Meet Our Team

List of 16 items.

• Ian Bentley

  Piano and Voice — Wednesday
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  Ian Bentley is a tenor, voice and piano teacher, and early childhood music specialist. He has performed in opera roles throughout the Northeast and has been a Resident Artist with Tri-Cities Opera and the Pine Mountain Music Festival. In addition to his work at LREI, Ian is on the faculty at The Diller-Quaile School of Music, has taught group and private voice at Binghamton University, and maintains a private studio in NYC. He has led musical residencies in schools throughout the tri-state area as part of Tri-Cities Opera's educational outreach program. Ian holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from NYU, a M.M. in Opera Performance from Binghamton University, a Certificate in Vocology from the University of Utah, and is an Estill Master Trainer.

• Mariel Bildsten

  Trombone - Tuesday

• Helen Yoo Boynton

  Piano - Monday, Tuesday
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  Helen Yoo Boynton is a NYS certified music teacher and has taught for more than 10 years. She has taught elementary and high school piano, general music, and directed and accompanied children’s choirs for the last 10 years in Brooklyn and Manhattan. She has also accompanied middle school Suzuki based string orchestra and Suzuki group classes.  She is certified in the Kodaly method and is experienced with Orff.  Helen studied the piano since age four and the violin at LaGuardia H.S. of Music and Art.  She earned her BA in music from Colgate University and MA in Musicology from New York University.  She is currently studying piano and piano pedagogy with Donald Pirone at the Aaron Copland school of Music at Queens College and is working towards her Dalcroze certification.  She also was the LREI lower school music teacher from 2005-2007. Helen is excited to be back at LREI, and is looking forward to teaching in the Afterschool Program.

• Chris Bradshaw

  Piano and Voice — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
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  A native of Monticello, New York, Chris Bradshaw graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance. He then pursued his graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, earning a Master of Music in piano performance, and completing the requirements for doctoral candidacy. He has performed at chamber music festivals in the U.S. and abroad. In September 2008, Chris relocated to Manhattan, after teaching and performing in the Philadelphia area for nearly a decade. His students have received honors and awards for their playing. A member of the Bradshaw/Parker Piano Duo since 1992, he has performed and premiered a wide variety of four-hand and two-piano repertoire in the United States, Spain, Austria and Germany. Chris is the artistic director of the Church of the Redeemer Concert Series in Astoria, Queens.

• Lucia Caruso

  Piano — Wednesday, Friday
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  Lucía Caruso is an Argentinean-born composer and pianist, based in New York City. Her musical career has taken her across four continents, and over a dozen countries. She has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, such as: the Versailles Palace, the Louvre Museum, and Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, France; Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, Vanderbilt Hall at the Grand Central Station in New York City, and the Kew Royal Palace in London. Lucía performed her works for piano and orchestra as a soloist with the Orchestre Lamoureux  in Paris and the London Metropolitan Orchestra in the UK. She also performed as a soloist with the National University of Cuyo Symphony Orchestra in Argentina and the National Youth Orchestra of Costa Rica.

  Lucía is the Artistic Director and founded the successful Manhattan Camerata with composer/guitarist Pedro Henriques da Silva, which is the first ensemble to perform Transclassical music: Transcending classical music, incorporating elements from different cultures around the world with a variety of styles, genres, and exotic instruments.

  Lucía received her bachelor’s degree in classical piano from the Manhattan School of Music, and her Masters Degree in Composition and Film-Scoring from the New York University. Lucia loves teaching piano as well as composition to children.

• Mary Cherney

  Recorder, Flute, Clarinet, Saxaphone  - Wednesday, Thursday
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  Mary Cherney teaches flute, recorder and woodwind instruments in the Afterschool program. She has been teaching at LREI for the last 18 years. In addition, she is the head of the music program at PS/IS 89 in Battery Park City. Mary's performing career has featured her in concerts, both of jazz and classical music, in the New York area as well as annual summer performances in France. Mary is currently performing and recording with 'Duo Nova Antigua' and pursuing a long time interest in Renaissance music.

