Caroline began playing violin at the age of 5 with Shauncey Ali and currently studies with Eugene Purdue of UW-Madison. In addition to private lessons, Caroline has been a member of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras for 5 years. She has participated in WSMA Solo and Ensemble 5 times. Caroline attends Oregon High School and has played violin in the OHS pit orchestra for the past 2 years. She has attended UW-Madison’s Summer Music Clinic twice. In March 2024, she won her school’s concerto competition. When not playing violin, Caroline enjoys making art, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Adam Chisman grew up in Oregon WI, and graduated from Oregon High School in 2009. Adam began his study of guitar with the late John Bauman in 2004. From 2006 through 2008, he studied the Berklee method of guitar under Sims Delaney-Potthoff. Adam also studied Music Theory and Music Composition. In 2007, Adam attended Guitar Sessions at Berklee College of Music and went on to major in Guitar Performance at Berklee. After college, Adam spent six months traveling in New Zealand and participating in the WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) program. Adam also worked as a Library Assistant at the Oregon Public Library from 2009 through 2016. Adam joined Academy of Sound as a guitar teacher in 2011. He began working as a Managing Director in 2016. Adam currently lives abroad and continues to teach online.

Erin Chisman began teaching piano in 1997. In 2003, she opened Erin's Piano Studio, which became Academy of Sound in 2007 in Oregon, WI. Erin studied piano with Margaret McKay, Stoughton. Erin has also been in numerous choirs, and has studied violin, flute, and voice. Erin competed in the National Piano-Playing Auditions through the American College of Musicians at the district and national levels 1996-1999, and was awarded the Director's Service Award at Oregon High School in 1999. She earned her Category A Piano Teacher Certification from the Mayron Cole Music Conservatory, Austin TX in 2006. Erin has contributed to the community through extensive volunteer work, including co-founding the Oregon Youth Center, four years as a board member of the Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce including roles as Secretary, Vice President, and President. Erin was named one of InBusiness Magazine's "40 Under 40" in 2014. She earned her EA certification in 2023. Erin maintains a YouTube channel boasting 80,000+ views. Erin currently lives abroad, and also owns the business consulting & accounting firm Elevated Business Services.​

Emma Cifrino is a violist and violinist who earned her DMA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Emma began her studies with Betsy Kobayashi at the Pineland Suzuki School in Augusta, ME. She holds a B.Mus from Lawrence University, and an M.Mus from Bowling Green State University. At Bowling Green she was a member of the Graduate String Quartet and served as principal viola in the Bowling Green Philharmonia. Emma has almost a decade of experience teaching students of all ages and levels. She believes that her primary duty as a music educator is to produce students who are respectful of the art of music-making. This means instilling students with good practice habits, encouraging participation in chamber ensembles, and modeling a scholarly – but enthusiastic –  approach to performance. Emma joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2017.

Nancy Cox has studied piano since the age of 6, with 50+ years of music, piano, and vocal study. Nancy has performed in many local theater productions at Oregon High School and with Oregon Straw Hat Players, as pianist and backup keyboard accompanist. She has taught piano since 2005 both in Stoughton and Oregon, with prior piano teaching experience in Minnesota. She has accompanied choirs and soloists at Oregon High School under two former choral directors: Tom Mielke and Candie Douglas. She has accompanied church choirs at First Presbyterian of Oregon and Unity Church of Madison for over 20 years, and is presently employed by First Presbyterian Church as a Pianist & Accompanist. Nancy has sung in many choirs, most recently in the Stoughton Festival Choir. Past vocal experience includes private study with Genevieve Gersbach of Madison, and 15 years singing with the First Unitarian Society choir under Ellsworth Snyder. Nancy's degrees include a Bachelor of Arts from University of Minnesota, major in English, minor in humanities, with coursework in music; and Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nancy joined Academy of Sound in 2006.

Charlotte Hendrickson has been studying piano at Academy of Sound since the age of five. She is a serious and dedicated piano student, earning a perfect score at the Fall Piano Festival in 2013, which was just her second year of piano studies. She has continued to compete whenever possible, always with excellent scores, including the Sonatina Festival, and WSMA Solo & Ensemble Festival. She was a percussionist in band for three years at Oregon High School, and sang in choir. Charlotte was the Class of 2024 Representative on the OHS Student Council, and was a part of the OHS Multicultural Student Union. Charlotte is currently studying Biology at UW-Madison with hopes to continue on to med school after graduation. She continues to help with various musical classes and acticities at Academy of sound. Charlotte is also a part of the club lacrosse program at the university and coaches youth lacrosse back in Oregon. During high school, she served as the Student Council president at Oregon High School and helped run events such as Homecoming, many Food Drives and Clothing Drives, before formally graduating her class at the end of the year. Charlotte joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2021. 

Elisa Kaether joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2013 as a receptionist and began teaching in 2018. Having grown up around the Academy all her life, she chose violin and drums as her primary instruments, while also studying piano, voice and ukulele. Elisa enjoys musical theatre and has had roles in several productions, including Glinda (The Wizard of Oz), Edith (Pirates of Penzance), Penny (You Can't Take it With You), Ben/Lisa (Disaster! The musical) and various ensemble roles in Beauty and The Beast, Once Upon a Mattress, The Matchmaker, Hairspray and 9-5! She also hobbies in songwriting and producing music with other musicians. Elisa founded and led Noteworthy, the a cappella choir at Oregon High School. She has helped with numerous children's musicals through Oregon Community Ed and Academy of Sound. Elisa was the Interim Director of the Oregon Youth Center prior to becoming the Director of Education here. Elisa was inducted into the International Thespian Society in 2017, and after graduating from Oregon High School she studied music education at Madison College. She directs the Childrens' Holiday Choir and contiues to enjoy creating new classes for Academy of Sound students to enjoy.

