Daniel Battaglia – clarinet, woodwind & brass instruments

Music AP Theory class & Solfege (highschool students only - students may receive school credit for this class once all requirements are fulfilled.

BM, Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in clarinet performance - Studio of Dr. Alan Woy. 
While at Crane, Daniel studied music education, composition and served as an organ technician and instructor.  An active performer for over fifteen years, Daniel has played in community orchestras, in solo recitals, and in various theatre productions at the John W. Engeman theatre at Northport, the Cultural Arts Playhouse in Bethpage, theSmithtownCenterfor Performing Arts and the Creative Ministries inOakdale,NY.  Daniel is a well-rounded music teacher and mentor.  He has taught brass instruments, piano, music theory & composition to theLong Islandcommunity for over fifteen years.  Daniel’s dedication and attention to musicality and detail is what makes him stand out as an educator and musician.  Daniel joined the Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty in 2011.

Marie-Michele Beauparlant started to study cello at 8 years old. She has been studying at the Montreal Music Conservatory with Denis Brott from 1996 to 2005. She finished her bachelors in April 2003, in April 2004, she got the “Prix” of the Conservatory in Chamber Music and in April 2005, she obtained the “Prix” in cello performance. Marie-Michele has played in many different events in the city organized by the Conservatory. She performed twice in solo with the string ensemble. She won the concerto competition of the Conservatory in 2003 which gave her the chance to perform with the Conservatory Symphonic Orchestra in December 2003. Marie-Michele has been principal of the Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory for the seasons 2004-2005. In January 2004, she was principal in a program organized between the 7 Conservatories in the province of Quebec which also gave her the chance to join 30 other young musicians to play Mahler’s 2nd Symphony in May 2004 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jacques Lacombe. For the past several summers, Marie-Michele has participated in different musical programs in the United States which gave her a chance to work in Master Classes with renowned international musicians and teachers such as: Richard Aaron, Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser, Roland Pidoux, Chantal Juillet, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and a few others. She has recorded for the program "Jeunes Artistes" for Radio Canada in May 2006, and has been admitted in the prestigious summer program Tanglewood with a full scholarship for the summer 2006 where she will get the chance to work with different musicians and members of the Boston Symphonic Orchestra. She is currently, since 2005, working with the renowned cellist Normand Fischer at the "Rice University" in Houston where she received a full scholarship.

Monica Behler began her violin studies at the Port Jefferson Music Academy in 1998 (the founding year of the Academy) as a student of Sophie Arbuckle and Arik Braude.  During that time, she was a member of the Port Jefferson Music Academy String Quartet, which performed regularly at various local outreach events.  She later concurrently attended the Mannes College Prep where she was a member of the Mannes Philharmonic. Monica has attended the Killington and the Green Mountain Summer Chamber Music festivals. She is presently pursuing a degree in Music Education at the Aaron Copland Conservatory of Music at Queen’s College (CUNY) and is a violin student of Arik Braude.  She joined the Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty in 2008, and has since then developed a vibrant violin & viola studio.  In addition, she teaches music theory and kindermusik classes.

B.M. Summa cum laude, Montclair State University, piano studies with Mark Pakman. First prize winner, Keyboard at the Wagner College Young Musicians Competition, 2004 and 2005.  Mr. Blaszkiewicz graduated from the LaGuardia high school for the performing arts in 2006 where he was a recipient of scholarships from the ASCAP Foundation, the UFT Shanker Fund, the Hadar Foundation, and the Alumni & Friends Association.   Born in New York, Jacek began playing the piano at age 9.  His first steps in music were taken in Jan Sporek’s Music Education Center in Brooklyn, NY.   Six months later, Jacek performed at the Consulate General of Poland, where he received the Best Beginner Award from the Music Education Center.  A year later, he was awarded the Student of the Year Award, the school’s top prize.  In 2000, Jacek won first prize in a Youth Chopin Competition in Queens.  He has performed in numerous venues, including the Kosciusko Foundation House and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in NJ, where he performed an all-Chopin program.     Besides music, Jacek also writes in his spare time. He received a number of awards for his poetry. One of them was published in an anthology which can be viewed at http://www.wagner.edu/departments/music/04winners2.html Mr. Blaszkiewsicz joined the Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty in the fall of 2010. 

