At Dedham School of Music, you’ll learn from a diverse team of passionate professionals who are dedicated to sharing their love of music. Our experienced and accomplished faculty are here to provide expert guidance, ensuring every student, regardless of age or ability, feels supported and empowered on their musical journey.
Piano Instructors
Narine Babadjanian
Narine Babadjanian
A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Narine Babadjanian received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tbilisi State Conservatory where she majored in Piano Performance and Pedagogy under the guidance of Professor Temur Matureli. A very active performer since a young age, she was an award recipient in numerous competitions including the Competition of Young Performers in Yerevan, Armenia, the Young Performers Competition in Moscow, Russia, and the Young Performers Competition in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Ms. Babadjanian has performed in festivals all over the world including the International Music Festival in Moscow, Russia, the Annual Spring Piano Music Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Days of Russian Music in Amsterdam, Holland, the International Chamber Music Festival in Telavy, Georgia, and the Days of Georgian and Russian Music in Yerevan, Armenia. Ms. Babadjanian performed as a soloist with various orchestras throughout Russia, Georgia, and Holland, collaborating with famous conductors such as Djemal Gokieli, Revaz Takidze, Jansug Kakhidze of Georgia and Dmitry Serov of Russia.
As a collaborative pianist with her husband, she performed for world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. She has performed at several local venues including The Boston Conservatory and the Longy School in Cambridge, MA. Since 1998, Narine has devoted her music career to teaching. She was on the faculty of various music schools and colleges, including the Music Studio in Los Angeles, CA, Tbilisi State Conservatory, Georgia, and Tbilisi College of Music, Georgia. She is very happy to add the Dedham School of Music to that list.
Linnea Bardarson
Linnea Bardarson
Philosophy:
My primary goal is to foster a life-long love of music for my students. The joy found in studying and mastering a piece of music (whether a C-scale or a sonatina), performing for friends and family, composing an original song — all these can instill a sense of self-worth and accomplishment that in today’s world can be hard to find. I’ve taught for decades, but serving as teacher, guide, and fellow-adventurer to students on their own musical journeys is a good feeling that never gets old.
Background:
My own musical adventure began in a large family where the guitar was brought out for after-dinner folk singing and I often found my mother practicing the violin when I came home from school each day. Add four older siblings playing instruments, two church-musician grandparents, plus another grandmother who wooed her suitor by playing the harp and singing “Dear One, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise,” and you have a serious mash-up of musical influences. When asked in 6th grade to play piano for the Girls’ Chorus concert I was on my way.
Whether chamber music, choral accompanying, piano teaching, nightly gigs at the old Café Budapest and Colonnade Hotel in Boston, recording a Bach Concerto in the Czech Republic, touring Spain with an orchestra, leading church choirs for 20 years, or learning to play the banjo, music always brings me joy.
Education:
B.A. Mills College
M.M. New England Conservatory
Peipei Song
Peipei Song
Peipei Song is a Boston-based collaborative pianist, currently serving as a staff pianist at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and as part of the collaborative pianist team at the New England Conservatory. In the summer of 2024, she joined the collaborative piano faculty at the prestigious Heifetz International Music Institute, a world-class summer music program in the U.S.
Actively engaged in Boston’s music scene, Peipei has supported numerous young musicians who
have won competitions such as the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition, the New England Conservatory Preparatory School Concerto Competition, and The Boston Conservatory Soloist Concerto Competition.
As a chamber music pianist, Peipei has performed in series such as the Apple Hill Chamber Music Center Series, Bay Chamber Concert Series, The Screen Door – Bay Chamber Summer Festival, and the Palaver Strings Beehive Chamber Music Series. She has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman, mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich, and the Maxwell String Quartet from Scotland. Additionally, she is regularly invited to give annual Chamber Music Lecture Recitals at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, China.
Before relocating to the United States, Ms. Song served on the piano faculty at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China. From 2003 to 2008, she was invited by the Hong Kong Yau Tin Fu Art Center to teach pianists preparing for the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (Asia Division) and the Chinese Piano Competition in Hong Kong. In 2005 and 2006, she was twice honored with the National Excellent Piano Teacher of China award from China Education Television.
Peipei holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University, where she studied under Professor Russell Ryan. During her time at ASU, she received coaching from renowned string quartets, including the Brentano Quartet, St. Lawrence Quartet, and Shanghai Quartet, all of whom were in residence at ASU. Her earlier studies with Dr. William Averill and Richard Syracuse at Ohio University were pivotal in her musical development.
