Founders
LeeLee Hunter, President
LeeLee Hunter was initially introduced to music, though somewhat reluctantly,
through her enrollment in the church choir at the age of four; however, she grew to love it very quickly. Ms. Hunter first experienced the guitar while living in Hong Kong when her third grade teacher would play for them everyday at the end of school. She began taking lessons while living in Hong Kong and continued when she moved back to the US. Ms Hunter received her Bachelor's degree in 2011 and her Master's degree in 2013 from the Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Julian Gray; she is currently pursuing a PhD in Musicology at the University of Arizona and has held a graduate teaching assistantship since 2018.
Her teacher, Bill Dykes, first introduced Ms. Hunter to the Classical guitar and she quickly fell in love with the complexities of that genre of guitar. She studied with Mr.
Dykes for seven years. In high school, she continued her studies with Berta Rojas-a
concert artist and former student of Manuel Barrueco-until she began at Peabody in the fall of 2007. In addition to the guitar Ms. Hunter also studied voice and clarinet while in high school and was an active member of her school band and chorus as well as the choir and hand-bell choir at her church.
Ms. Hunter has made solo appearances at the Cincinnati Guitar Workshop and with the McLean High School Orchestra in Heitor Villa-Lobos’s “Bachianas Brasileiras.”
She has also performed in master-classes with Ken Meyer of Syracuse University;
Stanley Yates; Lorenzo Micheli and Matteo Mela of the Italian duo Soloduo; Bruce
Holzman of Florida State University; Carlos Perez; Zoran Dukic; Pepe Romero; Judicael Perroy; Margarita Escapra; Sergio Assad; and David Russell. Ms. Hunter has also participated in multiple competitions including the Guitar Foundation of America International Artists Competition, the Indiana International Guitar Competition, the Guitar Masters International Competition, the Beeston Memorial Competition, the David Russell Bach Prize, and the Sholin Memorial Competition.
Chelsea Buyalos, Vice-President
With the help of her Grandmother, Soprano Chelsea Buyalos developed a love for music at the age of four; a love that was sparked by Puccini’s Tosca. This love blossomed and soon led to the start of her formal training at the age of eleven in her small town of Chester, Virginia. Despite the challenges presented to her with Goldenhar Syndrome, Ms. Buyalos has continued to pursue her goals.
Over the years, Ms. Buyalos has had many opportunities to share her love for music. In 2005 she made her operatic debut in Italy with Operafestival di Roma in their main stage production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. While in Rome, Ms. Buyalos was also featured in several recital and opera scene programs. In recent years, Ms. Buyalos has also been featured as a soloist in other concert works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, and Rutter’s Requiem.
Along with her classical training she has performed in many musicals such as Annie, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, and The Boyfriend. Ms. Buyalos is an honored NATS (National Association for the Teachers of Singing) competitor, Peabody Scholarship recipient, and Bland Music Scholarship recipient. Recently, Ms. Buyalos worked with the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra on their spring and summer concert series.
Ms. Buyalos recieved her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under the instruction of Marianna Busching. Since graduation, Ms. Buyalos has been busy establishing her private studio and working to foster arts education in her community as the Director of Education at the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education, As a member of the craniofacial community who has lived with Goldenhar Syndrome, Chelsea frequently shares her story with others and recently became a member of the Children’s Craniofacial Association’s Speakers’ Bureau. Remember to always #ChooseKind!
MUSIC DOESN’T LIE. IF THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE CHANGED IN THIS WORLD, THEN IT CAN ONLY HAPPEN THROUGH MUSIC.
--JIMI HENDRIX