Our Staff at Bethesda

Nayan Bhula is the Site Director of B2R Bethesda, as well as a guitar teacher. Nayan also sings, plays bass, keyboard and harmonica. He has been playing professionally for over 15 years and his band Gist has toured up and down the East Coast and Canada. They also released records on their own label, The Red Stapler, and their third full length album is coming out in September of 2008. Nayan’s music inspirations include Sonic Youth, Sinead O’Connor, BB King, and David Bowie.

Mike Maloney is the Music Director at B2R Bethesda and a veteran of the DC music scene. He has been recording and performing his original music for over 15 years. Mike appears solo on stages up and down the east coast, although you might catch him performing with his full rock-and-roll band, Malonius. With a style most often compared to Jeff Mangum of Netural Milk Hotel and Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows, Mike’s music combines sage lyrics with feral melodies. When not playing his own music, Mike plays bass and provides backup vocals in the popular alt-country band, The Moderate. Mike’s most dedicated fans catch him every Wednesday, when he hosts the DC-area’s longest-running open mic night at the IOTA Club and Café in Arlington, VA.

Ross Hurt is the Assistant Site Director of B2R Bethesda and teaches guitar, drums and bass. He is also very well versed in recording technology. Ross studied Music and Music Business at the University of New Orleans and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business. Ross has been a part of recording and touring bands since 2000, and worked live sound at a number of venues. His favorite musicians include Clutch, Fugazi, Aimee Mann, and Rage Against the Machine.

Cathleen “Cat” Abriam teaches early childhood music, voice, and beginning piano, and also plays baritone ukulele. Cat took piano lessons at a young age and learned how to sing by ear. Since seventh grade, she has sung in choirs and performed solo, mostly around the Bay Area. Her repertoire includes classic soul, R&B, ballads, and choral works, but her roots run deep in gospel music. Cat obtained a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Music and received further enrichment through Berklee College of Music summer programs. Prior to B2R, Cat was a teacher and gospel choir director in her hometown of San Francisco.

Christopher Brown currently teaches bass, guitar, drums, keyboards and production as well as coaching and recording student bands at B2R Bethesda. Originally from the UK, Chris works as a bassist/musical director, producer and sound designer in the DC area. He graduated Berklee College of Music majoring in Music Synthesis with minor concentrations in Music Business and Performance. While attending he was awarded a full scholarship and several student awards and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He has played and worked with Daniel Lanois, Brian Blade, John Mayer, Victor Wooten/JD Blair, Eddie Bayer, Hannah Thiem (Kanye West), BJ Cole (Sting, Bjork) among others. Prior to Berklee he was full time faculty at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, UK for a number of years where he taught and published course materials.

Jonah Buchanan is a guitar teacher and receptionist at Bach to Rock in Bethesda. With over 14 years of playing experience, Jonah tailors teaching material to the taste of his students, while also stressing the rudiments of music - sight reading in standard notation, tablature, understanding chord charts, basic music theory, and fretboard harmony. Jonah earned his Bachelors of Music Performance on Classical Guitar at Ithaca College and studied in London with Timothy Walker, of the Royal Academy of Music.

Robert Cross studied at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he received a degree in Contemporary Writing & Production with a concentration in drum set studies. While at Berklee, he studied with Jackie Santos Jr., Mike Mangini, Rod Morgenstein, and Dave DiCenso. He has not only played countless shows up and down the east coast, but has also recorded extensively in the studio with such artists as Black Betty & The Bad Habits, Jenny Martin, Rachel Black Band, and Joyce Scott with JD Boston Music. Today, Rob has been devoting his time to teaching music. With almost 10 years of teaching under his belt already, he has achieved much success with awards including a Superior Rating for his work with percussion ensembles in New Jersey. In addition to playing and teaching, Rob is also an avid composer, writing orchestral and contemporary pieces alike. Finally, Mr. Cross is extremely excited about teaching at Bach to Rock and is eager to work with the musicians of tomorrow and help them to develop a great appreciation for the significance of music in our world today.

