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Global MBA Cohort

2020 Cohort

Following a global review process involving hundreds of highly accomplished candidates from around the word, a Cohort of 45 rising change-makers in music was selected to take part in the 2020 GLI Journey. The 2020 Cohort comprises 26 nations, spanning five continents, and includes project founders, teaching artists, professional orchestra members, university & conservatory professors, and doctoral candidates. 2020 Cohort Members represent Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Cohort Mosaic

A native of Costa Rica, Esteban Alvarez is the Executive Director of Chorus Austin and co-founded the Music Peace Project. He is a Steinway Artist and an active world music concert pianist.
Costa Rica
Music Peace Project
President & Founder
Italian/Swiss pianist Chantal Balestri is a versatile classical musician dedicated to performing, teaching, and the production of impactful music events. She is co-founder and Artistic Director of the Lunigiana International Music Festival.
Italy & Switzerland
Lunigiana Int. Music Festival
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Catalina holds a Doctorate from Michigan State Univ., and additional degrees from the Univ. of Arkansas and Pontifical Javeriana Univ. She teaches in the Overture Program at Sphinx Organization and conducts the Mason Philharmonic.
Colombia
Mason Philharmonic
Director & Conductor
Janielle Beh is head of piano faculty at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. She holds a Master of Teaching in Music Education from Monash University & a Bachelor of Music Performance from Melbourne Conservatorium.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Nat. Music Institute
Faculty & Distance Coordinator
A clarinetist and educator, Milos Bjelica holds degrees from Univ. of Belgrade and Longy School of Music, and has received awards at national and international competitions. He is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma with Jonathan Cohler.
Serbia & USA
Longy School of Music
Artist Diploma Student
Korynne Bolt is a member of Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and Associate Principal Cello in the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra. She founded and owns Star City Strings LLC, a performing ensemble and full-time cello studio.
USA
Star City Strings
Performer & Teacher
Emily Brown is pursuing her master’s degree in Musicology at McGill University. She holds a Bachelor’s from State University of New York at Fredonia, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was the awarded the Pi Kappa Lambda award.
USA & Canada
Luzerne Music Center
Camp Manager
Kevin Cameron is Director of Bands & Orchestras at Geelong Grammar School and Music Director of the New Zealand Youth Symphonic Winds. He is also the Director of Education and Professional Development of Maestros With a Mission.
Australia
Maestros With a Mission
Director of Education
Rebecca holds degrees from the Royal College of Music & the Royal Academy of Music, London. Now based in Auckland, New Zealand, she works regularly with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra & the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
USA & New Zealand
Teaching Artist & Freelance Musician
Rachael is pursuing her Master of Music at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, is the flute teaching artist at FACE Elementary and Secondary School, maintains a private flute studio, and freelances. She is a member of the BLUME Haiti board.
Canada & USA
Conservatoire de Mus. de Montréal
Teaching Artist
Hannah holds degrees from Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester. She currently studies in Sweden with Andres Åstrand through the Fulbright US Student Program.
USA
Fulbright Program
Grantee to Sweden
Ecuadorian pianist Juan Carlos Escudero is founder and owner of Sonata Music Academy, Associate Professor at Espíritu Santo University of Guayaquil and Managing Director of Guayaquil’s Philharmonic Orchestra, where he performs regularly as soloist.
Ecuador
Guayaquil Municipal Phil
Managing Director
Claudio is a Chilean pianist and pedagogue. A recent graduate from the Univ. of Michigan, he teaches at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, while continuing to develop his own studio and maintaining a performing career.
Chile
University of Michigan
Instructor
Born in Madrid, Carlos holds degrees from Alcalá de Henares University and Castilla-León Conservatory of Music. He works as a viola teacher, conductor, and orchestras coordinator for Acción Social por la Música Foundation.
Spain
Acción Social por la Música
Orchestral Area Coordinator
Mariana Freires received her Bachelor’s degree from University of São Paulo. She is a member of Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra and the Baccarelli Institute, where she is a teacher of the viola section of the children’s orchestra.
Brazil
Instituto Baccarelli
Teaching Artist
Vania Andrea Garcia is currently Cello Teacher and Artistic Coordinator at the Bolivia Clasica Foundation and is principal cellist of the National Symphony of Bolivia.
Bolivia
Bolivia Clasica Foundation
Artistic Manager
Faidra holds degrees from Ionian Univ. She is winner of the Intl. Competition for Young Conductors in Cyprus and has worked with El Sistema Greece. She has conducted the Athens State Orch & Thessaloniki State Orch, among others.
Greece
Ministry of Education
Music Educator
Dasha completed her undergraduate degree in Commercial Music at Florida State Univ., where she is currently pursuing her Master’s in Arts Administration. She also has experience as a recording engineer and stage manager.
USA
Production Manager
Charleston Symphony
Alejandra González holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from Universidad de Caldas in Colombia. She is a Teaching Artist at Sinfonica de Antioquia in Medellin and Founder of Soul Violin Studio, an intercultural music project.
Colombia
Filarmónica Joven de Colombia
Fundación Bolívar Davivienda
Violinist Kendall Grady holds a degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She has toured with Broadway producer and Tony Award winner John Mauceri for PBS Television, in addition to founding a trio in Miami.
USA
Univ. of Miami
Fellow
A cellist, educator, and entrepreneur, Joan Harrison teaches at the University of Ottawa and is Artistic Director of the Capital Strings and Voices Collective.
Canada
University of Ottawa
Professor
Aleksandra is a flautist and recipient of The Musicians’ Company Lambert Scholarship and The Countess of Munster Derek Butler Award. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Royal College of Music in London.
