Nicole Vega is a Chilean violinist and passionate music educator whose work bridges the worlds of performance and pedagogy. Originally from Santiago, she has dedicated her career to nurturing young musicians and expanding access to quality music education.

Nicole’s teaching experience spans private instruction, orchestral leadership, and community outreach. While living in Temuco, Chile, she served as the music coordinator at a local high school, where she taught violin, viola, and conducted the school’s beginner orchestra. Her holistic approach to teaching focused on both individual growth and ensemble collaboration. Later, during her graduate studies at Florida State University, she was a member of the university’s graduate string quartet, which collaborated with Sinfonia Gulf Coast to present interactive educational performances in schools across the Destin area—bringing classical music to life through storytelling and audience engagement.

As a performer, Nicole maintains an active presence in both modern and historical performance circles. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University, studying with Mary Ann Mumm, and her Master’s degree at Florida State University, where she was the teaching assistant to Corinne Stillwell. She has performed in festivals such as Campos do Jordão (Brazil), Brevard Music Center (North Carolina), and was recently selected as a fellow for **Sphinx Ignite 2025**.

Nicole has also developed a strong profile in historical performance practice, studying baroque violin with Theresa Salomon and Karin Cuellar, and performing at festivals including Música Antigua FEMUSC (Brazil), Tafelmusik (Canada), Clarion Collegium Week (NYC), Festival de Música Antigua de Medellín (Colombia), Berwick Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival, the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin, and ARTEK’s Italian Insanity in NYC. Nicole continues to explore the intersection of education and performance, believing that both are essential to building meaningful, inclusive musical experiences.

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Care O’Leary is a teaching artist in CMSS’ Sonido Musica program. Care is a Hampden county musician who’s been playing violin for over 20 years, After studying music and graduating from Holyoke Community College, they picked up viola and cello as well. While they were classically trained and have played in numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles over the years, they’ve also branched out into more contemporary music- from folk to avant garde rock to free improvisation. They play in multiple outfits in western MA, and they love to perform, tour and record with their bandmates.

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Gregory Diehl studied violin at the Eastman and Manhattan Schools of Music. He completed long-term Suzuki training at the Hartt School with Teri Einfeldt and Christie Felsing, and short-term training with Ronda Cole and Linda Fiore. He also holds an M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He performs frequently with ensembles in Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts.

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Kavan Rambukwelle received his B.F.A. in Music from SUNY Purchase, Master in Music from the University of Notre Dame. and Post Doc. from Umass Amherst. He studied with Amadeo Liva (late assistant to Ivan Galamian), Dr. Yehudi Wyner (Emeritus Yale Univ.), Charles Treger (Founding Member Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society), and Daniel Phillips (Orion Quartet), A. Markov (Official Soloist Moscow State Phil./Assistant to David Oistrach), the New Approach with Kato Havas in Oxford, UK, Master classes with the Tokyo String Quartet, New World String Quartet, Emanuel Borok (Concert Master Boston Symph.), and Baroque Performance Practice with Anthony Newman.

Kavan’s most notable solo appearances have been for the 50th anniversary celebration of the United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights, ‘Festival for Humanity’ in New York, and the Holocaust Memorial, at Temple Beth El, in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he performed music from the movie “Schindler’s List.”

Kavan has over 30 years teaching experience in Violin, Viola and Piano, and is a firm advocate for studying musical instruments to achieve academic excellence and life mastery in general.

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Eleni is a violinist and music educator with 20 years of teaching experience in public schools and community music schools in Washington DC, NYC and MA. She has a relaxed approach to vigorous learning that incorporates each student’s personal learning style and preferences. Eleni is the director of Sonido Musica, the instrumental music partnership program between Community Music School of Springfield and the Springfield and Holyoke public schools.

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