Our Staff at Bethesda

Nayan Bhula is the Site Director of B2R Bethesda, as well as a guitar & band 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, Red Stapler Records (which is relaunching in Fall 2011). In addition. Nayan has been prominent on the local scene with a new 6 piece ensemble which includes a violinist, keyboard player and 4 vocalists, called The NRIs. They have released 2 EPs and all of Nayan's music can be found on iTunes. Nayan’s music inspirations include Sonic Youth, Bob Dylan, BB King, A.R. Rahman, Sinead O’Connor, Sleater-Kinney, SRV, Wilco, Fugazi and David Bowie.

Javier Godinez is the Assistant Site Director at B2R Bethesda and a Guatemalan violinist from the DC metropolitan area. He began working with rock bands in 2000 at the age of 17, playing electric violin for The Lloyd Dobler Effect, later founding Stone Gato, and later joining Level Yet Rising. These experiences allowed him to tour most of the US while performing festivals such as the HFStival, Molson Snow Jam, and the Rock-N-Roll Marathon; these types of opportunities also helped him to share the bill with various artists such as De La Soul, Sum 41, Eminem, The Goo Goo Dolls, Terrance Simien, and other talents. In addition to frequent performance, his recording studio experiences have placed him with engineers that have worked with Lil Jon, Rick Ross, and Jason Mraz. Javier has been a professional performer for over 12 years and currently performs as a freelance musician, most recently performing at a concert aimed to connect classical traditions; the featured artist being acclaimed Native American Flutist, R. Carlos Nakai.

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.

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.

Mark Cisneros has been a part of the DC area music scene since 2006 after moving here from New York City. While in NYC he studied music at the New School University and played in various ensembles around town performing everything from rock and jazz to experimental music. He has performed in clubs and concert venues across the U.S. and beyond. He currently plays drums in Medications (Dischord Records), bass in Deathfix (featuring Brendan Canty of Fugazi and Rich Morel), and guitar/saxophone in Chain and the Gang (featuring Ian Svenonius). He has also played in DC bands Shortstack, America Hearts, Edie Sedgwick, and the Mary Timony Band. His playing can also be heard on a Yoko Ono single and the Jackass 3D soundtrack.

Chip Clemmer currently teaches drums at Bach 2 Rock, Bethesda. He is a native of Farmington, Connecticut, and has been playing drums professionally for over forty years. Chip majored in Music Education at Bowling Green State University, Western Connecticut State University, and the University of Maryland. He also spent two years studying with Sonny Igoe in New York City. In 1977 Chip joined the United States Air Force's music program. Following Basic Training, he was assigned to the 580th Air Force Band at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, serving as Principal Percussionist with the concert band, and drummer for their jazz band. In 1979 Chip auditioned for, and was accepted by the United States Air Force Band in Washington, DC, spending the next twenty-four years as a drummer/percussionist touring stateside and all over the world. As part of the Air Force Band's guest artist series, Chip had the pleasure of performing as drummer and/or percussionist with numerous top level musicians, including Roy Clark, Clinton Gregory, Patti Austin, Mitch Miller, Ray Charles, Janie Fricke, and Richard Carpenter to name a few. He retired as a Senior Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force Band in 2003 after a 26 year military career.

Simon Cohen began his childhood musical education at the Conservatory of Music in Bern, Switzerland. As a teenager, he played violin in the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra and attended the Washington Conservatory of Music. In college he studied music theory and composition at Montgomery College and the University of Maryland, College Park, before graduating with a BA in History. In addition to his work as a local session musician and performer on the guitar, he is also an avid concert promoter and is a pivotal member of the heavy metal music scene in Washington, DC. At B2R he primarily teaches guitar, though he is also a talented singer, keyboardist, bassist and composer. As a guitar player, some of his main influences include Marty Friedman, Peter Green, and the late Takoma Park native, John Fahey.

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.

