VIOLIN FACULTY
Aimee Reed
B.M. University of Louisville
M.M. University of Louisville
Aimee Quinn Reed was born and raised in the Louisville area. She began studying the violin at age four with Hiroko Driver Lipman and has now recently graduated from the University of Louisville, where she studied with Jennifer Ross and Dr. Geoffrey Herd for a BA in Violin Performance and an MM in String Pedagogy.
Aimee has completed her certification training twice for Suzuki violin books 1-10: once with Dr. Timothy Durbin during her undergraduate studies and again with Kirsten Marshall in her graduate student years. Aimee currently teaches violin, viola, and piano privately as well as performing for weddings and other such events. She is employed at the Oldham County Schools Center for the Arts, where she teaches beginning strings to elementary schoolers, leads two levels of a Suzuki group class, and teaches private violin lessons. Aimee has performed frequently with the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra as well as the Louisville Philharmonia during the summer months. She also provides multi-genre string music for weddings and other events all throughout the year with her family trio “Quintrilogy”. Aimee has learned to improvise and has honed her harmonizing skills while playing the violin on the worship team at Heritage Christian Fellowship, where she attends weekly. Aside from playing the violin, Aimee has studied piano, viola, harp, hammered dulcimer, and always enjoys trying new and different instruments at any opportunity!
Neal Green
Director of Music Ministries, Crestwood United Methodist Church
Neal has been in church music leadership for more than twenty years, and has a Master of Music from Southern Seminary. He is an accomplished violinist, fiddler for the Misty Mountain String Band, and choral and instrumental conductor, and is passionate about empowering other musicians and worship leaders to flourish. Neal is married to Layne, and they have three children. Neal enjoys books, movies, and Kentucky Wildcats basketball.
Sheri Quinn
B.S. University of Kentucky
Sheri began violin at 6 and piano at 11, performing several years with Louisville Youth Orchestra. She attended the University of Kentucky on a Violin Scholarship where she studied under Daniel Mason and performed with the University Symphony Orchestra. After graduation, she performed with the Southern Seminary Orchestra until 2011. In 2012, she founded Louisville Philharmonia – The Musicians' Orchestra with her musical colleagues, where she is currently President and Principal Second Violin.
Since college, she has taught violin and piano, as well as playing in chamber groups. She studied for her Suzuki certification with renowned Suzuki teacher-trainer Hiroko Driver Lippman, who studied with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki in Japan. Sheri has taught with the Suzuki philosophy for two decades. She plays piano and cello as well.
Sheri regularly performs for church services, weddings, recordings and other events as well as performing in an Irish Band. She is currently one of the lead teacher string teachers at Schole Christian Traditional and has been involved with The Kentucky Christian String Camp for close to 20 years, performing and teaching violin and cello. Sheri is married and has two lovely daughters who play violin, cello and piano. When not making music, she is Irish dancing, doing circus aerials and flying trapeze.
Gert Kumi
B.M., Tirana Arts Academy, Tirana, Albania
M.M., The Juilliard School
Gert Kumi is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music where he was a scholarship student of Stephen Clapp, a protege of Ivan Galamian and dean of Juilliard. Some of his other teachers at Juilliard include Dorothy DeLay, Itzhak Perlman, Donald Weilerstein, Robert Mann, Earl Carlyss, Paul Kantor, Curtis Macomber, and Lionel Party.Mr. Kumi completed post-graduate studies at the Menuhin Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland where he was a scholarship student of Alberto Lysy, protege of Lord Yehudi Menuhin. Mr. Kumi has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician across Europe, United States, Asia and Africa. He has played under distinguished conductors including Sir Roger Norrington, Jahja Ling, Otto Werner Mueller, Andrew Litton, Larry Rachlef, Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and John Williams. Mr. Kumi made his New York debut in February of 2006 performing Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet at Lincoln Center’s Merkin Hall. Mr. Kumi has been featured as a soloist with the Staten Island Philharmonic, Anderson Symphony, Masterworks Festival Orchestra, Symphony of the Lakes Orchestra, Wenzhou Philharmonic in China, Yellow River Orchestra in Zhengzhou, China, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Albania and others.
Gert has performed as concertmaster of the Bacchanalia Chamber Orchestra in New York City, Symphony of the Lakes in Indiana, Masterworks Festival Orchestra, and Young Virtuosi of Tirana Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Kumi is the five time winner of the national Young Artist Competition in Albania. He made his Albanian solo debut with the Tirana Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 15.