Poland & UK
Royal College of Music
Teaching Artist
Chico Inácio holds degrees in Music Education and International Relations from UNESP and PUC-SP. He teaches at Projeto Guri Santa Marcelina, and has been researching the work of Brazilian samba composer Ederaldo Gentil.
Brazil
Santa Marcelina Cultura
Educator
Phaedra Kalogerakou studied at the Eratio Conservatory in Athens, later studying in the Netherlands at HKU Utrecht Conservatory, where she is pursuing her Master studies. She is founder and violist of Pasiphaë String Quartet.
Netherlands & Greece
HKU Utrechts Conserv.
Graduate Fellow
Juliana Kay is the Founding Director of the innovative chamber choir Choral Edge, assistant conductor of Exaudi Youth Choir, and she teaches classroom and extra-curricular music at Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College in Melbourne, Australia.
Australia
Choral Edge
Director
Jake Kelberman is a guitarist, composer, and educator from Philadelphia. He holds a Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance and Political Science from Temple University, and a Master’s in Jazz Studies from the Juilliard School under the direction of Wynton Marsalis.
USA
Temple University
Professor
Eduardo has been a teaching artist at Orquestra Geração with Sistema Portugal since 2009, and he is the conductor, artistic director, and founder of Gerajazz. He is a founding member of Lisbon Underground Music Ensemble.
Portugal
Orquestra Geração
Teaching Artist
Anna Rosa has performed with orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, The Hallé, and Manchester Camerata, and has held the position of Principal Flute with the Chamber Orchestra of the Greek National Opera. She teaches flute at Salford University.
UK & Greece
OAcademy
Academic Director
Anna Rosa has performed with orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, The Hallé, and Manchester Camerata, and has held the position of Principal Flute with the Chamber Orchestra of the Greek National Opera. She teaches flute at Salford University.
Argentina
Amigos del Arpa
President
Japanese violinist Chiaki is pursuing her Master’s at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig. She has won several international prizes and has been engaged in the Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra since February 2019.
Japan & Germany
Leipzig University
Graduate Fellow
Lucia completed her Master’s studies at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. She currently lives in London, where she works with Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Spain
Philharmonia Orchestra
Musician
Paraguayan violist and conductor, Pedro holds a BM from Wichita State Univ. He is Associate Principal Viola at the Symphony Orchestra of Northwest Arkansas and conducts at Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is pursuing a Master’s.
Paraguay
University of Wisconsin
Instructor
Harvey was an Associate Prof. of Percussion at the Univ. of Delaware and is Founder, Executive and Music Director of Peace Drums, a shared experience music project that has Muslim, Christian, and Jewish youth in Israel learning and performing music together.
USA
Professor of Percussion
Retired
Sabrina is a performer, educator, and entrepreneur based in South Carolina. She holds a Master’s in Music and Community Partnership from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.
USA
Find Your Best
Founder
Salomé graduated from the Université de Paris-Sorbonnes and Université de Poitiers with degrees in Musicology, Modern Violin Interpretation, and Pedagogy. She holds a Master’s degree from the Royal Academy of Music.
France, UK, & Belgium
Apotheosis Orchestra
Visiting Concertmaster
A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Maria Ximena holds a degree in piano performance and orchestral conducting, studying with Pilar Leyva and Jorge Alejandro Salazar. She teaches piano at the Juliana Reinat Piano Studio.
Colombia
Juan N. Corpas University
Graduate Fellow
UK violinist Hazel Ross studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. She has written, and is now touring internationally, with her own show “Tango Tzigane” and manages the renowned duo Elektra, which she founded 12 years ago.
UK
Sevenoaks School
Instructor
Polish cellist Magdalena Sas holds degrees from the Royal Music Conservatory in Brussels and the Academy of Music in Krakow. A Fulbright alumna, she is currently a doctoral student at the Mead Witter School of Music, UW-Madison.
Poland
University of Wisconsin
Doctoral Fellow
Breanna is pursuing doctoral studies at the Univ. of Iowa and holds Master’s degrees from Ohio State Univ. She is certified under the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and previously worked with Peace Music Academy in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
USA
University of Iowa
Doctoral Fellow
Jennifer is a graduate student in flute performance at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. She holds a Bachelor’s from The College of New Jersey and has appeared with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and Eastern Wind Symphony.
USA & Canada
McGill University
Graduate Fellow
Jessica Tufte holds degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and SUNY Buffalo. She is currently an evaluator for child welfare and racial equity programs in Buffalo, NY as well as a Teaching Artist with Buffalo String Works.
USA
Buffalo String Works
Teaching Artist
Carlosfelipe holds degrees from Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas (Colombia) and Universidad de Granada (Spain). He has been a teaching artist with Fundación Batuta Colombia and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.
Colombia
Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá
Teaching Artist
Carroll is an informal educator & interdisciplinary artist/musician who has worked in public service/non-profits for 10+ years. She teaches youth string orchestras, mixed media art, self-development workshops, museum exhibitions, and yoga.
USA
AIM Academy
Communications Manager
Jamie serves as El Sistema Colorado’s Program Director and Choral Teaching Artist, leading the organization in its work using music as a tool for social change with under-served youth. Jamie holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.
USA
Aplausos de Colorado
Director
Japanese-American violinist Joy Yamaguchi holds degrees from the Univ. of Minnesota Twin Cities and Florida State Univ. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Denver where she studies with Linda Wang.
USA
Front Range College
Instructor