Learn about our talented guitar, banjo and ukulele private instructors:
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Bekr Ali (Banjo, Ukulele, Mandolin) is a rhythm and melody enthusiast who enjoys sharing his passion for plucked stringed instruments with others. This includes banjo, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele. He spent ten years in the Czech Republic working as an ESL instructor while playing in blues, soul, and bluegrass groups on the side. Bekr primarily focuses on American Old Time music, but also dabbles in other styles of traditional music. He primarily teaches by ear and demonstration, using sheet music and tablature as supplements.
Elliott Ross (Guitar and Percussion) is a musician, recording engineer, and educator from the suburbs of Chicago. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Elliott teaches the three-part Sound Recording program at Harper College, in the community education division. He also teaches private lessons for drum set and guitar. Elliott freelances as an independent audio engineer. He records and mixes music for local groups from the Chicago area. His goal is to document and share recordings from up-and-coming musical acts. Elliott also writes songs and plays the guitar in the band Long Birds. This group combines elements of skate punk, ska, and hardcore to create authentic and vigorous music. Long Birds has performed around the United States and has independently released two records.
Jeremie Witz (Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele) is a guitarist who has been playing for nearly 20 years. He has played professionally in numerous bands and ensembles ranging from jazz to folk to rock and has been writing music for the same length of time. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago in May 2014 with a BA in Music Composition. He studied under composers: Drew Baker, Kenn Kumpf, Ilya Levinson, and Marcos Balter. He performed and worked with members from the groups, Del Niente and Chicago’s Composer’s Collective. Jeremie teaches bass guitar, ukulele, songwriting, counterpoint, orchestrating, arranging, music theory, and composition. He is experienced with all kinds of music software, such as Pro Tools, Logic, Garage Band, Cubase, FL Studio, Finale, Sibelius. If you want to learn how to write, record, mixing, and master your own music, there’s never been a better time to learn.
Jose Verduzco (Guitar, Ukulele) started playing the guitar at the age of seven; at seventeen he entered the Conservatory in Mexico City. A year later he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he continued his music education at Oakton College and Harper College. He studied with Michael Adamziek, Steven Vasquez and Steven Suvada – all of whom are known in the music industry as accomplished classical guitarists. Jose got his Bachelor of Art from Northeastern Illinois University in classical guitar performance under the coaching of Dr. Brian Torosian. Jose has had master classes with teachers from different universities such as: Ann Waller from Northwestern University; Mark Maxwell from DePaul University; and David Azabagic from Roosevelt University. Jose has also participated in numerous guitar festivals throughout the Midwest. Further, he has been teaching private guitar and voice lessons for fifteen years. Jose is an active performer of the classical guitar and he performs throughout the Chicago land area as well as in the suburbs. Jose has also participated with different bands and ensembles both playing the guitar and singing. Some of these performances have been featured on cable television on channel 11 as channel 66, the Spanish channel.
Michael Plantan (Guitar)
Nanae Fujiwara (Guitar): With an unwavering commitment to her craft, Japanese guitarist, Nanae Fujiwara, has traveled the world with her guitar. From New York City to the stages of Spain, Germany, and beyond, Nanae has performed in numerous cities throughout the world, engaging audiences with her interpretations. Nanae teaches students of all ages throughout the Chicago area. She currently serves as Secretary of the Chicago Classical Guitar Society and is a member of Ex-Aequo, a non-profit organization that helps the classical guitar community across the globe. Fujiwara’s academic achievements include an Associates in Fine Arts -Music from Harper College, a Bachelors in Music from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Masters in Interpretation of Classical Guitar from University of Alicante, Spain. She is sponsored by Augustine Strings LTD.
Steven Suvada (Guitar) has appeared as a guitar soloist with over 30 different symphony orchestras across the country. Suvada’s performances have taken him to such venues as Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, and the Folger-Shakespeare Theater in Washington D.C. He has appeared on TV and radio innumerable times. Recent summer outdoor performances included music festivals in Minnesota, Ohio Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ontario, Canada. Suvada completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at DePaul University under the guidance of Richard Pick He has performed in Master Classes for Manuel Barrueco, Charlie Byrd, Eduardo Fernandez, Lawrence Ferrara, Tom Leisek, Jeffery Meyerriecks, Jorge Morel, Joe Pass and Myrna Sislen. In addition, he has given master classes at colleges and universities throughout the country. Mr. Suvada’s multi-faceted career has involved accompanying or opening for such artists as Vic Damone, RoseMarie, Rosemary Clooney, Bo Didley, the Crystals, the O’Jays, the Chi-lites, Lou Rawls, Les Elgart, Donna Summer, Mitzi Gaynor, The New York Voices and Oprah Winfrey. Steve is also on the faculties at Elmhurst College and Loyola University. He teaches guitar, guitar ensemble, electronic music, and world music.
Steve Vazquez (Guitar, Ukulele), Chicago guitarist, began his love for the guitar at the age of eleven. It started with a simple riff picked off a tune being played by The B-52’s on Saturday Night Live. He then forged ahead with pointers from friends and was self-taught for many years. Playing in bands throughout his teen years, his love for music intensified as he began his classical guitar studies under Steve Suvada at William Rainey Harper College. He went on for further study with Mark Maxwell at DePaul University (B.M. ’91) and Ann Waller at Northwestern University (M.M. ’94). These great study opportunities and hard work allowed him to play in Master classes for Sergio and Odair Assad, Oscar Ghiglia, Stepan Rak, Paul O’Dette, David Starobin, Dusan Bogdanovic and more. Fresh out of grad school, Steve was a Chicago Artists International Program award recipient. This allowed him to study with the groundbreaking, great Czech guitarist/composer, Stepan Rak in Prague. Steve has since performed through the Midwest and Chicago area with The Chicago Guitar Quartet, Chicago Guitar Camerata, Ensemble Espanñol, and in duo with Chicago virtuoso guitarist, Brian Torosian, plus many other solo and chamber performances. His diverse classical repertoire spans from music of the Renaissance to modern works, including his own compositions. Steve is also currently rocking with his indie/underground band Blue Eyed Jesus and has played with Woolworthy, Thing 3, and more. His numerous Chicago appearances have included the prestigious Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, The Fourth Presbyterian Church Noonday Series, The Old Town School of Folk Music, Harris Theater, Hothouse, The Metro, Double Door, and Reggie’s Rock Club. Steve has been heard on WFMT, WXRT, WBEZ, Q101, WNUR and Radio Arte. Learn more about Steve Vazquez and his indie/underground band Blue Eyed Jesus.
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