PIANO FACULTY
Where is your hometown? Lake Barrington, Il
How long have you been teaching at First Conservatory? Since 2017
What ages do you prefer to teach? I am partial to middle school age students, however, part of what I love about being a piano teacher is having a range of ages and enjoying the privilege of watching students grow.
Who are your favorite performers on your instrument? My favorite pianist is Mary Sauer.
And, NOT on your instrument? I appreciate a great variety, so I don't want to pick favorites.
Who would you like to perform a duet with, dead or alive? Mary Sauer
Who are your favorite composers? Brahms and Rachmaninoff
Tell us about a particularly strange or interesting gig. I always love playing in pit orchestras, never a dull moment!
​What would you be if you weren't a musician? A noodle maker at Eataly, a hot air balloon driver or a wood chipper.
Favorite books or movies? Harry Potter
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Cassie Bennett
Piano
Biography coming soon!
Jirina Serwas
Piano
Sooka Wang
Piano
Originally from Montreal, Canada, Sooka Wang has a glowing reputation as a keyboard collaborator and chamber musician in North America. He teaches piano at the First Conservatory in Lagrange, Illnois and also coaches vocalists and instrumentalists in preparation for recitals and competitions .
Sooka Wang holds a performance degree from Mcgill University in Montreal and has participated in graduate studies at The Hartt School, University of Hartford in Connecticut. His teachers have included Zabel Manoukian, Dale Bartlett, David Westfall, and Luiz da Moura Castro. He has studied chamber music with the members of the Raphael Piano Trio, the Emerson and Orion String Quartets as well as former Orford Quartet cellist Marcel Saint-Cyr and Cleveland Quartet violinist William Preucil.
Sooka travels back to Massachusetts every summer where he performs with his duo partner, cellist Mark Fraser and in his piano trio with violinist Anthony Berner.
Where is your hometown? Montreal, Quebec Canada
How long have you been teaching at First Conservatory? Since 2008
What ages do you prefer to teach? 8 and older
Who are your favorite performers on your instrument? Martha Argerich, Mitsuko Uchida, Vladamir Horowitz, Daniel Barenboim And, NOT on your instrument? Janine Jensen, Anne Sophie Mutter, Yo Yo Ma, Stephen Isserlis, Julia Fischer
Who would you like to perform a duet with, dead or alive? Brahms
Who are your favorite composers? Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc
Tell us about a particularly strange or interesting gig. Summer outdoor piano trio concert where we were attacked by mosquitos and my page turner ran away during the performance and left me stranded fighting off the insects. The wind blew away the violinist's music and he played the rest of the movement by memory. Needless to say, we refuse to do outdoor events unless the money talks.
​What would you be if you weren't a musician? Psychology/Scientist.
Favorite books or movies? Dead Poet's Society
Anything else you think potential students or parents would be interested in knowing? Teaching from the mind. Developing and strengthening the ability to listen/think/process/multi tasking/problem solving and applying them to not only music but everyday life necessities. How to express, communicate and develop one's identity through the language of music with their instrument.
Students need to be prepared to work/study=practice and expect to achieve a higher goal from week to week. Laziness is not an option!