Katie Jillson
Katie Jillson
Katie is a seasoned voice and piano teacher, with experience in multiple genres and with all age levels. She teaches singers to use the most organic, tension free technique possible to discover their authentic voice, musicality, and self-expression. Her students have excelled in auditions, solo performances, intensive vocal study programs and competitions.
A versatile singer herself, she has been delighting audiences for over two decades. She has performed as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Mozart’s Requiem. She has sung with Masterworks Chorale, the Paul Madore Chorale, Boston Cecilia, Zensemble and The Down East Singers in Thomaston, Maine. Katie is a frequent soloist at Saint Columbkille Parish in Brighton, MA and at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, where she has been a member of the music ministry since 1999.
Katie’s musical studies began with the piano at the age of 5, and she discovered her passion for singing in her early adolescent years. Katie holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and will complete her MM in Vocal Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA in 2023. Always developing professionally, she attended the Boston Conservatory Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop in 2018, The Orff Schulwerk Level 1 training at
Bridgewater State University in 2019 and the OperaWorks Winter Intensive Program in Los Angeles, CA in 2016.
Tim Carew
Tim Carew
Tim Carew is a tenor vocalist, voice teacher, and piano teacher. He studied vocal performance at New England Conservatory, vocal pedagogy at Longy School of Music, and vocal technique with McClosky Institute of Voice.
Tim has performed in various genres, including musical theater, operetta, cabaret, recital, symphonic chorus, oratorio, and church music. He performed roles with Savoyard Light Opera, Masterworks Chorale, Regal Players, and Turtle Lane Playhouse, and performed in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.
Tim holds a Massachusetts Educators License and serves as choral director in the Quincy Public Schools. He holds a B.S. from University of New Hampshire and an M.M. from New England Conservatory of Music. His students have excelled as vocal soloists and in auditions for musical theater, vocal-choral intensive programs, MMEA Districts/All-State, and college performing arts.
Walter Yee
Walter Yee
Boston-based musician Walter Yee is dedicated to exploring the musical landscapes of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries. He received degrees from the University of Louisville (BM Performance) and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (MM Contemporary Classical Music Performance).
Quickly establishing himself as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and administrator, Walter has had the greatest pleasure to collaborate with amazing groups around the area. As a chamber musician Walter has had the pleasure of joining the Boston-based bass clarinet ensemble “Improbable Beasts,” as well as collaborating with the Boston Cohort of the New Music Collage, and Der Gestank, organizations dedicated to supporting the creation and performance of new music as well as promoting underrepresented, emerging artists. Walter has also played with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra and Horizon Ensemble.
Walter has experience teaching students of all ages in woodwinds including clarinet, flute, and saxophone, as well as piano.
When not playing music, you can find Walter hiking a snow-covered mountain and exploring a new town for the best coffee shops.
Jordan Perillo
Jordan Perillo
Jordan Perillo is a classical singer (baritone) who has worked as a piano and voice instructor since 2016. He has been a part of two professional opera choruses (Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera), and has sung in multiple professional church choirs, including the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City and St. Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square.
Jordan has performed frequently as a vocal soloist, has worked for years as a piano accompanist, and has participated in several DIY jazz and twee pop bands. He has also written, recorded, and produced 3 electronic pop albums under the stage name Gior.
Jordan has two B.A. degrees from the University of South Florida, in Music Studies and Psychology. He also has an M.A. in Counseling Theory from Boston College.
Brass Instructor
(trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba)
Tommy Chiu
Tommy Chiu
A native of Hong Kong based in Boston, Dr. Tommy Chiu is a sought-after educator with more than a decade of international experience in brass pedagogy. His students over the country continue to find success in region and all-state auditions, as well as getting accepted into youth orchestra programs such as the BYSO and NEC Prep, and college music programs such as Boston University, Boston Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan and University of Southern California. Locally, he serves on the faculties of the Dedham School of Music, Noble and Greenough School, Brimmer and May School, Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio, and Making Music Matters in the Boston Public Schools. Beyond private instruction, he has also led sectionals and taught classes at institutions ranging from elementary to college levels, including Dedham Middle and High Schools, South Shore Conservatory, Brandeis University, and Wellesley College.
