Dr. Karali Hunter - Founder and Director, Piano

Welcome to Hammer & Strings Conservatory. H&S is a place where students can come to see how far they can go. The vision of this school is “Intentional Excellence”, and we aim for that in everything that we do. We bring you the best this valley has to offer in every discipline.

To read Dr. Hunter’s bio, Read More

Cicily Bowles - Office Manager

Cicily Bowles brings warmth, organization, and a lifelong love of the arts to her role as Office Manager at Hammer & Strings Music Conservatory. With a background as an elementary school teacher, homeschool mom, and former Chief Operations Officer in behavioral health, she combines strong leadership with a genuine care for people.

A lifelong music lover, Cicily grew up singing in choir and still enjoys playing the piano; especially when she can “plug in and no one can hear the mistakes.” She loves all kinds of music, from classical and indie folk to modern pop and film scores… Read More

Luke Stikeleather - Chamber Department Head

An avid performer, Luke Stikeleather is most at home on the concert stage. He has worked as a contracted player with multiple professional orchestras throughout North Carolina including the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Western Piedmont Symphonies. Stikeleather is pursuing his Master of Music in Violin Performance at Arizona State University under Dr. Katherine McLin, and obtained both a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro… Read More