Choi Fairbanks QMA Director & Teacher

From teaching private in-home lessons to creating Queens Music Academy in Woodside, Choi has built an incredible community of students, teachers and connections in the NYC area.

Choi’s vision and passion for teaching music is priority. As a passionate visionary, Choi wants nothing more than to see her students progress and develop an appreciation and passion for music.

Alex Cummings Teacher

Alex earned awards such as outstanding soloist awards at the N.J.I.A.J.E. State Finals Jazz Festivals, Berklee College High School Jazz Festival Judge's Choice Soloist award, and the Maestro Award at the Washington D.C. Inaugural Music Festival. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in music from Oberlin College and Master's Degree in Music Education from Queens College, his occupation is teaching private lessons and performing with session bands, as well as leading his own groups in NYC.

“I attempt to make my private and group lessons as engaging as possible, appropriating them for people of any age or ability level. I gear my lessons towards the individual interests of my students, and they can cover anything from reading music notation, learning music by ear, improvising and technique. My ultimate goal is to motivate my students in the long run, helping them to achieve a greater understanding of music, building their confidence and having fun. ”

Junichiro Mataga Teacher

Junichiro Mataga is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator based in New York City. Mataga grew up in Niigata, Japan where he began playing piano at the age of six and
guitar in junior high school. After graduating high school, he moved to Tokyo and began studying jazz piano in the University Jazz Club. Following his graduation from the University of Electro-Communications with a Master’s Degree in Engineering, Mataga worked as a Sound and Vibration Researcher in the Central Research Lab of NEC Corporation. Throughout his studies and his work at NEC,  Mataga was active in the jazz scene in Tokyo, Japan. He performed with his own band, the big band, Shiny Stockings; the gospel band, 7 Seasons; the jazz quartet, Beyond the Cinema. Mataga’s career took  a major turn in 2019 when he moved to New York City and began taking courses in the jazz program at Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.  There he studied with world-renowned musicians such as David Berkman, Jeb Patton, Antonio Hart, Michael Mossman, Dennis Mackrel, Tim Armacost, and many others. Mataga graduated from ACSM in May 2020 and is now working as a freelance musician in NYC.

Ryan Polakoff Teacher

Ryan Polakoff received his Bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For over 8 years he has been teaching music both privately and in classroom settings. He has participated in multiple recordings that have won awards from the prestigious Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards including, Best Student Big Band Arrangement and Best Student Small Group Original Composition. He has performed in bands behind jazz masters such as Dave Liebman, Ernie Watts, and Randy Brecker. Ryan has also performed in every hemisphere on planet
Earth.

"Planting a sustainable positive feeling towards music in each student is essential. With inner motivation students can apply all given knowledge to their own music. With a firm desire to create unique music students can accomplish any musical goal they wish."

Velika Sarova Teacher

Originally from Bulgaria, Velika is fluent in violin, viola and piano. She has performed at the Opera House of the City of Varma, and the Bulgaria Philharmonic Orchestra. She holds a bachelor’s degree in viola from the State Conservatory in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Dr. Chieh-Fan Yiu Teacher

Hailed by the New York Times as “Ravishing,” Taiwanese Canadian violist Chieh-Fan Yiu is the triple-prized winner of the Lionel Tertis Competition, including Yuri Bashmet’s President Of The Jury Prize. 

Dr. Yiu performs regularly with Brooklyn Art Song Society, Carnegie Hill Concerts, Frisson Ensemble, PhiloSonia Music, and New York Classical Players. His performances have taken him around the world in festivals such as Carbondale Arts in Colorado, Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas, Music@Menlo, Moritzburg, Verbier, Aspen, and Sarasota Music Festivals. He is also a founding member of Ben Feng Music Festival in Taiwan, now in its tenth season. He also regularly appears with Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Symphony, and Metropolis Ensemble. He has collaborated with David Cohen, Chad Hoopes, Tessa Lark, Matthew Lipman, Sasha Sitkovetsky, Josu De Solaun, as well as the Argus, Emerson, Formosa, and Tesla Quartets.

As the violist of Ensemble For The Romantic Century, an acting/music ensemble that combine fully staged plays with live chamber music and elaborate visual designs, Dr. Yiu has starred in ‘The Dreyfus Affair’, 'Because I Could Not Stop: An Encounter With Emily Dickinson', and ‘Van Gogh’s Ear’, playing more than 70 performances to date.

