Voice

Melena began her journey at 7 years old when her family’s house burnt down. Tragic, yes, but when the wife of the family’s contractor (a piano teacher) saw her she instantly spotted a kindred spirit in the land of music. In the seventh grade, her choir director suggested she consider voice lessons and her fate as a musician was sealed. 21 years after a new house was built, Melena and her husband happily reside in the Columbus area and she has dedicated herself to bringing her life full circle and teaching young musicians the joy of her world.

As the daughter of an elementary music teacher, Noel Mira naturally developed a passion for music at a young age.  Noel started taking piano lessons at age 5, started writing her own music to sing and play around age 8, and started playing the flute around age 10.  Along with this, Noel also developed strong interests in other performing arts including theater and dance.  Throughout her life Noel has always participated in numerous school and church choirs, bands, dance classes, and theater productions.  In high school Noel became interested in teaching and founded a private dance instructi

Matt is a very experienced and accomplished guitarist who excels in the genres of rock, hard rock, and blues.  He became interested in guitar at a very young age and began taking formal lessons at age 9 and continued though 16.  He went on to study guitar and music theory in college at Owens College and Terra C.C. where he played in the school's electric music ensemble.

Nate Shaw took his bachelor's degree from Capital University (2006), studying jazz and contemporary piano under Mark Flugge. He has also studied classical piano with Dr. Tianshu Wang and Hammond B3 organ with Adrienne Hindmarsh. In 2006 he toured the U.S. and overseas as keyboardist with the Columbus-based group 'Lt. Dan's New Legs' (LDNL). In 2010 he took his master's degree from the International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS) at Newcastle University, under the supervision of Dr. Nanette de Jong.

Paul Valdiviez's musical career began in Omaha, Nebraska. He played percussion in the NMEA All-State Orchestra his junior year and drumset/ vibraphone in the NMEA All-State Jazz Band his senior year. He studied percussion at Capital University and graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in Music Technology in 2009.  While at Capital, Paul played in several diverse ensembles, including Jazz Percussion Ensemble, Orchestra, Chamber Percussion Ensemble, and Rock Band. He has studied jazz piano with Mark Flugge privately and classical piano under Pam Fusselman.

Pamela Villarreal has been teaching in the Columbus area for 5 years and has been with GNG Music Instruction since October 2008. She has been studying the piano for 18 years with various instructors, including time spent at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. Her main areas of focus include classical piano, specifically the late classical and romantic periods, and accompaniment. As a vocalist, she sings in the alto and mezzo soprano ranges and primarily works with musical theater material.

Matt Opachick has always been involved in Music. Growing up in Washington, Pennsylvania, Matt picked up the violin and the guitar from an early age. In high school he was able to participate in District, Regional, and State Orchestras, as well as the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra for two years. Also, while still in High School he participated in the Jazz Band, Marching Band, and several Rock Bands as a guitar player.  Choosing to leave his hometown to study music, he attended Capital University in Bexley, Ohio.

Courtney has been immersed in music all of her life. From the time she could talk, her mother was teaching her to sing melodies and harmonies. At age seven, she and her other three siblings began private piano lessons. She continued her study through High School and into college. This, she says, is one of the things for which she is most grateful. This skill has proven to be extremely valuable throughout her life. At age 12, she began to teach herself guitar and learned to play and sing while in her Church's praise band.

Colin was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1987. He started playing saxophone when he was 10 years old and shortly after began studying piano. Throughout high school, Colin received many accolades for his performance and musical talents. He sat first chair in his high school Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and was a member of the West Virginia All-State Concert Band.

Alyssa started playing piano with her grandmother at age 5 and loved making music so much that she joined the school orchestra, band and choir. As she spent more time playing, her primary focus became cello and she began to study privately with cellists from the Lima Symphony and Bowling Green State University. Alyssa also participated in the Lima Area Youth Orchestra, District III Honors Orchestra and at the BGSU Summer Strings Program during high school.