Board of Directors and Faculty

Board of Directors

President - Marta Hiriart

Vice President - Sara Padró

Secretary - Jessica Quilichini

Treasurer - Zilka Figueroa

Dra. Marta Hernández Candelas

Marta Hernández-Candelas has an intense career of dedication to the use of music for the integral benefit of human beings. Since 2013 she has served as artistic director of the Suzuki Violin Association of Puerto Rico. She is certified as a Suzuki violin teacher from books 1-8. Its students have participated as soloists in symphony orchestras, have studied at recognized music universities and, above all, are being trained under a philosophy of love. In the musical artistic field, he has collaborated as a professional violist with the Arturo Somohano Philharmonic Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and in various chamber music ensembles. He has a Doctorate in Music Education with a multidisciplinary perspective from the University of Granada in Spain, a Bachelor's degree in Viola Performance and a Master's degree in String Pedagogy, both from Temple University, and a second master's degree in Music Therapy from Illinois State University. In addition, she is certified as a music therapist by the Certification Board of Music Therapists (CBMT) and as an educator by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and in the Orff and Kindermusik methods.

He has also participated in countless training courses on therapeutic work methods for hospitalized infants in the Intensive Care Unit and neurological music therapy. He has published articles in the following refereed journals: Revista Psicodidactica, National Association of Laboratory Schools Journal [NALS], Research Perspectives in Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, Eufonía and MUSIKE. In addition, he collaborated in a chapter of the book “Music in early childhood education: research and music” (Gluschankov & Pérez, 2017).

In 2013 he founded the music therapy program in the Hospitales HIMA San Pablo hospital system. She is an Associate Professor at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music – Official Page where she offers graduate and undergraduate courses in Musical Education and Music Therapy. She works with diverse settings including: medical music therapy, perinatal, neurocriticism, oncology, trauma, HIV, victims of violence and special education. Additionally, he collaborates on music therapy projects with the Música y País Foundation, Music Alliance and the Ryan White Part C Program Provider Network of Lares, Inc.

Rosario Triay

Rosarito Triay is a violinist and violin teacher certified in the Suzuki Method since 1999. She began her violin studies in the Special Strings Program for Children of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Saúl Ovcharov and Susan Ashby. He founded the Suzuki Violin Program at the School of Fine Arts of the Municipality of Trujillo Alto where he worked until 2005. He began his independent violin study in 2006.

He is currently part of the “After School” program at the San Ignacio de Loyola Academy in Río Piedras. As a violinist he has played with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra and the “San Juan Pops” Orchestra. He studied his Baccalaureate in Violin with Professor José (Pepito) Figueroa at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He also earned a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Nutrition from Cornell University.

She is a Suzuki mother and shares her passion and love for music with her daughter Isabel and her husband Raimundo.

Amanda Rivera Torres

Amanda Rivera Torres is a graduate of the Drama Department of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and current singing student of the Popular Music Department of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Metro Campus.

He began his violin studies at the age of 4 under the teaching of the Suzuki method. Since then, she has participated in different Suzuki method workshops, orchestral ensembles and other musical activities, in addition to offering violin classes and achieving certification as a Suzuki violin teacher. Apart from the violin, he works in the field of musical theater and aspires to continue graduate studies in Music Therapy.

Sheila Ortiz

A native of Ponce Puerto Rico, Professor Ortiz began her musical studies at the Juan Morel Campos Music Institute under the tutelage of cellist Orlando Guillot, Professor Gloria Navarro and Orlando Cora.

In 1984 he began his university studies at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. At this institution he studies with professors Joaquín Vidaechea, Roselín Pabón, Edwin Ramos, Amaury Veray, Pepito Figueroa, Gloria Navarro and Francisco Figueroa among others.

He completed his Master of Music studies on a full scholarship at the University of Miami in Coral Gables where he studied with Eugene Eicher, Lucas Drew and Akira Endo.

As a university professor, she has worked at the Universidad Interamericana Recinto Metropolitano and John Jay College (Puerto Rico Police Academy). Since 2000 she has been a Solfeggio professor at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and for several years she has served as coordinator of this area.

