Dorotea at the age of seven fell in love with a renaissance painting of an angel playing viola da gamba and wished to play that instrument as well. Since she statarted to play cello she showed a great talent and began to play concerts and win competitions at the early age. Since then , Dorotea performed as soloist  and a chamber musucian  in major halls of numerous European countries.She performed in her native Croatia, Slovenia, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Malta and USA.   Dorotea has collected a total of 27 national and international prizes, winning twice, National Championship of Cellists in Croatia. She has also won Grand Prix at International competition Casarza Ligure and the prestigious Zagreb Scholarship Award for the most accomplished students and the 2nd price at the AFAF International Concerto Competition. She performed in Kennedy Center at the Millennium Stage as a part of celebration concerts of a great cellist Alban Gerhart, playing H. Villa- Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras. In the fall of 2012 Dorotea will be performing in Carnegie Hall in the winner’s recital of AFAF competition. Dorotea has impressed the most revered artists such as, Bernard Greenhouse, Ralph Kirshbaum, Anner Bylsma, Phillipe Muller, Karine Georgian, Silvia Sondeckiene, Valter Despalj, Reinhard Latzko, Vladimir Perlin, to mention a few. After she has completed her studies under the guidance of Amit Peled at Peabody Institute of Music with a full scholarship, she is continuing her doctorate studies at the Catholic University of America, as well with a full scholarship. In the fall of 2010, Dorotea discovered her talent for teaching and music education. She was awarded an internship with Peabody Youth Orchestra as a section leader and supervisor. Dorotea was also a student assistant at Peabody Preparatory, leading rehearsals for the Preparatory Academy string quartets and chamber groups. In 2011, she became a faculty member of Bridges program founded by the Baltimore Greater Youth Orchestra In her spare time she likes taking art classes and writes novels. She hopes she can incorporate and show those talents and interests on stage through her cello playing.    

Teaches all levels.

Melissa began singing in a church choir at the age of four and has been "hooked" ever since. After years of performing in various choirs and taking lessons herself, she went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in vocal performance at Illinois Wesleyan University and her Master's at Illinois State University. Meanwhile, Melissa was also studying piano from childhood through college. Now in her 21st year of playing, Melissa loves to teach beginner and intermediate pianists in addition to young singers. She is a newcomer to the DC area, and has previously lived, sung, and taught in Illinois, Indiana, and Vienna, Austria. Melissa has performed on both the undergraduate and graduate level (and beyond). Her experience includes operas, operettas, recitals, musicals, and choirs. She has performed in venues ranging from the Indianapolis Opera to the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Over the years she has performed in the United States, Canada, England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. She also studied piano for many years, and has experience as an accompanist and vocal coach. Other than her pedagogy training and the typical university diction and literature curriculum, she also took 14 years of French, and lived in a German-speaking country for the better part of a year studying the language. Her knowledge of diction and language issues is extensive. This, combined with her comprehensive training in music theory, history, and repertoire, gives her a vast reserve of knowledge and resources for her teaching.

Michael T. Brown is a diverse performer, equally comfortable with everything from operatic literature to Scottish folk songs. On stage, he is regarded as a strong actor with a rich voice, and he is known for being a quick read. His opera roles have included Captain Fitzbattleaxe from Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia Limited, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, Monostatos in Magic Flute, Peterman in M. Choufleuri, and numerous chorus and supporting roles. He has also performed in Scottish folk and folk rock bands as a singer, guitarist, Irish bouzouki player, and recording artist. He has earned a M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy at Catholic University's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and a B.M. Ed. from Gordon College in Wenham, MA. 

I am a very enthusiastic and educated instructor who loves teaching students about music. In 2004, I graduated from Berklee College of Music with a dual-Bachelor's Degree and have been teaching privately since 1998. I have been performing since age 8 and have had the pleasure of playing and teaching internationally.