Our Faculty

Isaac Allen – Violin

Violinist Isaac Allen attended Manhattan School of Music and received his Undergraduate Diploma from The Longy School of Music, Masters of Music in Chamber Music Performance from Kent State University and the Artist Diploma from San Diego State. He has studied violin with Ivan Chan, Laura Bossert, Terry King, Patinka Kopek and chamber music with Robert Mann, Earl Carlyss, Silvia Rosenberg and members of the Juilliard, Orion, Vermeer, Emerson, Alexander, Miami and Alban Berg String Quartets. He has performed in Canada, the U.S., China and Taiwan. With a strong dedication to teaching, Mr. Allen has given master classes throughout the United States and served as a violin teacher at various schools and universities, including San Francisco State and Brookline Music School. Festival appearances have included the La Jolla SummerFest, Music@Menlo, Aspen, and the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Paul Neubauer, Toby Appel, Steven Ansel, Ronald Thomas, Paul Katz and the Alexander String Quartet.

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Dr. Marta Blalock – Violin

Ms. Marta began her musical studies in the Czech Republic at the age of 5. She has been teaching violin privately for 15 years and has lead group classes for children and adults for almost 10 years. During her graduate studies, she was the director of University of Georgia Community Music School, where she established a comprehensive learning environment for children and adults. Ms. Marta is now happy to continue her teaching expertise with Villa Musica. Her teaching philosophy combines traditional European instruction with popular instructional methods such as Suzuki. She is an active performer in solo, chamber and orchestral music, spanning through various genres and has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Her research focuses on Eastern European compositions as well as women in music.

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Dr. Fiona Chatwin – Voice

Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Fiona Chatwin completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts from UCSD with a view to a joint career as both teacher and performer. With eighteen years experience as a teacher of voice both here in San Diego and in Melbourne Australia (where she is from), Dr. Chatwin has worked with students of all ages, backgrounds and vocal disciplines.

As well as teaching, Dr. Chatwin has also dedicated a large portion of the past six years to the founding and developing of Villa Musica – San Diego’s Community Music Center.

Balancing the roles of educator and administrator, she has embraced the entrepreneurial challenges that have been placed before her and has guided the organization through significant growth in spite of the difficult economy.

It is with a steady and unyielding focus that she maintains Villa Musica’s mission in her sights as she navigates the difficult terrain of the non-profit Arts organization of the 21^st century.

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Regina Brown – Violin

Regina Brown became inspired to play the violin after seeing her local middle school orchestra perform when she was 8. Since starting the following school year, she has been consistently involved in developing her passion and involvement in music. She has been a part of many classical orchestras and small ensembles, performed as both a recording and live string musician in the San Diego rock scene, and interned at local station 91X. She earned a B.A. in Music with a minor in Pre-Therapeutic Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University. She teaches music at a private school in Lemon Grove as well as violin and beginner piano to students in her own private studio. Regina is also a member of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra, City Ballet Orchestra, the Sensational String Sisters, and the Vivace String Quartet with Villa Musica colleague Caitlin Fahey.

Angela Choong – Viola/Violin

Violist Angela Choong, a native of Columbus, Ohio, began her musical studies at the age of four and has since performed as a violinist and violist throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. A passionate chamber musician, she joined the Hausmann Quartet in 2008, and has collaborated with distinguished artists such as cellist Gary Hoffman, violists Toby Appel, Cynthia Phelps, and Paul Neubauer, pianists James Tocco and Jeremy Denk, and the Alexander String Quartet. Recent engagements include Rockport Music, La Jolla SummerFest, San Francisco Performances, Aspen Music Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Lyricafest, and Blossom Music Festival. Ms. Choong holds advanced degrees in violin/viola performance and chamber music from The Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Kent State University and received grants to participate in international master classes at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, France. Her primary mentors were Michael Davis, Charles Castleman, Laura Bossert, and Beth Newdome. She has also studied viola with James Dunham, Jeffrey Irvine, and Yu Jin, and chamber music with the Miami, Emerson, Juilliard, Takacs, and Alexander String Quartets. She was a teaching assistant to violinist Beth Newdome at Florida State University, and to

the Alexander String Quartet at San Francisco State University. Ms. Choong plays a d’amore style viola made by Hiroshi Iizuka in Philadelphia in 2006.