As a cellist he has collaborated with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the San Juan Pops Orchestra, Venusz Ensemble, Camerata Filarmónica; recordings with Mark Anthony, Gilbertito, Millo Torres; shows with Franco de Vita, Lucecita, Mark Anthony, Christian Castro, Bilboars Music Awards Puerto Rico and Tributo a los Beatles Sinfónico. He also belonged to the Horned Dorset Ensemble group that had a chamber music series for four years at the hotel of the same name in Rincón. He is a founding member of the Guanina String Quartet. And he has presented in venues in Santo Domingo, New York and Sau Paulo.

During these last years she has taken classes, workshops and seminars with teachers of the stature of Violeta Hensi, María del Pilar Arenas, Muray Shaefer, Davis Elliot, Gloria Valencia and Iramar Rodríguez among others. And she is a certified teacher of the Suzuki Method on cello.

As a workshop leader, he has contributed to the Education Forum of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, in the Theory and Music Theory reviews for high school students of the same Conservatory. Also in workshops for young people from the Suzuki Association of Puerto Rico, and the Gisela Foundation.

She has been the creator of the Theory and Solfeggio curriculum and books at the Coamo School of Fine Arts. And he created the Preparatory Solfeggio Manual book that is currently used for this level at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.

The professor is currently an Associate Professor and director of the Department of Theory, Composition and Musicology where she teaches Theory and Music Theory classes. Additionally, she is a teacher and orchestra director of the Suzuki Association of Puerto Rico.

Nayomi Lozano Miró

Nayomi Lozano Miró has 20 years of experience playing the violin. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Baccalaureate in Violin Performance, at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music where she obtained the distinction of the string medal for the highest average.

He studied for many years with Dr. Marta Hernández, who helped him discover his passion for music and musical education. At age 11, he began studying with teacher John Dedderick in the Pre-University program of the P.R. Conservatory of Music. He also studied with the teacher Henry Hutchinson. Then, during his high school studies, he studied with Dr. Francisco Cabán.

Nayomi is certified as a Suzuki Method teacher and has taken introductory courses in the Kodály Method. He keeps updating his preparation through professional development activities - local and international - that enrich his pedagogical and musical knowledge. He has taken review courses on Suzuki method books. He has attended a variety of workshops and seminars on different topics such as the Orff method, the pedagogy of the Puerto Rican bomb, Puerto Rican children's songs, among others. Additionally, he has attended several annual SphinxConnect conventions in Detroit, Michigan.

Their pedagogical experience is varied and covers different contexts and sociocultural backgrounds. She has been a teacher in several programs of the Suzuki Violin Association of Puerto Rico in which she has taught classes both individually and in groups. Working in the 100×35 Music Program at the Conservatory of Music has provided him with a range of group and orchestral teaching opportunities. Additionally, as part of his work at the Puerto Rican School for Music, he has worked with students individually. This has allowed him to have a closer impact on the musical performance of his students.

Nayomi complements her educational work with research projects. He is particularly interested in the history of music education in Puerto Rico and the benefits of music in the formation of human beings and in learning environments. He carried out the research “Music: For Everything and Everyone” on the relationship between music and the brain. In addition, he carried out the study on Violin Teaching in Puerto Rico. Also, he presented his work at the 34th Musical Education Forum of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music with the topic “Intervention alternatives to obtain achievements in the face of behavioral, social and learning challenges in music teaching.”

Nayomi remains active in musical performance as a member of the Tabonuco Quartet and the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has had the opportunity to perform in large venues around the world, such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California and of course, at the Pablo Casals Symphony Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Also, he has had the privilege of traveling and participating in different festivals such as the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, France; Clazz International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy; Forum Musikae in Madrid, Spain; Sphinx Performance Academy in Oberlin, Ohio; Harlem Quartet Workshop at Music Mountain in Falls Village, Connecticut and FOOSA Summer Orchestra Academy in Fresno, California. Also, he benefited for several years from the Symphony Experience program of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and from master classes with great musicians such as Sergiu Schwartz, Vijay Gupta (Street Symphony), Guillermo Figueroa, Tacáks String Quartet and Catalyst Quartet.

He is passionate about music and marvels daily at its power. She is completely convinced that music is a powerful tool that can transform our minds and hearts, and lead us to be better human beings.

Diego J. Irizarry Ríos

Diego Janniel Irizarry has been playing music through the piano and violin for more than 15 years, beginning his musical exploration at the age of 4. During her continued career, she has been educated with distinguished teachers such as Susan Ashby, Marta Hernández and Francisco Cabán, as well as intensive violin workshops such as the Annual Puerto Rico Workshop and Ogontz and their respective Extraordinary Teachers.

