Originally hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Sylvia Oman moved to Missoula in 2007 to work in administrative and leadership positions with local non-profit organizations. Prior to this, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a Master of Music in Pedagogy from Boise State University. She is a certified teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has a full studio of violin students, ages 4 to 60+. She has played in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the Helena Symphony Orchestra, as well as other ensembles in the area. She lives in the South Hills of Missoula with her husband and two young children.

A graduate of the University of Montana School of Music, Lamar Blum (IL) taught public school strings in Missoula before becoming a supervisor of primary music for classroom teachers. After moving to Illinois, a private studio was more suitable to her family needs. Her exposure through Eugene Andrie to the Suzuki method offered new dimensions to the musical community of Elgin. Offering violin, viola, cello, bass and flute by Suzuki instruction was new to the area. It has led the community in music education since 1975. The Elgin program is looked upon a model program which gives Lamar the opportunity to speak to groups of teachers on studio organization. She is also sought after as a teacher and lecturer for summer and weekend institutes. Lamar is active in the Suzuki Association of the Americas as committee chair and speaker at various conferences. She has recently completed a three year term on the Association’s Board of Directors. Naming a phalaenopsis orchid for Shinichi Suzuki, she traveled to Japan in 1991 to present one to the then 92 year old educator on the Annual Grand Concert in Tokyo. At that time, she remained to take classes with Suzuki.

In 2001, Lamar retired from the Elgin Symphony Orchestra after 30 years of playing and was named a Musical Treasure of Elgin. In 1999, she was recognized by the Musician’s Union for outstanding contributions to the Music Education of Young People. She holds the 1993 Margaret Hillis Award for the Arts form the Elgin YWCA, the 1991 Entrepreneur Award from Women in Management, 1989 Music Educator of the Year by the Elgin Youth Orchestra and is listed in the 1966 Outstanding Young Women of America. Lamar is extremely grateful to be a part of the Montana Suzuki Strings Institute. She wants to help provide a wonderful Suzuki experience for each parent and child who participates.

Dr. Timothy (Terry) Durbin’s unique brand of teaching excellence makes him one of the most sought-after clinicians/conductors throughout the world. With infectious enthusiasm and inspired musicianship, he brings smiles and laughter to students throughout the United States and around the world. His dynamic teaching career includes over 800 workshops and institutes! His performance and teaching career stretches across the United States and Canada into Bermuda, Germany, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia,Thailand and Singapore, and he has recorded two CDs, including the complete chamber music of Marcel Dupre for the Naxos label. He has been appointed principal conductor of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra beginning with the 2016 season. He has directed the South Dakota and Montana All State Orchestras. He is the holder of the American Suzuki Institute Suzuki Chair Award for 2013. Terry Durbin is also an accomplished composer and notable arranger.

Dr. Durbin holds a DMA in orchestral conducting from Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles, California, a Masters in violin performance from the University of Illinois, an undergraduate degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama, and is currently the director of the Suzuki String Program at the University of Louisville. He is a registered teacher trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Terry lives with his wife, Sandy, on 140 acres north of Lexington, Kentucky. They have three children and two grandchildren. He believes in the magic of music’s power to enrich our lives.

Ms. Colleen Fitzgerald, executive director of the Barcel Suzuki String Academy (BSSA), currently teaches private and group violin lessons and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes at BSSA. Ms. Fitzgerald earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy Emphasis under mentor, Professor Carol Dallinger at the University of Evansville and a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Cardinal Stritch University. She has also received supplemental Suzuki teacher training with Kay Collier-McLaughlin, Ed Kreitman, Tom Wermuth, and Alice Joy Lewis and acquired her Early Childhood Education training under Suzuki ECE founders, Dorothy & Sharon Jones. Ms. Fitzgerald started Suzuki violin lessons at age 6 and two years later began studies with Suzuki teacher trainer, Joan Rooney.

Trina Carey Hodgson has a varied and distinguished career as performer, teacher, clinician, corporate presenter, and in the recording industry in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Students from her program, A-Cello-Rondo, have attended major universities and made careers in music. Trina studied at the Eastman School of Music, and received her MA degree at UCSB. Teachers include Ronald Leonard, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Tanya Carey. Service includes the boards of LA-ASTA, LA Violoncello Society, Suzuki Music Association of California, Cello Coordinator of SAA national conference, and the MTAC scholarship committee.