Matt Henderson teaches jazz, classical, and contemporary piano as well as bass guitar at B2R Bethesda. Hailing from New Zealand, Matt graduated in 2009 from the New Zealand School of Music with a Bachelor of Music majoring in Jazz Performance. During the course of his studies he spent some time in the San Francisco bay area at UC Berkeley studying contemporary jazz styles and acquainting himself with life and music in America. Over the years Matt has played a diverse range of musical styles - from gigging around his hometown with jazz quartet Rubix Cube to touring New Zealand with budding rock band Moonlight Flit. He is currently working his way into the DC music scene, adding some pacific soul to local group Kiss & Ride. His favorite bands and artists include Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Erykah Badu, The Roots, John Mayer and Incubus.

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!

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.

John Kneip teaches guitar, drums, and bass at B2R Bethesda. John’s teaching style focuses on “the raw feel” of music while still incorporating music theory. He has been playing music since his early teens and performing live for over a decade. He currently sings/plays guitar for DC’s Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, who has been touring the east coast since 2009, and he also works on his solo material, NASAwives. John graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications focusing major concentrations in Music Business. Some of his favorite bands include Meshuggah, Aloha, Deftones, Thrice, & the D.C. post-punk music scene.

Grace Luo is a classically trained pianist who began studies with her mother at age 5 before switching to the studio of Hans Boepple at Santa Clara University. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in 2008 from the University of Michigan where she studied with Arthur Greene and Katherine Collier and participated in masterclasses conducted by Martin Katz, Louis Nagel, and Christopher Harding. During this time, she worked as a freelance accompanist and served as pianist for the university's Womens' Glee Club from 2006-2008 under the direction of Julie Skadsem. In addition, she sang in the University Choir and Early Music Choir. Following her undergraduate career, Grace pursued a master's degree at the University of Maryland, where she served as the Graduate Assistant of Chamber Music. She has been teaching in Maryland since 2008 as a private instructor and piano faculty member of Bach to Rock and International School of Music, and is an active member of MSMTA (Maryland State Music Teachers' Association) and MTNA (Music Teachers National Association). Although trained in the classical vein, Grace's musical palate is rather diverse and encompasses everything from Renaissance motets to Broadway musicals. Apart from her musical endeavors, Grace is an avid collector and fan of all things old-fashioned/vintage and enjoys curling up by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa and good book anytime. She aspires to balance a life of performing, teaching, vintage-selling, and possibly bed-and-breakfast managing someday.

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.

Sam Monroe teaches drums, piano and band at Bach 2 Rock. A native of the Monterey Peninsula, he began performing at the age of eleven, while studying with legendary jazz drummer Vince Latiano. His music education was furthered at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, Professional Percussion Studies Institute, San Francisco, CA and Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, CA. He has toured and performed with the Elixir Ensemble, Jamie Brewick Quintet, Aaron Gardner Quartet, Sam Monroe & Steve Nelson Rainey Future Jazz Duo, to name a few. Sam has also spent the last ten years teaching Percussion and Band for The Milwaukee Public Schools, The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He has been awarded Music Teacher of the Year and Percussion Teacher of the Year. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Holly Montgomery is a bass, guitar, vocal instructor, piano instructor and band coach at B2R McLean. As the Los Angeles-based artist and songwriter for the power-trio HOLLY, she produced 3 CD's that are available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, iLike, and ReverbNation. HOLLY was a regular at the House of Blues in West Hollywood in addition to the clubs on the Sunset Strip. With this band, she established herself as a rock singer-par excellence, in addition to her success as a bass player. Holly has been the bass player and/or singer for many bands and singer-songwriters, both live and in the studio, including Sonia Rutstein-Disappear Fear, Dan Bern, Ice Cube, The Mustangs, Big Planet - Bill White Acre, and Irish musician Mark Dignam. She has been active as a session player for various commercials and tv shows including playing for the American Comedy Awards soundtracks. After a busy career in Los Angeles, Holly moved to the D.C. area and took a hiatus from touring and recording after adopting 3 teenage kids from Kazakhstan. They grew up fast, and she is again recording and touring, having recently opened for Foreigner and The Swell Season. She has recently written songs for a number of charitable organizations that are being used as highlighted themes for national campaigns. Her latest solo recording project is with legendary drummer Aynsley Dunbar (Journey, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Jefferson Starship), and guitarist Randall Hall (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and is due for release in late summer of 2010.