May Kohler is a Master of Music student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studies opera, with her most recent roles being Franca (The Light in the Piazza), Calisto (La Calisto), Cis (Albert Herring), and Isabel (Pirates of Penzance). This academic year, May will sing the role of Elisabeth in Lisa Bielawa’s new opera, La Ballonniste, as well as Guadalina in Lowe & Rourke’s Songbird. May has participated in training programs with Musiktheater Bavaria, and the Madison Bach Musicians. Besides being an avid performer of opera, May regularly sings and teaches contemporary vocal styles with the Madison Church of Christ worship team. In addition to this, May’s teaching experience includes leading classes at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Summer Music Clinic, tutoring music theory at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and conducting private lessons as a voice teaching assistant for the Mead Witter School of Music. May teaches many kinds of singing styles and age ranges. May joined our faculty in July, 2024.

Ally Kurihara is from Lancaster, Wisconsin. She began taking piano lessons when she was 8 years old, and continued through high school. She also plays the saxophone, which she began playing when she was 12 years old, and continued to study seriously through college. Ally studied at Lawrence University where she earned her degree in music education. During her time at Lawrence, she discovered she enjoys both teaching and traveling. Ally has taught music in (the U.S.) Jamaica, Haiti, and New Zealand. Outside of teaching, Ally has her own business in piano technology. She repairs, tunes, and cares for pianos.  Ally has been enjoying fostering her love of music by teaching at Academy of Sound. She joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2019.

Madison is a clarinetist and music educator based in the greater Madison area. A native of central Illinois, Maddie attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned degrees in clarinet performance and K-12 music education. Maddie moved to Madison WI in 2021 to begin studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with JJ Koh and Alicia Lee. In the fall of 2024, Maddie began her appointment as Lecturer of Clarinet at UW-Madison, and additionally maintains a small private teaching studio. Maddie is an active performer with the Capitol City Band Association's summer concert series, and also works on the management team of its two bands throughout the year. Outside of music, Maddie enjoys working with animals and has an interest in dog training and behavior. She currently lives in Oregon WI with her partner, Ryan, and their senior dog, Dodger.

Megan Leitner is a classically trained pianist with over a decade of experience, bringing both expertise and passion to her craft. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Music Business through Berklee College of Music's renowned online program, combining her classical training with a deeper understanding of the music industry. Megan started teaching piano in 2022. Megan is skilled at tailoring lessons to suit each student's unique learning style and needs. Her patient and encouraging teaching approach helps instill confidence and a love for music in her students, fostering both technical growth and artistic expression.

Michael began playing drums at the age of two. He was a self-taught drummer for years until he started taking lessons at Academy of Sound in 2012. In the six years that Michael took lessons at Academy of Sound, he developed strong drumming skills and a strong passion for music performance. Michael has been heavily involved in the Oregon School District’s music programs. He participated in the school's percussion ensemble, jazz band, and various concert bands. Outside of school, Michael participated in Shadow Drum and Bugle Corps as well as Shadow Indoor Percussion. After graduating from Oregon High School in 2022, Michael is currently attending the University Of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he is working towards his bachelor of science in Kinesiology. Although he is not studying music, he is actively a part of the university's percussion ensemble program.

Cellist Jacob Muratore is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Jacob received his undergraduate education at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music and received his Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in December, 2021. His primary teachers include Regina Mushabac and Uri Vardi. Jacob has also worked extensively with Daniel Pereira (Cleveland Institute of Music) and Mark Rudoff (Ohio State University). Other significant mentors include Parry Karp (Pro Arte Quartet), James Hirt (Baldwin Wallace), and Deborah Price (Chamber Music Connection). Jacob’s experience with the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education allows him to teach with a unique, whole-body perspective. Jacob’s teaching philosophy involves getting to know a student’s personality and learning style, and adjusting his teaching style to match. This means the same concepts may be taught in varying ways, depending on the student. Jacob believes it is his job as a teacher to bring out and celebrate the qualities that make each person unique. Curiosity and tangential thinking are hallmarks of Jacob’s teaching style: he has been known to incorporate elements of dancing, singing, sports, and science into cello lessons. Jacob joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2024.

Sean is from Oregon, WI and has been studying piano at Academy of Sound since 2012, primarily studying with Ms. Erin Chisman until 2020, and currently with Mr. Chris Telfer. He also studies percussion and cello in the Oregon School District. Sean is a student at Oregon High School, and began working as a teacher and receptionist at Academy of Sound in 2023.

Riley Smith, a native of Michigan, has been studying classical guitar since before 2009. While in high school, Riley studied privately with Dr. Brad DeRoche at Central Michigan University. He went on to pursue a BFA and a MM in guitar performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Columbus State University respectively. Riley has had the pleasure of learning performance and pedagogy from some of the leading guitar professors in America, such as Rene Izquierdo, Dr. Andrew Zohn, and Adam Holzman. In 2022, Riley taught at Carver Elementary and Arts Magnet School as a full time guitar instructor. He is currently pursuing a DMA in guitar performance from the University of Wisconsin Madison, Studying under Javier Calderon. Riley joined the Academy of Sound faculty in 2024.

Chris Telfer comes to us with a BA in Vocal, General & Instrumental Music from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. He also holds a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Marian College, and has a Doctoral Degree-in-progress at Edgewood College in Educational Leadership. Chris has worked as a Choral Director, Vocal/General Music Director, and Instrumental Director at multiple schools and grade levels. He is currently working in the Mount Horeb School District teaching 6th Grade General Music and Choir. Chris teaches brass instruments such as trombone, trumpet, euphonium, tuba, and the baritone, woodwind instruments, as well as piano, drums, and voice, and joined Academy of Sound in 2012.