String Faculty

Alastair earned a BM in violin performance from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music (Brooklyn, NY). His primary teachers include Masao Kawasaki, Dorothy DeLay, Itzhak Perlman, and Mary West. Alastair is an ASTA Violin Competition winner, Brooklyn College Conservatory Concerto Competition winner, and California Music Festival Concerto Competition winner. He also earned the Dean Warren B. Schuyler Award for most accomplished violinist at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.

Alastair has performed as soloist with the California Music Festival Orchestra, the Schubert Club Recital Series (Minneapolis), and the MMML Recital Series (Manhattan), among others. He has performed in recital with concert violinist James Greening Valenzuela and played with ensembles including the Brooklyn College Conservatory Orchestra (concertmaster), the Aspen Music Festival Opera Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Maureen Nilsen began studying violin at age 8. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, while studying under renowned pedagogue Sally O’Reilly, and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, studying with the Dallas Symphony’s Associate Concertmaster Jan Mark Sloman. Her musical career has taken her to concert halls throughout the US, Europe and China. Ms. Nilsen has performed in symphony orchestras such as the South Dakota Symphony, the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Abilene Philharmonic, the South Arkansas Symphony, the Mankato Symphony and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. She also has a passion for other styles such as jazz, big band, musicals, and popular music, and has performed as a background musician with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Amy Grant and Michael Bolton. As a teacher, Ms. Nilsen aims to guide her students to become the best violinists they can be, in a nurturing and fun environment. She works to develop confidence and a love of music in her students that will last a lifetime.

Graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin with a B.M. Degree in Music Education. During college, Ann attended the American Suzuki Instiute as a quartet coach. After moving to Minneapolis, Ann taught private lessons for 6 years. She recently completed a Suzuki Pedagogy Class at the University of Minnesota that covered books 1-4. For the past 11 years Ann has played viola in the Kenwood Chamber Orchestra.

Nina Westbrook has a BA degree in Music Education from Mansfield University of Mansfield, PA. She has done advanced work at Eastman School of Music, the University of Iowa and the University of South Dakota. Nina is a freelance cellist in the Twin Cities. She received Suzuki Cello Training at the Stevens Point, WI Suzuki Institute. Nina received Suzuki Violin Training with Mark Bjork at MacPhail and with Bette Johnson in Minneapolis.