Meet Our Team
Our tight-knit team of seven designs and delivers musiConnects' education programs, creates our concert season, and carries our mission into all aspects of their musical lives. Our six part-time Resident Musicians ("RMs") and full-time Executive Director, Nancy Galluzzo, are supported in this work by a nine-member Board of Directors - comprised of community leaders and musiConnects parents - and four associate faculty members.
Resident Musicians
Biographies (from top left)
Betsy Hinkle, violin, founded musiConnects in 2007 and served in directorship roles until 2017. Equally at home on the concert stage and in community, Betsy has performed throughout New England with ensembles such as Emmanuel Music and Boston Ballet, and as a founding member of the Boston Public Quartet (previously musiConnects' ensemble-in-residence). Betsy has received numerous honors for her work - including the META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Barbara C. Harris Award for Social Justice - and in 2017 delivered the alumni address at New England Conservatory's commencement ceremonies. Betsy holds a M.M. in Performance - with a Music in Education concentration - from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Nicholas Kitchen of the Borromeo Quartet; as well as a B.A. from Florida State University. A native Floridian, Betsy lives in Roslindale with her husband and two children, and loves cooking, baking, and gardening.
David Rubin, violin, joined musiConnects in 2016. He currently serves as Program Director, teaches violinists in the Roslindale Community Program & Residency Program, and co-facilitates mC2, a peer leadership group for advancing students. After the musiConnects season ends, David travels to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where he teaches high school violinists at Superior String Alliance's Camp Vivace. David's teaching practice is informed by a two-year fellowship at Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI, and pedagogy training under Mimi Zweig at Indiana University's Summer String Academy. As a performing artist, David's work is widely exploratory, ranging from projects on gut strings and historical instruments to contemporary chamber music like Kurtág's Kafka Fragments. In traditional orchestral music, David performs as a proud member of the New Bedford Symphony and a frequent guest with other ensembles throughout New England. From 2016-2019, he was a member of the Lucerne Festival Academy & Lucerne Festival Alumni, performing under noted conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Chailly, and Susanna Mälkki in concert tours to Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), Berlin (Berliner Festspiele / Philharmonie), and Paris (Paris Autumn / Philharmonie). Other concert highlights include performances at Spoleto Festival USA, Music from Salem, and Emmanuel Music's Bach Institute, and chamber music broadcasts for Wisconsin Public Radio and WBEZ Chicago. David holds degrees from Lawrence University and Boston Conservatory, with additional study at the Banff Centre and Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Kevonna Shuford, viola, joined musiConnects in 2020, teaching violists and violinists in the Residency Program and co-facilitating mC2, a peer leadership group for advancing students. A vibrant violist with a passion for collaboration, Kevonna holds a B.M. from New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Martha Katz. A native of Florida, Kevonna established a youth string program at Faith's Place Center for Arts and Education. An avid orchestral musician, she served as principal viola under the baton of Valery Gergiev, and had the pleasure of working with Janine Janse, Denis Matsuev, Emmanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo, and Christoph Eschenbach. Kevonna has additionally had the opportunity to perform for distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Paul Katz, Dmitri Murrath, and Clive Greensmith in masterclass settings. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra (2016), Kevonna greatly enjoyed traveling to new places via performances at major concert halls throughout Europe and the US, including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and Carnegie Hall; now, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys taking walks or rollerblading around Boston.
Joshua Addison, violin, joined musiConnects in its inaugural year as second violinist of the Chittick String Quartet, and returned in 2011 as a founding member of the Sumner Quartet (previously musiConnects' ensemble-in-residence). Joshua currently serves as musiConnects' Director of Artistic Planning, and teaches young violinists in the Residency Program & Roslindale Community Program. Joshua has been active with musical outreach programs in Chelsea and Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's META Fellowship in 2015; he previously taught for the BYSO Intensive Community Program's residency at the Haley School in Roslindale. As a performing violinist, Josh has worked with several orchestras throughout New England, and appeared as soloist with the Keene Chamber Orchestra, where he served as concertmaster for five years. Joshua holds a B.A. in History from Boston University and a M.M. in Performance from University of California, Los Angeles. His primary teachers include Movses Pogossian, Guillaume Sutre, Daniel Phillips, and Rohan Gregory.
