Music Faculty

Mark Bertles has played with members of Vanilla Fudge and Merle Haggard’s Strangers, and has shared the stage with REO Speedwagon, Herman’s Hermits and the Casinos. He received a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College. Mark presents a beyond-the-book, creative approach to piano, offering a multi-faceted curriculum with emphasis on fun in fundamentals.

Larissa Blitz was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and received her degree from the St. Petersburg’s Conservatory, where she also worked at the St. Petersburg Opera House and maintained a private teaching studio. She received her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Rafael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne. Since then, Ms. Blitz has had an extensive performing and teaching career playing in orchestras such as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Springfield, Stamford and Savannah Symphonies, the Berkshire Opera, and the Manchester Music Festival and Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestras, among others. She worked on Broadway and as concertmaster in a touring production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. Her recent solo and chamber music performances include Beethoven’s violin sonatas and trios by Rachmaninoff, including appearances at the annual RiverArts Music Tour. Ms. Blitz teaches at a private studio in New Jersey and with the Spring Creek Youth Orchestra in Brooklyn, NY, among other venues and was previously on the faculty with RiverArts and at Franklin Pierce University.

Jessica Bowers has performed with Utah Opera, Anchorage Opera, Opera Boston, Central City Opera, and Ohio Light Opera. Roles include Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, and The Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann, and The Queen in John Harbison’s A Full Moon in March. She has performed with Cygnus Ensemble, Taconic Music, Poetica Musica, L’Artiste Ordinaire, Dali Quartet, Composers Concordance, and Satori Ensemble.

Katey Dolezal has taught in the New York City area for the past ten years, specializing in early elementary music with a focus on vocal, recorder, and piano repertoire. She studied classical piano and psychology at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN and began teaching Elementary Music at Escuela Caracol in Guatemala. She completed her Waldorf Elementary Music Teaching Training at Sunbridge Institute and taken choral conducting at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. She has worked at the Rudolf Steiner School for the past 8 years teaching elementary music to students in grades 1-8, singing and ukulele to high school students, and conducting various vocal ensembles of combined ages. She strives to meet students where they are at in their developmental stage and learning styles and create lessons that are fun and engaging.

Carol Flamm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Binghamton and a Masters in Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. Additional studies include Mannes College, NYC, and Westminster College of Rider University, Princeton, NJ, along with extensive private piano and vocal training. Carol has performed as a pianist and vocalist in the NYC area and throughout the U.S. and Europe. She is a founding member of the Salomone Trio, a vocal group specializing in Medieval, Renaissance and Sephardic music. Carol performed and recorded contemporary and traditional opera with Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, and as a vocalist and pianist in jazz clubs throughout the U.S. She has taught music to children at the Village Community School and the Hebrew Arts School, both in NYC. In addition to teaching for RiverArts, she teaches in Maplewood, NJ and in Manahattan. Carol’s piano teaching style incorporates improvisation, theory, and ear training, as well as traditional music notation. She uses a wide knowledge of bodywork and aspects of the Taubman technique for developing a strong and healthy piano technique particular for small hands. When teaching voice to younger children, she teaches ear training, pitch-voice coordination, rhythmic and melodic values, basic breath control, ease of tone and body alignment. With children 12 and older she works more with resonance, and with young adults, more with registration.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Ric was raised in a musical family. His mother played the piano, and his uncle was the conductor and founder of the Dayton Philharmonic. At age 8, Ric started to play the flute and by the time he was a teenager his main interests were in jazz and blues. In College he toured with the Ohio University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Ernie Bastine. Since then he has added to his arsenal the saxophone, clarinet and recorder family. He has studied at Juilliard and Jazzmobile and with many prominent musicians such as Joe Allard, Frank Foster, Julius Baker, Samuel Baron, Lenny Pickett, Maricio Smith, Perry Robinson, Dr. Michael White, Jamey Aebersold and Steve Grossman. Ric was inducted into the New York Blues Hall Of Fame in 2015 and received the distinction of Dayton Original in 2014. 