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Dr. Justin DeHart – Drum Set/Percussion

From Sacramento, California, Justin DeHart is an enthusiastic teacher and performer of contemporary music styles. A firm proponent of community involvement in music, he founded the Sacramento non-profit "Joe's Style Shop"; an organization dedicated to teaching jazz, world music, and popular music production to disadvantaged youths in the central city. He has taught percussion to high school students for two years at the California State Summer School of the Arts in Valencia, CA, hand drum classes at Waldorf schools, and bucket drumming in central LA continuation schools. He has also taught tabla at the Pandit Jasraj Music Foundation in Tampa, Florida, as well as college courses at California Institute of the Arts, SDSU, UCSD and Chapman University.

Caitlin Fahey – Cello

Caitlin Fahey began her cello career at age six after seeing a child-size violin and asking her parents for music lessons. She has studied with Anne Cole, Dr. David Schepps, Vivian Barton and currently studies with Yao Zhao. Caitlin holds a B.U.S. in Pre-Med Studies with a German minor from the University of New Mexico, a M.Ed. from Loyola University and a Primary Diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale.

Her primary passion is string pedagogy with particular respect to the Suzuki Method, which she studies with Dr. Tanya Carey. She is currently certified in Suzuki Cello books 1-4, with books 5-10 pending! In addition to her faculty position at Villa Musica, Caitlin maintains a private cello studio in La Jolla and runs the cello programs for the Carlsbad Strings Education Association and the San Diego Suzuki School. She also works as a freelance musician in various ensembles in the San Diego area and holds the Assistant Principal position with the La Jolla Symphony.

Noelle Marie Kerr – Voice (Music Theatre)

Noelle Marie Kerr has been performing on stage since the age of two and has been directing productions since sixteen. Her favorite complex roles portrayed include Eponine (Les Miserables), Audrey (Little Shop of Horrors) and the daring Harper (Angels in America). Noelle has founded several musical theatre programs in honor of her mother who instilled the love and performance of arts. She enjoys producing, directing, and performing at every age level and has directed ages two to adults in shows in community theatres, CYT, schools, camps, churches and Universities as well as teaching unconventional voice lessons specializing in young singers.

Noelle has been grateful for the opportunities to perform in seven countries - her next destination is Africa. Noelle has a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts: Music and Theatre: Arts and Education from California State University, San Marcos where she developed the Take Stage Ensemble after being the only female of her class in the highly competitive Directing program at Cal State Fullerton.

Rachel Kim – Piano

Rachel Jung-Hoo Kim, originally from Seoul, Korea, began her formal piano studies with Helen Smith Tarchalski at the age of 11, where she has been a standout performer winning top prizes in numerous competitions and festivals and was a recipient of the Distinguished Music Achievement Award by the Maryland State Music Teachers Association. She is a graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C, where she completed her degree in piano performance under the direction of Marilyn Neeley and Jose Ramos Santana. She previously attended George Mason University as one of four recipients of the Jean Carrington Cook Piano Scholarship. Ms. Kim has maintained a private teaching studio for several years and was on the faculty at Musical Expressions in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2008 to 2010. In 2007 she was a faculty member at Talent and Education Art and Mentoring Program in Washington D.C, a non-profit organization that offered free summer music camp programs for low-income students. Her future plans include an advanced degree in the field of International Relations. In her spare time, Ms. Kim loves reading, trail running, and living life to its fullest.

Ariana Lamon-Anderson – Clarinet/Saxophone

From Seattle, to the Baltimore/Washington DC metropolitan, and now San Diego, Ariana Lamon-Anderson has been teaching woodwinds for nearly 10 years to a wide variety of ages and ability levels. Ms. Lamon-Anderson holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Performance from the Peabody Institute of the John's Hopkins University. She began her musical career on alto saxophone in her elementary school beginning band, and quickly added flute and clarinet to her practice. As a performer she is experienced in classical, jazz, and theater, appearing at numerous venues and festivals around the US and in Europe. Along with performing, Ms. Lamon-Anderson is truly passionate about teaching and sharing music. The encouraging, nurturing technique of her former teachers strongly influences her approach to pedagogy.

Mark Polesky – Piano, Accompanying

Mark Polesky has been a professional pianist for over 15 years. Mr. Polesky has received music performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Georgia. He has taught piano privately for eight years; and he performs with ensembles and accompanies classical instrumentalists and vocalists. Mr. Polesky specializes in premiering, performing, and recording works of post avant-garde and contemporary classical composers.

