Our Team
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Co-Founder, Lead Piano Instructor
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Alyssa Haffner Sonnier holds a Master of Science in Performance Science from the Royal College of Music in London and a Bachelor of Music in dual degrees of Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University.
While living in London, Mrs. Sonnier collaborated with many musicians in both performance and research settings. Her favorites include a music recording session at Abbey Road Studios, numerous interviews held with professional musicians for her research, leading sessions in a groundbreaking Performance Simulator, and the completion of her first, individual research project and thesis investigating how instrumental teachers foster practice strategies in one-on-one lessons.
Mrs. Sonnier graduated magna cum laude from Oklahoma City University in 2013. While attending OCU, she was placed on the President’s Honor Roll and selected for the 2012 “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” She was also a member of the Delta Epsilon Iota, Phi Theta Kappa, and Blue Key Honor Societies, as well as being an officer in Sigma Alpha Iota. She was later selected as a member of OCU’s 30 under 30 which honors young, successful alumni.
Alyssa Sonnier is an experienced performer and accompanist, having performed both locally and abroad as a soloist and collaborative pianist. She has performed in Austria at the Classical Music Festival in 2012 and in London in 2017-2018. Ms. Haffner has also performed with a wind philharmonic, many choirs, and numerous instrumental and vocal soloists in both an education setting and at competitions. Mrs. Sonnier's major teachers included Sergio Monteiro and Sandra Meyer.
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Co-Founder, Lead Voice Instructor, Piano Instructor
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Tookah Sapper, a proud Cherokee Nation citizen and native of Oklahoma City, is an entrepreneur, classically trained soprano, pianist, and educator. She earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a minor in Collaborative Piano from the University of Central Oklahoma.
As a performer, Tookah has collaborated with esteemed organizations such as American Opera Projects and The Chautauqua Opera Company. She is also passionate about collaborating with dancers, and regularly plays piano for both ballet and modern dance classes at UCO.
In 2020, Tookah co-founded Polaris Management, a boutique artist management company dedicated to helping classical performing artists build authentic careers by leveraging innovative tools like social media.
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Co-Founder, Piano Instructor for Adults & Advanced Students
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Ricardo Veiga is a multi-talented artist, excelling in various fields such as entrepreneurship, classical piano, composition, and film production. Ricardo began his piano journey at the age of 5 in Pasadena, CA. At the age of ten, he moved to England with his family to study under the guidance of José Feghali, the gold medalist of the 1985 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. After spending four years in England, Ricardo relocated to Rio de Janeiro, where he had the privilege of studying with the internationally acclaimed pianist Linda Bustani.
In 1994, Ricardo was awarded a full scholarship to pursue his piano studies at Texas Christian University (TCU), where he had the opportunity to study once more under the tutelage of José Feghali, who was the artist in residence at TCU. Seeking new horizons, Ricardo moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to embark on a career in the film industry as a composer and producer. Throughout his career, he has produced numerous award-winning short films and feature films, many of which can be found on popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Ricardo's musical talents extend beyond film production, as he has composed scores for over 20 films, earning him accolades such as the Best Score and Best Song in a Movie at the Nashville Film Festival in 2014. In addition to his accomplishments in the film industry, Ricardo is also the Co-Founder of Polaris Management, a renowned management company representing top-performing artists in the classical music industry.
Fluent in three languages, Ricardo's passion for cultural diversity extends to his love for cooking ethnic dishes from all over the world. His dedication to his craft and creative abilities have garnered him recognition, including a review from the Los Angeles Times in 2011 that described his music as “achingly beautiful.”
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Lead Violin Instructor
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Originally from Brazil, Elaine Bastos was thirteen years old when she first heard the captivating sound of the violin and immediately decided to pursue learning the instrument. Since then, she has dedicated her life to becoming a professional violinist. She has played in several orchestras in Brazil and the United States.
Dr. Bastos earned her Doctorate in Violin Performance from Florida State University in Spring 2017. During her degree, as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Benjamin Sung, she taught violin, coached chamber music, played in numerous chamber ensembles, and performed with the University Symphony Orchestra. She also has an Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University, where she studied with Dr. Elisabeth Adkins.
She has participated in several summer music festivals, such as Brevard Music Center, and Miami Summer Music Festival and she is currently a violin instructor for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Summer Camp.
Dr. Bastos has also performed with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Panama City POPS Orchestra, and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. She currently performs as concertmaster for the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony and has acted as associate concertmaster for the Enid Symphony.
As a pedagogue, she is an adjunct professor of Music at Oklahoma City Community College and Langston University. She is also a violin teacher at El Sistema Oklahoma, her private violin studio, and she has joined the team at Oklahoma Academy of Music and Fine Arts!
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Piano Instructor
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Isabella Mullaney has been a musician for most of her life. She graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, with Vocal Performance emphasis, but she began her musical studies with piano lessons at the age of six and continued throughout college.
She is passionate about helping students develop a lifelong relaionship with music and the arts. Outside of music, Isabella enjoys acting, practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and watching the latest period dramas on TV.
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Woodwinds Instructor
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Daniela Piña is a music educator and woodwind performer. Originally from Eagle Pass, Texas, Daniela began her music career in middle school, learning Saxophone for her middle school band program. After High School, Daniela moved to Kingsville, Texas to pursue a degree in Music Education at Texas A&M University- Kingsville. While in school in Kingsville, Daniela learned Bassoon and Flute, finding her passion in multi-woodwind performance and teaching.
As an educator, Daniela has guided her students to success in auditions and competitions. Students of Daniela have earned placements in the TMEA Region 11 Jazz Band, Houston Underground Saxophone Competition Finals in the Saxophone Quartet category, and UIL State Solo and Ensemble State Competition. In addition to her teaching impact, she has performed at regional and national conferences, including the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) and Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Conference, and has been selected for multiple masterclasses across her instruments.
Daniela is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Multiple Woodwind Performance at Oklahoma City University, starting an exciting journey as a performer and educator. Along with being a graduate student, Daniela is also currently an instructor at El Sistema Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, and the founding Instructor of Woodwinds at Oklahoma Academy of Music & Fine Arts in Edmond, Oklahoma.
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Guitar Instructor
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Marli Stodden has been involved in music almost her entire life. She started singing with her four sisters at about four years old, she also started learning piano from her mom about that age and started guitar around the age of eight. She will graduate from the University of Central Oklahoma in December with a Bachelors of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, with a musical theatre emphasis.
Marli is an active performer, with one of her most recent performances being with the Oklahoma Opry. She has performed in various musical theatre and opera productions at UCO and throughout her childhood and plans on continuing to perform after she graduates. In Bremerton, Washington, where she grew up, she has performed with her sisters in a band, serving as the lead guitarist and vocalist. Marli and her sisters have performed at various local and national events, including Professional Bull Riding Tours, rodeos and even Oklahoma City Comets games.
She is very passionate about music and helping others grow a love for it, the way she has throughout her lifetime. She hopes to share her love of music with the world through education and performance for the rest of her life.
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