Simon is a native of London, England. After attending Trinity College of Music, he moved to the US where he completed a Masters degree and Doctoral coursework with Joseph Wytko at Arizona State University.While enjoying the varied experiences of living in Arizona, Florida, and now NYC, Simon is very proud to have taught music in many different settings from middle school band and community schools of music, to university-level instrumental lessons and chamber music classes. Simon prides himself on making lessons fun and engaging for every student. Teaching young students is particularly enjoyable because it allows him the opportunity to connect with them wherever they may be musically, and help them to develop their skill and passion for music.Simon has the privilege of having shared the stage with many fantastic musicians including Johnny Mathis, Sting, Aretha Franklin, and Bernadette Peters, and currently enjoys regularly performing on Broadway and Off-Broadway on shows including The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, and Romeo and Bernadette.Simon’s teaching philosophy involves helping his students develop their love of music of any style through lessons that are equally enjoyable, educational, and engaging.

Alison Jones graduated from the Mannes College of Music with a bachelor of science degree with distinction, where she studied piano with Richard Goode. She holds a master of arts in teaching degree from Lehman College. Alison has been teaching for many years and particularly enjoys teaching children, as well as teens and adults. Her lessons are fun, creative, and geared towards reading music and understanding rhythm and theory. While trained in the classical style, Alison includes different styles of music in the lessons and is open to what the students want to learn and achieve. Over the years, Alison has taught in several music schools in the tri-state area and held the position of director of the Henry Street Settlement Music School. She is the founder and artistic director of The Woodhill Players, a classical woodwind quintet and piano chamber music ensemble dedicated to performing works by multi-ethnic and women composers, in addition to the traditional classical repertoire. She currently teaches in Westchester and Manhattan.

Teresa Kubiak, an active soloist and chamber musician, is Principal Cellist of The Orchestra of The Bronx and Operatic Concert Artists Orchestra. She has performed with many orchestras, instrumental and vocal ensembles in the New York City region including The New York City Ballet, The Bronx Opera Company, New Music New York and New Rochelle Opera. Teresa received her bachelor’s degree at Ithaca College, where she enrolled as a classical guitarist and graduated as a cellist. She is still active as a guitarist and recently performed on stage in the Bronx Opera Company’s production of Don Pasquale. Upon moving to New York City in 1984, she studied the cello with many notable teachers including Frederick Zlotkin, Fritz Magg, Robert Gardner and Timothy Eddy. Teresa studied Suzuki instruction at The School for Strings, The Hartt College of Music and Ithaca College. She has headed the Suzuki cello departments at The Hudson River Music School in Dobbs Ferry and the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT. Teresa is a guest faculty member with the London Suzuki Group at the Bryanston Summer Festival in Dorset, England. She has been teaching in the RiverArts Music Program since 1999.

Bob Lawrence has had a varied performing career, ranging from Karl Munchinger’s Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra to the acclaimed Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. Bob studied at Yale University and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Bob is currently the director of programming as well as violinist for the All Seasons Chamber Players, concertmaster of the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and associate concertmaster of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra. He has frequently served as concertmaster at the Lake George Opera Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY. Bob has also appeared at the Grand Teton, Colorado, and Spoleto Festivals. As a member of the Long Island Philharmonic, Bob has frequently performed with string quartets in educational outreach programs in elementary and secondary schools all over Long Island. He has taught with us since 2005.

Geoff Morrow has an associate degree in music from Onondaga College and has received three National Endowment for the Arts grants. He has studied with noted jazz Bassist Michael Moore and Metropolitan Opera associate principal bassist Leigh Mesh. Geoff performs regularly on double bass and electric bass guitar throughout the area in a variety of musical styles, including jazz, classical, pop and musical theater, and also plays piano, guitar and drums. 

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Rossen Nedelchev is a professional drummer, composer, producer, and educator now based in New York City. With a diverse musical background covering jazz, funk, pop, rock, and electronic music, Rossen actively contributes his distinctive style to many projects in the city. ​

A native of New York, Dr. Barbara Podgurski holds a Masters degree (MM) in both piano performance and music theory from the Mannes College of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) from The Graduate Center (CUNY) with a specialization in modernist analysis. Dr. Podgurski has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and has performed at many of the world’s finest venues including a number of performances at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center), and has been featured on WNYC's “Soundcheck”, WQXR, NPR, WQED and NHK Japan. Barbara performs regularly with violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn and her famed "Red Mendelssohn" Stradivarius, and is a member of the Lexington Piano Trio. A distinguished Steinway Teaching Artist and contributing writer to Cambridge's Nineteenth-Century Music ReviewI, Dr. Podgurski has served on the faculty at Mannes College of Music, The New School University, Hunter College (CUNY), and Mercy College. She is Executive and Artistic Director of Musica Reginae Productions in NY and is a consultant for the Board of Education in NYC, NYS and for the US Department of Cultural Affairs in NYC.

