Faculty Biographies

Music Faculty

FUSUN ALPAKIN NASKA (Violin, Suzuki Instructor)
Mrs. Naska is a native of Turkey, she started playing violin age of eight as a student of well-known composer and violinist Ekrem Zeki Ün and Prof. Yusuf Guler Aksoz. After she graduated Istanbul State Conservatory, in 1988, she worked for 10 years in Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra as assistant-concertmaster. In 1994-96 she studied chamber music (specifically string quartet) with Prof. Piero Farulli (the viola player of famous Italiana Quartet) in Italy. As a member of Istanbul String Quartet, she performed in Turkey and Italy in several concerts. In 1999, she moved to the United Stated and since then, she has worked in Civic Orchestra of Chicago for 3 years, The Classical Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and New Philharmonic Orchestra as assistant second principal. In 2003, she received her master of music degree in violin performance from Chicago Colleges of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she studied violin under tutorage of Mr. Cyrus Forough. Mrs. Alpakin also teaches in De Paul University Community Music Division and People's Music School as a traditional and Suzuki certified violin instructor. In 2006, together with her husband Altin Naska she founded S.P.A.C.E., Southport Performing Arts Conservatory & Entertainment.

HULYA ALPAKIN (Piano)
Hulya Alpakin is a native of Turkey. She started to study piano at age eleven in Minar Sinan University Istanbul State Conservatory after primary school. After ten yearsof study, she received her bachelor's degree from the conservatory. During these years she studied with Esin Kanberoglu, Hulya Saydan and Serdar Yalcin. Soon after receiving her degree, she worked as a piano teacher and accompanist in Istanbul State Conservatory and various music institutions. She performend widely as soloist and part of ensemles during her school as well as professional years. Ms. Alpakin moved to Chicago to continue her piano education in August 2000. After studies English, she began her master's program under toturage of Dr. Ludmila Lazar at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in the Spring of 2002 and received her Master of Music Degree in piano performance. She is currently studying for an Artist Diploma with Graham Scott at the Chicago Colleges of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and serving as a piano teacher at The People's Music School. Since she has been in Chicago, she attended in many concerts as soloist and accompanist at Roosevelt University, De Paul University, The People's Music School, Harold Washington Library and Argyle Self Help Center. 

NATALIE J. HALL (Cello, Suzuki and Sing & Play Instructor)
Natalie received a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, magna cum laude, from Lawrence University and Conservatory in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Her principal teachers include Jana Luckey Thompkins, Janet Anthony, and Tanya Carey. She has participated in numerous music festivals including Interlochen, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, the International School for Musical Arts, and Brevard Music Center. Natalie studied pedagogy in Japan and Korea, and received additional Suzuki training with Alice Vierra, Catherine Walker, and Tanya Carey. She has taught for the Holy Trinity Music Festival in Haiti, the Lawrence Academy of Music, the Green Bay Youth Symphonies, and the ASTA Appleton String Project. She has performed in New York, Haiti, Japan, France, and England, and has subbed for the Green Bay Symphony.