Mr. Kumi has recorded for NBC, BRAVO, Vatican Radio, German Radio and Television, Swedish Radio, Austrian Radio and Television, French State TV, Spanish State TV, Italian State TV (RAI), Hungarian TV, and Albanian Radio and TV. Gert has collaborated with many distinguished musicians including Itzhak Perlman, John Williams, Elton John, Nathaniel Rosen, Nina Beilina, Alberto Lysy, Liviu Prunaru and many others. He is a featured guest with the Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Muncie Symphony.
As an educator, Professor Kumi has taught at Nyack College in New York City, and Grace College in Winona Lake where he was Artist in Residence from 2007-2010. Mr. Kumi is currently Associate Professor of Music at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana where he is Head of the Strings and Music Director of the Anderson University Orchestra.
Mr. Kumi studied conducting at the Juilliard under the tutelage of Otto Werner Mueller, JoAnn Falletta and Virginia Allen.
Mr. Kumi plays on a Stradivari copy violin made in Moscow in 2010 by the international award-winning Russian luthier Igor Ulitsky. He plays with a W. E. Hill bow made in 1927 in London.
Bria Quinn
B.M. University of Louisville
Bria holds a bachelor’s degree in string performance from the University of Louisville, studying with Dr. Geoffrey Herd. She began her musical studies at the age of three, taking violin lessons from Hiroko Driver Lippman and Peter McHugh and studying cello with Paul York, professor of cello at the University of Louisville. Bria regularly performs with large and small ensembles, playing with the UofL symphony orchestra and Louisville Philharmonia. She also provides music for a variety of special occasions with her string trio, Quintrilogy. Bria teaches violin and cello in the Louisville area, receiving her Suzuki teacher certification from Dr. Timothy Durbin in 2020. In addition to her private studio, she currently teaches group and individual classes with the Oldham County Arts Center music program. Outside of her musical endeavors, Bria is passionate about language and community, providing Spanish language interpretation regularly for the services at New Life Church.
VIOLA FACULTY
Sam Meade
B.S.M.E. Clarks Summit University
M.M. University of Louisville
M.M.E. Illinois State University
Sam has taught all over Illinois, Massachusetts, and the greater Kentuckiana area. After finishing his bachelor of music education at Clarks Summit University, he moved to Louisville, KY to attend the University of Louisville and serve as a graduate teaching assistant. He was the violist in the University of Louisville Graduate String Quartet coached by Patrick Rafferty and principal violist from 2012 - 2014 for the University Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he accepted a graduate teaching position at Illinois State University, where he taught for the ISU String Project and served as a principal player in the University Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in the Louisville Orchestra, Kentucky Opera, Orchestra Kentucky, the Louisville Ballet, Paducah Symphony, and is also a founding member of the Peccatte String Quartet. He has performed in many masterclasses with wonderful clinicians such as Annie Fullard, Peter Slowik, Jeffrey Irvine, and Catharine Carroll Lees.
Sam’s primary teachers have included Fritz Valenches, Brittany MacWilliams, and Katherine Lewis. He received his registration in Suzuki Violin with Dr. Timothy Durbin and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the American Viola Society, and the American String Teacher Association. He is currently a certified teacher and presenter of Paul Rolland String Pedagogy and loves promoting the teaching of action in string playing. He currently holds the position of String Program Director for the Oldham County Schools Art Center. He is the director for the Kentucky Christian String Camp in Louisville, KY and the Oldham County Schools Art Center String Camp in Crestwood, KY. When he is not performing, directing, or teaching music, he is running long distances, coaching and crushing CrossFit workouts at his local box (Persevere CrossFit), and enjoying friends and family.
Henry Haffner
B.M. Vanderbilt University
M.M. University of Cincinnati
Henry C. Haffner is a Violist, Violinist, Music Director, Composer, and Educator. He has the great privilege of leading worship at Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, TN. The primary expression of his musical life is the weekly worship of Christ, through the songs of His people. As a violist and violinist, he has performed and given masterclasses throughout the South and Midwest. His work can be heard on recordings by Nathan Clark George, Jim Daneker, Paul Cardall, and Michael W. Smith. Since 2009, he has performed as a member of the Lexington Philharmonic in Lexington, KY (as Principal since 2011). He has also performed regularly with the Nashville Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Paducah Symphony, and Jackson Symphony (TN).
Henry served on the faculties of Middle Tennessee State University (2011-2018) and New College Franklin (2010-2022), teaching a variety of subjects including viola, violin, music history, music theory, and ear training.
As a composer and songwriter, his pieces for worship reflect a desire for accessibility and a deep sense of history and place. He has released two albums of original music: Southern Psalms in 2018, and Clovercroft, in 2021.