• Caroline Davis

  Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet - Tuesday
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  Mobile since her birth in Singapore, composer, and saxophonist Caroline Davis lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut album, Live Work & Play, was featured on All About Jazz’s best releases, and she was named one of JazzTimes’ Best New Artists in 2012. Her second album, Doors: Chicago Storylines, is an audio documentary that uniquely sets stories from Chicago's jazz scene from the 80s and 90s alongside her original music. In 2018, she won the Downbeat Critic’s Poll “rising star” in the alto saxophone category. Caroline’s third album, Heart Tonic, was released on Sunnyside Records to much acclaim in NPR, the New York Times, and DownBeat. Davis’ self-titled Alula, featuring Matt Mitchell and Greg Saunier, was released on New Amsterdam Records in May of 2019.

   

  She has shared musical moments with a diverse group of musicians, from jazz to improvised and composed music, recently including Lee Konitz, Angelica Sanchez, Matt Mitchell, Miles Okazaki, Matt Wilson, and Billy Kaye. Her regular collaborations include Maitri and Persona (with Rob Clearfield). In March of 2019, she was a composer-in-residence at the esteemed MacDowell Colony, and was awarded the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship for her work for 2019-20.

   

  As an educator, Caroline brings her unique knowledge of music and psychology to her teaching, as she acquired a Ph.D. in Music Cognition at Northwestern University in 2010. She has been on the faculty at Litchfield Jazz Camp for the past 15 years, Stanford Jazz Institute for the past 4 years, and has been a guest educator at Northwestern University, University of Colorado at Boulder, St. Xavier University, Columbia College, DePaul University, University of Texas at Arlington, Loyola University, Texas Tech, New Trier High School, Evanston Township High School, Denver School of the Arts, Newman Smith High School, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. She has also participated in several jazz mentorship programs, including IAJE’s Sisters in Jazz and the Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program.

   

• Josh Deutsch

  Trumpet, Piano - Friday

• Steven Feifke

  Piano (keyboard) - Monday

• Christian Finger

  Drums - Thursday
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  Christian Finger is an award winning and critically acclaimed drummer, composer, and educator. He has played and recorded with renowned artists such as Lee Konitz, Ron Carter, Jeff Ballard, Ralph Alessi, Dave Kikoski, among others. Born and raised in Germany to an artistic family, Christian started early on the drum set and piano and became known as a child protégée at the Musikhochschule Detmold. He continued studying drums in Germany, USA and the Netherlands. After receiving his BA and MA degrees and working in Europe, he moved to Sydney, Australia, and in 2001 relocated to New York City. Combining Jazz, Classical, World, and Pop music, Finger's compositions create a sophisticated sound of their own. His style is influenced by American Jazz tradition, European sensibility, indigenous music and film scores. Finger leads the Christian Finger Band in New York City, featuring the core unit of Vadim Neselovskyi and Adam Armstrong, as well as world renowned guest musicians Ralph Alessi, Dave Kikoski, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Dave Stryker, Zack Brock and Dan Tepfer. He also leads the Finger European Band, featuring some of the best players from Germany, such as Claudius Valk, Frank Wunsch, Gunnar Pluemer and Hans Wanning.As a collaborative member of IN Trio, he plays with bass legend Harvie S, and saxophonist Tim Armacost. The trio has released two critically acclaimed albums, “Defining Moment “and “Cascade”. Finger's most recent endeavor is Breathe-Live, featuring Christopher Braig and Peter Knoll; the band's first album “In Your Maze” is ready for release.

  Christian authored his own drum book and wrote several articles for the "Modern Drummer" Magazine;

  He teaches all styles: Rock, Pop, Funk, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Blues, Reggae, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Drum ‘n’ Bass, the list goes on!
  He welcomes all levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced with a serious curriculum tailor-made to the students needs. Past stuedents have performed with famous artists (e.g. Debbie Harry), gigged/ toured/recorded with bands, won competitions, got accepted to High School Music programs and Universities, played recitals and enjoyed studying, practicing and working on their craft.