Nancy Rathbun is a native of Washington DC. She holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with the renowned German soprano, Uta Graf. After her studies, she went on to sing leading soprano roles with Glimmerglass Opera, the Caramoor Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, Orlando Opera and the Britten Aldeburgh Music Festival in the UK, among others. On the concert stage, highlights included touring with the conductor and musicologist Will Crutchfield in lecture/recitals devoted to the lieder of Franz Schubert (including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and singing excerpts from Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Joffrey Ballet. Nancy also won several competitions, including taking first place in the Oratorio Society of New York’s annual solo competition and the Serge Koussevitsky Competition. In 2007, Nancy moved to Sleepy Hollow and began teaching voice privately (with students ranging from beginners of all ages to professional opera singers) and singing as the mezzo soprano soloist with the Irvington Presbyterian Church.

Thomas Readett, cellist has distinguished himself as a versatile soloist, chamber music musician and recording artist. Celebrated cellist, Thomas Moser, has praised his playing as “beautiful” with an “excellent approach to the cello”.  

John Reid has been a free-lance trumpeter in New York City for the past twelve years. John has played in numerous Broadway shows including “The Producers” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” He holds a master’s degree in trumpet performance from George Peabody College and has taught at all levels, including college, at Belmont College in Nashville, and Middle Tennessee State University at Murfreesboro. John currently teaches at the Hackley School in Tarrytown, as well as for RiverArts.

Oliver is a pianist and composer, studying at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music for two years under Claudia Knafo, in the pre-college program. He has participated and placed highly in various festivals and competitions, including the New York Concert Festival International Competition, American Protégé International Competition, and the Carlsbad Music Festival in the Czech Republic. 

Mary Thombs received a Bachelor of Arts degree in violin and voice from Bowdoin College, did graduate work in musicology at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and studied Suzuki pedagogy with some of New York’s most respected teachers. After serving as director of children’s music for 11 years, in 2006 she was appointed minister of music for Asbury United Methodist Church in Tuckahoe, where she directs two choirs, plays the organ, and appears regularly as a soprano soloist. She is head of the voice faculty at The Dwight Conservatory in NYC; Mary has also served on the faculties of the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, NJ and the JCC Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ. She is a former concertmaster of both the Sarah Lawrence Community Orchestra and the Sound Shore Orchestra in Mamaroneck, is a former member of the first violin section of the Rockland Symphony, and has appeared with Musica Sacra in Carnegie Hall. Mary has been teaching violin and voice with RiverArts since 1996.

Olga Tymchenko, violinist, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, trained in the Russian tradition of violin playing. At the age of 8 she won her first violin competition for young artists in Kyiv, and at the age of 11 debuted on the stage of the National Philharmonic Concert Hall as a winner of Kyiv City competition. Olga Tymchenko studied violin in the Gliere Music College with Anna Melnyk and then continued her studies in the National University of Culture & Arts in Kiev. She graduated with honors in 2000 with a Master Degree of Arts in Violin Performance. Olga has been touring and performing in Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Holland, and in the US. As a member of Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra, she performed at David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, Merkin Concert Hall and recorded contemporary and film music. Resident of Nyack, Ms. Tymchenko also performs in Rockland and Westchester counties with various chamber groups and as a soloist. Ms. Tymchenko is also a devoted violin teacher, teaching privately and at Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, NY.  

John ('Jack') Ward is a classical guitarist, teacher, and arranger from Mobile, Alabama. He currently lives and works in Mount Vernon, New York. Jack grew up playing blues, rock, and bluegrass music before studying classical guitar at SUNY Purchase in 2020. He has since fallen in love with solo, chamber, and large ensemble performance, as well as teaching beginner and advanced guitarists alike.

Dr. Jason Priset is a professional guitarist and lutenist who performs around the world and has years of teaching experience in university classrooms and privately. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University in guitar performance and has studied, post-graduate, at one of Europe’s most prestigious conservatories: Escola Superior de Musica de Universitat de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.