Michael has been directing and composing for choirs for over two decades.  He began his professional career as a choral educator and church music director in the early 1990’s. His career has encompassed a wide range of accomplishments and activities, including teaching for nine years in theSouthHuntingtonSchool District, organizing choral benefit concerts, directing church music departments as well as larger volunteer choirs, organizing choral festivals, and composing.

 Having held the position of Assistant Conductor for the Long Island Symphonic Choral Association (LISCA) from 2008-2011, last year, Michael was instrumental in creating Long Island Voices.  In September 2010, he directed the group in a benefit concert which premiered several of his works, including Dies Magna with full choir, organ, and solo cello.   In September 2011, Michael premiered the full orchestration of Dies Magna in performance venues in Port Jefferson and Massapequa, which featured the LIV choir with Selma Jaber, soprano, andPortJeffersonMusicAcademyfaculty, Rebeccah Parker-Downs, cello.

In addition to serving as Artistic Director of Long Island Voices, Michael currently serves as Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church in PortJefferson.

Michael grew up inBabylon,New York.  He began studying piano at an early age.  In his teenage years, Michael played baritone sax, accompanied the school choir, and was Musical Director for several Town ofBabylonsummer musicals, starting in 1986 with “Two Gentlemen ofVerona.”

Michael studied piano performance, conducting, and composition atIthacaCollege.  He received his Master’s Degree in music from QueensCollege.  He has trained with Mary Ann Covert and Walt Multer (piano), Grant Cooper (conducting), and Carl Strommen (composition). 

His compositions have been strongly influenced by many masters, over the years, including: Felix Mendelssohn, Samuel Barber, Gustav Holst, Frank Ferko, John Tavener and Arvo Pärt, to name a few.

Michael currently lives on Long Island inSound Beach,New York with his wife, Melissa, and his two children, Zoë and Kiera.

Michael’s music is self-published and available for purchase at: http://www.MBQStudio.com.

Ms.Den Boer received her M.A. in Muisc from Stony Brook University and her B.A. from McGill University, Montreal as well as a D.E.M. from the Conservatoire National de Region, Lyon, France. She currently holds the position of Head Piano Teaching Assistant at SUNY Stony Brook where she instructs undergraduates in piano, organizes the undergraduate piano program and coaches and accompanies undergraduates in preparation for recitals. In addition, she has given both private and group piano instruction and music theory to students of all ages. Ms.Den Boer has performed in music festivals in Austria, France, Canada and the US. She is well versed in musical styles ranging from classical to jazz and contempoary.

"Artist Diploma, M.M and B.M. degrees in cello performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Cello studies with Yehuda Hanani.. Faculty member at the Port Jefferson Music Academy, the Preparatory for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn College (CUNY) and the Belle Arti Center for the Arts, Queens.  Chamber music coach for adult amateurs, Stony Brook University (SUNY).  Summer faculty, Blue Lake Fine Arts Center, Twin Lakes, Michigan.  Former principal cellist, Springfield Symphony Orchestra (OH). Ms. Parker-Downs has appeared across the United States and Europe in chamber music performances with the Piace Duo, as well with various orchestras. She was the winner of the Gardner-Webb Concerto Competition (NC) and performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Gardner-Webb University Orchestra (NC) and the Lalo Cello Concerto with the Rocky Ridge Music Center Festival Orchestra (CO). She is a former pre-college faculty of Converse College (SC), Pecknel Music Center (SC), Hope Church School of Music (OH), Cincinnati Music Academy (OH), Wyoming Center for the Arts (OH), and MusicMakers (OH). Rebeccah has also served as a teaching assistant and coach at the Brevard Music Center.  She has participated in the Bowdoin Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Chautauqua Institute, Opera, Theatre, Music Festival of Lucca, Rocky-Ridge Music Center, and the Chatham Festival Ms. Parker-Downs has been teaching for twelve years, and is dedicated to bringing the joy of learning music to students of all ages.  She is a certified kindermusik teacher at the Port Jefferson Music Academy where she also has taught theory classes for young students. In addition, she is certified in the Suzuki method, and is presently enrolled in the second year of the School for Strings teacher training course in New York, perfecting her knowledge of the Suzuki method. Port Jefferson Music Academy Faculty since January 2011."