Rachel Panitch is a violinist, composer, improviser, and teaching artist. As a musiConnects Resident Musician, Rachel leads the All-Play and Harmony Strings curriculums, and teaches violin in the Roslindale Community Program. Throughout her career, Rachel has been an artist-in-residence in neighborhoods, in schools, and in Zion and Acadia National Parks. Rachel uses her violin and voice to tell and translate stories, with playing that has been called "fearless," bridging aural and written musical traditions. Rachel performs classical music with the Cardamom Quartet, is a dance fiddler with French Roast, and weaves stories with Thread Ensemble (an improvisatory trio of violins, voices, and vibraphone) and with Grammy award-winner Bill Harley. Rachel's music has been featured on a PBS Utah Bucket List episode, and the National Park Service's 100 Years of Arts in the Parks video series. Rachel specializes in teaching improvisation and fiddling, and works regularly with a number of music education organizations and schools around Massachusetts and Rhode Island in addition to musiConnects. In 2009, Rachel founded Rhode Island Fiddle Project, a free music program teaching traditional fiddle and dance music to students, inspired and incubated by Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI. She was chosen as a Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing "individuals with exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm." Rachel holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Vassar College and a M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory.
Thomas Barth, cello, joined musiConnects in 2020, teaching young cellists in the Residency Program and co-facilitating the All Play curriculum. Thomas is passionate about bringing thoughtful musical programming to the widest possible audiences; as a chamber musician, he has performed in diverse venues such as schools, farms, churches, and community centers throughout North America and Europe. As an educator, Thomas maintains a private teaching studio and serves on the faculty at Brookline Public Schools. Thomas has performed at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and throughout New England with groups such as A Far Cry, Juventas Ensemble, Palaver Strings, and Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra. His primary teachers include Richard Aaron and Lluís Claret, and he has performed in masterclasses for leading concert cellists such as Truls Mørk, Anner Bylsma, and Johannes Moser. Thomas holds a B.M. with highest honors from University of Michigan, and a M.M. from New England Conservatory. For the past several years, Thomas has maintained regular yoga and meditation practices, and is interested in the connection between mindfulness, music, and movement.
Betsy Hinkle, violin, founded musiConnects in 2007 and served in directorship roles until 2017. Equally at home on the concert stage and in community, Betsy has performed throughout New England with ensembles such as Emmanuel Music and Boston Ballet, and as a founding member of the Boston Public Quartet (previously musiConnects' ensemble-in-residence). Betsy has received numerous honors for her work - including the META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Barbara C. Harris Award for Social Justice - and in 2017 delivered the alumni address at New England Conservatory's commencement ceremonies. Betsy holds a M.M. in Performance - with a Music in Education concentration - from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Nicholas Kitchen of the Borromeo Quartet; as well as a B.A. from Florida State University. A native Floridian, Betsy lives in Roslindale with her husband and two children, and loves cooking, baking, and gardening.
