Theory Teachers
Peter Oehrtman
piano, theory
Peter Oehrtman is an active performer and teacher in the Cincinnati area. A native of northern Ohio, Mr. Oehrtman received his Bachelor of Music degree at Bowling Green State University, his Master of Music degree at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at CCM.
A student of Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, Mr Oethrtman has won numerous scholarships and awards. His musical honors include placing in several piano competitions, including the Brevard Music Center International Piano Competition, the Marjorie Conrad Peatee Art Song Competition, and the Bowling Green State University Concerto Competition.
An active and committed teacher, Mr. Oehrtman serves as a teaching assistant under the direction of Dr. Michelle Conda at CCM. Comfortable teaching students of all levels and in a variety of formats, he teaches many CCM students through both private lessons and group classes. Mr. Oehrtman is also a faculty member at the Piano Camp of Summer Music Institute at Bowling Green State University and at the Indian Springs Academy of Music.
Mr. Oehrtman is a member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and has presented many of his teaching ideas through presentations at the local, state, collegiate, and national levels. Most recently, he was invited to present a session entitled “Steve Jobs Meets Mitsuko Uchida: Applying Innovative Strategies” at the Young Professionals Track of the 2014 MTNA National Conference in Chicago. Among the other lecture courses he teaches is a course titled "Practicing and Performing Strategies".
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An active participant in the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program, Mr. Oehrtman successfully prepares students for both Performance and Theoretical certificate examination at all levels. Mr. Oehrtman is full time faculty at the Indian Springs Academy, where he also serves as Assistant to the Director.
Ann Lin Baer, violin - Born in Cincinnati, Mrs. Baer attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Program studying both piano and violin.
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A magna cum laude graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Mrs. Baer has been an active member of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra since 1995. She has also performed as the second violinist in the Dayton Philharmonic String Quartet since 2002. Mrs. Baer was an Associate Violinist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for 15 years. She is a former member of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra and has performed with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and the Ohio Valley Symphony.
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As a dedicated teacher, Mrs. Baer considers teaching a significant and precious part of her professional life. Having had Cincinnati area teachers who were inspiring musical and personal role models, Mrs. Baer strives to pay forward the many joys of studying the violin. Mrs. Baer has been teaching violin students in the Mason area since 1995 and was also an artist in the School Partners with Artists Reaching Kids program in Dayton for 14 years. Her students are consistently successful in OMEA and Mason High School orchestra auditions, and some have gone on to pursue degrees in music education.
She maintains her studio at the Indian Springs Academy welcoming students at all ages!
Ann Bear
violin, theory
Rodrigo Vasconcelos
piano, theory, harmony, history
Rodrigo Vasconcelos holds a Master of Arts degree from Campbellsville University and a Piano Performance degree from the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His piano teachers include Linda Bustani, Estela Caldi, Allan Hersh, and Wesley Roberts.
Mr. Vasconcelos keeps a healthy performing career as a choral conductor, pianist, and lecturer throughout the US, Germany, England, Czech Republic and Brazil, including appearances with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Vasconcelos serves as music educator for the Our Lady of the Visitation School, and on the piano, music history, and theory faculty of Indian Springs Academy of Music.
Mr. Vasconcelos is a Founding Teacher and Examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program and is an active member of the National Association for Music Education and the Ohio Music Educators Association.
Pianist-Composer Christina Tan holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, Theory cognate from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music where she was invited by concert pianist Béla Siki to study. At CCM, she earned her Master’s and Bachelor of Music degrees while on various scholarship awards and teaching assistantships. Her teachers include James Tocco, Eugene & Elizabeth Pridonoff, Frank Weinstock, and Béla Siki. Representing Singapore in the 1991 Robert Casadesus International Competition, she clinched the top prize and awards at several local and international piano and composition competitions, including the 1986 Diners Club Pianist of the Year Award.
Having played with orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic, The Lexington Herald-Leader writes, “Tan always seemed to be gauging her performance to suit the needs of the moment, and such intelligent playing is as welcome as it is rare.” The Straits Times describes her music, “Spirited piano piece a winner...21st-century music does not need to be inaccessible to be taken seriously” On her performance, “Tan’s artistry shone through with utter clarity, humor, and beauty…There was much poignancy to be had in the familiar preludes...sheer poetry reigned ...a captivating performance on the whole.”
An enthusiastic educator, collaborator/chamber musician, and adjudicator, she has served on the music faculties of the University of Akron, Hiram College, Asbury, Transylvania, Northern Kentucky, Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, and Winthrop Universities. In 2010, she was invited to teach at Singapore’s School of the Arts ~ SOTA. In 2014, she also began teaching at the LASALLE College of Arts’ School of Contemporary Music and NAFA ~ Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts' School of Music. She has been invited to give master classes both in Asia and the US. She has also always served as an organist-music director at a local church. Passionate about music making and education, she is the current Vice President of the Singapore Music Teachers’ Association.
Christina’s students have been national and international level award winners in solo, chamber and composition competitions. Equally at home with both beginning and advanced levels, her intrinsic desire is to impact a student’s life by instilling a lifelong passion for learning in a stimulating while nurturing environment for her students of all ages. It is the supreme joy of awakening the wonder of creative expression, heightening aesthetic awareness and growth in others that fuels her passion for her calling.
Dr. Christina Tan
piano, theory, harmony
Mengle "Kristi" Zhou,
piano, theory, musicianship
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Mengle "Kristi" Zhou
Mrs. Kristi Zhou was born in China and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, one of the most prestigious conservatory in China, and her Master of Music degree from Boston University School of Music.
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Mrs. Zhou has a wealth of experience teaching piano, music theory, music history and appreciation to students of all ages and levels of accomplishment. An experienced teacher of piano, Mrs. Zhou has also taught in classroom settings from kindergarten through high school, and taught Western music history and AP Music Theory for college preparatory students. Additionally, she has worked with students on choral rehearsals and performances, musical theatre productions, school musical productions and a variety of other activities.
She is passionate about instilling a love of music in students of all ages and setting a solid foundation in their music education. She believes in developing the whole musician including ear-training, sight-reading, improvisation, composition, theory and creativity as well as superb technical abilities. To see the musical knowledge and appreciation accompany her students throughout their lives gives her the ultimate joy and satisfaction as a teacher of music.