Semi-finalist of the 2011 Sphinx Competition, Sheena Gutierrez, is one of Miami’s promising young talents. Critics and mentors have acclaimed Sheena for her “striking musicianship”, “lovely tone”, “love for music”, and her “sensitive interpretation of classical masterpieces.”
In 2005, Sheena debut as a soloist with the Coral Gables Young Musician’s Orchestra. She also performed in the annual Superintendent’s Honors Music Festival for six consecutive years. These early successes paved the way to her performances in halls such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, New World Center, Adrienne Arsht Center, Harris Theater, Studzinski Hall, Benedict Music Tent, KKL Luzern Concert Hall (Switzerland), and König Albert Theater (Germany), among others.
Sheena regularly travels to festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Lucerne Academy Festival (Switzerland), Moritzburg Festival Academy (Germany), Bowdoin International Music Festival (Maine), and the European Union Orchestra (Austria), among others. Other honors include a distinguished finalist in the 2008 Walenstein Competition, and an honorable mention in the 2011 Alexander and Buono International Competition.
As an avid contemporary musician, Sheena has participated in the Charles E. Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, the Boston Conservatory New Music Festival, and the Boston New Music Initiative. She was also hand selected for 3 seasons, as one of the 130 highly gifted young musicians internationally, to travel to Lucerne, Switzerland and Paris, France to participate in the Lucerne Academy Festival founded by Pierre Boulez.
Sheena also has a strong passion for string pedagogy. She recently just recorded a CD for The ABCs of Violin for the More Advanced, Book 4 with Janice Tucker Rhoda, author of the popular instruction series, the ABCs of Strings and Complete Technique, published by Carl Fischer Music.
Along with Stepan Rudenko, pianist and husband, she has formed the Sotto Amore Duo in 2011 to inspire people with their love and passion for music. They are actively performing recitals around South Florida.
She joined the Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra-compromised of Top Laureates of the Sphinx Competition- in 2011. This Fall, she will join them once again for their tour -celebrating Sphinx Organization’s 20th anniversary.
Sheena was introduced to the violin at the age of 12 with Mariana Carreras, violinist from Havana, Cuba. She later studied with Thomas Moore, world-renowned Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the New World School of the Arts and Professor Emeritus of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. She completed her Bachelor degree at the Boston Conservatory of Music studying with Rictor Noren, and Master degree at the University of Miami studying with Charles Castleman and Scott Flavin. Most recently, Sheena finished her Doctorate degree as a Teaching Assistant to Charles Castleman at University of Miami. Her dissertation was on “Gender Bias Among the Big Five Orchestras - As Illustrated in Hiring Practices of Women Instrumentalists.” Sheena plays on a
“Kemp” Guarnerius del Gesu violin Opus 809, made by Douglas Cox, violin maker in Brattleboro, Vermont through a Sphinx Music Organization loan.
Addie Deppa received both her Bachelor’s and Professional Studies degrees in music performance from Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland Ohio. Ms. Deppa is a certified Suzuki teacher and previously lived and taught in Cleveland Ohio for 5 years at private schools as well as El Sistema after school programs. She has been teaching in NYC for the past year at various schools both in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In addition to the violin and viola, she also teaches music theory. Dr. Suzuki’s quote “Beautiful tone, beautiful heart” has always been a cornerstone in her teaching. She believes children are so sensitive and once they are exposed to beauty, they will never forget and whatever they decide to do with their lives, they will always strive to make it beautiful!
