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CLASSICOOL is our classical music in school initiative. We send musicians to schools for concerts, music appreciation classes and workshops.
CLASSICOOL is designed to offer personalized live music experiences to NYC schools. Our organization fosters collaborations with school partners who otherwise do not have access to classical music opportunities. We work closely with school teachers to develop programming that is best for their student population. This intimate collaborative format allows us to meet the needs of a wide age range of students across the boroughs of NYC.
Each year, our musicians offer 200+ music appreciation classes and performances that introduce 4 -14 year old youth to orchestral instruments, music history, genre, style, and the lives of professional musicians.
Education has been an important aspect of Lyric since its inception. It is part of our commitment and responsibility to introduce children from all backgrounds to classical music. Our education programming began in April 1998, at our second public offering, when the great flutist, Jean-Pierre Rampal performed at two events in one day for NYC kids. Ever since, Lyric has brought music to more than 5000 students, and counting. Interested schools are welcome to contact our Executive Director.
Here are some of our featured teaching artists:
Kayla Williams, Viola
Kayla Williams is a dynamic violist celebrated for her warmth of tone, genre-spanning collaborations, and vibrant presence on stage. Originally from Florida, Kayla began playing violin at the age of four and discovered her true passion—the viola—at ten. In 2018, she made her concerto debut performing Bartók’s Viola Concerto as a winner of the Lynn Concerto Competition.
She has been featured at a wide range of festivals, including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the 2024 Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and the 2022 Pittsburgh
International Jazz Festival. Kayla’s collaborative work spans both live and recorded performances with artists such as Grammy Award-winner Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, Raye, The Jonas Brothers, Ben Platt, Vanisha Gould, and Halsey.
As a recitalist, Kayla has performed across the country in concert series such as the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, St. Lawrence University, the Island Concert Association February Festival (St. Simons Island, GA), Trinity Concert Series, Warner Robins Community Concert Association, Lakeside Society for the Performing Arts, Oxford College of Emory University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Guest Artist Series, and Rejoicing’s in Mayesville, SC.
Kayla earned her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, FL, and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School in New York City. She is a 2021–2023 recipient of the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship and currently holds a violin chair in the Broadway production of Gypsy.
She has been featured at a wide range of festivals, including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the 2024 Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and the 2022 Pittsburgh
International Jazz Festival. Kayla’s collaborative work spans both live and recorded performances with artists such as Grammy Award-winner Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, Raye, The Jonas Brothers, Ben Platt, Vanisha Gould, and Halsey.
As a recitalist, Kayla has performed across the country in concert series such as the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, St. Lawrence University, the Island Concert Association February Festival (St. Simons Island, GA), Trinity Concert Series, Warner Robins Community Concert Association, Lakeside Society for the Performing Arts, Oxford College of Emory University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Guest Artist Series, and Rejoicing’s in Mayesville, SC.
Kayla earned her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, FL, and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School in New York City. She is a 2021–2023 recipient of the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship and currently holds a violin chair in the Broadway production of Gypsy.
Olga Gurevich, Piano
Olga Gurevich is a concert pianist, chamber musician, and a piano teacher. She appeared at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, the Symphony Space in NYC, concert venues in Europe. Olga has performed with Manhattan Symphonie, Richmond County Orchestra, among others, and with numerous chamber music ensembles. She is the principal accompanist for the Riverside Opera Company, and a pianist in residence for Silver Bay String Quartet.
Olga Gurevich holds DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Moscow, Russia. She teaches at the piano faculty of Bloomingdale School of Music and The Virtuoso Suzuki Academy in NYC.
Olga Gurevich holds DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Moscow, Russia. She teaches at the piano faculty of Bloomingdale School of Music and The Virtuoso Suzuki Academy in NYC.
Alida Torres, Guitar & Ukelele
Alida Torres is a singer, songwriter, performer and educator based in New York City area. She teaches vocals, guitar, piano and ukulele to kids and adults of all ages focusing on multiple genres: classical, folk, pop and rock. Alida performs regularly with two groups: she sings Latin American folk songs in her duet, Alida & Aidan and plays percussion Balinese instruments with Gamelan Yowana Sari. Her specialties include teaching one on one lessons, Introduction to Songwriting workshops and Introduction to Gamelan workshops.
Aimee Toner, Flute
Aimee is the Instructor of Flute at the University of Connecticut, where she hosts the collegiate flute studio on the Storrs main campus. She is also a staff teaching artist at the Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras, Arts for Learning Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut University, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. Toner’s private studio currently includes students aged 7-60+ who study with her in-person in New Haven or through virtual instruction.
Toner’s performance experience has involved performing as flutist and piccolo player with orchestras including the Norwalk Symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Enigma Chamber Opera Orchestra, the Glens Falls Symphony, the New Amsterdam Opera, and the Du Bois Symphony, and collaborating in chamber groups that have ranged from jazz trios in Italian restaurants to wind quintets on stage at Carnegie Hall. Currently, Aimee is the flutist in Duo Brève, a touring harp-flute duo with harpist Mia Venezia that is managed by the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. Toner is also honored to represent Wm S. Haynes Co. as a Haynes Young Artist ,and plays on a custom 10K Gold Haynes Flute.
