drgasse@gasseschoolofmusic.org
Specialty: Cello, MusikGarten, and Chamber Music
Dr. Daniel Gasse is a Founding Director of the Gasse School of Music in Forest Park, where he teaches cello, MusikGarten and coaches chamber music.
Dr. Gasse has a Profesor de Violoncello degree from the Concervatorio Provincal de Musica de la Provincia de Cordoba, Argentina, a master’s degree and a doctorate in Musical Arts with a minor in Music Education from the University of Illinois.
Dr. Gasse has more than 30 years experience teaching cello and coaching chamber music and orchestra. His training and experience includes traditional methods as well as the Suzuki method. He also has experience teaching college students as a former faculty member of Columbia College and Olivet Nazarene University. Many of his students have taken cello for their music major college degrees and several of them have earned the first prize in the Concerto Competition of the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Gasse also is trained in and has many years experience in early childhood education. He has extensively taught Orff and MusikGarten classes. Along with his wife, Sarah Gasse, Dr. Gasse founded the Music for Life Foundation; a not-for-profit organization that provided scholarships to students that otherwise would not have been able to take instrumental lessons. He was also the music director of the Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians in Chicago for 12 years, until 2002.
Dr. Gasse served as principal cellist of the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra for 18 years until January 2006 and currently plays with the Oak Park River Forest Symphony Orchestra. He was the cellist in the Opus 3 Piano Trio, the Convergence String Quartet and has been a member of the Chicago Twentieth Century Music Ensemble until the end of its regular performances.
Previous experience include numerous performances as a recitalist, and soloist with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and the United States, as well as holding the position of principal or assistant principal cellist in orchestras in Argentina, Brazil and the US.
Dr. Gasse is also the author of the books The Music Written for Cello by Argentinean Composers, and The History of Spain Through the Arts. Dr. Gasse is a frequent guest clinician for the River Forest middle school orchestra program.
Specialty: Violin, Viola, Chamber Music
Mrs. Sarah Gasse teaches viola, violin, chamber music at The Gasse School of Music in Forest Park, IL where she is also a Founding Director.
Mrs. Gasse is a native of Sunderland, England. She attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland and Glasgow University where she earned the BA (Musical Studies) HONS degree. After performing with renowned ensembles such as Britten-Pears Orchestra, Scottish Early Music Consort and the Cruic Quartet, she emigrated to the United States in 1995 for a career in performance and teaching.
She has coached the string sections of The McHenry County Youth Orchestra and The Kankakee Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has been on the faculty of Olivet Nazarene University, The Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians in Chicago and the McHenry County Music Center. She also was the Director of Chamber Music at the McHenry County Music Center.
Mrs. Gasse’s training and experience includes both traditional and Suzuki methods for strings and early childhood music education. Mrs. Gasse and her husband, Dr. Daniel Gasse, founded the Music for Life Foundation; a not-for-profit organization that provided scholarships to students that otherwise would not have been able to take instrumental music lessons.
Mrs. Gasse played viola in the Oak Park River Forest Symphony Orchestra for two years until 2007, and was principal violist at the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra for 9 years until May 2006. She also played violin in the Opus 3 Piano Trio and viola in the Convergence String Quartet. Mrs. Gasse is a frequent guest clinician for the River Forest middle school orchestra program.
In 2014, Mrs. Gasse presented at the Music Teacher’s National Conference: “Piano Trios for Tots through Teens: An Exploration of Piano, Violin and Cello Trios for the Beginning through Intermediate Levels”
Zhivko Nikolov has taught guitar at The Gasse School of Music since 2013. He has been teaching private guitar lessons since 2006. In addition he was also the guitar instructor in two Bulgarian Learning Centers and has experience teaching students of any age.
Mr. Nikolov started playing classical guitar when he was 11. His attraction to the instrument guided his choice to continue his education with music in the “Pancho Vladigerov” High School for Music in Bourgas, Bulgaria. During his youth studies he was often given the chance to perform solo and with ensembles on various occasions such as; guitar seminars, festivals, and concerts. The musical environment helped him build his musicianship skills, scene behavior, and general musical knowledge from early adolescence. When residing in Bulgaria, Mr. Nikolov won prizes in a few competitions such as:
Mr. Nikolov moved permanently to the United States in 2007, and shortly after that he auditioned and was accepted to the Music Conservatory of Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. Since then he had studied under the supervision of the well-known performer and Professor Denis Azabagic.
Since his enrollment in Roosevelt University, he has has the exceptional chance to meet and perform for several world-known artists such as Marcin Dylla, Paul Galbraith, Elena Papandreo, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Nicholas Golouses, Mathew Cochran, and Eduardo Catemario. Furthermore he also often performed in concerts, and guitar seminars both inside and outside of Chicago.
Mr. Nikolov won the 2nd prize in Louisville International Solo Competition (Kentucky), and was also among the semifinalists in Rosario Guitar Competition (South Carolina), and Indiana International Guitar Competition (Bloomington, Indiana).
In addition to his classical musical training, Mr. Nikolov is also interested in various musical styles and genres. In 2012 he formed a clarinet- guitar duo with which he often performs world music at various venues in Chicago.
regina@gasseschoolofmusic.org
Regina is a certified Suzuki Instructor and received her pedagogical training at the Chicago Suzuki Institute. She holds a degree in violin performance with high honors from the University of Illinois with post-graduate studies at Northwestern University. She has been teaching both Suzuki and traditional methods since 2000. Within the Suzuki method, she introduces note reading as soon as her students feel secure with their instruments. She also enjoys teaching students who are older and already experienced using a more traditional method.
Ms. Leslie began studying violin at 5 through the Suzuki Method. Later, she studied with Ruth Ray (a Leopold Auer student who taught Jascha Heifetz), Emmanuel Vardi, and Gerardo Ribeiro.
She ahs played with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Richmond (VA), Gainesville, and Rockford Symphonies and toured as a soloist, playing and singing, in Japan with the Bill Porter Orchestra. Currently she Freelances in the Chicago area with various ensembles as a classical and electric violinist.
Ms. Leslie is also a professional soprano, Avid traveler and SCUBA diver. She lives with her husband in Berwin, IL. More can be found about her at www.reginaleslie.com
Milos@gasseschoolofmusic.org
Milos Cekic, born in Serbia in 1997, is a highly accomplished pianist who has earned international recognition. Milos has over 10 years of piano teaching experience and has successfully taught more than 100 students, fostering a deep love for music and honing their skills. His dedication to nurturing musical talend and creating a supportive learning environment has been a hallmark of his teaching journey.
He completed his music high school in 2016, and then continued his studies, finishing his bachelor’s degree under the guidance of renowned professor Milos Mihajlovic. In pursuit of further growth, Milos moved to the United States to begin his master’s studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago, studying under esteemed pianist Adam Neiman and Winston Choi.
Milos has won over 40 international prizes and awards throughout his career . At just 14 years old, he earned 1st place at the prestigious Nikolai Rubinstein Piano Competition in Paris. He has collaborated with numerous pianists worldwide and attended masterclasses with prominent musicians such as Aleksander Serdar, yuri Kok, Milos Mihajlovic, Boris Kraljevic, And steven Spooner.
Milos has preformed concerts in countries including the United States, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Italy, Germany, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and many others, both as soloist and accompanist.