Staff

Rhoda received her Bachelor of Music from the Queen's University of Belfast in 2005 with First Class Honors and her teaching Diploma in Music from the Maastricht Conservatory in 2009. She received her Licentiate in Violin performance with Distinction from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in 2007. She is also qualified to teach English and special needs. She has experience teaching both privately and in the classroom in music, English and special needs in Northern Ireland and Switzerland and is also experienced in preparing students for examinations.  She also has experience coaching chamber music and orchestras for performance.

Rhoda has earned multiple prizes and awards for both academic and performance excellence and achievements. As an experienced performer, she has performed throughout Europe an North America as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She is the founder/director of an orchestral in Ireland and is currently preparing a recording of original contemporary folk music in London. She also enjoys working with contemporary Irish musicians and songwriters. Rhoda is fluent in English and French, has a working knowledge of German and some Russian.

Kirby is a drummer, singer, composer and music arranger who studied music at Columbia College, and then at Roosevelt Musical College, Roosevelt University in Chicago. His studies included music theory, composition, orchestration, studio production and engineering. He has worked with some of the top names in the business in concert and in recording studios in Chicago and Nashville USA, Canada and Europe. He has also conducted music clinics in Paris and the USA.

Since 1992 Kirby has led a succesful country and sixties group in the Geneva area called J. Kirby's Band, with whom he has recorded four original albums. He has his own recording studio, La Forge, in Versoix. (More information.)

Kirby has been on the staff at the International School of Geneva as a drum, sing and strum, and music teacher since 1997; at the College du Leman since 2000; and the Summer Music Program since 2001.

Drawing and painting have always been Eleonora's greatest passion. She graduated from the International School of Geneva with an International Baccalaureate and received the Alison Weatherall Memorial Prize, the top award for overall artistic achievement. She studied graphic design at Central Saint Martin's school in London, a leading art school in Europe; and she was accepted to study architecture at the TASIS summer programme in Provence. She will study architecture at Cardiff University next year.

An accomplished pianist, she has helped with the Summer Music Programe for two years. Now, as art instructor, she brings together a perfect blend of art and music.

Grace holds doctoral degrees in conducting (University of Southern California) and Education (Walden University), master's degrees in collaborative piano and conducting from Boston University and a bachelor of arts degree from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. She has studied voice and linguitics extensively and speaks six languages, Korean, English, Japanese, French, Italian and German. She has studied vocal pedagogy, health and care of the voice, and all aspects of opera including conducting, staging, accompanying and coaching. She has extensive teaching experience at all levels and enjoys working with children. She has attended music festivals and universities in Asia, Europe and the USA and brings a multi-cultural outlook and understanding to her teaching. She is currently on the piano staff at La Chataigneraie and is conducting the Korean church choir in Geneva.

Laura received her diploma in organ and composition from the Venice Conservatory before coming to Geneva to study organ in the prestigious class of Lionel Rogg at the Geneva Conservatory for graduate studies. She has a certificate in singing from the Conservatoire Populaire, also in Geneva. She has held positions as organist at the Frari Basilica in Venice and the St. Germain church in Geneva and is currently the organist of the Protestant Parish of Courtelary, near Neuchatel. She has conducted and trained many bands and choirs over the years including conducting the St. Germain Ensemble and co-founding the Gallicantus Vocal Octet. 

For five years, Laura ran the Inititation Musicale pour les touts-petits in Geneva. She is the former Head of the Music Department at the College du Leman, and now teaches at the Geneva English School (GES) in Genthod. In addition to her full teaching schedule she also finds time to perform as an organ recitalist and as a solo and octet singer. She has been part of the Summer Music Program staff since 1998.

Theatre, music and dance have always been an important part of Christophe’s life. He has performed, directed and choreographed with various theatre groups in Geneva and most recently appeared in the GAOS pantomime, “Cinderella” as Dolce, one of the ugly stepsisters. Christophe has been dancing for over 10 years and has experience in hip-hop, modern and tap. He has participated in the Summer Music program as a student, student assistant and most recently instructor. He will be graduating in the summer of 2011 receiving the Maturité Fédérale Suisse and then will be off to Connecticut College in the US to study theatre and dance.

Ahmed Hamdy studied music at the Conservatory of Music in Cairo, Egypt where he obtained his diplomas in violin and piano. He pursued his graduate studies at the Geneva Conservatory in the violin class of Corrado Romano. In addition to his instrumental studies, he studied composition and orchestration with Jean Balissat, earning his degree in orchestration. Ahmed also studied chamber music in Mannheim, Germany and spent three years studying conducting in the class of Arpad Gerecz.

