime Gusicafré is highly acclaimed for his talent in Classical, Latin Jazz and World Music. Gusicafré won his Emmy in 1988 for his performance, composing, and direction in the soundtrack for the PBS documentary, "Hispanic Mosaic." He has performed as a soloist and with ensembles throughout North and South America, Spain and Italy. As a member of the celebrated Latin American group Sotavento, he made nine recording on Redwood Records and DiscosPueblo.
Among Gusicafré’s recordings is "Seven Latin American Composers", and the critically acclaimed CD "New Music for Guitar" which showcases his original guitar music, as well as works by other Latin composers, and features Roscoe Mitchell. During Gusicafré’s eleven year collaboration with Roscoe Mitchell, Gusicafré played on string instruments ranging from the classical guitar to the Puerto Rican cuatro to the Japanese Biwa. In a review of "New Music for Guitar" Tom Laaskin described it as "a humane, intellectually satisfying album..." Mr. Gusicafré is a member of the music faculty at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, and resides in Madison, Wisconsin.  |