Directors & Teachers
Daniel Frankhuizen (Private Lessons) Daniel Frankhuizen has performed throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist, chamber musician, and in several pop groups. He has performed in a variety of venues from Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Storm King Art Center. He has served as principal cellist for the Empire Chamber Orchestra and Opera in the Ozarks Festival Orchestra. As a founding member of the Orvieto Piano Trio, he has performed classical piano trio literature across the United States, Canada, and Italy. Daniel is active as a composer, arranger, and studio musician in a wide variety of genres. Daniel has worked alongside and opened for Roger Daltrey and The Who, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Stefon Harris, Rubblebucket, Miracles of Modern Science, and Ben Sollee. In his own compositions and film scoring, Daniel’s work has been shown at South by Southwest and Toronto Film Festival. As an improvising jazz musician, Daniel is an active member of Neil Alexander’s X Ensemble and Bobby Previte’s Blueprints. Daniel is an avid teacher and is in his fourth year as cello faculty at Stringendo Music. His teaching and workshops are informed by masterclasses from the Guarneri String Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, Peter Wiley, Zuill Bailey, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. Daniel holds degrees from Ithaca College and Purchase College Music Conservatory.
Jonathan Handman (Artistic Director, Mazurka, Vivace), conductor, teacher, and cellist, is co-founder and Artistic Director of Stringendo Inc., a music school that is committed to furthering the growth and talents of string players in the Hudson Valley. Under Jonathan’s direction, Vivace, Stringendo’s most advanced ensemble has garnered numerous awards including the Grand Champion Orchestra at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in 2016, 2014 and 2009; and The American Prize winner in Orchestra Performance – Youth Orchestra Division in 2013. Jonathan is also in his fourteenth year at Arlington High School in LaGrangeville, NY, where he is the conductor of two symphony orchestras and directs an extensive chamber music program. In addition to Arlington’s Philharmonia Orchestra, which has won the 2017 and 2012 Public School Grand Champion Prize at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival, chamber ensembles from this program have performed at Lincoln Center (2015) and made it into the live quarterfinal round of the 2012 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
Jonathan is also the conductor of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and based on his work conducting the ensemble, the review by Leslie Gerber in the Woodstock Times said, “I have never heard the WCO sounding better than it did under Handman.” In 2013, Jonathan was the winner of the American Prize in Conducting/Youth Orchestra Division. In addition, he received the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award in Music Education from the Oberlin Conservatory and in 2002 was Oberlin’s invited guest speaker representing the decade of the 1990’s at its 100th year anniversary celebration of music education. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor for honor orchestras throughout the northeast, most recently working with groups from Syracuse, Albany and Virginia. One of his treasured experiences was spending a six month residence in La Paz, Bolivia as a cellist in the Arka-Ira String Quartet, The Bolivian National Symphony, and Professor of Cello at the Bolivian National Conservatory. As a freelance musician, his studies include The Eastman School of Music (Trombone performance), The Oberlin Conservatory (B.A. in Music Education, Cello) and an M.A in orchestral conducting from SUNY Fredonia. Jonathan currently resides in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. with his wife Kim and two sons, Jack and T.J.
Rachel Handman (Chaconne) Originally from Hyde Park, NY, violinist Rachel Handman’s virtuosity and improvisational ability appears in many musical forms, including classical, bluegrass, Irish, pop and folk. Broadway show credits include Dr. Zhivago, Something Rotten!, Miss Saigon, and most recently, Carousel. Rachel is a a long standing member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and is Associate Concert Master of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. With recent and upcoming performances at Carnegie Hall, she also plays in the New York Oratorio Society Orchestra under the direction of Kent Tritle. Rachel has toured Mexico with Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, and Germany, both on stage and in the orchestra with the shows “My Fair Lady” and “On The Town.” Loving travel and exposure to other cultures, Rachel lived in La Paz, Bolivia where she was in the National Symphony of Bolivia, concertized with a string quartet, and eventually joined a Salsa band named Guapacha! After returning to the states, Rachel began fiddling and immersing herself in different folk and fiddle styles. With her band, Uncommon Ground, she has performed at many festivals including the Doc Watson Festival, Carolina in the Fall, and Winter-Hawk festival.
