DR. GARY GRANING - piano

Dr. Gary Alan Graning earned his Doctorate in Piano Pedagogy from Columbia University, Teacher’s College where he was course assistant to Robert Pace. He received his Master’s in Piano Performance from The University of Michigan where he studied with Benning Dexter, Karen Keys and Marian Owen, and Pedagogy with Alice Mahler Kern, and his Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from Oberlin College Conservatory where he studied with Joseph Shwartz and Axel Sigunde and Pedagogy with Janet Owens.

Gary taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Division for over 40 years, and is highly experienced in teaching children as young as age 5 up through adults. His teaching career began with teaching assistantships at The University of Miami and Florida State University. Later he taught at Cuyahoga Community College, and the University of Akron where he taught group piano, keyboard harmony, piano pedagogy, as well as private lessons. He also taught piano in New York City at the Stecher and Horowitz School of the Arts, Greenwich House Music School, and the Community Music Center.

He has performed as a collaborative artist at Pomona College, and the Aspen and Scotia Music Festival. Gary has premiered solo piano works with the following composers present: Samuel Adler (Sonatina 1979), Vohn Hilliard (Sonata in the Sun) and Camargo Guarnieri (Dansa Brasileira, Dança Selvagem, and Sonatina VI).

Nicole DiPaolo - piano and voice

Now working toward completion of her Doctorate in Music Theory at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University-Bloomington, Nicole holds a Master of Music degree from the Jacobs School at Indiana U. and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan, where she studied piano with Louis Nagel. She has also had the pleasure of undertaking additional coaching with famed piano pedagogues Menahem Pressler, Waleed Howrani and Christopher Harding. She has been praised as a "sensitive pianist" and "outstanding accompanist" who delivers "powerful interpretations."

Currently, Nicole is an online Adjunct Lecturer in Music General Studies and Music Theory for Indiana University and a sought-after private instructor of piano, music theory, and composition. Ms. DiPaolo also frequently judges state, regional, and divisional MTNA composition competitions at all levels. She was on the composition and collaborative piano faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in 2014 and 2015. Ms. DiPaolo continues a pedagogical lineage that can be traced through Béla Bartók (a great-grand-instructor) to Franz Liszt and Beethoven. Most recently, she completed the two-level Tales of a Musical Journey certification course, which prepares piano teachers to instruct younger beginners in the Russian tradition.

Nicole is a versatile musician and teacher who has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Ambassador Chamber Players and as a recitalist, collaborator, and presenter worldwide. Nicole composes and arranges music, and she earned a doctoral minor in composition from IU. Nicole's music has been heard across the world, including her commissioned song settings of Muscogee poet laureate Alexander Posey's texts and her Divertimento written for the International String Quartet of Yucatán which received its Mexican premiere in 2013. In 2014 Ms. Nicole published a set of twenty short pedagogical pieces in uncommon keys, Venturing Beyond, for early-intermediate pianists of all ages, and she is currently working on a new set of pieces for intermediate pianists.

Anastasia Svyatlovskaya - piano and voice

Anastasia Svyatlovskaya was born in St. Petersburg, Russia where she began her piano studies at the age of five. She graduated from the St. Petersburg School of Music in Piano Performance with multiple honors.

Anastasia earned her Bachelor Degree in Voice Performance from the Music College of St. Petersburg and has done graduate work at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. While studying at college and conservatory, she regularly participated at concerts as a pianist and a vocalist. She was also a soloist of the TV and Radio choir and won numerous international competitions.

Anastasia has performed the key roles in the following operas: "Yolanda", "Marriage of Figaro", "Eugenie Onegin" in Opera Theater at the Conservatory of Music of St. Petersburg.

Anastasia holds a Master Degree from Cleveland State University. In 2007, Anastasia joined the faculty of Community Program at Cleveland State University. She numerously performed in the live air on the local classical radio station WCLV. Anastasia is an experienced teacher for students of all ages.

Dmitriy Isakov - piano and violin

Dmitriy Isakov earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors in violin performing from Tchaikovsky Music Academy in Kiev, Ukraine. He is also passionate about piano as well as he studied it as minor instrument during his studies. During his career he performed music with many orchestras, participated in numerous festivals. As a participant of many international competitions, he won 1^st prize at International Music Competition “Francesco Forgione” in Italy and a diploma from International Violin Competition “Remember Enescu” in Romania.

Currently he is working on his Master’s degree in violin performance at Youngstown State University with Joseph Kromholz.

Dmitriy teaches violin and piano in classical music, jazz, rock, and pop. He enjoys sharing music experience with students of all ages, and considers that music language is helping to learn life better than anything else.

Kevin Covney - Guitar

Kevin Covney is a classical guitarist and guitar teacher based in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in various guitarstyles including Classical, Jazz, Blues, and Pop. As a guitarist, he has performed extensively in Upstate New York with groups such as Opera Ithaca, The Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Ithaca College Madrigal Singers, The Cortland Repertory Theater, and as a Soloist at The Classical Guitar Society of Upstate New York.

​As a music educator, Kevin has taught general music, directed choir, and employed music therapy to students grades 1 – 8 with differentiated, culturally conscious instruction at various learning institutions such as Fox Lane Middle School in Bedford, NY and Immaculate Conception School in Ithaca, NY.

​An alumnus of Ithaca College, Kevin graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a concentration in guitar. While a student at Ithaca College, Kevin studied with Dr. Jeremy Harting, and Dr. Pablo Cohen. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Guitar Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music with the guidance of Jason Vieauxand Colin Davin.

Gary Dacanay - guitar

Gary Dacanay has over 30 years of professional playing experience and over 20 years of teaching experience with a B.A. in Music from DePaul University and a M.M. in Guitar Performance from Cleveland State University.

Gary has led his own solo music projects as well as recorded and performed with various rock, blues, jazz and hip hop artists such as Louie Bellson, Joe Henderson, Pete Cosey, Bob Fraser, Bob Ferrazza, Brad Goode, Paul Samuels, Dave Morgan, Kip Reid, John Perrine, Hamid Drake, Sugar Blue, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

He has also recorded music for movie soundtracks, played in musical theater, and played music for yoga classes.