David Rubin, violin, joined musiConnects in 2016. He currently serves as Program Director, teaches violinists in the Roslindale Community Program & Residency Program, and co-facilitates mC2, a peer leadership group for advancing students. After the musiConnects season ends, David travels to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where he teaches high school violinists at Superior String Alliance's Camp Vivace. David's teaching practice is informed by a two-year fellowship at Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI, and pedagogy training under Mimi Zweig at Indiana University's Summer String Academy. As a performing artist, David's work is widely exploratory, ranging from projects on gut strings and historical instruments to contemporary chamber music like Kurtág's Kafka Fragments. In traditional orchestral music, David performs as a proud member of the New Bedford Symphony and a frequent guest with other ensembles throughout New England. From 2016-2019, he was a member of the Lucerne Festival Academy & Lucerne Festival Alumni, performing under noted conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Chailly, and Susanna Mälkki in concert tours to Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), Berlin (Berliner Festspiele / Philharmonie), and Paris (Paris Autumn / Philharmonie). Other concert highlights include performances at Spoleto Festival USA, Music from Salem, and Emmanuel Music's Bach Institute, and chamber music broadcasts for Wisconsin Public Radio and WBEZ Chicago. David holds degrees from Lawrence University and Boston Conservatory, with additional study at the Banff Centre and Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Kevonna Shuford, viola, joined musiConnects in 2020, teaching violists and violinists in the Residency Program and co-facilitating mC2, a peer leadership group for advancing students. A vibrant violist with a passion for collaboration, Kevonna holds a B.M. from New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Martha Katz. A native of Florida, Kevonna established a youth string program at Faith's Place Center for Arts and Education. An avid orchestral musician, she served as principal viola under the baton of Valery Gergiev, and had the pleasure of working with Janine Janse, Denis Matsuev, Emmanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo, and Christoph Eschenbach. Kevonna has additionally had the opportunity to perform for distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Paul Katz, Dmitri Murrath, and Clive Greensmith in masterclass settings. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra (2016), Kevonna greatly enjoyed traveling to new places via performances at major concert halls throughout Europe and the US, including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and Carnegie Hall; now, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys taking walks or rollerblading around Boston.
Joshua Addison, violin, joined musiConnects in its inaugural year as second violinist of the Chittick String Quartet, and returned in 2011 as a founding member of the Sumner Quartet (previously musiConnects' ensemble-in-residence). Joshua currently serves as musiConnects' Director of Artistic Planning, and teaches young violinists in the Residency Program & Roslindale Community Program. Joshua has been active with musical outreach programs in Chelsea and Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's META Fellowship in 2015; he previously taught for the BYSO Intensive Community Program's residency at the Haley School in Roslindale. As a performing violinist, Josh has worked with several orchestras throughout New England, and appeared as soloist with the Keene Chamber Orchestra, where he served as concertmaster for five years. Joshua holds a B.A. in History from Boston University and a M.M. in Performance from University of California, Los Angeles. His primary teachers include Movses Pogossian, Guillaume Sutre, Daniel Phillips, and Rohan Gregory.
Rachel Panitch is a violinist, composer, improviser, and teaching artist. As a musiConnects Resident Musician, Rachel leads the All-Play and Harmony Strings curriculums, and teaches violin in the Roslindale Community Program. Throughout her career, Rachel has been an artist-in-residence in neighborhoods, in schools, and in Zion and Acadia National Parks. Rachel uses her violin and voice to tell and translate stories, with playing that has been called "fearless," bridging aural and written musical traditions. Rachel performs classical music with the Cardamom Quartet, is a dance fiddler with French Roast, and weaves stories with Thread Ensemble (an improvisatory trio of violins, voices, and vibraphone) and with Grammy award-winner Bill Harley. Rachel's music has been featured on a PBS Utah Bucket List episode, and the National Park Service's 100 Years of Arts in the Parks video series. Rachel specializes in teaching improvisation and fiddling, and works regularly with a number of music education organizations and schools around Massachusetts and Rhode Island in addition to musiConnects. In 2009, Rachel founded Rhode Island Fiddle Project, a free music program teaching traditional fiddle and dance music to students, inspired and incubated by Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI. She was chosen as a Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing "individuals with exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm." Rachel holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Vassar College and a M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory.