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Jill Reis – Voice

Jill Reis, an operatic soprano, choir director, music instructor, and piano accompanist, began studying music at age 8. She has continuously sung in choirs of all genres, and studied classical voice privately for 10 years. Jill understands that a strong foundation in classical technique not only makes singing in any genre possible, but also ensures healthy singing habits for life! Her expertise is in classical art songs and arias, in which she has significant experience singing in Italian, German, and French, as well as 20th Century works. She recently received a B.M. in Vocal Performance from SDSU, and has performed lead roles in several operas, including Belinda in Dido & Aeneas and Pitti-Sing in The Mikado. Jill is currently Choir Director at Summit Fellowship in Santee. She also enjoys being a member of SACRA/PROFANA, an exciting new professional chamber choir here in San Diego, under the direction of Krishan Oberoi, Founder and Artistic Director. She plans to achieve a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy in the near future.

Rosalind Richards – Flute

Rosalind Richards is a flutist with a B.A., with Honors in Performance, from UCSD and an M.A. from SDSU. Ms. Richards has played Principle Flute with the La Jolla Civic Orchestra. Currently, she plays with the Del Mar Trio - consisting of flute, violin, and cello- at weddings and concerts. Furthermore, Ms. Richards composes original instrumental music and has four CDs available at www.goldwindmusic.com.

With over 20 years experience teaching flute, she is presently a flute teacher at Rhoades School and coach at Del Mar Hills Academy of Arts and Science. Ms. Richards has taught mixed ensembles and flute ensembles at Miracosta and Miramar Community Colleges.

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Stephanie Sabin – Voice

Ms. Sabin's 20-year music career consists of performance work in opera, musical theater, oratorio, and concert, while also maintaining a thriving private voice studio as well as performance and audition workshops. Ms. Sabin has also found success as a music and stage director, most recently with Canyon Crest Academy Envision Theatre's KISS ME KATE (Music director/conductor). Other music-directing forays include GUYS AND DOLLS in November 2011 and OKLAHOMA in April 2011, both for St. Augustine's High School. Other production work as director includes THE TENDERLAND, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and RIDERS TO THE SEA.

As a performer, Ms. Sabin has been touring in her one-woman show, LES CHEMINS DE L'AMOUR, (San Diego; Los Angeles; Paris, France). She has also had the pleasure of performing with companies such as the San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of San Diego, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Utah Festival Opera Company, Opera Idaho and others.

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Sally Shallenberg – Piano

Sally has been a lover of music in her entire life. She graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and did graduate work at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City where she was accepted into the touring concert ensemble which played in 13 European countries. She has taught privately in San Diego since 1980. A number of her students have been accepted at various schools of music around the country.

Sally loves teaching. Her style, both positive and very enthusiastic, puts students of all ages at ease, helping them to progress comfortably and joyfully into the magical world of music making, an art form that she deeply understands and believes belongs to all of us. She is especially encouraging to adults, both beginners and those who wish to return to the piano.

Students who choose to study with Sally also benefit from her expertise in the use of the body at the piano. She has been a Certified teacher of the Alexander Technique since 1995, a marvelous tool for finding poise, freedom and comfort while playing. Sally carefully watches her students move while playing so that she can help them find beautiful, tension-free balance in their bodies which contributes both to the sound of the music and to the pleasure in playing an instrument.

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Cami Smith – Music Therapy/Violin/ Early Childhood Music

Cami Smith is a board certified music therapist (MT-BC) with advanced level training in Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) through the Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University. She is also a trained Suzuki violin teacher and a piano teacher. She began her musical studies at the age of 3 1/2 in Buffalo, NY and continued her training in Toledo, OH. She graduated from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH in 2000 with a degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Music Therapy. Cami has been a Neurologic Music Therapist for 10 years, teaching violin privately for 22 years, and piano privately for 3 years. Before moving to San Diego, CA, she worked in Phoenix, AZ in the largest Neurologic Music Therapy clinic in the country and maintained a management position for 4 years. After moving to San Diego, Cami began her own music therapy and teaching company in 2008 to provide more opportunities for people to receive music therapy services, private violin and piano lessons, and adaptive music lessons. Cami has extensive training in classical, Suzuki, and fiddle music and additional behavioral and sensory integration training. Cami is thrilled to continue her professional work with Villa Musica as a music therapist, early childhood music instructor, and violin teacher. She continues as an active performer in a local Irish band.

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Dr. Jude Weirmeir – Guitar

Dr. Jude Weirmeir, a guitarist, conductor, educator and composer, received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. As an educator, Dr. Weirmeir has taught in a broad and diverse collection of musical traditions ranging from music of Africa and Asia, popular culture and film, music theory and musicianship and guitar performance. As a composer, Dr. Weirmeir has won many international honors and awards and critics have described his music as beguiling, delicate, rich, and colorful, with a wonderful mastery of orchestral color. Dr. Weirmeir has taught private guitar lessons in San Diego for the past 10 years and has enjoyed directing the Villa Musica Guitar Ensemble since its inception.