As a soloist, Dr. Chiu shared the stage with the University of British Columbia Chamber Orchestra, the Boston University Wind Ensemble, the Boston University Trombone Choir and the Brookline Community Band, and was named finalist in various concerto competitions, including those of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute and the PRISMA Festival & Academy. Locally, he regularly organizes and gives community performances in the Greater Boston area, with past performances being recorded and live streamed by local televisions such as Access Framingham and Dedham TV. As an orchestral musician, he is Principal Trombone of the Boston Civic Symphony, and regularly appears with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, Lexington Symphony, and the Chorus of Westerly Festival Orchestra, among others. During the summer season, he also served as an artist fellow in the Atlantic Music Festival and attended the International Graduate Music Conference hosted by the University of Calgary as a lecture presenter.
Dr. Chiu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Brass Performance from Boston University, where he was a recipient of the Brass Department Award, with previous degrees from Rutgers University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His primary teachers include Toby Oft of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic, Jarod Vermette of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Don Lucas and Gabriel Rice.
Woodwind Instructors
(flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone)
Seychelle Dunn-Corbin
Seychelle Dunn-Corbin
Dr. Seychelle Dunn-Corbin is a Boston-based saxophonist known for her dedication, and advocacy of African American artistry in performance and education, as well as inclusive concert practices. Prior to her work in the Greater Boston area, Seychelle worked in education for the Baltimore Public School system and is an alumna of Morgan State University; a Historical Black College. While attending MSU, Seychelle studied with accomplished composers Dr. James Lee III and Dr. Nkeiru Okoye, as well as jazz saxophonist Tim Green and pianist Dr. Stephanie Bruning.
Upon completing her studies and earning both a B.A. & M.A. degree in music, Seychelle furthered her education at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Ma earning her graduate performance diploma while studying with classical saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky. It was at Longy that Seychelle was able to refine her skills as a classical musician, eventually leading to the completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Saxophone Performance in 2019 from Boston University.
A dedicated chamber musician, Seychelle performs with the Area 9 Saxophone Quartet in addition to serving as faculty at Bunker Hill Community College, Longy School of Music of Bard College and Dedham School of Music. Recent events include performances with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, Lowell Chamber Orchestra and Castle of our Skins. Seychelle is a current member of the Board of Directors for Shelter Music Boston an organization that provides transformative chamber music concerts that promote community therapeutic benefit to those experiencing homelessness and undergoing substance use recovery.
Megan Dillon
Megan Dillon
Megan Dillon is a Boston-based saxophonist, woodwind doubler, and educator. Her musicality has led her to regularly perform with wind ensembles and orchestras throughout the Northeast.
Megan is a Lecturer of Saxophone at Keene State College and serves on the woodwind faculty at both Brimmer & May School and the Dedham School of Music. In addition to managing her private studio, she was the woodwind teaching fellow for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s Crescendo program.
She holds the soprano chair in the Huntington Quartet and works as a freelance pit musician. Her notable performances include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, and Alice Tully Hall.
Her works for saxophone ensemble have been published by RC Editions, and she was co-winner of the 2023 Boston Woodwind Society Saxophone Merit Award. As a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance, Megan has performed at NASA regional conferences, the World Saxophone Congress, and has premiered and commissioned new works for saxophone. She received a Doctorate of Music in Saxophone Performance at the New England Conservatory.
Megan’s educational background includes graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy and earning a bachelor’s degree in music theory from Texas Tech University. She then studied under Kenneth Radnofsky and Roger Graybill at the New England Conservatory, obtaining two master’s degrees in saxophone performance and music theory. Additionally, she studied counterpoint and pedagogy under Lyle Davidson, earning a concentration in music-in-education. She also served as a teaching assistant in the New England Conservatory’s music theory and music-in-education departments and was the first ever graduate assistant of NEC’s saxophone studio.
Megan was recently awarded a Doctorate in Saxophone Performance by the New England Conservatory.
Walter Yee
Walter Yee
Boston-based musician Walter Yee is dedicated to exploring the musical landscapes of contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries. He received degrees from the University of Louisville (BM Performance) and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (MM Contemporary Classical Music Performance).
Quickly establishing himself as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and administrator, Walter has had the greatest pleasure to collaborate with amazing groups around the area. As a chamber musician Walter has had the pleasure of joining the Boston-based bass clarinet ensemble “Improbable Beasts,” as well as collaborating with the Boston Cohort of the New Music Collage, and Der Gestank, organizations dedicated to supporting the creation and performance of new music as well as promoting underrepresented, emerging artists. Walter has also played with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra and Horizon Ensemble.
Walter has experience teaching students of all ages in woodwinds including clarinet, flute, and saxophone, as well as piano.