MATTHEW GOLOMBISKY (Bass, Theory-Solfege, Harmony-Analysis) Matthew Golombisky was born and raised in Durham and Hillsborough, North Carolina. He started playing bugle at an early age and eventually joined the school concert band at the age of 10 on cornet and trumpet. It was here that he met an influential friend who sparked his interest in bass guitar, and in high school, was already playing in the Honors Jazz Ensemble. There he formed the Orange High Jazz Combo, which is still going strong today. After graduation, Matthew attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville where he studied bass performance, jazz, and classical music, emphasizing 20th century classical music and modern jazz studying with Eliot Wadopian, Greg Alewine, Dr. Joyce Dorr, and Tim Haden. At UNC-A, he became the music department's hired music theory tutor. He graduated with the award of Distinction in Music in May of 2001. Asheville proved to be a pivotal city because there was a demand for music and, as just one of a few bassists in town, he soon found himself performing regularly. After switching to the acoustic/contrabass in college, the concerts and gigs tripled and he stayed very busy as a working musician. He was also hired as an instructor and event organizer at The Asheville Music School where he taught private and group trumpet, bass, music theory and improvisation courses. In October of 2001, he relocated to New Orleans to explore an even more diverse environment. He quickly became a full-time working musician, eventually finding himself in twelve different groups at a time, several of which recorded full-length CDs and have played all over the country and even Germany. At any given point, he had at least 30 private students, aged anywhere from 4 to 75 years old, studying piano, bass, guitar, theory, composition, and improvisation. He organized concerts and recording sessions for many of his students. In the spring of 2004, he started a Master's program at the University of New Orleans (U.N.O.) in Music Composition with Dr. Jerry Sieg. In August of 2005, a devastating hurricane took much of what he had worked on for several years, forcing many friends, musicians, students and others to move. Matthew moved as well, to Chicago, in September and transferred to Northwestern University for a semester. There, he met and was fortunate enough to hear many great musicians and composers. Currently, he resides in Chicago and is a steadily performing bassist and composer, continuing to play with several groups from New Orleans as well as newly formed groups based in Chicago. Recently, he has put together a large ensemble consisting of 10 performers, playing all original and freshly composed music by Matthew called the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. He also plays with QMRplus, Lucky 7s, WATIV, Pele's Electric Glow, backGammon, The Other Planets, Gunnelpumpers, Dirty Snow, Red Shift, Grilly Biggs, The Hall Monitors, and fJutSchKo. Matthew is also again attending U.N.O. as a long-distance student, and will complete his Master's of Music degree in May of 2006.

STEVE VAZQUEZ (Guitar)
Bio coming soon...

Dance Faculty

DEANNE BROWN (Ballet, Pointe, Variation)
Deanne joined The Joffrey Ballet in 1996 after being a soloist with Tulsa Ballet Theatre. During her six years with Tulsa Ballet, she had the opportunity to perform such principal roles as the Ballerina Doll in Balanchine�s Steadfast Tin Soldier, the Sweetheart in The Mighty Casey, and Frou Frou in The Merry Widow. Some of Ms. Brown´s roles with The Joffrey include The Chosen One in Le Sacre du Printemps, White Widow, and Cowgirl in Rodeo, Birthday Variations, and Blue Girl in Les Patineurs. As a member of The Joffrey, Ms. Brown portrayed Dana in the movie "The Company," as well as performed in the major motion picture "Save the Last Dance." Ms. Brown has also performed with Pennsylvania Ballet and Delta Festival Ballet, in addition to being a guest artist in several University of Iowa opera productions.

CHRIS COURTNEY (Hip Hop, Break Dance)
Bio coming soon...

ALTIN J. NASKA, Artistic Director
(Ballet, Pointe, Character, Boys' Dance, Modern)
Altin, former soloist with Istanbul State Opera/Ballet and Istanbul City Theater in Turkey and principal with Tirane State Opera/Ballet in his native Albania, graduated from the Albanian Academy of Ballet and studied choreography at the Tirane Institue of Arts. In Chicago, Altin performed/toured nationally and internationally with Thodos Dance Chicago and Mordine & Company to name a few. He choreographed for the Dutch National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet dancers, Thodos Dance Chicago and The Stars of Dance Chicago Touring Company where he serves as Artistic Director. In 2003, Altin received Albania's highest artistic achievement award for choreography and contributions to Albanian culture overseas. Currently a dance master and choreographer, he is Director of the Dance Chicago International Exchange Program.

RUTH SHERMAN (Children Dance, Ballet, Tap, Jazz)
Ruth studied and performed with the Strand Theatre in Boston. Ruth has received numerous scholarships and awards for tap, jazz, and ballet. She was a member of the World Champion USA Tap Team; winners of the 1999 World title in Berlin, Germany. Ruth was an apprentice of Chicago Tap Theatre and has extensive choreography and teaching experience. She is on the teaching staff of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and is currently a company member touring with them throughout the globe and locally at such theatres as the Harris Theatre of Music and Dance at Millenium Park, Chicago.

JUMAANE TAYLOR (Tap)
Bio coming soon... 

 

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