Aimee is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Cynthia Meyers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for her Master’s in Flute Performance and obtained a concentration in Music in Education. Toner is also a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University (Phi Beta Kappa), where she majored in Ethnomusicology and Economics.
Aimee currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut with her husband and her two rescue cats Billie and Butternut. She enjoys taking walks and bike rides in her neighborhood, exploring photography, and finding four leaf clover along the way.
Toner’s performance experience has involved performing as flutist and piccolo player with orchestras including the Norwalk Symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Enigma Chamber Opera Orchestra, the Glens Falls Symphony, the New Amsterdam Opera, and the Du Bois Symphony, and collaborating in chamber groups that have ranged from jazz trios in Italian restaurants to wind quintets on stage at Carnegie Hall. Currently, Aimee is the flutist in Duo Brève, a touring harp-flute duo with harpist Mia Venezia that is managed by the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. Toner is also honored to represent Wm S. Haynes Co. as a Haynes Young Artist ,and plays on a custom 10K Gold Haynes Flute.
Aimee is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Cynthia Meyers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for her Master’s in Flute Performance and obtained a concentration in Music in Education. Toner is also a graduate of Barnard College of Columbia University (Phi Beta Kappa), where she majored in Ethnomusicology and Economics.
Aimee currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut with her husband and her two rescue cats Billie and Butternut. She enjoys taking walks and bike rides in her neighborhood, exploring photography, and finding four leaf clover along the way.
Bethlehem Hadgu, Viola
Bethlehem Hadgu is an immigrant of Eritrea. She came to the US in 2007 with her family of 6. Bethlehem Hadgu is a graduate of the Juilliard School in 2022 with her Bachelors Degree. She is a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. She is also currently pursuing her Masters degree as a Kovner Fellow from The Juilliard School and will graduate May 2024. Bethlehem Hadgu has been in the Perlman Music Program and has performed and played with musicians like Itzahk Perlman, Merry Peckham, and Donald Weileirsten. Bethlehem has played in the Chineke! Orchestra European Tour which is a black British Professional Orchestra based in London. She has performed in venues like The Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Bethlehem has also been a performing artist on NPR Tiny Desk. Bethlehem has also performed with artists Lauryn Hill and Becky G. Bethlehem is an advocate of classical music being a fundamental part of all children’s education. She is a passionate teacher, performer, and artist citizen. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, working out, and spending time with family.
Claudia Schaer, Violin
A native of Calgary, Canada, Claudia began playing violin at the young age of 4. “My mother and one of my sisters played violin. Everyone in my family played piano and another instrument.”
An energetic and warm teacher, Claudia enjoys teaching students 6 and older, including adults. Her approach includes using a succession of skill-teaching repertoire. “However I like to vary what I do with each student based on the student’s own tastes and personality.” She is dedicated to helping each student figure out how the violin fits into his or her life, whether as a serious passion or an enjoyable hobby. “I’ve found that incorporating the way a student naturally learns also makes for the greatest progress in terms of violin-playing.” She also feels it’s extremely important to have an enjoyable spirit in the lessons. “I remember one lesson in which my student and I started telling jokes back and forth. We now think of jokes to tell each other each week, and it’s been a fun way to help her also build rapport, self-esteem, and concentration.”
As a musician, Claudia enjoys performing in many venues including solo, chamber music, and orchestra ensembles. Claudia greatly enjoys playing chamber music because “the communication with the audience is so direct and the repertoire is phenomenal. Chamber music allows artistic freedom and interaction at the same time in performance.” She also enjoys continuing to play piano on the side which she studied seriously until going to college. “Playing piano gives me an opportunity to hear all the parts of a score.” She includes her college teacher Sally Thomas as one of her major influences because “she taught me a great deal about life and music and their interconnectedness, all at the same time.”
“In addition to my musical studies, I have taken many college philosophy classes, and currently write papers linking philosophy and music.” Claudia also enjoys hiking and nature and tries to spend as much time outside as possible. “Naturally, I’m also passionate about conserving our beautiful environment.
An energetic and warm teacher, Claudia enjoys teaching students 6 and older, including adults. Her approach includes using a succession of skill-teaching repertoire. “However I like to vary what I do with each student based on the student’s own tastes and personality.” She is dedicated to helping each student figure out how the violin fits into his or her life, whether as a serious passion or an enjoyable hobby. “I’ve found that incorporating the way a student naturally learns also makes for the greatest progress in terms of violin-playing.” She also feels it’s extremely important to have an enjoyable spirit in the lessons. “I remember one lesson in which my student and I started telling jokes back and forth. We now think of jokes to tell each other each week, and it’s been a fun way to help her also build rapport, self-esteem, and concentration.”
As a musician, Claudia enjoys performing in many venues including solo, chamber music, and orchestra ensembles. Claudia greatly enjoys playing chamber music because “the communication with the audience is so direct and the repertoire is phenomenal. Chamber music allows artistic freedom and interaction at the same time in performance.” She also enjoys continuing to play piano on the side which she studied seriously until going to college. “Playing piano gives me an opportunity to hear all the parts of a score.” She includes her college teacher Sally Thomas as one of her major influences because “she taught me a great deal about life and music and their interconnectedness, all at the same time.”