When not playing music, you can find Walter hiking a snow-covered mountain and exploring a new town for the best coffee shops.
Voice Instructors
Katie Jillson
Katie Jillson
Katie is a seasoned voice and piano teacher, with experience in multiple genres and with all age levels. She teaches singers to use the most organic, tension free technique possible to discover their authentic voice, musicality, and self-expression. Her students have excelled in auditions, solo performances, intensive vocal study programs and competitions.
A versatile singer herself, she has been delighting audiences for over two decades. She has performed as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Mozart’s Requiem. She has sung with Masterworks Chorale, the Paul Madore Chorale, Boston Cecilia, Zensemble and The Down East Singers in Thomaston, Maine. Katie is a frequent soloist at Saint Columbkille Parish in Brighton, MA and at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill, where she has been a member of the music ministry since 1999.
Katie’s musical studies began with the piano at the age of 5, and she discovered her passion for singing in her early adolescent years. Katie holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and will complete her MM in Vocal Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA in 2023. Always developing professionally, she attended the Boston Conservatory Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop in 2018, The Orff Schulwerk Level 1 training at Bridgewater State University in 2019 and the OperaWorks Winter Intensive Program in Los Angeles, CA in 2016.
Tim Carew
Tim Carew
Tim Carew is a tenor vocalist, voice teacher, and piano teacher. He studied vocal performance at New England Conservatory, vocal pedagogy at Longy School of Music, and vocal technique with McClosky Institute of Voice.
Tim has performed in various genres, including musical theater, operetta, cabaret, recital, symphonic chorus, oratorio and church music. He performed roles with Savoyard Light Opera, Masterworks Chorale, Regal Players, and Turtle Lane Playhouse, and performed in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.
Tim holds a Massachusetts Educators License and serves as choral director in the Quincy Public Schools. He holds a B.S. from University of New Hampshire and an M.M. from New England Conservatory of Music. His students have excelled as vocal soloists and in auditions for musical theater, vocal-choral intensive programs, MMEA Districts/All-State, and college performing arts.
Milly Roberts
Milly Roberts
Milly is an East Coast based song leader and educator. A recent grad of the Harvard Grad School of Education in Leadership and Arts Education, Milly is driven to build power in communities through arts practices. She has collaborated with a variety of artists over the years to “get off the stage and into the room” designing participatory creative workshops.
She has been running an adult singing group the past year in her community weaving together folk songs, improvisation and movement. This group was born out of a love for leading songs at celebrations, and participation in Bobby McFerrin’s CircleSinging school.
She found a joy for community building in her past life in Outdoor Education as a Camp Director, Wilderness Guide, Naturalist and Ropes Course Facilitator, including Dedham’s neighbor, Hale Education.
Jordan Perillo
Jordan Perillo
Jordan Perillo is a classical singer (baritone) who has worked as a piano and voice instructor since 2016. He has been a part of two professional opera choruses (Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera), and has sung in multiple professional church choirs, including the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City and St. Paul’s Parish in Harvard Square.
Jordan has performed frequently as a vocal soloist, has worked for years as a piano accompanist, and has participated in several DIY jazz and twee pop bands. He has also written, recorded, and produced 3 electronic pop albums under the stage name Gior.
Jordan has two B.A. degrees from the University of South Florida, in Music Studies and Psychology. He also has an M.A. in Counseling Theory from Boston College.
String Instructors
(violin, viola, cello)
Spencer Lee (Violin)
Spencer Lee (Violin)
Spencer Lee, violinist and violist, enjoys a varied and stimulating career as performer, teacher, and arts administrator. Born in Boston, Spencer has performed in venues such as Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and the Massachusetts State House. He also had the privilege of attending Brancaleoni International Music Festival in 2020, where he performed in a masterclass for Julia Glenn. He has also attended Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival for many summers as a scholarship student and this past summer as a resident assistant.
This past year, Spencer taught extensively in Western Massachusetts at Gerry’s Music Shop and the Prindle School. He was also one of the lead strings teachers of Música Franklin, a nonprofit afterschool program in Greenfield, MA, and taught group class and private lessons.
Spencer has collaborated with artists such as Nardo Poy, Andrew Megill, and Eric Thomas, and is currently pursuing his master’s at Boston Conservatory with Rictor Noren. He recently completed his bachelor’s and a professional performance certificate with Elizabeth Chang at UMass Amherst; previously, he was a student of Christopher Memoli.
