Ina Georgieva

Bulgarian-born violist Ina Georgieva is an accomplished orchestra musician, chamber music performer, and teacher. She holds degrees in viola performance from the National Academy of Music (Bulgaria); Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar; and Texas Christian University. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, Ina was a member of New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria). Prior to moving to the USA, Ina was a member of the Sofia State Opera and Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Ina is trained in the Suzuki method and is a certified early music education instructor. Currently, Ina is a member of Madison Symphony Orchestra and is a coach with the Chamber Music program at Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. She also teaches violin and viola at the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Zachary Preucil

Dr. Zachary Preucil enjoys a variety of activities as a performer and educator. Currently, Dr. Preucil is principal cellist of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, serves on the cello faculty at Carroll University, and is a member of Trio des Éléments along with clarinetist Sarah Manasreh and pianist Katherine Petersen. At Farley’s, he maintains a private teaching studio and co-directs and coaches in the chamber music program. Recently, Dr. Preucil has performed with the Wisconsin Philharmonic and the Dubuque Symphony, and has appeared on the International Music Foundation’s “Rush Hour” Concert Series, Midsummer’s Music Festival, Green Lake Music Festival, the MIC Faculty/Guest Artist Series, Concerts in the Shed, Caroga Lake Music Festival, and as a soloist with the Schaumburg Youth Symphony at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. Dr. Preucil has been praised by the press for his “gorgeous phrasing, attractive color, nimble finger work and lyrical quality” (Hyde Park Herald), and his solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio and WFMT Chicago.

Previously, Dr. Preucil served on the faculties of the Music Institute of Chicago, Kanack School of Musical Artistry, Music for Youth of Arlington Heights, and the UW-Madison Community Music School, and has given masterclasses at St. Olaf College, Wheaton College Community School for the Arts, Community Cello Works of Blacksburg, Virginia, and MIC Winter Workshops. Additionally, he has held teaching assistantships at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a teaching fellowship at the International Cello Institute, where he has subsequently served as a guest clinician and director of the iConnect mentorship program for young cellists. He has coached chamber music at the Music Institute of Chicago, the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra and Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra programs.

Dr. Preucil holds a D.M.A. in Cello Performance and a minor in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was inducted into the school’s chapters of Phi Kappa Phi and the National Society for Leadership and Success. He received his M.M. in Cello Performance and an Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music as a Pi Kappa Lambda inductee, and his B.M. in Cello Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers have included Uri Vardi, David Ying, Yeesun Kim, and Walter Preucil, and he has studied chamber music with members of the Borromeo, Pro Arte, and Ying Quartets. Further education has included summer studies at the Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, the Castleman Quartet Programs, the National Summer Cello Institute and Interlochen Arts Camp, and registered training in the Suzuki Cello Method with Dr. Tanya Carey, Jean Dexter and Rick Mooney. Dr. Preucil is a certified teacher trainer in the Creative Ability Development method, having worked extensively with its founder, Alice Kanack. An interest in arts administration led Dr. Preucil to intern with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Midsummer’s Music Festival and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. He serves on the executive board of Creative Ability Development, Inc., and is a member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators, Madison Area Music Educators, Independent String Teachers of Madison, and the College Music Society.

Vinícius Sant'Ana

Brazilian-born violinist Vinícius Sant'Ana has concertized across four continents. As a chamber musician, he has toured China, Japan, the Czech Republic, Brazil, and the United States as a member of the Red River Trio, and has also been a member of the University of North Dakota String Quartet. Sant'Ana has performed with leading Brazilian orchestras including the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Mato Grosso Symphony Orchestra, and Municipal Theater Orchestra of São Paulo. He performs regularly with the Quad-City Symphony, the La Crosse Symphony, and Fox Valley Symphony.

A dedicated educator, Sant'Ana maintains a private teaching studio and is a chamber music instructor at Farley's House of Pianos. Additionally, he has served as a violin instructor for the Summer Chamber Music Camp in Manhattan, KS, Arioso School of Music and Northern Valley Youth Orchestra, ND.