Angelica Sganga, Artistic Director and Scholarship Chair of the Coral Gables Music Club, is both a Concert Pianist and Professional Classical Ballerina with vast experience in the Performing Arts realm. Born in Caracas Venezuela from Italian and Spanish parents, she began taking piano lessons from her mother and her musical training at the Juan Jose Landaeta Music Conservatory, where she was awarded special entrance at the early age of four. At the age of nine, she won her first piano competition, placing first, on the National Venezuelan “Demusica Piano Competition”. In 1989 Angelica moved to Miami where she continued her musical studies with renowned teacher Peggy Neighbors Erwin. She graduated with honors from the New World School of the Arts where she studied on a full scholarship and received a Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance. She obtained her Master's Degree at FIU and Artist Diploma studies under the direction of Kemal Gekic. Angelica has received wide recognition for her numerous public performances and awards throughout the years. From winning the Concerto competition at both New World and FIU to being a soloist with professional local and international orchestras. She has performed abroad from the United States to South America, Europe, and as far as, the Beijing Conservatory, Shanghai Music Hall, and the Peking Opera School. In 2007 she joined the faculty at FIU as a staff accompanist and does a great number of collaborative piano performances with numerous local artists. In 2015 Angelica co-founded the Zapateado Duo with Canadian born cellist Marie Elaine Gagnon, a piano-cello duo devoted to promoting Latin and Spanish Music. Since then they have done several tours around the Mid Western States, Florida, and most recently were invited to be part of the LoKo Arts Festival at SUNY-Potsdam New York 2019, performing at Crane School of Music.
Beiyao Ji is a pianist from Sichuan, China. He received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles in 2013. He continued his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received his Master of Music and Artist Diploma. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the Frost School of Music under the instruction of acclaimed pianist and teacher Kevin Kenner. Additionally, he serves as a full-time teaching assistant for the department of piano performance at Frost. Beiyao has received numerous accolades for his piano playing, including the opportunities to appear as a soloist with the Torrance Symphony orchestra, the Colburn Orchestra, and the Brentwood-Westwood Symphony Orchestra. Aside from performing, Beiyao has been teaching piano for six years and enjoys working with students from various levels. This is his second year teaching with the Frost Preparatory Program, and he looks forward to the opportunity to continue serving the community through his passion for music.
Benjamin Montgomery is a composer and theorist from Pennsylvania, USA. Writing for a diversity of vocal, instrumental, and electronic mediums, he avidly works closely with performers in the creation and realization of each work. He views the uniqueness and challenges of each piece as a personal journey to better understand human perception and beliefs. As an instructor, Benjamin’s pedagogy focuses on developing students’ curiosity and personal connection to the music. He aims to develop more complex individual understandings and interpretations by approaching music from a variety of different perspectives.
Emiri Nourishirazi started piano lessons at the age of seven with Russian-American pianist Irena Kofman. She has been the winner of numerous competitions at a young age. Participating in the International Keyboard Odyssiad Competition and Festival in the summer of 2015, she was the silver medalist in her category. She also had the honor of performing with the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra and Coral Gables Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performance career, Emiri is an active teacher. She currently teaches at the Frost Preparatory Program, where she works with children of various ages. Emiri received her Bachelor's in Piano performance in 2016 at the University of Miami Frost School if Music, where she studied with Santiago Rodriguez. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's degree at the same school, studying with Kevin Kenner. Emiri is the piano fellowship recipient of the Henry Mancini Orchestra, an ensemble which she has recently performed at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Gene Paul Gayol
Albanian-born pianist Inesa Gegprifti has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, U.S.A, and South America. Noted performances include appearances with the National Radio Television Orchestra of Albania and the Indian Hill Orchestra, chamber concerts in Italy, Slovenia, and Puerto Rico, as well as artist residencies at the “Vivace Vilnius International Summer Festival,” International Portogruaro Festival “A tempo,” the Conservatory of Cuenca, and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Ecuador. Over the years, Dr. Gegprifti has pursued her piano studies under the guidance of Valbona Kasaj, Dario de Rosa, Maureen Jones, Alberto Miodini, Igor Cognolato, Max Levinson, Evelyne Brancart, Naoko Takao, and Santiago Rodriguez. A graduate of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (B.M.) and Indiana University (M.M.), she completed her D.M.A. at the Frost School of Music, UM. Dr. Gegprifti is one of the founding members of Kaleidoscope MusArt, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Miami, dedicated to bridging the gap between canonical classical music and rarely-heard or recently-composed works. Dr. Gegprifti is currently on the faculty of the Superior Academy of Music, the Frost Preparatory Program, and the Frost Young Musicians Camp, as well as the Keyboard Department at Frost School of Music Adjunct Lecturer. 
