Instructors
Margaret Cooke - piano, violin, mandolin
Margaret Cooke has been playing the violin and piano since she was eight years old, and has been in orchestras since she was ten. She studied piano and violin performance under Elizabeth Eschwe in Vienna, Austria, in 2000, and received a B.A. in Music and a B.A. in English from the University of the South in 2001. In 2004, Margaret received an M.A. in English Lit. (cultural studies) at the University of Virginia. In 2006, she worked toward a PhD in Nottingham, U.K., where she was writing about American folk music. Currently, Margaret enjoys playing bluegrass on mandolin and fiddle.
Lindsay Ann Hoffmann - Beginning Piano, Clarinet, Woodwinds
Lindsay received a B.M. in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she performed on clarinet in University Band, Wind Ensemble, and various small woodwind ensembles. She is a student of Dr. Charles West, former International Clarinet Association president, and David Neithamer of the Richmond Symphony. Her secondary instrument was trumpet under Taylor Barnett, who is currently the director of Jazz Orchestra II at VCU. She plays in the pit orchestra for Woodberry Forest School in Orange County and was recently invited to join the Commonwealth Winds for their performance at the VMEA Conference in November 2007. In her free time she relaxes with her husband, Carl, and her family, and is currently learning to play the accordian.
Daniel McCarthy - guitar
Daniel McCarthy is among the few guitarists to excel in both classical and jazz performance. After earning his B.M. (Magna Cum Laude) from James Madison University studying classical guitar with Keith Stevens, he traveled to Montreal, Canada with the JMU Jazz Ensemble where he performed at the L'off Jazz Festival with some of Montreal's most prominent jazz musicians. The ensemble then traveled to Europe performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He recently received his M.M. in Guitar Performance from Appalachian State University where he studied classical guitar with Dr. Douglas James and jazz guitar with Andy Page. Daniel taught in both the classical and jazz guitar areas at ASU as a graduate assistant. In addition to his experience as a performer and teacher, Daniel has arranged pieces for guitar that he performed with the Appalachian Chamber Singers and was commissioned by composer Jane Roman Pitt to arrange her "Songs of the Season" originally for solo piano for two guitars. In his free time he enjoys reading and composing original music.
Eric Smith - drumsEric Smith was raised in an environment where music was a constant. His father Steven, a life long multi-instrumentalist, instilled in him both a passion for listening and a desire to play. As a result of his parents’ eclectic taste in music, Eric grew up listening to highly influential artists from just about every genre conceivable. Constant exposure to such a varied musical landscape has fostered an extremely sensitive ear and built the back bone of an extensive stylistic flexibility as a musician.
Eric began playing music as a guitarist, learning from his father. One day, Steve brought home a recording of drum legend, Dennis Chambers. Eric, then age eleven, was profoundly moved by Dennis’ performance. Later that year, a friend of the family and professional drummer, invited Eric over to experience drumming for the first time. Within a few minutes Eric was playing grooves and licks, emulating some of his favorite music. Shortly thereafter, Eric begged his parents until he had a drum set, and before long, was playing rock covers and improvising with his father. Since then, Eric has taught himself drum set method with books and recordings, until most recently when he auditioned and was accepted at Shenandoah Conservatory to study Jazz and Music Production with a scholarship. Eric has played extensively throughout Charlottesville and is currently working on new music with a local band. In his spare time away from the drums, he writes and records original music and practices piano.
Cindy Stevens - piano, Kindermusik®, Owner/Director of Stevens School of Music & The Arts, LLC
Fully-Licensed Kindermusik Educator; B.S. in Early Childhood Education and concentration in applied piano studies and pedagogy at James Madison University.
Cindy has had a passion for music as far back as she can remember - listening to a wide variety of music from big band to blues! At the age of 4 years old, she began playing piano by ear. After starting piano lessons in the 3rd grade, she began accompanying for the elementary school choir by fifth grade. The rest of her years at Fluvanna Public Schools were filled with music where she sang with and accompanied for school choirs under the direction of Jeff Suling. In 1982 she traveled as a Friendship Force Ambassador to Korea with the Thoroughly Modern Madrigals.
Cindy graduated from James Madison University in 1987 and now has 23 years of experience teaching piano to both children and adults. She decided to become a fully-licensed Kindermusik® instructor in 1999 to fulfill the growing number of parental requests for music for young children. It has been a wonderful and gratifying experience to share her love of music with students from birth and beyond!
Cindy is a member of the Music Teacher’s National Association and the local Charlottesville Chapter. She also serves as accompanist for the Fluvanna Community Singers and is the Early Worship Service pianist for Palmyra United Methodist Church. Cindy enjoys playing with the Recorder and World Beat Drumming Ensembles at the school and watching her two children, Andrew and Emily, grow into musicians themselves! What a joy!
Keith Stevens - guitar, banjo, ukelele, Owner/Director of Stevens School of Music & The Arts, LLC
Keith Stevens holds both a B.M., M.M. in classical guitar performance from James Madison University. His primary teachers have included Jim Rowe, American Guitar Master Benjamin Verdery in New York City, Peter Miller, Peter Golladay and Wayne Dooley. He has performed in master classes with renowned guitarists Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, David Russell, Guillermo Fierenes and Jesus Silva. Mr. Stevens has compositions published with Les Productions D'OZ in Quebec, Canada. Click to view June: Hommage to Mozart from Calendar Pieces. Click to hear Scottish Air performed by the Avanti Guitar Trio. Mr. Stevens also plays Lute and Renaissance guitar with The Peartree Consort, and early music ensemble based in Harrisonburg, Va. Keith has over 20 years of experience teaching both children and adults in a variety of styles. Click here to link to Keith's myspace page and listen to him play.
Julie Fulcher-Davis - Actress, Composer, Drummer, Voice-Over Talent, Singer-songwriter, Director, Teacher, Playwright, Mom)
Julie attended Shenandoah Conservatory on scholarships in acting, voice and piano, then continued her training in New York where she gained several off-off Broadway credits before returning home to Richmond, VA where she has many local local and regional credits in theatre, radio and TV commercials. In 2005 - 2006, Julie served as the Equity Guest Artist in Residence at the University of Richmond where she taught her craft and appeared as, Amanda, in The Glass Menagerie. other favorite roles include the Witch in, Into The Woods; Dolores, in Olympus On My Mind, a cast of many in, The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life; Charity, in Sweet Charity; and Louise, in Always . . . Patsy Cline.
As an accomplished singer, songwriter and composer, Julie's work is often heard nationwide with Theatre IV's National Touring Company. Richmond Theatre goers may have heard her critically acclaimed music in the productions of The Jungle Book, Pocahontas and The Boy Who Cried Wolf at Theatre IV and Patchwork at Barksdale Theatre.
Julie has developed programs and taught everything from Shakespeare to Music Theatre to young aspiring actors for Sparc, Hattheatre, The Illuminated Playhouse, Swift Creek Mill Playhouse and Richmond Enrichment Studio. Julie is also a member of Actor's Equity Association, The National Songwriter's Guild of America and The National Honors Theatre Fraternity Alpha Psi Omega.