Instructors
Leonardo Braswell – Leonardo began studying music and theory at the age of 11. Then, his primary instrument was the alto saxophone. His love of music has brought him to graduate with his BA in Music Industry with a concentration in piano from NCCU. As an undergrad, Leonardo performed with the NCCU University Choir as a baritone. He also plays the keyboard as the head musician at the Hyco Zion church in Roxboro. Leonardo currently performs professionally as a solo musician or with his group Flava throughout the state. As an instructor at Infuzion, he provid es lessons in the genres of classical, gospel, smooth jazz, and R&B. Leonardo believes that well-rounded musicians must understand technique, theory, and ear training. These fundamentals are taken into account with shaping a lesson plan for each of his students.
Emily K. Byrne – Emily is excited to join Infuzion’s piano and voice faculty. As a pianist, Ms. Byrne has over 15 years of playing experience. She began her studies at 7 under John Moderic with further studies under Theodore Raffeto. She continued to study piano with Dr. Deborah Hollis and Dr. George Kiorpes at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro while pursuing a B.M. in Voice. Ms Byrne teaches beginning through intermediate piano students and has a special love for starting young piano students on their musical journey.
Matt Douglas – Matt Douglas’s training began with woodwind instruments, and he graduated as a contemporary music performance major from NYU. From there, he headed to Hungary on a Fulbright scholarship as a student of folk music traditions. It was there that he first picked up a guitar and began to write songs, which led to the formation of innovative pop ensemble The Proclivities, who have released three records since 2006. In 2009, Douglas co-founded The Small Ponds with country singer Caitlin Cary. They will release their first album on Last Chance Records in September of 2010. Douglas has lent his talents as an instrumentalist as well as a singer, arranger, and producer to the recordings of artists such as Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Mark Erelli, Laura Cortese, Foreign Exchange, and many more. Matt Douglas lives in downtown Raleigh, NC but teaches in performs all around the Triangle area.
Kindra Heilpern – Having taught piano from the age of 13 in three countries and various parts of the United States, Kindra Heilpern also has extensive experience as a soloist, accompanist, and church pianist and organist for over 14 years. She has directed and accompanied numerous musical productions with companies including the Children's Theater of Charlotte. She has sung on national television with BYU's Women's Chorus, toured with semi-professional quartet Mountain Blue, and released 6 CDs, her most recent with Covenant Communications in 2007. A graduate of Brigham Young University in Utah, Kindra Clemence brings to Infuzion a strong background in piano, music education and theater arts education; she performs for weddings, private and corporate functions and has been involved in directing over 45 student productions as a high school theater arts teacher. She is currently pursuing an Masters degree in Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill.
Jon Latané – Jon's musical training started with piano in his hometown of Washington, North Carolina, where he also studied violin, saxophone, and mallet percussion. After five years of training in ECU's Piano Pedagogy program, he attended UNC as an undergraduate where he spent his off time working as an accompanist and vocal coach with private students and student theatrical productions and playing synth and keyboards with bands in the area. Since graduating in 2009, he has accompanied, performed with, and music-directed for theater and opera companies in the Triangle area including UNC Opera, Long Leaf Opera, and The Prizery of South Boston, VA. He has taught piano since the age of 17 to students in both Washington and in the Triangle area.
Matthew McLaughlin – Matt has performed throughout the US and Europe and is highly regarded for his work as an ensemble director and musician. He has directed programs in both private and public school settings, and he has established a private studio of over 35 students. His piano students participate in the annual auditions hosted by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, providing the opportunity for recognition here in Durham, and on the national level. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education as well as a NC teaching license, and he is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, Music Teacher’s National Association, and the American College of Musicians.
Pat Theisen – Pat has developed a unique approach to teaching fostered by years of nursing experience. This enables her to appropriately engage all students according to their growth and development. Her innovative teaching system has been carefully developed for students of all ages. Abstract concepts are easily grasped through the use of interactive tools.
Joan Wittman – Ms. Wittman’s degrees include a BM from Syracuse University, a MM from West Virginia University, and a Certificate of Merit from the Conservatory in Naples, Italy. Her teaching spans over 30 years and her philosophy is, “Singing should always look natural; no one should ever perform a song that they don’t absolutely love.” Joan has sung and worked with greats such as Beverly Sills, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Aaron Copland, Norman Treigle, and Joan Sutherland. She has also performed a NYC Debut at Alice Tully Hall.
Carol Wortham – Bio coming soon!