Henry was educated at Vanderbilt University and the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati. He lives with his wife and children in a little house in the country near Columbia, TN.
CELLO FACULTY
Allison Olsen
B.M. Rice University
M.M. University of Akron
Formerly the Principal Cellist of Akron Symphony, Owensboro Symphony and a member of the Marini String Quartet, Allison Olsen joined the cello section of the Louisville Orchestra in 2006. During her tenure with the LO under the direction of Teddy Abrams, Allison has been involved in hundreds of newly commissioned works, as well as the release of several CD recordings. She received a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Rice University, a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Akron, and continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the Professional Studies Program. Her teachers have included Desmond Hoebig, Shirley Trepel, Eric Kim, Michael Haber and Stephen Geber, as well as chamber music coaches Josef Gingold and Ron Leonard. Allison has performed and toured internationally in Europe, the Middle East and Russia, and has performed at music festivals including Eastern Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Kent/Blossom, Spoleto USA, North Carolina School for the Arts, Lancaster Festival, and the Jerusalem International Symphony Orchestra. She currently spends her summers as the Principal Cellist of the Lakeside Chautauqua Orchestra in Ohio.
Ms. Olsen joined the faculty of Bellarmine University as Violoncello Professor in 2011, and has also taught at Indiana University Southeast, the University of Akron Musical Arts Program and the Cleveland Public Schools.
Ben Meitzen
M.M. University of Louisville
B.M. University of Louisville
Ben Meitzen is a cellist and music educator from the Cincinnati area. He grew up in a musical family of string players and began studying violin at age seven before switching to cello at twelve. He is a graduate of the Governor’s School for the Arts and was awarded first place in the Julia Bartles Advanced Division Concerto Competition in 2019.
He earned his undergraduate degree in cello performance in 2024, where he studied with Professor Paul York, and is currently completing a master’s degree in cello pedagogy at the University of Louisville, which he will finish in May 2026. He also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in music theory, working with freshman music majors.
Ben plans to continue his education by pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), which he expects to complete in May 2027. His teaching focuses on helping students build strong fundamentals while developing confidence and independence as musicians.
In addition to the cello, Ben enjoys singing and is involved in church music. He is married to his wife, Bianca, who is a pianist and a nurse. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess and board games, as well as watching basketball.
PIANO FACULTY
Cara Lee Smith
B.A. Emmanuel College
Cara Lee Smith has taught piano and violin to children and adults of all ages and levels of experience since 2001, first teaching in northeast Georgia and now in the Kentuckiana area for the past 10 years. She studied piano primarily with Aurelia Campbell, Dr. Paolo André Gualdi, and Dr. Emma Pettyjohn and studied violin primarily with Angie Jones, Dr. Susan Quindag, Dr. Danijela Žeželj-Gualdi, and Dr. Leslie Boucher. She graduated as a valedictorian from Emmanuel College, earning a bachelor’s degree in piano and violin performance, played with the Toccoa Symphony and SBTS Orchestra, studied the Suzuki method with Dr. Timothy Durbin, completed Kindermusik's training and certification, and has taught at the KY Christian String Camp for 10 years.
Dr. Rebekah Stiles
B.S. Bible – Cairn University
B. Mus. Piano Performance – Cairn University
M. Mus. Piano Performance – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
D. M. A. Piano Performance – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Rebekah Stiles is a pianist and educator working at the intersection of theology and the arts. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Piano Performance and Bible from Cairn University and a M. Mus. and D.M.A. in Piano Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a performer, Rebekah is a versatile interpreter of both solo and chamber repertoire, with experience in the US and abroad. She has been a repeated participant in the Piano Plus Festival’s Summer Institute in Xánthi, Greece, and she has also performed as soloist at Carnegie Hall, receiving first-place honors in the Crescendo International Piano Competition. Her recent concert performances include works of Brahms, Janáček, Ligeti, and Barber, as well as a trio recital featuring works by Mozart, Ernest Bloch, and Rebecca Clarke.
Rebekah currently works as a member of the adjunct music faculty at Cairn University as well as an Affiliate Artist. From 2020-2024, Rebekah held graduate teaching assistantships and fellowships from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she served as an instructor of record within the Keyboard Skills program. In addition, she served for two years as Assistant Coordinator for the Lincoln Community Piano Experience, a recreational group piano course for adults. Outside of academia, Stiles has served as faculty for the Lied Center Piano Academy, as well as the Csehy Summer School of Music since 2023. She also takes joy in working with private students of all levels, maintaining a private studio in the Bucks County area.