Violinist Blanca Cecilia Gonzalez is originally from Bogota, Colombia. She has recently completed her undergraduate degree in  Music Performance at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (NY), where she has been a student of Arik Braude, with whom she has studied since 2002. She has served as the concertmaster of the Queens College Symphony Orchestra, and has won several competitions, including the 2009 Queens College Concerto Competition, the 2008 LIC International Music Competition (NY) (2nd prize), the 2006-2007 La Guardia Concerto Competition, and the 2007 Ambler Symphony Concerto Competition (PA) where she was a recipient of the Elmer & Louise Menges scholarship award.  As a winner of these competitions, she has performed as a soloist with the Queens College Orchestra (Paganini Concerto), the Philadelphia Orchestra Society (PA), the Ambler Symphony, and the La Guardia Highschool for the Performing Arts Orchestra. Ms. Gonzalez has attended Music@Menlo (CA), the Killington Music Festival (VT) and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival (VT). She has participated in masterclasses with Donald Weilerstein, David and Wu Han Finckel and Charlie Castleman.   Blanca has been a member of JVNY since 2007.

MM violin performance and music education at the Royal Conservatory of Music, The Hague (Netherlands). MA Theatre Arts, SUNY at Stony Brook. Violin studies with Davina van Wely, Jaap Schroeder (Classical violin) and Lucy van Dael (Baroque violin). Master Classes with Alice Harnoncourt and composer Bruno Maderna with whom she prepared the Dutch premiere of his 2nd Violin Concerto ‘Widmung’. Performances in The Netherlands and Belgium. Member of the Amsterdam Philharmonic and Royal Ballet Orchestras. Co-founder of the Delta Ensemble for Contemporary Music in Amsterdam. Ms. Maimone is the director of the Ridotto concert series in Huntington, NY, (www.ridotto.org) a series of eight concerts per year with a little “touch of theatre”.  She is  an active freelance violinist and teacher in the New York area. Port Jefferson Music Academy Faculty since 2006.

B.M., M.M., Mannes College of Music, piano and composition. Master of Music Education (K-12 certification) Queens College. Piano studies: Mme. Nina Svetlanova. Composition studies: Dr. Robert Cuckson. Theory and Analysis: Dr. Carl Schachter. Performance: Weill Recital Hall; NY/NJ Steinway Halls. Winner: Leschetizky Society; World Piano Competition, Cincinnati. Collaborative pianist: BMCC CUNY; Lucy Moses School; Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division; private studio in Brooklyn. Faculty: School for Strings; Hoff-Barthelson Music School; Shostakovich School of Music; BMCC, CUNY adjunct.

B.M. in guitar performance - Purchase College Conservatory of Music, SUNY Purchase cum laude - studio of Frederick Hand.  
Peter is a jazz, rock and classical guitarist and songwriter.  He began playing the guitar at the age of 12.  He has extensively studied jazz and classical guitar, as well as audio engineering in addition to his prominent rock background.  He has played in the indie-rock bands "Mystic Flavor" and "The Woolgathering".  Peter is an active songwriter and performer in the New York area, and collaborates frequently with local jazz artists.  He has performed in jazz groups, musical theatre pit orchestras, rock cover bands, original and gospel choirs, among others.  He has taught guitar, drums, voice and piano, as well as audio-engineering.  As a teacher, Peter is engaging, and encourages his students to have fun, to grow, and to collaborate with other young aspring musicians.  His passion is not only to continue to learn and to create, but to support young musicians in their own musical journeys.  Peter joined the Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty in the fall of 2011.

M.A & B.M. in violin performance from the Aaron Copland Conservatory of Music, Queens College (CUNY) as a violin student of Arik Braude. Suzuki teacher training certificate, School for Strings, NY (completed May 2011). Member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Violin faculty at the Port Jefferson Music Academy since 2010. Ms. Sun’s early violin training took place in China. At the age of 15, she came to New York and was accepted into the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division in New York City as a violin student of Arik Braude, with whom she studied for nine years. Ms. Sun performs actively in the New York Metropolitan area as a freelance violinist with various orchestral and chamber music ensembles. Port Jefferson Music Academy faculty since 2010.