Samir Moussa is a classically trained guitarist, singer/songwriter, who studied under William Feasly (PhD Guitar) who studied under Andres Segovia. He has spend the last ten years recording 3 albums (one a top seller at Tower Records) and performing for tens of thousands of people. Today, he also teaches music part-time and has begun a new recording project called ‘Ambassadors Of Morning’. As an educator, Samir has taught almost everything under the sun. He speaks Spanish and French fluently and has worked full-time in elementary schools both in Oakland, California and Washington, D.C.; creating successful Rock Band programs in both instances while also teaching classical guitar and more. Samir’s passion for music is evident in the life that he lives and he is very happy to be a new member of the Bach to Rock family.

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.

Joe Poppen is an internationally acclaimed guitarist and luthier based out of Washington, DC. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA with B.A. in Professional Music, where he was selected to teach guitar and FX classes while still a student at the college. Since the age of 17, Joe has toured with blues and R&B stars performing around the world including Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, the Azores Islands, Cuba, the United Sates and beyond. He now leads his own band, Moonshine Society, performing internationally throughout the US and Asia. Joe offers instruction on guitar, bass, banjo, and ukulele to all levels of students (beginners through touring professionals), and all genres (including jazz, hard rock, metal, classic rock, blues, country, R&B, funk, and more).

Will Rzad is a guitar, bass, and band instructor at B2R Bethesda. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he left the west coast to attend Berklee College of Music where he received a B.M. in Professional Music. After graduation, he returned home and spent the next several years performing regularly up and down California and Nevada with a variety of groups - everything from acoustic jazz duos to nine-piece disco/funk bands to original hard rock quartets. He also works as a session musician, recording with artists in California, New York, and Boston. Although his musical tastes change depending on the time of day, he would include Frank Zappa, the Beatles, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, and Herbie Hancock among his favorite artists.

Dmitry Samogray is a classically trained concert pianist. Originally from Russia, Dmitry studied under prominent Russian virtuosos such as Alexander Shtarkman and Larissa Dedova. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in piano performance from the Peabody Institute and is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dmitry has performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the American Fine Arts Festival for three consecutive concert seasons, with four separate performances. He has won prizes at numerous prestigious competitions, including 1st prize at the Ithaca College Piano Competition and 3rd prize at the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition. Dmitry is a passionate chamber musician and a founding member of the award winning Nubar Trio. Dmitry’s latest accomplishments include a summer tour of Croatia with his duo partner, cellist Dorotea Racz.

Joshua Sommerville is a singer, pianist, composer, and music director at B2R Bethesda. Joshua has been selected to perform in special groups led by notable musicians such as the late Dr. Walter Turnbull, Director of the Harlem Boys Choir, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of the music award-winning group Sweet Honey and the Rock, and Dr. Stanley Thurston of the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Children of the Gospel. In 2007, he had the privilege of interning as a rehearsal accompanist for music award-winning director and recording artist Patrick Lundy, and since then has been requested on several occasions to perform with his gospel recording group the “The Ministers of Music.” He is currently the Minister of Music at New Beginnings Christian Church in Havre de Grace, MD.

Jeffrey Tarr is a voice instructor at Bach 2 Rock. He holds a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. He is a regular singer with many notable classical music institutions including the Washington National Opera, the Vocal Arts Society and the Cathedral Choral Society. He serves as an adjunct professor of voice at American University. Although he teaches a classical technique, he enjoys teaching students who sing a variety of musical style including rock and musical theatre.

Nile Wartts is a music specialist at B2R Bethesda. He is originally from St. Louis, MO, and has played percussion since 1995. He has been a drumline musician during portions of his junior high school, senior high school, and college career. Outside of his formal education experiences with percussion, he has played in a gigging jazz quartet in St. Louis, taught private drum lessons for hire, and earned tips playing solo at select outdoor venues in Washington DC since his move to the tri-state area in late January 2009.