Synthase ↓
Nate May, DMA ↓
Recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Yale School of Music, Nate May is a versatile American composer and improviser whose music has been heard across four continents: in jazz clubs and DIY spaces, on radio and television, in museums and modern dance venues, and on mainstage classical events at New York’s Sheen Center, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and others. His music spans a wide array of genres: he has composed orchestral, choral, chamber, electronic, and experimental music, scored a full-length feature film, played in a post-rock band, and given fully-improvised performances on piano and Fender Rhodes. Also an award-winning educator, he has served as a teaching artist with the American Composers Orchestra and taught courses at Yale University, Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Montclair State University, the Walden School, and the Thurnauer school. He holds degrees from the Yale School of Music (D.M.A., composition), Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (M.M., Composition) and the University of Michigan (B.F.A., Jazz and Contemplative Studies). He grew up in Huntington, West Virginia and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area, where weekly walks among the cliffs and redwoods have helped him endure the pandemic.
Nate is no longer accepting students.
Nate's Specialties
- melody from popular music and jazz: craft gorgeous melodies and learn the scales that lie underneath them
- harmony from popular music and jazz: find great chords and learn how they work with melodies
- beat-based rhythm: learn to make grooves and stay in the pocket
- beginner musicianship/theory for non-readers (including ABRSM)
- advanced tech: music + programming
Huijuan (Susie) Ling, Ph. D. ↓
Huijuan Ling is a composer and keyboardist currently based in Durham, NC. She likes to draw her inspiration outside the boundaries of the wobbly concept of Western art music and enjoys the process of discovering and negotiating a sound world that feels authentic both to her and her collaborators. Her music has been performed by ensembles and musicians such as the Ciompi Quartet, Yarn/Wire, Imani Winds, JACK Quartet, Line Upon Line Percussion, Patchwork Duo, cellist Ashley Walters, pianist Gloria Cheng, Kris Rucinski, and others. In 2022, her woodwind quintet “Toward a Rediscovery” won the first prize in the fifth International “New Vision” Composition Competition from the New York Dance & Arts Innovations; in 2021, she was awarded the William Klenz Prize in Composition from Duke University; in 2020, she was among the recipients of the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and in 2019, her harpsichord solo “Those Cold Winter Rains” won the third prize in the SIMM 2019 International Harpsichord Composition Competition. Huijuan received her Ph.D. in Composition at Duke University, where she studied composition with Stephen Jaffe and harpsichord/organ with Robert Parkins. She received her MM at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her BM at Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Susie's Specialties
- Medium or advanced level musicianship/theory for readers: deep dive into classical repertoire, listen through your favorite symphonies/ sonatas with a brand new analytical mindset.
- Classical keyboard harmony: adding chords to your favorite tune; make simplified version of challenging pieces that you want to tackle
- Exam preparation: AP, RCM, ABRSM, undergrad/grad theory entrance exam prep, etc.
- Beginner level tech: mixing, add basic effects to enhance your soundtracks, basics of making a good recording, music editing
- I can teach in both English and Mandarin! 我会说中文！
Joshua Weinfeld ↓
Joshua Weinfeld holds a master’s degree in Music Technology and Digital Media from the University of Toronto and is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he studied percussion performance under the tutelage of Ji Hye Jung, W. Lee Vinson, and Dr. Marc Widenhofer. Born and raised in New York City, Joshua attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. At Vanderbilt, he was featured three times in the Blair School of Music Student Showcase, participated in masterclasses with artists including Robert Van Sice, Michael League, Michael Burritt, Alejandro Viñao, and Edgar Meyer, and performed alongside Jeff Coffin, Ji Hye Jung, Sandbox Percussion, and the Chatterbird Ensemble. In 2020, he was awarded first place in both the keyboard and snare drum divisions of the Tennessee Collegiate Solo Percussion Competition.
Joshua is the co-founder and managing member of Continuous Motion Productions, LLC, a multimedia company he established in 2021 specializing in audio, video, and creative technology. Through Continuous Motion, he has led and contributed to hundreds of audiovisual projects across classical music, electronic music, research, and interactive media. His work has been recognized with multiple honors, including a DownBeat Magazine Award for Best Collegiate Engineered Live Recording, the Wendy Carlos Award for Innovative Creative Work in Music Technology, and two first-place awards in the Audio Engineering Society Recording Competition.
In addition to his production work, Joshua is an experienced educator and product specialist. He has designed and delivered courses and demonstrations throughout North America for the International Music Software Trade Association, and works with Music Marketing, Inc. as a product expert for Dreamtonics’ Synthesizer V and Celemony Melodyne.
Joshua’s practice bridges performance, composition, and technology. He is an avid composer and sound designer, and he enjoys working with technology to produce new works of his own. Joshua frequently collaborates in game audio development, and is a member of VXRIABLE, an emerging electronic music duo centered around original sound design. He continues to pursue collaborative projects that integrate musicianship with cutting-edge creative technology.
Josh's Specialties
- Medium or Advanced Sound Design: creating cool shapes and sounds using instruments, computers, and recordings.
- Beginner to Advanced Music Recording and Production: using microphones, recording instruments, mixing, and music editing.
- Rhythm and Composition: making beats, funky grooves, drum fundamentals, and developing your own composition.
- Video recording, Editing, and Production: filming performances, video fundamentals, syncing sound, and basic video editing.
- Beginner Musicianship: theory and harmony for classical music first-time learners.