Joseph Baumgartel – A graduate of the Hartford Conservatory of Music, Joe has been a professional musician for over ten years. He spent five years performing in casinos and clubs in Las Vegas and served as guitar instructor to many performers on the Las Vegas Strip. During that time, he also learned studio production techniques under the tutelage of Mike Varney (president and founder of Shrapnel Records), and wrote and produced music with Anthony E. Zuiker (creator of the CSI television series). He has experience playing in venues coast to coast like the House of Blues, the legendary rock club the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles, and the famed punk rock icon CBGB's in New York City. Having recently arrived in North Carolina, he currently performs in a duo with Cirque du Soleil veteran Alexis Sims playing pop, rock, jazz, blues, folk, country, and original songs in restaurants and bars around Cary. Lessons with Joe are based in technique, theory, and sight-reading, but are focused on the student's personal needs and musical desires with three ultimate goals in mind: a life-long love of music, the ability to play any song that comes along, and an individual style of the student's own.
Matt Douglas – Matt Douglas’s training began with woodwind instruments, and he graduated as a contemporary music performance major from NYU. From there, he headed to Hungary on a Fulbright scholarship as a student of folk music traditions. It was there that he first picked up a guitar and began to write songs, which led to the formation of innovative pop ensemble The Proclivities, who have released three records since 2006. In 2009, Douglas co-founded The Small Ponds with country singer Caitlin Cary. They will release their first album on Last Chance Records in September of 2010. Douglas has lent his talents as an instrumentalist as well as a singer, arranger, and producer to the recordings of artists such as Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Mark Erelli, Laura Cortese, Foreign Exchange, and many more. Matt Douglas lives in downtown Raleigh, NC but teaches in performs all around the Triangle area.
Jon Hill – Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar from Illinois State University; has been teaching guitar to since 1996; has been playing guitar, mandolin, and banjo since 1990; has also performed with artists such as: Doc Watson, The Sam Bush Band, and many more; very passionate about music
Tom Hill – Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from UNC-Greensboro with an emphasis on jazz. He teaches all levels of acoustic and electric guitar in all styles, except classical. Tom develops individualized lesson plans for each student. This allows the student to learn the music they are most interested in while providing Tom with the perfect opportunity to teach theory, technique, and composition. Tom’s passion for music and teaching is evident in the care he takes with each student’s music education.
Vlad Kary – Vlad Kary was born in Ternopil, Ukraine in 1977 and received his first acoustic guitar as a gift for his 15th birthdaVlad Kary was born in Ternopil, Ukraine in 1977 and received his first acoustic guitar as a gift for his 15th birthday. For three years he taught himself to play by ear. At age 18 he was introduced to one of the great jazz guitarists in Ukraine who taught him jazz theory. Those lessons lit a fire inside him that has only grown stronger with time. He started his own Christian rock band, Shykina, in 1997 and for the next 6 years they recorded 3 albums and toured throughout Europe.
In 2004, Vlad won an immigration lottery, which allowed him to move to the United States. Since moving to Durham, NC he has played with blues artist, Bobby Hinton and jazz vocalist, Lulane Chasteen, at a variety of venues in the Triangle area. He also teaches at Infuzion School of the Arts and plays lead guitar with some of the area’s top musicians at New Horizon Church in Durham.
In 2007, A&R executive Cliff Cultreri, who discovered such great guitar players as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, heard Vlad play and invited him to his home to jam. Recognizing the young man’s talent, Cliff has been helping to foster Vlad’s career ever since.
Vlad’s musical influences have been guitarists with varied styles, such as Gary Moore, B.B. King, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and many others. Vlad mixes these styles to create his own unique sound of fusion, blues, rock and jazz. While technique is important, a good melodic line and soulful sound are the most important aspects of his music.
Vlad became a U.S. citizen in 2009 and released his first U.S. album, After Tonight, in April of 2010.
Emily K. Byrne – Emily is a mezzo-soprano whose recent performance credits include Lady Psyche in the Durham Savoyard’s production of Princess Ida. Ms. Byrne has also performed with the College Light Opera Company (CLOC) in shows such as The Pirates of Penzance (Kate), The Mikado (Pitti-Sing) and Annie Get Your Gun (Dolly Tate). She has performed numerous roles for the University of North Carolina – Greensboro Opera Theatre, the Piedmont Opera (NC) and the Winston-Salem Symphony (NC). Ms. Byrne graduated from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro with a B.M. in Voice Performance. Please visit her website for more information about upcoming performances.