“In addition to my musical studies, I have taken many college philosophy classes, and currently write papers linking philosophy and music.” Claudia also enjoys hiking and nature and tries to spend as much time outside as possible. “Naturally, I’m also passionate about conserving our beautiful environment.
Jisoo Ok, Cello
As a Latin GRAMMY nominee, Jisoo Ok enjoys a multi-faceted and vibrant musical career as a cellist, festival director, arranger, orchestrator and educator. Deeply committed to exploring connections with musicians from other backgrounds as well as artists of other disciplines, she has collaborated with distinguished artists such as latin jazz clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, tango pianist Pablo Ziegler, bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, jazz violinist Regina Carter and bassist Ron Carter.
As a soloist, she has performed with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and Richmond Symphony. She has performed at prestigious venues and festivals, such as La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Aspen Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, Carnegie Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Musica dos Capuchos in Portugal, and National Concert Hall in Taiwan.
With her husband, Hector Del Curto, Ms. Ok co–produced and released two critically acclaimed albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango, which was featured on BBC News and Public Radio International’s The World. She also appears on Rojo Tango with bass-baritone Erwin Schrott released on Sony Classical, on Horizon: Piano and Chamber Works by Gareth Farr with pianist Henry Wong Doe, on Django Festival Allstars with gypsy jazz guitarist Dorado Schmitt, and on Introducing Letizia Gambi with Lenny White, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Gil Goldstein, and Patrice Rushen.
Born in Seoul, Korea but grew up in New Zealand, Jisoo began cello studies at age eleven to escape from studying violin. Her early teachers included James Tennant and Natalia Pavlutskaya. She has participated in numerous Master Classes with Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse, Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser and Anner Bylsma. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School as a recipient of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and the Heward Memorial Scholarship, studying with Bonnie Hampton and Fred Sherry and she studied chamber music with Itzhak Perlman and Robert Mann.
As a soloist, she has performed with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and Richmond Symphony. She has performed at prestigious venues and festivals, such as La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Aspen Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, Carnegie Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Musica dos Capuchos in Portugal, and National Concert Hall in Taiwan.
With her husband, Hector Del Curto, Ms. Ok co–produced and released two critically acclaimed albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango, which was featured on BBC News and Public Radio International’s The World. She also appears on Rojo Tango with bass-baritone Erwin Schrott released on Sony Classical, on Horizon: Piano and Chamber Works by Gareth Farr with pianist Henry Wong Doe, on Django Festival Allstars with gypsy jazz guitarist Dorado Schmitt, and on Introducing Letizia Gambi with Lenny White, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Gil Goldstein, and Patrice Rushen.
Born in Seoul, Korea but grew up in New Zealand, Jisoo began cello studies at age eleven to escape from studying violin. Her early teachers included James Tennant and Natalia Pavlutskaya. She has participated in numerous Master Classes with Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse, Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser and Anner Bylsma. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School as a recipient of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and the Heward Memorial Scholarship, studying with Bonnie Hampton and Fred Sherry and she studied chamber music with Itzhak Perlman and Robert Mann.
Mia Venezia, Harp
Philadelphia-based harpist Mia Venezia is an accomplished performer, having collaborated with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Nashville Opera, and the New World Symphony. Currently, Venezia serves as the principal harpist with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. A frequent collaborator in chamber music, Mia has been featured as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, the St. Augustine Music Festival, and as a two-time winner of the Pittsburgh Chamber Society Chamber Division. Ms. Venezia currently tours with flutist Aimee Toner in Duo Brève as Lyric Chamber Music Society Artists. Mia earned her Master’s of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music as an Irving Gilmore Fellow, studying under the tutelage of June Han. Additionally, she received degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Northwestern University, graduating both institutes with distinguished honors. Mia maintains a private teaching studio and coaches with Harp Mastery, where she teaches to inspire and foster the next generation of harpists.
Konrad Paszkudzki, Piano
Although raised in Western Australia by Polish parents, Konrad’s musical affinity and passion for swingin' American jazz revealed itself early on. He was accepted into university at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth at the tender age of 15, studying jazz piano and finishing his undergraduate degree a few weeks after turning 19. The precocious instrumentalist swiftly established a reputation as a leading jazzman in Australia, touring for the next two years and playing with his mentor, jazz trumpeter James Morrison.
After being offered a scholarship to the University of Miami, he relocated to the United States in 2009, receiving his master’s degree in 2011 at the age of 22. Upon graduation, he spent a year in Los Angeles playing piano with the likes of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Konrad returned to the East Coast in 2012 after being offered a position to lead the house trio at the coveted New York venue, 54 Below.
After being offered a scholarship to the University of Miami, he relocated to the United States in 2009, receiving his master’s degree in 2011 at the age of 22. Upon graduation, he spent a year in Los Angeles playing piano with the likes of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Konrad returned to the East Coast in 2012 after being offered a position to lead the house trio at the coveted New York venue, 54 Below.
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