As a scholar and performer, Rebekah is deeply interested in the intersection of worldview and art, specifically the musical implications of major theological rifts within Christendom. Her doctoral research explored the musical trichotomy of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions via select works of J. S. Bach, Olivier Messiaen, and Arvo Pärt. She recently presented this research in lecture recital form at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and at Concordia University in Seward, NE, as well as in a six-week Christian Education series at Trinity Church in Hatboro, PA. She also teaches courses at Cairn University on the subject of theology and the arts, offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Dr. Fernanda Trocan
Fernanda Trocan- was born in Quito, Ecuador and came to the US in 1994 to study Piano Performance with concert pianist Lee Luvisi at the University of Louisville, where he was the Artist in Residence. After completing her Bachelor and Masters degrees she obtained her Doctorate in Piano Performance (with a secondary area in Choral Conducting) at the Univeristy of Minnesota, where she had the privilege to study under renowned concert artist Lydia Artymiw. Fernanda has given solo and chamber recitals in Louisville, KY and in Quito, Ecuador, where she has also performed with the Ecuador National Symphony. She has had the privilege to participate in master classes under Boris Berman, Alicia de Larrocha and study at renown Aspen Music Festival with pianists Franck Weinstock and Anton Nel. From 2007-2017, Fernanda was in the piano faculty at the Academy of Music in St. Francis in the Fields, under the direction of reknown teacher, Nancy Albrink. Fernanda is currently Adjunct Professor and the Applied Area Coordinator for piano at the School of Church Worship and Music at Boyce College and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Dr. Amy Valle
B.S. Tennessee Temple University
M.M. Austin Peay State University
D.M.A. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Amy Valle began to study piano at age four, when she badgered her mother to teach her. When Amy was eight, she attended Earl Wild's all-Liszt concert and found the performance to be amazing, and Amy wanted to be like him. Many scales and a few state-wide school competitions later, Amy was blessed to study with Jeanell Wise Brown, Anne Glass, and Maurice Hinson. Her favorite composers are Beethoven and Debussy. Amy happily plays piano for her church at Baxter Avenue Baptist Church and accompanies the choirs at Schole Christian Traditional and teaches string classes there as well.
Dr. Esther Crookshank
B.M. Baldwin-Wallace College
M.A. University of Michigan
Ph.D. University of Michigan
Esther Crookshank teaches in the areas of hymnology, musicology, applied ethnomusicology, and musical aesthetics. Crookshank has published articles in Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2013); Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology Online (2013); Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart; and Wonderful Words of Life: Hymns in American Protestant History and Theology (2004). Her Faculty Address entitled “‘The Minister and His Hymn-Book’: John A. Broadus as Hymnologist,” appears in Minds and Hearts in Praise of God: Hymns and Essays in Church Music in Honor of Hugh T. McElrath (2006). Crookshank has won grants and awards including the Kentuckiana Metroversity Award for Instructional Development and is faculty advisor to the student group Hymns@Southern. She is advisor to string majors, plays violin in Chapel Orchestra, and is founding director of the Kentucky Christian String Camp. She and her husband, Robert, have two daughters and are active at Cedar Creek Baptist Church.
COMPOSITION
Dr. Derrik Nelson
D.M.A. The University of Kentucky
M.M. Florida State University
B.M.E. University of Southern Mississippi
Dr. Derrik Nelson has served as the professor of music composition, theory, guitar, and bass guitar at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Having graduated with his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from The University of Kentucky, Derrik studied composition with Professor Joseph Baber, while also teaching undergraduate Music Theory courses. Derrik also holds a Master of Music Composition & Theory from The Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor’s of Music Education, with an emphasis on Classical Guitar & Choral Education, from the University of Southern Mississippi.
While attending The Florida State University, Derrik studied with Dr. Ladislav Kubik and Dr. Mark Wingate and was a featured composer on a number of SCI New Music recitals. A few of his performances included Mists for Vibraphone, Viola, & Cello; Master, Protector, Redeemer for Soprano & String Quartet; Psalms of the Sons of Korah for Solo Harp; Quintalogues for Steel Pan and String Quartet; Good Eats for Fixed Media; and his Master’s Thesis, Symphony #1 for Chamber Orchestra.
During his time at The University of Southern Mississippi, Derrik studied composition with Mr. Luigi Zaninelli, Dr. James Schlater at Mississippi College, and Dr. Dan Shore at Xavier University in New Orleans. He also has collaborated with Dr. Nick Ciraldo, professor of guitar at USM, while writing a number of pieces for guitar, including his Fantasia for Flute, Guitar & Cello; a Sonata for Violin & Guitar; and Three Fantasias for Solo Guitar, all of which were performed during his time of study at USM.