Chelsea Bernstein (Cello)
Chelsea Bernstein (Cello)
Dr. Chelsea Bernstein enjoys an active and varied career as a specialist in the performance of modern cello, historical cello, and viola da gamba. On stage, she performs regularly as a multi-instrumentalist with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Four Seasons, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Washington Performing Arts, Les Arts Florissants, American Bach Soloists, Gotham Early Music Scene, and Music Before 1800 concert series.
Chelsea holds advanced performance degrees from The Juilliard School and the University of Maryland. Chelsea is resident cellist in the Newport String Quartet and serves on the music faculties of Salve Regina University and St. Georges School, in Newport, Rhode Island.
Guitar
Instructors
(guitar, ukulele, mandolin, blues harmonica)
Steve Marchena
Steve Marchena
Steve Marchena has been a full-time professional musician and music educator for over thirty-five years, specializing in Classical, Rock, Jazz, and Blues styles. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2000 as a Guitar Performance Major, he became a founding member of The Back Bay Guitar Trio, and has since toured Europe and North America, with over thirty album credits to his name.
Steve is currently performing every week at Faneuil Hall, and has recently completed The Interdisciplinary Music Studies Degree Program through Berklee Online.
In 2004, Steve won the Northeast Regional Finals of Guitar Center’s National Guitar Competition. In 2007 and 2008, he taught at Berklee College Of Music during Summer Guitar Sessions. In 2014, he received The Outstanding Arts Instructor Award from Bentley University in Waltham, MA.
Steve has recently performed with The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, The Cape Symphony, and The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra.
Steve is an Ortega Guitars Artist. More information is available at www.stevemarchena.com
Jon Catler
Jon Catler
Jon Catler has been a professional musician since graduating with a performance degree from Berklee College Of Music, and has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada. He has released over a dozen albums of original music, with the most recent, Devil’s Dance with 13 O’Clock Blues Band, included in Downbeat Magazine’s Best CD’s of the Year.
He has performed and recorded with composer La Monte Young for 40 years, and is featured on their Gramavision recording, which received 4 stars in Rolling Stone.
Jon’s composition Evolution For Electric Guitar And Orchestra was performed at New York Society For Ethical Culture, and the recording was conducted by Grammy winner Joel Thome.
Jon has taught Master classes at Berklee, UMass Lowell, Riverside University, MU Online University, and South Shore Conservatory. He enjoys teaching, and his book The Nature Of Music details his work with Harmonic music. Jon runs WildHouse Studio in Randolph, MA, and his music is available on Bandcamp and FreeNote Records at www.microtones.com
Percussion Instructor
Bill O'Connor
Bill O'Connor
Bill has been teaching percussion privately and in group settings since 2020. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge culled from a lifetime of study with inspirational teachers including Bill Flanagan and Bob Gullotti, and professional performance across the jazz, rock, pop, and folk genres. Bill feels strongly on the importance of developing efficient practice habits while ensuring students are able experience joy with their music.
As a performer, Bill leads the Bill O’Connor Quartet in its interpretation of jazz from Blue Note’s Modern era. The past thirteen years have seen the Bill O’Connor Quartet hosting the Jazz at the Armory concert series in Somerville, performing at the Lilypad in Cambridge, complementing events at the Gropius House in Lincoln, or playing at the First Church and Town Green in Dedham.
Bill’s first exposure to music was through his sibling’s Beatles records and his drumming influences include Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, and Ringo Starr. Bill has performed throughout the United States and has been fortunate to share the stage with talented musicians such as Jon Wheatley, Mark Earley, John Turner, Yoko Miwa, Russ Gershon, and Blake Newman. Today Bill is the director for the Dedham High School Jazz Band and a manages the lessons program for Guitar Center in Braintree.
Band Instructor
Dale Jovin
Dale Jovin
Dale Jovin has more than forty years experience as a public and private school music educator, from kindergarten through high school.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Music Education from Gordon College and has engaged in additional music graduate studies at UNH and at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Dale has remained active in both choral and instrumental music and has written several compositions, each for band, chorus, and orchestra. Mr. Jovin is currently a member of the Dedham Choral Society, and the Woodwinds Faculty of Dedham School of Music, and is the conductor of the DSM Dedham Community Band.
Feeling Inspired?
Whether you’re picking up a musical instrument for the first time, rediscovering a long-lost passion, or simply wanting to enjoy live music, Dedham School of Music is your music community center to explore, create, and be inspired.
