Diran Heller - Piano Teacher 

B.M. Composition, Boston Conservatory, M.M. Composition, Boston University. 

He has taught piano for the Music teachers Collaborative and music theory at Boston University Tanglewood Institute. As a graduate teaching assistant at Boston University, he taught ear training and keyboard harmony.

He is active as an accompanist in the Boston area and has accompanied dance classes at Harvard, Emerson College, and Jose Mateo’s Ballet theater as well as Music students at the Suzuki Institute of Boston, Longy School of Music and the Winchester Community Music School.

His compositions have been performed at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and the Warebrook Contemporary Music festival.  

Barbara Vante - Violin Teacher

Barbara Vante’ was born March 15, 1988 in Queens, NY. At the age of five she entered the Project Step Program, A program dedicated to helping students of color make it in the competitive classical music world. She has studied under the great leadership of Farhoud Moshfegh, Dubravka Mosfegh, James Buswell, and Karen Ritscher. She began performing recitals at Symphony Hall every year since the age of five. Barbara, has been featured in the Boston Globe with Mayor Thomas Menino multiple times and she has also performed for the UNICEF organization ( United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) at the Ritz- Carlton Hotel with the famous actor Roger Moore  better known as James Bond. During the summer beginning at age 12 Barbara attended summer music workshops at the prestigious Kinhaven Music Festival in Vermont, BUTI (Boston University Tanglewood Institute), Musicorda, and the Texas Music Festival. Barbara has been twice featured on the Radio Broadcast Network of From the Top at the age of 13 as a soloist and at the age of 17 as a chamber ensemble member. She was featured in the From the Top Text book dedicated to the awareness of music and its many benefits and also a Poster child that featured her face on the cover of programs throughout the entire U.S. Barbara received the Jack Kent Cooke Award from, From the Top and it essentially was a $10,000 grant towards her music education. Not only has Barbara been featured in newspapers, radio programming but she has also published an article in Teen String Magazine at the age of 18. Barbara has been both Principle and Assistant Principle in these Orchestras: YS (Youth Symphony) under Aaron Kula, YPO (Youth Philharmonic Orchestra) under Benjamin Zander, and Oberlin Orchestra under Bridget- Michaele Reischl. With these orchestras she was able to tour Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, and China. Last but not least Barbara won 2^nd place in the New England Preparatory String Competition at the age of 12, honorable mention in the New England String Ensemble Competition at age 12, and honorable mention in the Sphinx Competition at age 17. Barbara graduated from Walnut Hill School in June of 2006 and had been part of Project STEP for twelve years. Barbara was accepted with a full scholarship to every conservatory to which she applied, turning down Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Bard, and Mannes to finally reach her decision to attend Oberlin for two years. Barbara is no longer a student at Oberlin but is currently studying nursing at Quincy College. Barbara is crediting all of her many successes with GOD, Project Step, From the Top, her amazing teachers and her parents. Without them she wouldn’t be where she is today, giving back to her community.

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