Ahmed is a violinist with the Chamber Orchestra of Geneva; the orchestra conductor of the Ensemble Vocal et Instrumenal de Rolle; and a substitute teacher at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. He has taught in various private schools in the region and maintains a class of private students in violin and piano. He performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician both in Switzerland and abroad and is equally comfortable playing in a variety of musical styles, from classical to tango to broadway shows. He has been a member of the Summer Music Program staff since the program began. Check the recordings section to find him featured in two recordings on the Pianoforte Productions label.

Robbie received his International Baccaulaureate from the International School of Geneva in 2009 and currently attends Middlebury College in Vermont, USA where he continues his musical and dramatic activities and studies. Having "grown up" in the Summer Music Program, Robbie has been an intergral part of the program for 14 years, first as a student, then as an assistant and since 2009 as an instructor. As a musician, Robbie is trained in piano, voice and recorder. On stage, Robbie has many years of experience with the Geneva Operatic Society as well as the Summer Music Program. Notably, he has played Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" and Oliver in "Oliver" in the GAOS Youth productions, as well as performing and working backstage and as musical director for other GAOS productions. He was Leopold Mozart in "of Mice and Mozart", was the male lead in a mini-opera based on a Mozart Fantasia, and has starred in more productions than can be recalled at SMP, from the "Leprechan's Magic Hat" to "We Haz' Jazz" to Dream On, a musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Currently finishing up her undergraduate medical studies, Sadie will begin her medical internship in Newcastle in August 2012. She has yet to choose her specialty but it will be either pediatrics, family medicine or gynecology/obstretrics as she absolutely needs to work with children at some level! Sadie received her I.B. from the International School of Geneva, la Chataigneraie in May 2007. She is an accomplished musician, having passed her level 5 theory and level 6 piano exam of the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music.

She has extensive experience in drama having worked with Mike Pasternak and the Drama Club at La Chataigneraie for many years. As President of the Student Council in 2005-06, Sadie honed her leadership, diplomacy and management skills. She has been a staff member of the Summer Music Program since 2003 and brings with her a wealth of enthusiasm, knowledge and experience of working with children of all ages.

Annalisa began her piano studies in Lima, Peru at age five and continued her studies at the Geneva Conservatory where she obtained her degree in music pedagogy followed by her diploma in piano at the Puccini Conservatory in La Spezia, Italy. She earned her virtuousity diploma at the Swiss Society of Musical Pedagogy in 2000.

Annalisa performs as a soloist in recitals, and with orchestras. She has participated in several recitals organized for humanitarian causes and in festivals for young musicians in Berlin, Helsinki, Dublin, Augsburg and Milan.  She has also participated in many master classes with renowed pianists as well as in international competitions, earning a first prize at the Stresa International Music Competion and a second prize in Capri, both in Italy.

She teaches piano at La Chataigneraie, and has been on the Summer Music Program staff since 2001.

Anabel will finish her Maturité at the gymnase de Nyon this June. She then plans to study International Relations at Geneva University. She has studied over 8 years of piano with Julie, and has studied ballet for 10 years. She is a member of GAOS (the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society) where she is has performed in many shows including, Sound of Music, The Producers, and Jack and the Beanstalk, in which she had a leading role. Being on stage, dancing, singing and playing has always been part of her life and she loves working with children so working at SMP is a natural place for her to be! This will be Anabel’s 2nd summer with SMP.

Matilde studied piano at the Venice Conservatory where she recieved a diploma in Piano Performance followed by a post-graduate degree in Piano Accompaniment. In 1994 she was awarded a scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to spend two years at the Zoltan Kodaly Pedegogical Institute of Music in Kecskemet, Hungary where she obtained her Advanced Diploma in the Kodaly method.

She collaborates with many choirs as an accompanist and teacher of music theory. From 2000 - 2004 she was pianist, singer and conductor of the group "Polifonica B. Marcello", conducting a number of concerts with the choir and orchestra in Venice.

After qualifying as a primary school teacher in 1991, Matilde started teaching mathematics, music and English as a second language. She has led primary school teacher training courses for the Kodaly and Orff methodologies since 1995. She has taught at the Summer Music Program since 2000.

She is currently teaching piano at the International School of Geneva, La Châtaigneraie and music classes and piano at the College du Leman.

Jacque is a professional french horn player who teaches french horn, trumpet and sailing in the Geneva area. He performs regularly with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve, Nouvelle Orchestre de Geneve, the Quator Eglogue and an Irish band (where he plays the Irish bagpipes).

He gives lecture demonstrations on all the brass instruments in schools and other programs in the area inspiring and teaching the children to "blow their own horn".