Kindra Heilpern – Having taught piano from the age of 13 in three countries and various parts of the United States, Kindra Heilpern also has extensive experience as a soloist, accompanist, and church pianist and organist for over 14 years. She has directed and accompanied numerous musical productions with companies including the Children's Theater of Charlotte. She has sung on national television with BYU's Women's Chorus, toured with semi-professional quartet Mountain Blue, and released 6 CDs, her most recent with Covenant Communications in 2007. A graduate of Brigham Young University in Utah, Kindra Clemence brings to Infuzion a strong background in piano, music education and theater arts education; she performs for weddings, private and corporate functions and has been involved in directing over 45 student productions as a high school theater arts teacher. She is currently pursuing an Masters degree in Social Work at UNC Chapel Hill.
Alexis Sims – Since graduating from the University of Michigan’s Musical Theater Program in 2005, Alexis has been blessed to work with an array of talented directors including multi Tony award winner Richard Maltby, Jr., two-time Tony nominated director/choreographer John Carrafa, and three-time Emmy nominated David Platt of Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, and more. She has performed nationally at some of the country’s most established and acclaimed Equity theaters [Broadway’s Beacon Theater, the New York City Public Theater, the Alliance Theater (GA), Walnut Street Theater (PA), Goodspeed Opera House (CT), etc], and abroad in ensemble and principal roles. Alexis has also taken the stage in dance ensembles like Oklahoma!’s Dream Ballet (choreographed by Mark Esposito) and principal dance roles such as Cassie in A Chorus Line. This past October, before relocating to Raleigh, Alexis finished out a yearlong contract as one of Cirque du Soleil’s principal singers.
Joan Wittman – Ms. Wittman’s degrees include a BM from Syracuse University, a MM from West Virginia University, and a Certificate of Merit from the Conservatory in Naples, Italy. Her teaching spans over 30 years and her philosophy is, “Singing should always look natural; no one should ever perform a song that they don’t absolutely love.” Joan has sung and worked with greats such as Beverly Sills, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Aaron Copland, Norman Treigle, and Joan Sutherland. She has also performed a NYC Debut at Alice Tully Hall.
Clay Anderson – Clay has over 15 years of teaching experience and 20 years of performance experience. His lessons stress hand development, general musical knowledge, and, musicianship. He is eager to teach his students the all-important concept of having fun while expressing yourself.
Clay began studying percussion in middle school, and has participated in marching and symphonic bands during high school and college. Clay studied under Joe Hunt and John Ramsey at the Berklee College of Music and continues his education through the Jazz Studies program at North Carolina Central University. He is active in Central's percussion ensemble as well as in jazz combos and in big bands. Clay is currently working with 3 local groups in a variety of genres including jazz, funk, rock, and folk.
Theous Jones – Theous Jones comes to Infuzion with over five years of teaching experience at high school and college level, as well as private instruction. His origins are in marching band and drum line, which translates to outstanding technique on the drum set. He currently teaches Percussion at Durham Technical College and works with a number of high school drum lines in the Triangle. Theous continues his own musical education as a jazz studies major at North Carolina Central University. On the performance side, Theous has played drum set for the North Carolina Central Jazz Ensemble. Performing across the United States, Canada and in the Caribbean, the big band has accompanied jazz greats such as Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo. Additionally, he is a percussionist for the Chapel Hill Philharmonic Orchestra. Theous encourages students interested in jamming along with their favorite songs are equally comfortable in lessons with Theous as are those focused on technique.
Ryan Wike – Ryan has studied Marimba and Percussion at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The UNCG Percussion Ensemble was the winner of a Percussive Arts Society competition and was selected to be the featured percussion ensemble at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention held in Atlanta. He drummed for various Greensboro-based bands during that time including Otis Reem (ska), Tred (pop), Megelen (indie rock), Mantras (indie jam rock), and Sometimez Why (rock) in Raleigh, NC. His background in musical theatre includes: The UNC-Greensboro Theatre Deptartment's Production of "Tommy" and "Hair;" the High Point Theatre's Production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat;" the Community Theatre of Greensboro's Production of "Funny Girl" and "Ain’t Misbehavin.'"
Ryan's teaching style is very casual and productive with an emphasis on the overall enjoyment and appreciation of the drumming culture.