Thomas Barth, cello, joined musiConnects in 2020, teaching young cellists in the Residency Program and co-facilitating the All Play curriculum. Thomas is passionate about bringing thoughtful musical programming to the widest possible audiences; as a chamber musician, he has performed in diverse venues such as schools, farms, churches, and community centers throughout North America and Europe. As an educator, Thomas maintains a private teaching studio and serves on the faculty at Brookline Public Schools. Thomas has performed at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and throughout New England with groups such as A Far Cry, Juventas Ensemble, Palaver Strings, and Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra. His primary teachers include Richard Aaron and Lluís Claret, and he has performed in masterclasses for leading concert cellists such as Truls Mørk, Anner Bylsma, and Johannes Moser. Thomas holds a B.M. with highest honors from University of Michigan, and a M.M. from New England Conservatory. For the past several years, Thomas has maintained regular yoga and meditation practices, and is interested in the connection between mindfulness, music, and movement.
Associate Faculty, Roslindale Community Program
Biographies (from top left)
Elizabeth Stefan, viola, teaches young musicians in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program, after previously serving as Program Director (2016-20), longtime Resident Musician (2012-20), and founding violist with the Sumner Quartet. In addition to maintaining a private studio of violin and viola students, Elizabeth has taught in schools with Making Music Matters, held faculty positions with Community Music Center of Boston, and received a META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. As a performing violist, Elizabeth is a founding member of Phoenix, an innovative, Boston-based orchestral ensemble. Elizabeth holds a B.M. from the Eastman School of Music, where she completed an Arts Leadership Certificate with a focus on contemporary orchestral issues, and received the Robert L. Oppelt Viola Prize for the class of 2009; and a M.M. from New England Conservatory, where her principal teacher was Dmitri Murrath.
Francesca McNeeley, cello, teaches in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program, after previously serving as a Resident Musician (2017-19). Francesca is an avid chamber music and teacher, as well as a fierce advocate for contemporary music. As a New Fromm Player at the Tanglewood Music Center, she premiered string quartets by John Harbison, Mark Neikrug, and Kui Dong, and gave the “excellent” American premiere of Joseph Phibbs’ first quartet (Boston Globe). She’s had the honor of learning from some of the great chamber musicians of our time, including Kim Kashkashian, Lucy Chapman, the Cleveland Quartet, Concord Quartet, Juilliard Quartet, and Brentano Quartet. Francesca completed her B.A. at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She completed her M.M. under Norman Fischer at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and served for many years as a teaching artist with the DaCamera Young Artist Program in Houston. She has earned fellowships and prizes from the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and is also on the management roster of Seven-Eight Artists. She recently completed a graduate diploma at the New England Conservatory in the studio of Yeesun Kim. Other mentors have included Astrid Schween, Tom Kraines, and Darrett Adkins.
Laura Messina, cello, teaches in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program and serves on the Board of Directors, after previous positions as Resident Musician (2012-16) and Education Manager. A cellist, teacher, and arts administrator active in the Boston area, Laura currently works as an Academic and International Student Advisor at New England Conservatory, and previously directed music programs throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, including the Belmont Public Schools elementary strings program and the Boston Music Project (formerly Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program). Laura is passionate about curriculum design, having played a large part in the creation of musiConnects' Residency Program curriculum and the development of Boston Music Project's El Sistema framework. Laura holds a B.M.E. from Ithaca College and M.M.E. from Western Connecticut State University, and completed Suzuki training with Nancy Hair in Newton, MA.
Timothy Paek, cello, is an enthusiastic musician with a passion for chamber music, believing in and championing the ideal that chamber music can better the world. Timothy performs as principal cellist with the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, as a section cello with the Boston-based Phoenix Orchestra, and a guest with such New England-area organizations as Unitas Ensemble, Cape Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, and the CODA Ensemble. Recent highlights of Timothy's career include live-streamed concerts with the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra and Unitas Ensemble (sponsored by Celebrity Series of Boston), as well as self-produced Groupmuse performances with various artists on the East Coast. Timothy has appeared as a featured guest musician on faculty recitals at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, Carnegie Concert Series, Brookline Library Music Association, Caroga Lake Music Festival, Spectrum in NYC, and Music for Food. His mentors include members of the Cavani, Cleveland, Chiara, Orion, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. Timothy holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where his primary teachers were Anne Martindale Williams, Melissa Kraut, and Gregory Beaver. Aside from music, Timothy loves pursuing culinary interests; dancing; playing golf, tennis, basketball, and board games; and exploring scenic views.