Dr. Yiu was invited, along with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, by Guggenheim Museum as a prestigious Artist-in-Residence in 2022 for their “Works and Process” series, to workshop and perform new works by composer George Lewis, curated by the Museum.

As a pedagogue and mentor, Dr. Yiu has served as artist-in-residence at the State University of New York Rockefeller Institute of Government, SUNY Schenectady, Empire State Youth Orchestra’s CHIME program, as well as Moores School of Music in University of Houston in Texas.

Dr. Yiu is the violist of Los Angeles-based ensemble Delirium Musicum, who recently released their critically acclaimed debut album “Seasons” under Warner Classics, garnering multiple awards.

Jakob Ebers Bass & Cello Teacher

Raised just outside New York City in a musical family, Jakob Ebers began his musical studies on violin at age four, afterwards exploring private instruction in piano, drums and voice before arriving at the upright bass.  After receiving his Bachelor of Music from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, Jakob moved back to the New York City area where he built his own private teaching studio while pursuing performance. His music has been performed at Shapeshifter Lab, Kitano Jazz Club, the New Mexico Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival and Rochester Jazz Festival.  Jakob continued his studies privately under Grammy-nominated artists Scott Colley and Miguel Zenón for bass and jazz composition respectively.

Jakob recently participated in the highly competitive, full-scholarship Focusyear Band program in Basel, Switzerland, where he spent one year performing and recording with his fellow acceptees.  The band performed 17 concerts with the biggest names in jazz including Melissa Aldana, Immanuel Wilkins, Guillermo Klein, Allison Miller, Jorge Rossy, Kris Davis, Pablo Held, and so many more.  At the end of the program, Jakob and the band embarked on a European tour through Vienna and 6 cities in Spain to celebrate the release of their album “Until”.

Jane Kim Teacher

Jane Kim is a lyric soprano from South Korea. Miss Kim received her bachelor’s degree from Ewha Woman’s University and her master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. She is currently studying under Mignon Dunn. Recently, Miss Kim won the Outstanding Performance Award in the 8th Metropolitan International Competition. She also won the Grand Prize in East Coast International Competition and the Best Vocal Technique Award in Forte International Competition. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2017. Miss Kim has worked as a soloist for Mahler Symphony No.4, German Requiem by J. Brahms, Gloria by A. Vivaldi and Messiah by G. F. Handel in New York. Jaeyeon Kim has sung the role of Mimi from Puccini’s La bohème, Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. And she also has worked as a guest singer in Korean National Opera.

Adam Hutcheson Teacher

Adam received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas.

Adam has been teaching and performing professionally in New York City since 2013. He is active in the NYC jazz club scene and most notably performs frequently as a leader and sideman at Jazz at the Kitano. He graduated from the University of North Texas where he played lead alto saxophone with the Grammy nominated One O'Clock Lab Band, earned several Downbeat Magazine student awards, and was a finalist in the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Competition in 2011 and 2013. Adam has recorded on numerous albums and also released his debut album as a leader in 2017. He actively teaches private lessons both in NYC and Westchester County.

“As a teacher, it is my job to engage the student in such a way where they grow as a musician while having fun. Each student learns and processes information differently and I try to adjust my teaching style accordingly to meet the needs of each student. That could mean anything from playing by ear, reading music, composing, playing multiple instruments in one lesson, or even getting to know the student’s hobbies and somehow tying them into what we’re working on!”

Kristen Swiat Manager & Teacher

Kristen is a vocalist originally from Buffalo, NY who has been training her voice for over a decade. She began her educational journey at Berklee College of Music in 2018, and eventually ended up graduating from NYU’s Music Business program in May 2023, where she learned music theory as well as piano skills. She is trained in many contemporary styles, including pop, rock, musical theater, country, and more. She incorporates music theory and ear training into her vocal lessons alongside technique, so that her students become not just great singers, but great musicians. Additionally, she writes original songs and has created multiple music videos for covers.

Matthew Russo Teacher

Matthew has over a decade of private lesson experience teaching guitar, piano, drums, bass, saxophone, flute, ukulele, and music theory. He currently is in his 6th year as a NYC DOE music teacher (high school band, general music, and AP Music Theory). He holds multiple degrees from Berklee College of Music (Bachelor’s in Jazz Composition, Guitar Principal, 2013) and Hunter College (Master’s in Music Education, 2019), and is an active performing guitarist in NYC.