Expert musical instructors and skilled performers
Faculty
The secret of any good music school is of course how well they pick their teachers. At The Mozartina we do not hire anyone unless we are absolutely sure we have found the right person for the job. We look for teachers who are skilled performers as well as dedicated teachers. They must also be able to naturally connect with their students, be they age 5 or 95. Over the years we have been blessed with amazing teachers, most of whom have become dear friends. Here is our current roster:
Helen Ringeisen, Founder
Piano
Bachelor of Music degree and Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Colorado; seven years further advanced piano studies with Dr. Edwin Hughes (an assistant of Leschetizky) and Alton Jones (Juilliard School of Music); WNYC Radio Performances Young American Artist and Keyboard Masters in NYC; a district winner of the Music Teacher's National Association. (Photo by Margaret Fox)
Joyce Balint
Violin, Mandolin
Joyce Balint holds a B.M. from Manhattan School of Music and is the mandolin soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She has performed as a violinist and mandolinist with many musical organizations including The Paris Opera, Boston Symphony, New York City Opera, Caramoor Festival Orchestra, the Amore Opera, Dallas Opera and the American Symphony. She studied with Alfred Krips and Einar Hansen (former members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra), Joseph Szegeti and Janos Starker (master classes), Roman Tottenberg (orchestra technique) and Robert Bloom (chamber music ensemble technique). “Joyce Balint shines in string recital” was the headline of The New York Times review of her Carnegie Hall Recital Hall debut.
Sean Satin
Guitar
Sean Satin began formal training under Jorge Morel. Shortly after, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music where he earned a B.M. in Classical Guitar Performance. While there, he studied with Oren Fader and Mark Delpriora and also played in master classes for Eliot Fisk, Eduardo Fernandez, David Starobin, and James Smith. Sean later went on to earn an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as doing post-graduate work. While at Columbia he taught applied guitar to the undergraduate division. Sean has performed throughout the U.S.A and Europe including a concert at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Sean performs extensively in a wide variety of musical styles from classical to rock. Sean works extensively with the Tilted Axes ensemble and Composers Concordance where he has been involved in countless new music premieres. Mr. Satin has 20 years of teaching experience – all styles and ages, he is currently on faculty at multiple prestigious institutions.
Mia Theodoratus
Harp
Mia Theodoratus is a curious and adventurous creator of sound using harps, lyres and electronics. She has degrees from UT, Austin and CALARTS. In addition to the Music Hall Academy and Mozartina Conservatory, she teaches at the Irish Arts Center and Sarah Lawrence College. After moving to NYC, Mia went electric and played legendary venues like CBGB’s, Coney Island High, Jackie 60, Mothers and the Cooler. Her improvising skills coupled with her classical chops led her to play with the Citizen’s Band at Art Basil, Gelatin (music for Bunter Abend-Golden Gate), duo with Adam Dugas (Dueling Harps performed at Disney Hall, Abron Arts Center, NYC) and LifeBall in Vienna. Performance Highlights include Patty’s day concert for President Barak Obama, National Shakespeare’s Oedipus Athens, Greece, Whitney Biennial, Butch Morris’s Skyscrapers. Compositions- Flight of the Conchords and Rubicon on AMC, lyre on TedEd on Sapho. Her newest adventures are Harps in the Age of Enlightment (single action and dital harp salon concerts) and Greek lyre.
Jill Geddes
Ukelele
Jill Geddes has an extensive music background. Upon graduating from high school, she was cast in the role of Peron’s Mistress in Harold Prince’s National Tour of Evita. From there, she went on to star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into The Woods as Cinderella and then played the lead role of Fantine in the National Tour of Les Miserables and many other shows.
She studied Music at Indiana University School of Music and Boston University and teaches an early childhood program called Music Together in Tarrytown at the JCC. She began studying the ukulele several years ago when her guitar was being fixed and she has never stopped playing it. She loves the versatility of the instrument and the joy it brings to her life and those she teaches. “Ukuleles are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!” She owns several of them and will supply one to anyone who would just like to try before they buy.
Jill works at Strawtown Elementary School in West Nyack. She continues to perform and sing, but her favorite thing to do is teach the ukulele to children and adults.
Talia Dicker
Cello
Talia Dicker is a dynamic and versatile cellist with a particular enthusiasm for orchestral and chamber music. She currently resides in New York City, where she is an active performer and teacher throughout the northeast corridor. Past engagements include positions in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Civic Orchestra’s MusiCorps program for comprehensive outreach and music education, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra. Talia received her Bachelor of Music with Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with Brandon Vamos of the Pacifica Quartet. She went on to earn a Master of Music in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott.
As a teacher, Talia enjoys working with all ages and levels to help students hone technique and musical expression. Talia has consistently helped students meet specific playing goals, whether preparing for school auditions, college auditions, NYSSMA, recitals, or any other performances. Talia encourages a continuing enjoyment and involvement with music in many forms; she’s committed to the idea that learning to play a musical instrument can positively impact and inform all aspects of an individual’s life.
Haile Morris
Cello
Halie Morris, well-versed in a variety of musical styles, received a B.M. in Violincello Performance and B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Oberlin College & Conservatory and a M.M. in Violincello Performance from Northwestern University. In recent years, she has performed in various venues, ranging from Joe’s Pub, BAM, and Third Street Music School to the crypts of Greenwood Cemetery. A chamber music enthusiast, she was previously a member of the Bar Hop String Quartet. She has performed with numerous ensembles, including PROTESTRA, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Orchestra of the Bronx, North Carolina Opera, New Music Raleigh and Wet Ink Ensemble.
