Meet The Team

Héctor Alfonso Torres González, DMA, is an award-winning guitarist and lutenist from Puerto Rico. He is an active performer and teacher that has played and taught throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, South America, Europe, and China, both as a soloist and ensemble musician. Distinguished by his versatility and sound, he frequently performs many styles of music, including early music, Latin music, rock and pop, and modern classical music.

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​Dr. Maria Vallejo, Ecuadorian flutist, is an accomplished solo, chamber, and orchestral musician who has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador. She has participated in renowned festivals, including the Round Top Music Festival and the Orchestra of the Americas, and has played with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, Toronto Concert Orchestra, and more.

In addition to performing, Maria is a passionate music educator and arts administrator. She is Adjunct Professor of Flute at Collin College, Plano Campus, and has served as the Flute and Chamber Music Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. Currently, she is the Patron Services and Special Events Manager for the Plano Symphony Orchestra, where she previously worked as the Education Associate.

Joseph Tinajero is a native Texan guitarist. An avid performer, educator and composer, he earned his B.M. in classical guitar performance. Known for his technical ability and knowledge of various guitar styles from modern pop/rock, metal as well as classical. ​

Native Korean violinist Sun Huh is an international performer, concert soloist, and educator. Huh earned her Doctor of Music in Literature and Performance at Indiana University under the tutelage of Mark Kaplan. She also obtained her Bachelor of Music at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, and Konzert-Examen at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. She is a founding member of Cercis String Quartet and Zima Piano Trio.

Huh currently performs with Richardson Symphony Orchestra and Las Colinas Orchestra in DFW. She teaches all levels and coaches students at the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra (DAAYO).

Yaxuan ("Momo") Li started her piano journey at 5 years old. She is an active pianist who is pursing her Doctorate in Collaborative Piano at the University of North Texas. She performs widely as a solo pianist, orchestral pianist, choral pianist, musical/opera pianist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. Li earned her Master's degrees in both Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she won First Prize in the UL-Lafayette Piano Competition, the Honors Convocation and Academic Excellence Awards (GPA 4.0), the Memorial Endowed Graduate Award, and First Place in the UL-Lafayette Concerto Competition, 

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As an educator, Li believes that learning music should not only focus on method books or repetitive finger exercises, but that every student has unique qualities that need to be discovered. She strives to foster each student's lifetime enjoyment of music, She maintains a warm and engaging approach during lessons, while balancing it with high standards of effective study.

Jiaqi Sun began studying piano at the age of six. Currently, she is pursuing her degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory with the related field in Piano Pedagogy at the University of North Texas. She also teaches aural skills and music theory courses at the undergraduate level as a teaching fellow at UNT. As a passionate and dedicated music instructor, Sun has taught piano, music theory, aural skills, and music appreciation courses for 10 years. She strives to provide excellent communication skills while maintaining the fun and relaxed teaching approaches.

Born and raised in South Florida, Ethan Nguyen began playing piano at the age of five. It was during this formative time that one of his earliest mentors introduced him to the sounds of jazz improvisation. From then on, he was captivated, and he nurtured a deep passion for both classical and jazz music. Nguyen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Florida and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas.

As an educator, Nguyen values curiosity, artistic freedom, collaboration, and above all, remembering to enjoy the gift of music. He empowers his students to think independently as musicians and uses a personalized approach to ensure that each student is prepared for wherever their musical journey might take them.

Zuleida Suárez, a Cuban-born guitarist now residing in Carrollton, TX, is renowned for her expertise in guitar performance and pedagogy. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music with a Major in Guitar Performance (2006) and a Master's Degree in Music Education (2022) from the University of Arts in Havana, Cuba. Throughout her career, Zuleida has made significant contributions to the academic and artistic development of guitar students in Cuba and Jamaica. Zuleida’s dedication to music education and performance has left a lasting impact on the guitar community in her homeland of Cuba and beyond.

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Beyond her academic achievements, Zuleida has cultivated a thriving career in chamber music, particularly in collaborations featuring the guitar. She has performed with a diverse range of musicians and has been a featured artist at numerous international festivals in Mexico, the United States, Cuba, and France.

After graduating from the University of North Texas, Dan played for several seasons in the Richardson, East Texas, Garland, and Irving and Symphonies and the Texas Chamber Orchestra. Currently, he plays in the Wichita Falls Symphony and the Lewisville Lakes Symphony, where he has held the principal cello position for more than 35 years. 

In addition to his activities as a private teacher and accompanist, Dan has performed in ensembles in four international concert tours and several music festivals, from the Anchorage Festival of Music to the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.​​​

After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from Stephen F. Austin, Mr. Elias toured Europe for several years with the New York Harlem Opera Ensemble performing the opera, “Porgy & Bess.” After the tour, he landed in the Dallas area and pursued a Master in Arts Administration from the University of North Texas. He has worked, either as a performer, management or a lighting/audio technician with the over 10 organizations in the DFW metroplex.

Mr. Elias maintains an active performance/tech career and has shared the stage with the likes of Chicago, Amy Grant, Frank Sinatra, Jr., The Fifth Dimensions, Jewel, ELO, Phil Collins, Willie Nelson, Kenny G, The Rolling Stones, Van Cliburn, Bruce Hornsby, Rich Little, and many, many more. Mr. Elias is known for always having a “gig” coming up soon - “Waiting to play…”

Mary Aumen holds a Masters of Music in Education and has been a teacher for the past 10 years, specializing in early elementary education. Mary is passionate about both teaching and performing. She has sung with numerous musical ensembles over the years including Voces Intimae and The Dallas Bach Society. Mary also enjoys serving as a wedding cantor/vocalist and sings Jazz standards in a collaborative duo. Whether it is through teaching or performing, Mary is passionate about sharing her love of music with others.

Heather earned her bachelor's in Music Education from Evangel University in Missouri. She sang with choirs in many venues across the country including the Dallas Symphony Chorus at Carnegie Hall. She has experience teaching music at multiple levels and has Kodaly certifications and a Master's in Business Administration. ​​​​​​​​

Native Texan Kelly Chambers earned her Bachelor’s degree in music education from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, with a focus on French horn performance, and piano accompaniment. After graduating, she received her certification in Kodaly method and taught elementary music in public schools for 6 years. While her 3 children were young, she enjoyed singing with The Texas Voices in Plano from 2008-2013. She is currently an accompanist for Choir, Orchestra and Band students in middle school and high school, and enjoys playing the piano with local community bands and orchestras. 

Kailey Braff earned her bachelor’s in Piano Performance from Coe College in Iowa. She’s taught several piano students, in addition to accompanying middle and high school choirs. She enjoyed playing for her church and performing with a local string quartet in Iowa. Now, having recently moved to Texas, she looks forward to becoming involved in the music community in Carrollton.

American Prize-winning conductor Michelle Perrin Blair engages diverse ensembles and audiences across a variety of genres and styles, including symphony orchestra, musical theatre, new music, and educational ensembles. She serves as Conductor and Music Director of the Coppell Community Orchestra, and she owns and operates Lark Music Loft in Carrollton, Texas.

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