Virtual Lesson Instructors
Carolina
Carolina borns in Barranquilla, Colombia. She completed her undergraduate studies at Catholic University in Washington DC and pursued her Master’s in Vocal Performance at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. She is currently a DMA candidate in Vocal Performance at the University of Washington. Carolina has been teaching piano and voice at a very high level since 2002, providing private lessons at the collegiate level and classroom instruction at the elementary school level. She has extensive operatic, theatrical, and solo experience performing in numerous operas and musicals. Opera roles include Dialogues of the Carmelites, L’Elisir d’amore, Die Zauberflöte, Don Pasquale, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Fledermaus, Cosí fan tutte, Der Freischütz, and the Musicals She Loves Me, Fiorello! and West Side Story performed in Washington DC, New York and Texas. Additionally, she performed for the Houston Grand Opera for several seasons. Carolina is multilingual speaking fluently in Italian, Spanish, and English. Carolina has a passion for teaching and loves to work with students of all ages.
John
Mr. Yuan is an accomplished and acclaimed music instrumentalist, music educator
and conductor who has performed and taught in Asia, Europe, and North
America. Through his professional training in China and in the USA, he has earned his music
degrees in the University of New Mexico, Southern Methodist University, University of
Texas and the Central University of Nationalities.
Mr. Yuan started his full-time professional orchestral career as a sectional and principal
violin/viola player in 1997, and he has served many professional performing groups
such as New Mexico Philharmonic, Opera Southwest, San Juan Symphony, Roswell
Symphony, Abilene Philharmonic, San Angelo Symphony, Las Colinas Symphony, TCU
Symphony, UTA Symphony, SMU Symphony, CCBC Orchestra, Dallas String Quartet,
Lukens Chamber Ensemble, Texas Elite Youth Chamber Orchestra, Beijing Philharmonic, Beijing Opera Orchestra, Beijing Central Ballet Orchestra, and China BroadcastingOrchestra.
His teaching career as a violin, viola, and cello instructor has spanned 24 years and includes New Mexico School of Music, Sessions Music Academy, Menaul School, Albuquerque Public Schools, Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Hummingbird Music Camp, Dallas-Forth Worth Public and Private Schools, Elite Performing Arts Center, Rochester Academy of Music and Arts, Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing Music School of Nationalities and Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra. Many of his students have won positions in All-State and All-Region (TX, NY, and NM) as well as concertmasters and section principals.
In recent years (2018 and 2019), Mr. Yuan has led and performed with students in both Carnegie Hall (New York City) and The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto, Canada). In the March of 2021, he was invited to give an online master class at The Music School of Delaware. Specially during
the pandemic time between the academic year of 2020 to 2021, he has directed and
created four successful hybrid remote concerts online with Menaul School (multiple instrumental beginning ensemble groups), which has gained so many accomplishments throughout the world.
His conducting career has led him to work with many music groups such as New Mexico Philharmonic, Christ Chapel Bible Church Orchestra, New Mexico School of Music Youth Orchestra, Valley High School Choir, Menaul Panther Band, Cleveland Colts Orchestra, Jackson Jaguar Orchestra, Hoover Eagle Orchestra, MUNM Children’s Choir, Texas Elite Youth Chamber Orchestra, Beijing Sun Symphony Orchestra, Tianjin Youth Orchestra, The Central Nationalities Chamber Orchestra, YHJS Festival Philharmonic and many educational ensembles.
As a bilingual Mandarin-English speaker, Mr. Yuan is very interested in different cultures, ethnic groups, and minorities. Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico — The Land of Enchantment. He is very much enjoying his musical life and is happy to share his stories and experiences with other musicians.