Rachel has also performed with Natalie Merchant, Norm Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, and the legendary Ray Charles.
In addition to performing, Rachel has a private violin studio in Poughkeepsie. She is a coach at Music at Port Milford, a chamber music festival in Canada, and is a teacher at Summer Strings. Rachel is honored to be working with Stringendo and Chaconne!
Stephen Minor (Private Lessons, Poughkeepsie Initiative) is a growing violinist who started his training at the age of 8. Originally from the Hudson Valley, he studied with violinist Rachel Handman and furthered his knowledge at SUNY Fredonia where he studied under Dr. David Colwell to fulfill a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance. While at SUNY Fredonia, he had the opportunity to participate in master classes with the Lincoln Trio, vocalist and pianist Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish, violinist Ana Milosalvjevic, and had the privilege to play with world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Stephen has had the opportunity to tour throughout New York State with the String Faculty of SUNY Fredonia as well as with his colleagues. As of May 2015, Stephen graduated with his Bachelor of Music degree and down the line hopes to continue his knowledge and obtain a Masters in Violin Performance. Stephen is an alumni of both the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers and the Orchestra School. Stephen plays with the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra and the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and continues with gigs on the side.
Chelsea Needham (Cranberries, Strawberries, Private Lessons) graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a Bachelors in Music Education in 2014. She has had the privilege to study the violin and viola classically under David Rose, Rachel Handman and Emily Schaad. Some of her accomplishments as a classical musician include winning Stringendo’s concerto competition (category C) in 2008, performing a concerto with Arlington High School’s: Philharmonia in 2010, becoming a finalist in Fredonia’s concerto competition in 2012, and sitting Concert Master of Fredonia’s College Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. David Rudge for 4 semesters. Chelsea has also had the privilege to study and/or play fiddle/folk music with many wonderful musicians including: James Alexander, Bruce Molsky, Natalie McMaster, Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, and more. The majority of her folk studies are of Celtic and Americana music, but she has attended workshops and classes to learn about other styles as well. Chelsea has been a member of the Stringendo community since 2004.
Kristina Rizzo (Prelude) has been teaching strings in Arlington School District for 30 years at the elementary and middle school levels and is currently the 6th and 8th grade orchestra director at Union Vale Middle School. She attended the Crane School of Music SUNY Potsdam, and Western Connecticut State University, receiving a Bacheor’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in violin pedagogy and a Master of Science. Mrs. Rizzo is currently the principal second violinist in the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra and the assistant principal second violinist in the Newburgh Symphony and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra. A certified NYSSMA adjudicator and active member of NYSSMA and the American String Teachers Association, she enjoys guest conducting and teaching – not to mention, camping, reading, travel, and spending time with her husband and 2 sons, Louis and Matthew who are graduates of the Stringendo orchestra and fiddle programs.
Carole Schaad (Artistic Director, Raspberries, Cranberries) is Artistic Director of Stringendo’s fiddle program and Summer Strings. In 1998, along with Mr. Handman, she founded the original Summer Strings program. She performs with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and has been President of the Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society. Mrs. Schaad has been playing the violin since her childhood in Maine, when the local music director of her school spotted her at six years of age in her backyard “playing” violin with two sticks for a bow and fiddle, and started her on the road to real music. In 2011 she was invited to be a guest fiddle teacher at a Suzuki festival in London. She teaches privately in Rhinebeck and is the violin teacher at Dutchess Day School.
