Rebecca Levi, El Sistema program director and K1, K2 and Abreu Orchestra teacher, graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Italian and English Literature in 2007. From 2007 to 2009, she lived in Urubamba, Peru, working in a home for abused children and teaching music and English classes. In 2009, she was chosen as a member of the inaugural group of Abreu Fellows at New England Conservatory and spent the year studying El Sistema in Boston, Los Angeles and Venezuela. Since 2010, she has been co-director of the El Sistema music program at Conservatory Lab. She plays piano, flute and guitar.
Adrian Anantawan, Conductor, Dudamel Orchestra, holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a violinist, his teachers include Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, and Anne-Sophie Mutter; his academic work in education was supervised by Howard Gardner. Memorable moments include performances at the White House, the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Athens (2006) and Vancouver (2010) and for Pope John Paul II. His passions include cooking, jogging along the Charles River and writing.
Leah Hennessy, Singing and Musicianship, received her BM in Jazz Performance-Voice and an MM in Contemporary Improvisation both from New England Conservatory. Since first learning to sing at her grandmother’s side, her musical experiences have brought her in contact with a wide range of genres including jazz, folk, country, light opera, contemporary art song, gospel, musical theatre, and pop music. Around the Boston area, she writes songs and plays keyboard for her band, Talk Listen Door, and has active projects in both improvised music and traditional American Roots music.
Levi Comstock, viola, received his BM in Music Education from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he spent two years teaching strings in public schools. His viola teachers include Csaba Erdelyi, Beverly Scott, and Charles Gray. He currently performs in the Brookline Symphony, sings baritone in the Orpheus Singers, and can occasionally be seen moonlighting at bluegrass jams around Boston. He is in his third year at Conservatory Lab, conducting the Bernstein Orchestra as well working in the Department of Development, Communications, and Marketing.
Adam Eccleston, flute, was raised in Bad Kreuznach, Germany and studied at Die Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt. Outside of Conservatory Lab, he enjoys teaching electronic private lessons to young musicians around the world through YouTube.
Joshua Garver, Strings Leader, earned his B.M. in music education from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music, studying violin and string pedagogy under Dr. Brenda Brenner. Joshua began studying violin in the 4th grade in the West Irondequoit School District, taking private lessons within his community and at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance. In high school, Joshua enrolled in The Eastman Community Music School, where he studied violin with Dr. Lee Wilkins for five years, earning merits and diploma’s in both string studies and music theory. Joshua spent three of his collegiate years working with the Fairview Violin project, a program that offers beginning violin lessons to an underprivileged elementary school. Joshua is currently a member of the violin section of the Brookline Symphony Orchestra.
Josue Gonzalez, cello/bass, completed his B.M. and M.M. in performance and Suzuki pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His main teachers include Richard Aaron and Melissa Kraut. An avid performer and advocate of new music and baroque performance practice, Josue enjoys performing many different genres music from classical to pop. He is very excited to be a part of the Conservatory Lab family.
Tess Plotkin, percussion, graduated from Boston University with a degree in Film and Television and a concentration in psychology. She learned piano through the Suzuki method as a young child and then continued to study many other instruments, percussion being her favorite. Tess was percussion captain and drum major of her school marching and concert bands. She enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and new puppy George!
A musician of diverse interests, Christopher Schroeder (Brass) is a Boston-based, freelance trumpet player and vocalist. He has performed in a variety of groups including symphonies, jazz trios and pit orchestras. An active music educator, Chris works with the North End Music and Performing Arts Center and teaches adult education courses at Brookline Adult and Community Education and New School of Music, Cambridge. In addition to his work with the El Sistema music program at Conservatory Lab, Chris also works in the Department of Development, Communications, and Marketing and will be coordinating the upcoming Picturing America Conference.
Brad Barrett, bass instructor, is an active member of the Boston area jazz scene and is currently a doctoral candidate at New England Conservatory of Music in Contemporary Improvisation. Brad is returning to the Conservatory Lab School as the resident artist for bass.
Kathleen Jara, violin, studied at Bowling Green State University and the Boston Conservatory before arriving at Conservatory Lab. She has been active in education and performance since early in her career, when she set up an orchestra program in a small school in Tacna, Peru. At present she plays in various projects around Boston and the surrounding area, as well as teaching violin at Conservatory Lab and voice at Cristo Rey Boston.
