Laura Usiskin (she/her) enjoys a versatile career as a cellist and educator. Her playing has taken her to concert halls throughout the United States and Europe, including the Kennedy Center, Palazzo Chigi Saracini, Symphony Hall (Boston), Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, Zankel Hall, Merkin Hall, Miller Theatre, Barge Music, Steinway Hall, and Klavierhaus. While completing an Artist-In-Residency with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Usiskin founded and served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Montgomery Music Project, an El Sistema strings program in Montgomery, Alabama. The program, now more than 10 years old, has given intensive string instruction to hundreds of low-income children across three counties. Usiskin is a member of the Bayberry String Quartet as well as the Atlanta-based new music group ensemble vim. She has held faculty positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama School of Fine Arts, and STEP Birmingham, and she has nurtured a private Suzuki studio for more than twenty years. Usiskin graduated from Columbia University cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior, The Juilliard School with a Master of Music, and Yale University with a Doctor of Musical Arts.

​Rebecca Floyd has over 15 years of teaching experience, much of it on the faculty of the University of Georgia Community Music School where she has taught viola, violin, Suzuki group classes, and parent education courses. From 2012- 2014, Rebecca taught at Parker Elementary School’s Suzuki Strings Program in Houston, Texas.  At Parker, a Title I Magnet school, she taught 50 private violin students from kindergarten to fifth grade, as well as daily group classes.  She is currently the orchestra director at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia.  Rebecca has taken Suzuki training with Lynn Baughman, Edward Kreitman, Betsy Stuen-Walker, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Laurie Scott, and Teri Einfeldt.   She is excited to be a part of the Atlanta Suzuki Institute board and hopes to help ASI as it strives to be an anti-racist organization making the Suzuki Method accessible to all children and families. 

Virginia Sloan, a violinist and native Atlantan, is known for her work with young children using the Suzuki Method. While implementing other styles and methods as well, Virginia incorporates a wealth of performing experience, training and her love for children into her approach. Though she teaches all levels, she has found her niche with younger children.

Virginia completed Long Term Suzuki Pedagogy training at the University of Tennessee under teacher trainer Debbie Goolsby. Over the years she has continued her training with world renowned teachers such as Doris Pruecil, Dr. William Starr, Ed Kreitman, Louise Wear, Linda Fiore, Carrie Reuning-Hummel (Every Child Can), and Nancy Lokken (Suzuki Principles in Action). 

In 1991 Virginia founded Atlanta Suzuki Violin in Buckhead where she currently teaches.  In 1999 Virginia hosted the Georgia Suzuki “Play-In” which was part of an international event held in honor of Shinichi Suzuki after he died at the age of 99.

In 2018 Virginia joined the staff at the William Pu Music Academy in Johns Creek while continuing to  work with and maintain her studio at Atlanta Suzuki Violin. She is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas, has served on the board of the Suzuki Association of Georgia and is currently a member. Virginia has participated in “The Long Talk” and the Pillars of Change program.

Kamal Carter, grandson of a Tuskegee Airman, inherited a spirit of service and advocacy.  After graduating from Hampton University, with a Biology Pre-Med degree, Mr. Carter became a research fellow at the National Institute of Health (NIH).  Kamal turned down two full scholarships to medical school to pursue his passion in science education.  Throughout his career in education, Mr. Carter has held several leadership positions and received numerous awards such as serving on The State Superintendent's Teachers Advisory Council. However, what he is most proud of is volunteering everyday, for the past 10 years, to eradicate college access inequality. As co-founder of the nonprofit, Step Ahead Scholars, he is dedicated to disrupting educational inequality and systemic racism. Recently Mr. Carter began volunteering with A Long Talk to tackle dismantling white supremacy head on.

Angela Holguin received her bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from CSU with Martha

Gerschefski with whom she specialized in pedagogy, and her master’s degree in Cello from WIU and is currently finishing her doctoral degree in Cello with a minor in Piano Pedagogy at the University of Georgia. Her Suzuki Training includes pedagogues such as Carey Cheney, Jean Dexter, Caroline Fraser, Aubrey Faith-Slaker, Tanya Carey, Abbey Hansen, Heather Hadley, Carol Tarr and Carey Beth Hockett. As a student she won several national awards in her country, as well as the UNESCO Mozart medal in Paris, France.

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Her passion for helping others drove her to create the Fundación Gisela Dominicana which

provided music education and performance opportunities for low -income families and orphanages in the Dominican Republic and was nominated to Humanitarian awards for her social work. Along with her husband she founded the first Suzuki program in her country, The Dominican Republic, and organized the first three Suzuki Festivals of the Caribbean. Her work experience includes the National Conservatory of the Dominican Republic and the Puerto Rico’s National Conservatory, the National Symphony, as well as her private studio in Atlanta where she lives with her husband, four kids and three dogs.

