NVMTA welcomes new members to our organization. Please enjoy a few bios provided by some of our newest members. We hope that you find new friends and join in the many opportunities for student festivals and competitions and teacher development classes offered by NVMTA. Be sure to look at the Teacher Calendar to see upcoming meetings and Lectures that you won’t want to miss! Meetings and lectures are great places for new members to become acquainted with other teachers and learn about events.
New Member: Kang Xia
Kang Xia is a professional private cello teacher with 30 years of tutoring and performance experience and has been teaching cello students from beginners to advanced levels in McLean; Great falls; Vienna; Reston; Oakton, and Herndon Virginia for more than 4 years. Additionally, he is a member of both the Washington DC Federation of Musicians and the Baltimore Musician’s Association Local 40-543. As a professional cellist, he regularly plays with Virginia Chamber Orchestra. From 2009-2019, he served as a full-time cellist with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked in the U.S. with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; Michigan Opera Orchestra; Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic; Hudson Valley Philharmonic; New Haven Symphony Orchestra. He joined NVMTA in May of 2023.
New member: Todd Fickley
Todd Fickley is the Organist for the National Presbyterian Church. A long-time Bach specialist and prize-winning concert performer, he is equally comfortable at the podium, harpsichord, piano and organ. In 2014 he launched “The Bach Project,” a cycle of concerts performing all of Bach’s organ works. Mr. Fickley is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists and holds a Master of Arts in Organ Performance from the University of Wales. He has been a featured recitalist on NPR and across the United States, Europe, and Israel. He joined NVMTA in July 2023.
New member: June Byun
June Byun received a Bachelor of Music Performance Degree with Honors and a Master of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music at Griffith University in Australia under Professors Leah Horowitz, Oleg Stepanov, Natasha Vlassenko and Lev Vlassenko who was the director in the Moscow Conservatory and a legendary pianist in the 20th century. She has performed throughout the world as a soloist and chamber musician in countries including England, Holland, Germany, Australia, Austria, Sweden, and Italy. She has been teaching over 20 years and enjoys cooking and making short YouTube & instagram. Here is a link to a video she made of herself and her sister performing together virtually: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8hbPGrNn3I
New member: Zhuo Diao
Zhuo Diao is a graduate Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing China with a Bachelor of Music in Performance, graduating Magna Cum Luade. She has an Artist’s Diploma and a Master’s Degree in viola performance from Shenandoah Conservatory. Zhuo has performed internationally with many famous composers including Seiji Ozama , Daniel Barenboim, Jan Wagner Yang, Werner Andreas Albert, Xincao Li, and Yongyan Hu. Several of her students have won the American Protege International Piano String Competition; London Young Musician Competition; and Global Genius Music Competition as well as the Washington Universal Piano and String Competition. She has Judged for the following events:
2022-2024 London Young Musician Competition (England), 2021-2024 Global Genius Music Competition (Italy), 2019 Washington Universal Piano & Strings Competition (DC. USA) and 2013 ODACS music competition (VA. USA).
New member: Marcia Espenschied
While studying pre-med in college, Marcia Espenschied fell in love with the fine arts, primarily singing. She received a Masters degree and went professional for several years. After raising a family, she retired from IT and returned to her first love, voice. Teaching is a joy to me. It is especially satisfying to work with older students, helping them discover a gift that gives them so much joy! She enjoys taking ballet classes, reading, and a good dinner conversation. She also enjoys fine dining as her husband is an excellent cook which is why she takes ballet, she explains.
New member: Karen Mahler
Karen Mahler is from Northern Virginia, and is a Special Education teacher by training. She has taught piano off and on for the last 20 years. She is happy to begin a small studio and learn from more experienced teachers in the area. Karen enjoys reading, learning about other countries and cultures, spending time with my husband and children.
These are just a few of the new NVMTA members. We welcome you all and hope you enjoy meeting other teachers and participating in the many events NVMTA hosts each year!
