Lucinda E. Ali-Landing, (formerly Lucinda Holland) violinist and founder of the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, began her studies at age six, with her father, James Holland, a violinist/violist. She began with Suzuki studies, which was relatively still new in North America in the early 1970’s. After studying for one year with her father, she then studied with Sarah Deneen and later Donna Ross.

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​Anokyewaa Oppong Wadie is an experienced violinist of almost 12 years. She began her journey in violin studies after being inspired by Grammy-award- winning jazz and classical violinist Regina Carter- about one year later she began her lesson in classical violin. Although Anokyewaa comes from a musical family, especially a pianist, Anokyewaa was the first violinist in her family and was taught classical violin at the age of nine. Specifically the Suzuki method. As the years would go by Anokyewaa grew a deep passion for the violin and began taking lessons from some of the best violinists in the Midwest and in the Chicago area.

Her teachers spanned from Julia Sizer of the University of Chicago Symphony to Lucinda Ali Landing of Chicago Sinfonietta and Suzanne Rickman of Illinois Philharmonic. After all this experience Anokyewaa decided to take violin studies as her major at Northeastern Illinois University where she is currently a senior of violin performance violin/viola teacher, performer, and pedagogue Jaime Gorgojo. As a daughter of first-generation immigrants forms Jamaica and Ghana, Anokyewaa has always felt the importance to work hard, having goals, and most of all achieving milestones in her career.

Nia-Imara Barberousse, an HPSI Alumni, is a classical cellist and Chicago native. As a child, she was a student of Martine Benman and a member of the Hyde Park Suzuki Scholars Quartet, where they toured through the Chicagoland area. Nia graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy where she studied with Crispin Campbell. She completed her undergraduate degree in Cello Performance at the University of Toronto under the instruction of Shauna Rolston-Shaw. Now that Nia has returned to Chicago, she greatly enjoys teaching at her childhood music school (HPSI) and performing throughout her hometown of Chicago.

Matea Hernandez is a dedicated violinist and music educator who started her musical journey at the age of six through a Chicago Public Schools music program. Her upbringing in an all-artist community, where she was surrounded by poets, painters, and musicians, inspired her to pursue her passion in the arts. Matea has worked with a number of devoted and well-known violin instructors. She has also received coaching in playing chamber music from Jesse Montgomery, Rachel Barton-Pine, and members of the Catalyst Quartet. Matea Hernandez has performed on many stages with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Sphinx Performance Academy.

She has also performed at Legend’s with Buddy Guy, proudly displaying his signature on her French violin from the 1910s.  After an unfortunate bicycle accident where she broke five bones in her left arm, Matea felt as though her violin career was over. She stored her violin (safely) away and continued on through a five-year hiatus. However, her passion for music could not keep her away from the violin.

Matea reached out to a former instructor who agreed to prepare her for a college audition. She applied to VanderCook College of Music, receiving twelve scholarships and grants covering nearly all of her tuition. Matea is currently pursuing her B.A. in Violin Performance and Pedagogy and intends to pursue a Master of Arts. Through performing and educating, she aims to increase minority representation in the world of classical music. She strongly believes that every child can play the violin and works to inspire passion in all of her students.