Caryl “Carly” Harvey is a voice and beginning piano teacher, but also has some guitar and violin knowledge. Carly studied vocal music performance and has participated in the Alba (Italy) Music Festival two years in a row. She has been classically trained by the U.S. Navy Choir Master Michael Ryan, and still performs on a regular basis. Her favorite artists are Susan Tedeschi, Queen, Aretha Franklin, and Celia Cruz.

Jaime Ibacache teaches guitar, bass and drums, and has a performance degree from Berklee College of Music. Jaime produces score arrangements and performs regularly with his band and other ensembles. His favorite artists include Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Greg Howe.

Pat Jagla is the DJ instructor for Bach 2 Rock. Pat has been DJing for six years in the DMV area. He has opened for Funk Master Flex, DJed at some of the top venues in the city and is one half of the DJ duo Party on Marz. He focuses on production of various genres of music including hip-hop, techno, electronica and dubstep. He is currently teaching one on one classes for DJs, Reason & Ableton Live at the B2R Bethesda location - call now to book classes!

Michael “Maic” Joyce teaches guitar, bass and beginner drums. Prior to joining the B2R team, Maic lived in South America where he studied classical guitar and flamenco. Maic has also been on the professional circuit, playing around the DC metro area with various bands. He has had 4 years of private music instruction and his favorite artists are Kurt Cobain, George Frideric Handel, Fela Kuti, and Ruben Blades.

Devon Kardell teaches guitar, piano and bass. He was born on Nantucket Island in MA in 1986. He grew up in a very musical household. His mother was a professional piano teacher and performer, and his father was a bassist and vocalist in a rock band. Devon attended Jacksonville University in Florida for piano composition. He moved to DC in 2006 and has been involved in many different musical projects, including his own, in which he plays piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums and sings and his current band, Verse the Tempest, in which he plays piano and bass guitar.

Josef Kardell teaches piano, guitar and drums, but is also fluent in bass and trumpet. Joseph has performed on the piano for 10 years and now attends the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore for classical composition. He has also won 1st place in Southeast Music Festival Composition Competition in Massachusets. Currently, Joseph plays bass for the Least Common Denominator, an original experimental alternative rock fusion band. His favorite music includes Yes, The Human Abstract, Dream Theater and Weather Report.

Jenny Langer, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, has performed on stage since she was five years old. In 2003, she moved to Boston, MA after receiving a World Tour Scholarship and Outstand Musicianship Award from Berklee College of Music. She is best known for her vocals with acts such as WC Handy Award Nominee Charlie Sayles, Moonshine Society, Memphis Gold, and Black Betty and The Bad Habits. When not performing in the US and abroad, she is often hired as a session and jingle vocalist in Boston, NYC, DC, and San Francisco.

Patrice Moerman teaches piano and guitar at B2R Bethesda. She has played both instruments since she was a kid, learning sight-reading from piano lessons, but is self-taught on guitar and plays piano by ear as well. Some years ago she started writing songs and went on to record a CD of all original rock/blues where she sings, plays electric guitar and piano. She has written well over 60 songs. Patrice has performed solo and with a band around the DC area and some venues in NYC. She is the DC Coordinator for Mamapalooza (Moms Who Rock!) which showcases women musicians nationally. Her favorite artists are the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Steve Winwood, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Bach and Gershwin.

Conrad Osipowicz is a recording arts and drums instructor at B2R Bethesda. He has been engineering artists in the studio since he was 16 years old. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Audio and Radio Production from Emerson College in Boston, MA, Conrad returned to the area to teach in the recording arts program at Bach to Rock. He teaches individual classes in ProTools for engineers & composers. Aside from recording, Conrad has played drums for 11 years, and has played in several bands both in Boston and the Washington D.C. area. His favorite artists include Radiohead, Thrice, and Daft Punk.

Michael Sauer is a true blooded metal head who teaches bass, drums, and guitar. He has been in classical band since the fourth grade playing drums, alto sax, and bassoon and has been playing bass since the seventh grade. He also has experience with the piano, classical guitar, and mandolin. His favorite artists are Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Helloween, Evanescence, and Children of Bodom.