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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.

Global MBA Cohort

 

Esteban Alvarez

Music Peace Project

Esteban Alvarez

Costa Rica
Music Peace Project
President & Founder

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.

Chantal Balestri

Lunigiana Int. Music Festival

Chantal Balestri

Italy & Switzerland
Lunigiana Int. Music Festival
Co-Founder & Artistic Director

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.

Catalina Barraza-Gerardino

Mason Philharmonic

Catalina Barraza-Gerardino

Colombia
Mason Philharmonic
Director & Conductor

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.

Janielle Beh

Afghanistan Nat. Music Institute

Janielle Beh

Afghanistan
Afghanistan Nat. Music Institute
Faculty & Distance Coordinator

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.

Milos Bjelica

Longy School of Music

Milos Bjelica

Serbia & USA
Longy School of Music
Artist Diploma Student

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.

Korynne Bolt

Star City Strings

Korynne Bolt

USA
Star City Strings
Performer & Teacher

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.

Emily Brown

Luzerne Music Center

Emily Brown

USA & Canada
Luzerne Music Center
Camp Manager

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.

Kevin Cameron

Maestros With a Mission

Kevin Cameron

Australia
Maestros With a Mission
Director of Education

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.

Rebecca Celebuski

Teaching Artist & Freelance Musician

Rebecca Celebuski

USA & New Zealand
Teaching Artist & Freelance Musician


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.

Rachael Cohen

Conservatoire de Mus. de Montréal

Rachael Cohen

Canada & USA
Conservatoire de Mus. de Montréal
Teaching Artist

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.

Hannah Dick

Fulbright Program

Hannah Dick

USA
Fulbright Program
Grantee to Sweden

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.

Juan Carlos Escudero Bravo

Guayaquil Municipal Phil

Juan Carlos Escudero Bravo

Ecuador
Guayaquil Municipal Phil
Managing Director

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.

Claudio Espejo

University of Michigan

Claudio Espejo

Chile
University of Michigan
Instructor

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.

Carlos Fontán

Acción Social por la Música

Carlos Fontán

Spain
Acción Social por la Música
Orchestral Area Coordinator

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.

Mariana Freires

Instituto Baccarelli

Mariana Freires

Brazil
Instituto Baccarelli
Teaching Artist

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.

Vania Andrea Garcia

Bolivia Clasica Foundation

Vania Andrea Garcia

Bolivia
Bolivia Clasica Foundation
Artistic Manager

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.

Faidra Giannelou

Ministry of Education

Faidra Giannelou

Greece
Ministry of Education
Music Educator

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.

Dasha Gilmore

Production Manager

Dasha Gilmore

USA
Production Manager
Charleston Symphony

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.

Alejandra González

Filarmónica Joven de Colombia

Alejandra González

Colombia
Filarmónica Joven de Colombia
Fundación Bolívar Davivienda

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.

Kendall Grady

Univ. of Miami

Kendall Grady

USA
Univ. of Miami
Fellow

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.

Joan Harrison

University of Ottawa

Joan Harrison

Canada
University of Ottawa
Professor

A cellist, educator, and entrepreneur, Joan Harrison teaches at the University of Ottawa and is Artistic Director of the Capital Strings and Voices Collective.

Aleksandra Henszel

Royal College of Music

Aleksandra Henszel

Poland & UK
Royal College of Music
Teaching Artist

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.

Chico Inácio

Santa Marcelina Cultura

Chico Inácio

Brazil
Santa Marcelina Cultura
Educator

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.

Phaedra Kalogerakou

HKU Utrechts Conserv.

Phaedra Kalogerakou

Netherlands & Greece
HKU Utrechts Conserv.
Graduate Fellow

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.

Juliana Kay

Choral Edge

Juliana Kay

Australia
Choral Edge
Director

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.

Jacob Kelberman

Temple University

Jacob Kelberman

USA
Temple University
Professor

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.

Eduardo Lála

Orquestra Geração

Eduardo Lála

Portugal
Orquestra Geração
Teaching Artist

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.

Anna Rosa Mari

OAcademy

Anna Rosa Mari

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.

Marcela Méndez

Amigos del Arpa

Marcela Méndez

Argentina
Amigos del Arpa
President

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.

Chiaki Nishikawa

Leipzig University

Chiaki Nishikawa

Japan & Germany
Leipzig University
Graduate Fellow

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.

Lucia Ortiz Sauco

Philharmonia Orchestra

Lucia Ortiz Sauco

Spain
Philharmonia Orchestra
Musician

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.

Pedro Oviedo

University of Wisconsin

Pedro Oviedo

Paraguay
University of Wisconsin
Instructor

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.

Harvey Price

Professor of Percussion

Harvey Price

USA
Professor of Percussion
Retired

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.

Sabrina Raber

Find Your Best

Sabrina Raber

USA
Find Your Best
Founder

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.

Salomé Rateau

Apotheosis Orchestra

Salomé Rateau

France, UK, & Belgium
Apotheosis Orchestra
Visiting Concertmaster

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.

Maria Ximena Rosales

Juan N. Corpas University

Maria Ximena Rosales

Colombia
Juan N. Corpas University
Graduate Fellow

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.

Hazel Ross

Sevenoaks School

Hazel Ross

UK
Sevenoaks School
Instructor

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.

Magdalena Sas

University of Wisconsin

Magdalena Sas

Poland
University of Wisconsin
Doctoral Fellow

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.

Breanna Thornton

University of Iowa

Breanna Thornton

USA
University of Iowa
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.

Jennifer Tobin

McGill University

Jennifer Tobin

USA & Canada
McGill University
Graduate 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.

Jessica Tufte

Buffalo String Works

Jessica Tufte

USA
Buffalo String Works
Teaching Artist

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.

Carlosfelipe Vega Lopez

Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá

Carlosfelipe Vega Lopez

Colombia
Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá
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.

Carroll Wallace

AIM Academy

Carroll Wallace

USA
AIM Academy
Communications Manager

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.

Jamie Wolf

Aplausos de Colorado

Jamie Wolf

USA
Aplausos de Colorado
Director

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.

Joy Yamaguchi

Front Range College

Joy Yamaguchi

USA
Front Range College
Instructor

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.