   

   

• Tara McLaughlin

  Ukulele/Guitar - Monday, Tuesday and Friday
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  Tara has nearly fifteen years of experience as a guitar teacher. When living in Florida, she worked at Unity Montessori School both as a second grade co-teacher and group guitar class instructor. Tara continued teaching at this school for almost ten years while also teaching private guitar lessons to various age levels. She also led a girls rock band summer camp program.

  Tara is a lifelong singer/songwriter, musician and performer. She explores different genres of music such as blues and folk but her first love is rock n roll. Since the age of sixteen, she has been ina variety of bands touring the U.S and Europe and being very active as an organizer and band promoter in the Miami music scene. 

  In 2014, Tara moved back to New York from Florida to pursue her post-graduate studies in a Music Therapy Program at The New School. At this time, she started working at LREI as an instrumental teacher and for Summers at LREI. 

  As a teacher, Tara is very passionate about sharing music to children. She is kind, patient, creative and fun! 

  Tara looks forward to returning this year as an instrumental teacher.

• David Neves

  Trumpet - Wednesday, Thursday

• Alex Perry

  Tuesday, Thursday
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  Alex Perry is a jazz and classical pianist, composer, and teacher. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Studies. Alex has studied internationally at the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music and the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam Summer Jazz Workshop. Alex performs in New York with his own groups and collaborative projects. He has performed at the Blue Note Jazz Club, ShapeShifter Lab, Spectrum, Scholes Street Studio, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. In addition to teaching at LREI, Alex accompanies dance classes at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn. Alex has spent the last two summers teaching piano lessons, leading the jazz band, and accompanying musical rehearsals at Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in New Milford, CT. Alex is excited to begin his first year teaching piano lessons Afterschool at LREI.

   

   

• Eve Silber

  Guitar — Monday, Friday
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  Eve Silber is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and teacher. She received much of her training in the Village, under the tutelage of guitar great Dave Van Ronk. Eve has worked extensively as a guitar teacher and vocal coach for students of all ages. She is in every respect an ideal teacher bringing a rigor and passion to her work that every student will appreciate, while never losing sight of the fun and creative dimension that lies at the heart of arts instruction. She can also be found regularly in performance at neighborhood jazz clubs. 

• David Ullmann

  Guitar — Wednesday
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  David Ullmann is a guitarist, composer, and lifelong New Yorker. He is a graduate of the New School Jazz BA/BFA program and has performed

  at many venues in and around NYC including CBGB's, The Blue Note, Wetlands, The Knitting Factory and the 55bar. David has been teaching in Afterschool at LREI for many years and his greatest joy is hearing a first performance of "Hot Cross Buns". He is also actively involved in the NYC jazz scene. His debut CD "Hidden" released in 2005 receiving such praise as "Hidden is an exciting record that reflects restless creativity" (all about jazz). David is also a film composer and recently completed D.W Young's "A Hole in A Fence". Currently, David is beginning work on his new album featuring all original compositions.

• Arthur Vint

  Drums - Monday, Tuesday
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  Bronx based drummer, composer and bandleader Arthur Vint moved to the New York area from his hometown of Tucson, AZ in 2007 to pursue a career in music and earned his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance from William Paterson University and his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music while he was at it. He is now as busy as any freelance musician could hope to be, performing over 250 gigs a year with bands such as Postmodern Jukebox, Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Zephaniah OHora, GaDaDu, The Synesthetics, Arthur Vint & Associates, and a good deal more. 

   

  Arthur has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America and has also performed on screen in episodes of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Cinemax’s The Knick, and the blockbuster film John Wick.  He appears on dozens of recordings that span the genres, including modern jazz, hot jazz, big band, salsa, country, pop and rock. Arthur’s first album as a leader, “Through The Badlands” on Ropeadope Records, combines many of these influences and was named as one of the “best jazz albums of 2016” by the Huffington Post. 

   

  Arthur has been part of LREI’s Afterschool program since 2015.