Jose Veliz is an award-winning composer, performer, interactive artist, and technologist from Guatemala, currently based in South Florida. He has written musical compositions and arrangements for live performances, films, and other media projects, and has performed as a pianist and conductor in a variety of settings. One focus he’s had in recent years has been towards the development of interactive art experiences revolving around music and sound. His objective is to develop further engagement and understanding of unique musical genres by allowing audiences to be immersed and become a part of the music.
Juan Gomez is a Frost Prep group piano teacher who was formerly a piano student under the Frost Prep Program for 11 years. He has experience in teaching group piano as before he became a teacher, he was a volunteer teaching assistant for his last year as a Frost Prep student. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in music education and aspires to become a college music professor.
Polish-born violinist Katarzyna Cieślik began her musical training at the age of 7 at the State Music School in Bialystok. Later she graduated from the Frederic Chopin University of Music with a Masters degree in Violin Performance and Pedagogy. She was a member of the award-winning Podlaska Philharmonic Orchestra for over 20 years in which she played an average of 80 performances annually and toured through most of Europe, the former Soviet Union, China, and the U.S. (Carnegie Hall). During her years as an orchestra musician, she was often involved in educational outreach programs at local schools. She was also an active member of the Sotto Voce String Quartet until moving to South Florida in 2015 where her attention focused more intensively on teaching children. She has worked as a violin teacher at the Miami Fine Arts Academy and continues to work with children in local schools for Miami Music Project. As a certified teacher of Music Mind Games, she helps children learn the basic principles of music through games. She also utilizes the examination system of the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program.
Luca Cubisino is a polyhedral and versatile artist, whose path is paved with performance, teaching, and research. Prize winner in nearly twenty national and international piano competitions, Luca Cubisino has played in prestigious venues such as Teatro Massimo “V. Bellini” in Catania, Concertgebouw de Doelen in Rotterdam, Wiener Saal in Salzburg, Wertheim Concert Hall in Miami, and other venues in Bologna, Leipzig, New York, Austin, Atlanta, etc. His musicianship has benefited from lessons and master classes given by Antonella Scuderi, Flavio Meniconi, Franco Scala, Aquiles Delle Vigne, François-Joël Thiollier, Antonio Ballista, Choong-Mo Kang, Gerald Fauth, Bruno Canino, Enrico Pace, Anton Nel, Boris Slutsky, Marina Lomazov, and others. 
Rosa Villar-Córdova Scott’s pursuit of expressive pianism has caused her to be noted as an artist of unique abilities. Since her debut with the National Orchestra of Peru at the age of twelve, her talents as a pianist and collaborator have brought her to stages across America, Europe, and South America. Especially of note are her performances as soloist with orchestras in both South America and the United States.
Yudi Zhang started her study in piano performance at the age of 5. She went to The Affiliated High School of Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China for professional studies and received her Bachelor of Music at Tianjin Conservatory of Music with the first-place merit scholarship in 2017. Yudi continued her piano studies at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, where she obtained her Master of Music under the studios of the famous soloists Soyeon Kate Lee and Dror Biran in 2019. Now Yudi is pursuing her Doctoral degree in piano performance at the Frost school of music with Professor Tian Ying. In her time as an undergrad and master's, she successfully held her solo and chamber recitals and earned rich stage experiences from participating in concerts as both soloist and accompanist. She was honored to be the director of the department of academics of the student union to organize activities such as music tutoring and performance for professional students and non-major students. Yudi also had masterclasses with the Chinese-born Italian Pianist Jin Ju and Japanese Pianist Kyoko Hashimoto.