Liesl McWhorter is an Atlanta native who has been studying music for over twenty years.  She first began her music studies at age six under Atlanta Symphony Orchestra retiree, Pat Vas Dias.  Following her involvement in multiple youth symphonies throughout middle and high school, she continued her studies and received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Agnes Scott College.  Currently, Liesl teaches and performs in and around the Atlanta area.  As a product of The Suzuki Method, her goal is to continue learning as a Suzuki teacher, inspire young people to find the same joy in music that she experienced, and to encourage more musicians of color in the classical community.

Karla Tievsky is founder and director of Intown Suzuki Studio in Atlanta Georgia. She received Suzuki violin teacher training with numerous Teacher Trainers including Kimberly Meier Sims, Edward Kreitman, Teri Einfeldt and Edmund Sprunger. A strong proponent of continuing education, she is committed to ongoing teacher training during Institutes and throughout the year.

Karla received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and taught in Elementary Schools in University City Missouri for 5 years. After raising three children and also teaching violin in a number of private schools, she took Suzuki teacher training and opened her Suzuki studio in 1999. Over the years, she has played in both professional and community orchestras and continues to play chamber music for pleasure and enjoyment.

Karla has served on numerous boards and is a past president of Suzuki Association of Georgia. She is the past president of the Atlanta Suzuki Institute, and remains on the ASI Board as a member-at large. Karla enjoys gardening, gourmet cooking, and traveling to far-away places.

Tiffany Ray started her Suzuki education at age 8. She started with private Suzuki violin lessons and added viola to her repertoire at age 15. Tiffany was a member of the Simply Strings Quartet in middle and high school. She also was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra in high school. 

Tiffany received her Bachelors Degree in Music Performance on violin from the University of North Texas. During college Tiffany co-founded and was a member of the Classy Chicks Trio (in GA) and also took over ownership of Serenity Strings Quartet (in TX). Tiffany also began teaching private violin and viola lessons during college. 

Tiffany has been teaching for over 15 years. She received her Suzuki training from Carrie Reuning-Hummel and Ed Kreitman. Tiffany is the founder and director/owner of Woodstock Strings, a growing Suzuki studio in Woodstock, GA.  Woodstock Strings frequently collaborates with surrounding Suzuki studios to put on local concerts and events for their students. Her goal is to bring music to the community and confidence to her students by giving them performance opportunities in local cities. 

Tiffany was also a co-founder of TAGS (TN and GA Suzuki) performance opportunities group. This group was created for the purpose of bringing the Suzuki community together. Their Suzuki concerts have included students traveling from four different surrounding states to come and perform. 

Tiffany is excited to be on the board of the Atlanta Suzuki Institute and would love to see the Suzuki community come together. Through collaboration she would love to help bring more unity to the Suzuki studios in the surrounding areas. Tiffany is also currently co-owner of Elite Strings, a wedding and events string group. Tiffany lives in woodstock, GA with her husband, two children, and two cats.  

Edward Kreitman is the founder and Director of the Western Springs School of Talent Education. Mr. Kreitman is known throughout the world as a guest clinician at Suzuki institutes and workshops and is a registered Teacher Trainer of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Mr. Kreitman is the author of Teaching from the Balance Point - A Guide for Suzuki Parents, Teachers, and Students and Teaching with an Open Heart - A Guide for Developing Conscious Musicianship

An advocate for social justice, Mr. Kreitman is passionate about creating racial and economic diversity within the Suzuki world.  To further this work, he has participated in the Institute of El Paso Diversity and Resiliency Anti-racism training, The American Bar Association 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, The New York Times Magazine 1619 Project, and A Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth, an anti-racism activation experience.  Mr. Kreitman was a member of the inaugural GEMS (Growing Equitable Music Studios) training with Clara Hardie, Director of the Detroit Youth Volume. 

Paulo Batschauer began his Suzuki violin studies at four in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil. After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance, Batschauer was awarded an assistantship to further his studies in violin performance at the University of Georgia. Paulo Batschauer received his master's (MM) and doctorate (DMA) in violin performance while studying with Levon Ambartsumian at the University of Georgia. While pursuing his doctorate, Paulo had the privilege of studying under the guidance of Kristin Jutras, a renowned Suzuki teacher trainer. It was through Kristin's mentorship that Paulo gained a deep appreciation for the art of violin teaching.

Since the age of fourteen, Paulo has participated in multiple editions of major Brazilian

music festivals such as FEMUSC and Winter Festival of Campos do Jordão

performing as a soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician in professional and

academic settings.

While at the University of Georgia, Paulo served as concertmaster for UGA's

Symphony Orchestra and ARCO chamber orchestra and was a finalist in UGA's

Concerto Competition. Paulo has been invited as a guest violin instructor at the

International Winter Festival of MUSICARIUM and a lecturer at the University of the

State of Santa Catarina (UDESC).