Winner of the São Paulo Young Artist Competition, Grand Forks Symphony Competition, and the Bismarck Symphony Competition, among others, Vinícius Sant'Ana, at age 16 performed the Viotti Violin Concerto No. 22 with the Preludio Symphony under the baton of Julio Medaglia for the nationally televised Preludio Classical Music Competition. He earned his Master of Music degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the guidance of Dr. Soh-Hyun Altino, and served as Teaching Assistant for the Madison Symphony Orchestra's Up Close & Musical® program, introducing K-3 students to the basic elements of music. Sant'Ana received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Dakota, where he studied with the Argentinian violinist Alejandro Drago.

Currently, Vinícius is a member of the Griffon String Quartet, a full-time ensemble based in Door County, WI.

Sant'Ana plays a 1908 Giulio Ettore Degani violin and Henry Guerra bow. When not performing, Sant'Ana enjoys playing ping pong, soccer, swimming and kayaking.

Katrin Talbot

Katrin Talbot is assistant principal violist in the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and plays frequently in the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she’s performed with the Pro Arte Quartet, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, the Red Hot Lava Chamber Music Festival, and the Oakwood Chamber Players. She has appeared on many recordings of chamber music, has taught and performed for several years in the Chamber Music in the Mountains program in Tucson, and teaches viola, violin and chamber music.

Jonathan Thornton

Pianist Jonathan Thornton has been teaching for most of the past decade. He has taught private lessons ranging from the youngest beginners to advanced university students and retired adult students. He has also taught ear training and class piano as part of teaching assistantships during undergraduate and graduate study. In addition to this diverse teaching experience, he has performed solo and collaborative recitals around the United States and in parts of Europe. Jonathan received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin‑Madison. He studied with Christopher Taylor and was a winner of the 2012 UW-Madison Beethoven competition.

Clayton Tillotson

With more than a decade of teaching experience, Clayton Tillotson has helped students of all levels become efficient problem solvers, develop comfort and ease in playing, and convincingly express their musical ideas to audiences. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with David Perry of the Pro Arte Quartet and was awarded a full scholarship position in UW’s prestigious graduate Hunt Quartet. He also earned an artist diploma from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto where he studied with the renowned violin pedagogue, Paul Kantor.

Clayton has spent many summers at music festivals across the United States and has been a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival, an artist/faculty member at the Caroga Lake Music Festival, and chamber music prizewinner at the Meadowmount School of Music. In addition to teaching privately, he also coaches violin and chamber music for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. He regularly performs with ensembles such as the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and has performed live on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Midday.”

Praise from students often reflect that lessons with Clayton are “an amazing experience!” Parents have observed that “his attention to detail is unmatched,” and noted, “it was immediately clear to me that Clayton understands kids.” And colleagues have noticed that students “cannot stop talking about how incredible Mr. Tillotson’s classes are each week.”

Sarah Williams

Sarah Williams has taught piano privately for over ten years. She is passionate about making music a fun but stimulating life-changing experience for her students, both young children to adults. At UW-Oshkosh, while studying piano performance, she worked as vice-president of Oshkosh Collegiate Music Teachers’ Association and assisted in different pedagogical events such as Fun for Two–a duet and duo piano workshop open to the community. In 2019, she graduated from UW-Madison with her Master’s in collaborative piano. As a performer, she has won competitions such as the UW-Oshkosh Concerto Competition, the UW-Oshkosh Honors Competition, and UW-Oshkosh Celebration of Scholarship. Besides teaching and performing, Sarah has accompanied a wide range of ensembles including Badger State Girls’ Choir, UW-Oshkosh University Choir, UW-Oshkosh Opera Theater, UW-Oshkosh Wind Ensemble, UW-Madison Women's Choir, and UW-Madison's Opera Theater. She now works as a collaborative pianist in Madison, WI.