The Faculty

Every lesson, every week, with a teacher who is regularly performing.

We don’t hire part-timers filling gaps between gigs. Every teacher here is a career musician with a masters or doctoral degree and the kind of teaching instinct you can’t fake.

What Makes a Conservatory Teacher?

Three standards, every time.

Every teacher at Hammer & Strings Conservatory holds a masters-level or doctoral degree in their instrument and has active performance experience at the professional or international festival level. We hire for credential, teaching skill, and character, a Conservatory teacher is someone we’d want teaching our own children.

Directory

Meet the faculty.

Dr. Karali Hunter portrait.

Dr. Karali Hunter

H&S Founder and Director · DMA

Owner and Founder of Hammer & Strings Conservatory, Dr. Karali Hunter is an award-winning performer and pedagogue based in Phoenix, AZ. Praised for her performance of Richard Cumming’s 24 Preludes,The River Reporter of New York stated “[she] delicately transported listeners through diverse shifts of mood and tempo.” Hu…

Full Bio →
Dr. Olga Kim portrait.

Dr. Olga Kim

Piano Department Head · DMA

Dr. Olga Kim, a native of Tashkent (Uzbekistan), made her New York City debut with the Tashkent Piano Trio in 2013. She arrived in the United States in Fall 2012 to begin work on the Professional Performance Certificate with Lisa Leonard at Lynn University Conservatory of Music.

Full Bio →
Johnny Rice portrait.

Johnny Rice

Cello & Piano

A native of Arizona, Johnny Rice is an accomplished performer and teacher on both cello and piano. Mr. Rice, performing in a duo with his brother, Chris, has performed throughout the United States, including in New York City (Carnegie Hall), Chicago, Los Angeles, and numerous cities and towns in California, Washington,…

Full Bio →
Nathan Northrup portrait.

Nathan Northrup

Tenor · MM

Tenor Nathan Northrup received his Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University in 2001, where he studied under Dr. Clayne Robison, and learned under the teaching of Dr. Arden Hopkin, Lawrence Vincent and others.

Full Bio →
Carlie Beckert portrait.

Carlie Beckert

Mezzo Soprano · MM

Carlie Beckert is a passionate performer and teacher. She finds joy not only in performing but helping others achieve their goals and discover their true potential as a singer. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Utah Valley University and a Master’s in Performance Pedagogy in Voice from Arizona Sta…

Full Bio →
Dr. Barbara Russell portrait.

Dr. Barbara Russell

Piano · DMA

Dr. Barbara Russell holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Eastern Illinois University and holds Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees from Arizona State University in Piano Pedagogy under Professor Walter Cosand.

Full Bio →
Dr. Meggie Evans portrait.

Dr. Meggie Evans

Violin · DMA

Dr. Megan (Meggie) Evans is a prizewinner in numerous prestigious competitions and demonstrates remarkable passion and unwavering fortitude in her performances. Evans performed as a soloist in the 2015 La Sierra University Concerto Competition.

Full Bio →
Dr. Moyi Liu portrait.

Dr. Moyi Liu

Piano · DMA

Dr. Moyi Liu, born in Xi’an, China, began studying piano at age 4. A graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he is a prize-winning competitor and Asian Yamaha Scholarship recipient who has performed and studied in masterclasses across China and the United States.

Full Bio →
Dr. Vladislav Kosminov portrait.

Dr. Vladislav Kosminov

Piano · DMA

Pianist Dr. Vladislav Kosminov, a native of Uzbekistan, is the winner of the ASU School of Music Concerto Competition 2021. He has performed with the Redlands Symphony, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony of Uzbekistan, and was featured in the Rising Star series of Portland Piano International.

Full Bio →
Luke Stikeleather portrait.

Luke Stikeleather

Violin · MM

Luke Stikeleather, violinist, is pursuing a Master of Music in Violin Performance at Arizona State University under Dr. Katherine McLin. Originally from North Carolina, Luke obtained both a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of North Carolina at Gr…

Full Bio →
Nancy Chase portrait.

Nancy Chase

Piano · MM

Nancy Chase is an accomplished piano instructor and musician, with over two decades of experience in music education and elementary teaching. She specializes in teaching students of all ages and is dedicated to fostering a lifelong passion for music and its history. ​

Full Bio →
Yuriy Vereshchagin portrait.

Yuriy Vereshchagin

Piano · MM

A native of Odessa, Ukraine, Yuriy Vereshchagin began his musical studies at an Odessa Music School for Gifted Children at the age of six. He moved to the United States in 2002 where he studied in the Ioudenitch Academy of Music & Arts in Kansas City. In 2005, Mr.

Full Bio →
Founder’s Note

“H&S is a place where students come to see how far they can go. The vision of this school is Intentional Excellence , and we aim for that in everything we do.”

, Dr. Karali Hunter, Founder & Director

How We Hire

The bar is the same for every instrument.

When a parent walks into a teacher’s living room, they have almost no way to know what they’re getting. When a parent walks into the Conservatory, we want the answer to be obvious. Every Conservatory teacher has cleared three standards before they teach a single lesson here:

  1. A masters-level or doctoral degree in their instrument from an accredited program.
  2. Active performance experience, local, regional, or international.
  3. A teaching philosophy centered on the student, not the ego. We interview for this. We watch for it. Teachers who can’t meet a student where they are don’t last here.
An instructor and student reading through sheet music together.

Know which teacher you want? Or need help choosing?

Consultations are free, 30 minutes, and end with a specific faculty recommendation based on your student’s level and goals.