Within the last 5 years he began educating and teaching as a Suzuki Master, certified in Every Child Can units 1, 2, 3, 4 violin and unit 1 piano.

As a pianist he won 3 competitions for young pianists from Puerto Rico in 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place.

He is currently in the process of acquiring a bachelor's degree in violin performance 3rd year.

Two of his passions are expressing himself on the piano with his own music and teaching as a teacher. There are few things that beat seeing the look of a student finally achieving their goal.

MAGDALENA NOGUERAS

Mexican and adopted in Puerto Rico for 28 years. Passionate about music in all its manifestations, she has been developing community musical projects for children, young people and older adults for many years. He studied music as a pianist in Mexico and Cuba. She has worked as a teacher and pianist in various conservatories, universities and musical institutions in both Mexico and Puerto Rico for more than 30 years. She was director of the Preparatory School of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. He has a master's degree in Music Therapy, different diplomas in Piano Tuning, Chamber Music and Pianist Accompaniment and certifications in Neurological Music Therapy, Dalcroze, Suzuki Method and

Musical Awakening.

She lives in Barranquitas and is the founder of Musicalma, an organization of professional musical services through which she combines various workshops, musical education activities and music therapy in the center of the island.

FÉLIX MARTÍNEZ

Félix Martínez is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He began his musical training at the Escuela Libre de Música. He continued his studies at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and completed his bachelor's degree in music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 2003 he began offering guitar classes in Puerto Rico. Later, he obtained the Puerto Rican music teacher certification and the certification of books 1 and 2 of the Suzuki guitar method. Since then he has been a guitar teacher at the Academia San Ignacio de Loyola in San Juan and at the Presbyterian Academy of Music in Bayamón.

MAYRA URDAZ 

He began his violin studies at an early age in the Program

Special Strings for Children from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. At the age of thirteen she was invited to participate in the concert group directed by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki (creator of the Suzuki Method) and debuted as a soloist with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, under the tutelage of maestro Sidney Harth.

He obtained his bachelor's degree from the Puerto Conservatory of Music

Rico (Magna Cum Laude) and her master's degree from Andrews University in Michigan (Summa Cum Laude), where she taught for six years.

She has participated in the following music festivals: The Newbold Festival in England, the Hot Springs Festival in Arkansas and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, receiving scholarships from the New York Philharmonic Fund and the Aspen Music School.

She was honored with the "Musician of the Year" Award by the Institute of Puerto Rico of New York, with the "Eslabón de la Hispanidad" and with the "Brooklyn College Special Services Award", for her series of Educational Concerts sponsored by the Department of Education of the City of New York.

Winner of the "Andrews Young Artist Competition" in Michigan and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

He performed as a soloist with the following orchestras: New

England Youth Ensemble, San Juan Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, Andrews Symphony Orchestra, Andrews Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Filarmónica and with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra.

Among his teachers, the distinguished professors stand out

Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki, Carla Trynchuk among others, participated

 also, for four years in the master classes of the famous violinist Ithzak Perlman at Brooklyn College in New York.

He has performed in recitals and concerts in the United States, England, Scotland, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and has worked for recognized artists such as: Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Raúl Di Blassio, Arturo Sandoval, Rubén Blades, Willy Colon, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ednita Nazario, Giovanni Hidalgo, Andrés Jiménez (el jibaro), Danny Rivera, Rocío Jurado, Tony Croato, Wilkins, Luis Miguel, Andrea Bocelli, among others.

He was a permanent member of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra for ten years. She works as a violin teacher at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and also holds a position among the First Violinists of the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to his professional activities, he participates as an artist in Christian Music concerts at conferences and churches. She participated in the "53th SDA General Conference Session" (Apr-1980) in Dallas and as a guest artist for the conference series "NET-98" (Pr. Dwight Nelson - Berrien Springs, MI), "RED-99" (Pr. . Alejandro Bullón, Orlando, FL) and in the programs

"The Ten Commandments" (2007 - 2011) and "Achieving His Grace"

(Pr. José Vicente Rojas, Arecibo - PR, 2013) broadcast on the 3ABN network.

In 1992 she was selected among the group of musicians to play before their Majesty the Kings of Spain on the occasion of the celebration of the five hundred years of the discovery of America, now Mayra plays for the KING of KINGS.

PAULA IRIZARRY