Grace Bennington – Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Flute Performance from Elon University; currently a local middle school band director; wonderful teacher; teaches all levels
Matt Douglas – Matt Douglas’s training began with woodwind instruments, and he graduated as a contemporary music performance major from NYU. From there, he headed to Hungary on a Fulbright scholarship as a student of folk music traditions. It was there that he first picked up a guitar and began to write songs, which led to the formation of innovative pop ensemble The Proclivities, who have released three records since 2006. In 2009, Douglas co-founded The Small Ponds with country singer Caitlin Cary. They will release their first album on Last Chance Records in September of 2010. Douglas has lent his talents as an instrumentalist as well as a singer, arranger, and producer to the recordings of artists such as Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Mark Erelli, Laura Cortese, Foreign Exchange, and many more. Matt Douglas lives in downtown Raleigh, NC but teaches in performs all around the Triangle area.
Matt Douglas – Matt Douglas’s training began with woodwind instruments, and he graduated as a contemporary music performance major from NYU. From there, he headed to Hungary on a Fulbright scholarship as a student of folk music traditions. It was there that he first picked up a guitar and began to write songs, which led to the formation of innovative pop ensemble The Proclivities, who have released three records since 2006. In 2009, Douglas co-founded The Small Ponds with country singer Caitlin Cary. They will release their first album on Last Chance Records in September of 2010. Douglas has lent his talents as an instrumentalist as well as a singer, arranger, and producer to the recordings of artists such as Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown, Mark Erelli, Laura Cortese, Foreign Exchange, and many more. Matt Douglas lives in downtown Raleigh, NC but teaches in performs all around the Triangle area.
Patrick Bennington – Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro; currently middle school band director; teaches all levels of brass instruments; very dedicated
Matthew McLaughlin– Matt has performed throughout the US and Europe and is highly regarded for his work as an ensemble director and musician. He has directed programs in both private and public school settings, and he has established a private studio of over 35 students. His piano students participate in the annual auditions hosted by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, providing the opportunity for recognition here in Durham, and on the national level. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education as well as a NC teaching license, and he is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, Music Teacher’s National Association, and the American College of Musicians.
Matthew McLaughlin – Matt has performed throughout the US and Europe and is highly regarded for his work as an ensemble director and musician. He has directed programs in both private and public school settings, and he has established a private studio of over 35 students. His piano students participate in the annual auditions hosted by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, providing the opportunity for recognition here in Durham, and on the national level. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education as well as a NC teaching license, and he is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, Music Teacher’s National Association, and the American College of Musicians.
Omar Ruiz-Lopez – Omar was born in Panama, raised in Puerto Rico, and moved with his family to Fort Myers, Florida at the age of 13. Omar’s love of music began at an early age through his father’s frequent vocal renditions of traditional Spanish folk songs. He began studying piano, guitar, and choir in elementary school. Omar immersed himself in the study of classical and jazz repertoire while studying violin and viola at Edison State College. With a focus on music education and a dual-enrollment at Florida Gulf Coast University, Omar worked at the Guadalupe Center providing violin lessons to under-privileged children. He also taught lessons through Edison State College as a private tutor for music theory and sight-singing, while also maintaining a private studio.
Omar moved to the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area in the spring of 2010, and has quickly made a name for himself in the local music community. Omar can be found performing almost every night with one of his several current bands, or sitting in with other long standing groups well-known to the area.
Omar is a gifted and encouraging teacher, whose passion for music is easy seen through his innovative teaching methods. He believes that a well-structured music and arts education is essential for the development of a growing mind.
Andrew Anagnost – Bio coming soon!
Seth Barden – Seth holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Music with a concentration in Jazz Studies from the the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Performing professionally for 10 years, Seth has made versatility a musical goal by learning the upright, electric and fretless electric bass in many styles including jazz, rock, funk, bluegrass and latin music. Seth is passionate about making music and spreading the joy of music through education.
Jon Hill – Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar from Illinois State University; has been teaching guitar to since 1996; has been playing guitar, mandolin, and banjo since 1990; has also performed with artists such as: Doc Watson, The Sam Bush Band, and many more; very passionate about music
Jon Hill – Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar from Illinois State University; has been teaching guitar to since 1996; has been playing guitar, mandolin, and banjo since 1990; has also performed with artists such as: Doc Watson, The Sam Bush Band, and many more; very passionate about music
Rob Rabb – Rob has played harmonica in Blues and R&B bands for the last three decades. He is a skilled musician and instructor, experienced in teaching novice and seasoned harmonica players alike. Rob has an extensive collection of harmonica music and instructional materials and can help you to learn your favorite songs.