Elizabeth Stefan, viola, teaches young musicians in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program, after previously serving as Program Director (2016-20), longtime Resident Musician (2012-20), and founding violist with the Sumner Quartet. In addition to maintaining a private studio of violin and viola students, Elizabeth has taught in schools with Making Music Matters, held faculty positions with Community Music Center of Boston, and received a META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. As a performing violist, Elizabeth is a founding member of Phoenix, an innovative, Boston-based orchestral ensemble. Elizabeth holds a B.M. from the Eastman School of Music, where she completed an Arts Leadership Certificate with a focus on contemporary orchestral issues, and received the Robert L. Oppelt Viola Prize for the class of 2009; and a M.M. from New England Conservatory, where her principal teacher was Dmitri Murrath.
Francesca McNeeley, cello, teaches in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program, after previously serving as a Resident Musician (2017-19). Francesca is an avid chamber music and teacher, as well as a fierce advocate for contemporary music. As a New Fromm Player at the Tanglewood Music Center, she premiered string quartets by John Harbison, Mark Neikrug, and Kui Dong, and gave the “excellent” American premiere of Joseph Phibbs’ first quartet (Boston Globe). She’s had the honor of learning from some of the great chamber musicians of our time, including Kim Kashkashian, Lucy Chapman, the Cleveland Quartet, Concord Quartet, Juilliard Quartet, and Brentano Quartet. Francesca completed her B.A. at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She completed her M.M. under Norman Fischer at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and served for many years as a teaching artist with the DaCamera Young Artist Program in Houston. She has earned fellowships and prizes from the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and is also on the management roster of Seven-Eight Artists. She recently completed a graduate diploma at the New England Conservatory in the studio of Yeesun Kim. Other mentors have included Astrid Schween, Tom Kraines, and Darrett Adkins.
Laura Messina, cello, teaches in musiConnects' Roslindale Community Program and serves on the Board of Directors, after previous positions as Resident Musician (2012-16) and Education Manager. A cellist, teacher, and arts administrator active in the Boston area, Laura currently works as an Academic and International Student Advisor at New England Conservatory, and previously directed music programs throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, including the Belmont Public Schools elementary strings program and the Boston Music Project (formerly Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program). Laura is passionate about curriculum design, having played a large part in the creation of musiConnects' Residency Program curriculum and the development of Boston Music Project's El Sistema framework. Laura holds a B.M.E. from Ithaca College and M.M.E. from Western Connecticut State University, and completed Suzuki training with Nancy Hair in Newton, MA.
Timothy Paek, cello, is an enthusiastic musician with a passion for chamber music, believing in and championing the ideal that chamber music can better the world. Timothy performs as principal cellist with the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, as a section cello with the Boston-based Phoenix Orchestra, and a guest with such New England-area organizations as Unitas Ensemble, Cape Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, and the CODA Ensemble. Recent highlights of Timothy's career include live-streamed concerts with the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra and Unitas Ensemble (sponsored by Celebrity Series of Boston), as well as self-produced Groupmuse performances with various artists on the East Coast. Timothy has appeared as a featured guest musician on faculty recitals at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, Carnegie Concert Series, Brookline Library Music Association, Caroga Lake Music Festival, Spectrum in NYC, and Music for Food. His mentors include members of the Cavani, Cleveland, Chiara, Orion, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. Timothy holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where his primary teachers were Anne Martindale Williams, Melissa Kraut, and Gregory Beaver. Aside from music, Timothy loves pursuing culinary interests; dancing; playing golf, tennis, basketball, and board games; and exploring scenic views.
