String Teachers
 |
Frederik SpiroViolin, CelloFrederik Spiro has 35 years experience playing and teaching violin and cello. As a member of the Albanian Radio Television Symphonic Orchestra and the Albanian National Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Frederik performed for classical and contemporary concerts, tours, and recordings in Albania and throughout Europe. Frederik was the first chair cellist for the Friends of Music String Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of Academy of Fine Arts Professors and other elite performers. He also performed in the New Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble organized by the American Embassy in Albania in remembrance of 9/11. Currently, Frederik works as a freelance musician and maintains a private studio for violin and cello students. |
 |
Nick MontopoliViolin, GuitarAn accomplished violinist in a variety of capacities, Nick Montopoli has been performing as a soloist and in chamber and orchestral ensembles in the DC area for over 8 years. Hailed by the Washington Post as a performer with "no-fail agility," Nick has performed as a soloist with the Capitol City Symphony and the DC Youth Orchestra, and has placed in the Goldie B. Feder String Competition, the Army Band Concerto Competition, and the Strings International Music Festival Concerto Competition in Pennsylvania. As a chamber musician, Nick has performed in a variety of prestigious local venues, including the White House, the Phillips Collection, and the Kennedy center. A champion of new music, Nick is a member of the TEMPO new music ensemble, whose Fall 2009 performance was described by the Washington Post as "bracing and engaging." Orchestrally, Nick served as Concertmaster of the DC Youth Orchestra for four years, and has performed with various orchestras at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Constitution Hall, and the Music Center at Strathmore. Currently, Nick plays with the acclaimed University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, where he has served as both Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin. Nick has played under such world-renowned conductors as Lorin Maazel, Leonard Slatkin, and Benjamin Zander, and such soloists as Yo-Yo Ma, Leila Josefowicz, and Jon Kimura Parker. Nick's principal teachers include Juilliard-graduate Virgilio Joven and Curtis-graduate David Salness. He has also participated in lessons, coachings, and masterclasses with the Guarneri Quartet, Bill Preucil, Charles Castleman, the Biava Quartet, Steven Isserlis, and many more. Nick is currently studying Violin Performance with David Salness at the University of Maryland. |