Staff

Leading the KidZNotes program will be Kathryn (Katie) Wyatt, selected from over 100 international candidates as one of only ten ’09-10 Abreu Fellows in the program’s inaugural year. A joint venture of the New England Conservatory and El Sistema in Venezuela, the Abreu Fellows Program provides in-depth training in the mission and musical methodology of El Sistema as well as in the leadership and management tools to guide the development of El Sistema-inspired programs in the U.S. and beyond.

Ms. Wyatt, a post-graduate violist and former orchestra management fellow of the American Symphony Orchestra League, served as Director of Education and Community Engagement for the North Carolina Symphony from 2007 to 2009.  She is Adjunct Professor of Viola at North Carolina State University and has played with orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the New World Symphony, the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas.

It was with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas in 2005 that Ms. Wyatt toured Venezuela and was introduced to and inspired by El Sistema.  She immediately began to consider how the El Sistema model might benefit at-risk children at home.  As a member of the inaugural class of Abreu Fellows, she will be in the vanguard of the El Sistema movement in the U.S.

In July 2010, after completing her fellowship, Ms. Wyatt will assume the full-time post of Executive Director of KidZNotes.

Follow Katie’s fellowship year on her webblog, http://www.kidznotes.org/category/katies-blog/.

Jennifer Blank, KidZNotes Manager, holds a BA from Hope College and an MFA in Arts Management from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Prior to joining KidZNotes, Jennifer has worked in the marketing, development and education offices at numerous non-profit arts organizations, such as Triad Stage, Spoleto Festival USA, Magnolia Baroque Music Festival, and the American Dance Festival. Most recently, Jennifer has been working in the UNCSA Office of Advancement as a Development Associate.

Instructors

Tonya Suggs, KidZNotes Music Director

Jessica Tanner, KidZNotes music instructor at E.K. Powe Elementary

Ruby Prescott, KidZNotes strings instructor at E. K. Powe Elementary

Lillian Presley, KidZNotes music instructor at Y. E. Smith Elementary

Sara Moore, KidZNotes strings instructor at Y.E. Smith Elementary

Tokay Allen, KidZNotes music instructor at Club Boulevard

Maria Fernanda Valencia, KidZNotes strings instructor at Club Boulevard

Mike Truzy, KidZNotes music instructor at Eastway Elementary

LaSaundra Booth, KidZNotes strings instructor at Eastway Elementary, Mozart violin leader

Matt Vooris, KidZNotes percussion instructor and Site Coordinator

Jihyun Parks, KidZNotes chorus instructor

Fred Smith, KidZNotes winds and brass instructor

Brandon Boyles, KidZNotes staff