Emily Schaad (Artistic Director) is a native of Rhinebeck and an Artistic Director and co-founder of Stringendo. She has previously directed the Strawberries, Cranberries, Intermezzo, Tarantella, Chaconne and Prelude Orchestras and served as Stringendo’s Executive Director. Ms. Schaad studied viola at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music and performed with Hudson Valley Philharmonic for 20 years. She plays traditional Southern Appalachian music on the fiddle and banjo and holds a masters in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University. She is working toward her DMA in Music Education and resides in Asheville, North Carolina. Ms. Schaad is Music Director of Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra and Greenville County Youth Orchestras, and plays viola in Asheville and Greenville Symphonies
Danielle Stier (Intermezzo, Tarantella, Private Lessons), a violinist of unique sensibilities, grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY. She began her formal training with violinist, Marla Rathbun while concurrently studying for six years at the Stringendo Orchestra School of the Hudson Valley. Ms. Stier continued her studies at the State University of New York at Fredonia where she prospered under the tutelage of Professor Janet Sung and was mentored by cellist, Natasha Farny and violist, David Rose. After two years of study she transferred to DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, where she continued to train under Professor Sung. While at DePaul, Ms. Stier continued to diversify her playing and teaching background by studying early music and historically informed performance practice with baroque violinist Brandi Berry and harpsichordist Jason Moy. In addition to her training as a modern violinist and baroque violinist, Ms. Stier also has training as a fiddler, which is highlighted by her work with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers. As a strong proponent of chamber music, Ms. Stier has been a participant at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and the Hot Springs Music Festival. She has performed widely with a number of other chamber ensembles and orchestras.
With a teaching background as diverse as her performance career, she has taught high school strings for the Naperville High School in Illinois, beginning violin for Amadeus Strings in Poughkeepsie, NY, group violin classes for Music For Kids in Chicago, IL, among many others. After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance and music education she returned to New York, where she serves as the orchestra teacher for the Fox Lane High School, and directs the Intermezzo and Tarantella Orchestras of the Stringendo Orchestra School of the Hudson Valley. Ms. Stier recently completed her Masters of Music Education degree through the Boston University.
Andrea Velasquez (Overture, Boysenberries, Private Lessons) is a violinist who grew up in White Plains, NY and later moved to Wappingers Falls, NY where her passion for music really took off. She spent 12 years making music as a student with the Stringendo Orchestra School of the Hudson Valley, participating in their orchestra program, fiddle program, and summer camps. Andrea had countless performance opportunities with Stringendo including a performance tour of Scotland and England with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers as well as winning their Concerto Competition in 2012.
Andrea received her Bachelors of Music Education from The State University of New York at Fredonia in 2017, where she performed with Fredonia’s College Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Carousel Jazz strings, the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra, the Southern Tier Symphony Orchestra, and her string quartet, The Sirens. After graduating from Fredonia, she returned home and became a private teacher and assistant conductor with the Stringendo program. After student-teaching, she taught in the Arlington Central School District as a leave replacement for orchestra director Elizabeth Handman at Arlington High School. She is currently in her first year as a full-time orchestra teacher at Fox Lane Middle School. Additionally, Andrea is teaching the Overture orchestra on Saturdays with Stringendo as well as the Boysenberries on Tuesdays with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers program.
Cassity Warnecke (Private Lessons, Poughkeepsie Initiative) Cassity Warnecke first began her violin studies at age 3. At age 5 she decided that she wanted to be a professional violinist when she grew up. Today, she is living happily by that decision. Cassity is currently a violist with the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra, a freelance violinist and violist, and also a private violin and viola instructor. She attended SUNY at Fredonia, where she studied with Dr. David Colwell and pursued a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance. While there, Cassity joined and eventually co-directed Carousel Strings, Fredonia’s jazz string ensemble. Prior to college, she was privileged with the private instruction of a few teachers, including Rachel Handman, Emily Schaad, and Michael Dabrowski. Over the years, Cassity has been lucky enough to tour Long Island NY with the SUNY Fredonia Chamber Orchestra, Scotland and northern England in 2012 with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers, and to participate in masterclasses with the Shanghai Quartet and individually with violinists Weigang Li, Yi-Wen Jiang, and Amy Glidden. With hopes to soon begin a Masters in Music Education, Cassity intends to continue experiencing and sharing music with the world.