Beth Titterington is a registered Suzuki Association of the Americas Violin Teacher Trainer and has been actively involved in the Suzuki Method since 1972, when she first heard the Japanese Talent Education Tour Ensemble (Matsumoto, Japan). Margery Aber chose her as one of the ‘honorarium students’ for the American Suzuki Institute the next year, in 1973. Since that time, she has studied with many people in the field including, most importantly, Dr. Suzuki. Ms.Titterington has served on the faculty at the Conservatory of Music / University of Missouri (KC) teaching Suzuki Method pedagogy classes and she also directs her own studio, Kansas City Talent Education. An active clinician from 1979 to the present, she has taught and lectured at hundreds of institutes and workshops across the United States, Canada and in England. Ms. Titterington has served on numerous SAA committees and was elected to the SAA Board of Directors, serving from 2006-2009. She founded the Heart of America Suzuki Association in 1979, which is a regional affiliate of the SAA.

Jim Van Reeth is director of the Denison Suzuki Program in Granville, OH and teaches violin. He is a member of the faculty at Suzuki Music Columbus in Bexley, OH and enjoys teaching music appreciation at Denison University. Jim holds a Bachelors of Music in violin performance from the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College-CUNY and a Masters in Music Education with Suzuki Talent Education emphasis from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he completed long-term Suzuki training with Patricia D’Ercole. He is a member of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra and is a Suzuki parent/practice partner. His favorite food is ice cream.

A native of Guinea, West Africa, Oumar Keita is known for his extensive knowledge of music and history. Oumar showed an interest in traditional music and began singing at an early age with his mother. He plays traditional instruments like the bolon, gnoni and gongoma to accompany his singing. Although his focus is on traditional music, he also enjoys modern music. Oumar is proud to be multilingual and can rap and sing in Malinke, Susu and French.

In Guinea, Oumar was primarily a dundun player in the nationally recognized Ballet Saamato and Wofa Percussion in Conakry. Ballet Saamato gave Oumar the opportunity to share his country’s rich cultural tradition of music and dance with children in small villages throughout Guinea. This included working with the orphanage SOS to integrate art into their education. He continues sharing his culture in Missoula through SPARK!, school programs, and performances in the community.

Oumar lives in Missoula with his wife and daughter. He is an active member of the community dance and drum group Djebe Bara.

Matthew Nord is the founder and director of Tangled Tones Music Studio.

He has been playing music since the age of 6. Matthew has been instructing guitar, piano, ukulele, djembe & harmonica privately for 17 years. He graduated from the University of Montana with a B.A. in Anthropology. Through Tangled Tones various outreach programs he brings music to various ages in the Missoula and surrounding communities. He teaches children’s music and movement in Montessori’s and daycares through a program named Kids Vibrations. He also created Rhythm Tykes - Movement and Music for ages 1- 5 years old. In the Rhythm Tykes program children experience various instruments, singing, dancing, movement and games to explore music from around the world. Matthew was a co-creator in the Missoula band The Salamanders a music group focused on performing and recording kids music for all ages! Matthew loves to share diversity, enthusiasm and excitement through his teaching and performing.

Beth was introduced to both fiddling and improvisation in the 1970's/ 80's while living in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Based out of Asheville North Carolina, she spent eight years touring the country and the world with the Howard Hanger Jazz Fantasy. While off the road, she played with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and spent time with "old timers" learning fiddle tunes literally “back porch style”. Much more recently, Beth has enjoyed diving further into Québécois and modern Celtic styles of fiddling, with a little Nordic fiddling sprinkled in. She has directed the Missoula Branch of the Montana Women’s Chorus since 2007, is on the staff each summer of Judy Fjell's Summersing Camp, performs as violinist/vocalist with several ensembles - most recently the acoustic art trio, Ouzel - and this past fall completed a solo recording project "Edge of Wonder". Beth is the incredibly fortunate mother of two musically passionate adult sons, and has received Suzuki teacher training from Alice Joy Lewis, Stevie Sandven, Ronda Cole, and Edmund Sprunger among many others, and maintains a private violin studio in Missoula, and is always overjoyed to be teaching fiddle and improvisation at the Montana Suzuki Institute!

Originally from Colorado, Loryn Zerr (MT) has lived and worked in most every state in the Western United States as well as in the US Virgin Islands. She received two degrees from the University of Montana: a B.F.A. with a ceramics emphasis, and a B.A. in Education, Art Teaching emphasis and certified K-12. She taught art for many years at The Missoula Art Museum, Sentinel High School, Sussex School, the Flagship program, and at Zootown Community Arts Center. She remains active in the local arts community and makes and shows her paintings, sculpture, and mixed media art whenever possible.