Mr. Matthew Yoke - Director
Mr. Yoke accepted the high school orchestra position in Mentor Schools in 2013 and is currently the director of Mentor High School’s Concert Orchestra, String Sinfonia, Mannheim Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to teaching at Mentor High School, Mr. Yoke is also the director of 8th grade orchestras at both Shore Middle School and Memorial Middle School.
An avid lover of orchestral music, Mr. Yoke began his studies on violin at age 10 within Mentor Schools and also began studying privately at the Willoughby School of Fine Arts under the direction of Dr. Pinkasevic. Although the love for violin performance has remained with him to this day, Mr. Yoke was given the opportunity in middle school to switch to double bass and he acknowledges that this alteration during his adolescent years is probably the biggest reason that he chose to enter the field of music education and orchestral performance.
In addition to gaining admittance to the double bass sections of Mentor High School’s prestigious Symphony and Mannheim Chamber Orchestra’s, Mr. Yoke was also a consistent member of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Region Orchestra, as well as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. His teachers at the time included Sherry Luchete-Close, Nancy Perillo, William Amendol, Beth Klayman, as well as Cleveland Orchestra Members Kevin Switalski and Harry Barnoff.
After completing a lengthy collegiate audition circuit early in the year 2000, Mr. Yoke chose Miami University as the best option to complete his undergraduate degree in Music Education. While attending Miami, Mr. Yoke studied double bass performance with Professor Steve Ullery of the Dayton Philharmonic and graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Throughout his four years at Miami, he had the honor of performing in master classes with Edgar Meyer, Belá Fleck, Lawrence Hurst, James VanDemark, and Rick Vizachero. In addition to performing with Miami University’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Mr. Yoke was also admitted to The Middletown Symphony Orchestra as well as the Oxford Chamber Orchestra.
Upon graduating from Miami University, Mr. Yoke accepted a graduate position at The Ohio State University. He would continue his double bass studies with Paul Robinson (formerly of ProMusica and The Kennedy Center Opera House) and would continue his string pedagogy studies with world-famous author and clinician Dr. Robert Gillespie. It was under the direction of Dr. Gillespie that Mr. Yoke began to examine the intricate and broad approach to furthering students individual performance skills, while also maintaining an orchestra program that could produce several superior-level performances each year. Dr. Gillespie’s materials and coursework are currently being used in Mentor Schools Orchestra Courses everyday and can be attributed with much of the successful approach designed by Mr. Yoke and Ms. Driscoll.
Lastly, Mr. Yoke wants this community to know that his position with Mentor Schools truly has been, and still is, his dream job. There are very few musicians in the country that get the opportunity to work with such dedicated and talented students on a daily basis, and he is forever grateful for the privilege of continuing the tradition of exceptional orchestral music in Mentor!
An avid lover of orchestral music, Mr. Yoke began his studies on violin at age 10 within Mentor Schools and also began studying privately at the Willoughby School of Fine Arts under the direction of Dr. Pinkasevic. Although the love for violin performance has remained with him to this day, Mr. Yoke was given the opportunity in middle school to switch to double bass and he acknowledges that this alteration during his adolescent years is probably the biggest reason that he chose to enter the field of music education and orchestral performance.
In addition to gaining admittance to the double bass sections of Mentor High School’s prestigious Symphony and Mannheim Chamber Orchestra’s, Mr. Yoke was also a consistent member of the Ohio Music Educators Association’s Northeast Region Orchestra, as well as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. His teachers at the time included Sherry Luchete-Close, Nancy Perillo, William Amendol, Beth Klayman, as well as Cleveland Orchestra Members Kevin Switalski and Harry Barnoff.
After completing a lengthy collegiate audition circuit early in the year 2000, Mr. Yoke chose Miami University as the best option to complete his undergraduate degree in Music Education. While attending Miami, Mr. Yoke studied double bass performance with Professor Steve Ullery of the Dayton Philharmonic and graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Throughout his four years at Miami, he had the honor of performing in master classes with Edgar Meyer, Belá Fleck, Lawrence Hurst, James VanDemark, and Rick Vizachero. In addition to performing with Miami University’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Mr. Yoke was also admitted to The Middletown Symphony Orchestra as well as the Oxford Chamber Orchestra.
Upon graduating from Miami University, Mr. Yoke accepted a graduate position at The Ohio State University. He would continue his double bass studies with Paul Robinson (formerly of ProMusica and The Kennedy Center Opera House) and would continue his string pedagogy studies with world-famous author and clinician Dr. Robert Gillespie. It was under the direction of Dr. Gillespie that Mr. Yoke began to examine the intricate and broad approach to furthering students individual performance skills, while also maintaining an orchestra program that could produce several superior-level performances each year. Dr. Gillespie’s materials and coursework are currently being used in Mentor Schools Orchestra Courses everyday and can be attributed with much of the successful approach designed by Mr. Yoke and Ms. Driscoll.
Lastly, Mr. Yoke wants this community to know that his position with Mentor Schools truly has been, and still is, his dream job. There are very few musicians in the country that get the opportunity to work with such dedicated and talented students on a daily basis, and he is forever grateful for the privilege of continuing the tradition of exceptional orchestral music in Mentor!
Ms. Kim Driscoll - Director
Kim currently teaches orchestra for grades 5-7 at Mentor Public Schools. Kim grew up in Mentor and ended up taking over for the teacher who started her on the violin when she retired. Kim attended Miami University for Music Education and completed her masters degree at Ohio State University with Dr. Gillespie. Before her current teaching position, she taught in Middletown, OH, which is where she discovered BVS.
Learn more about Ms. Driscoll here.
Learn more about Ms. Driscoll here.
Mrs. Kacy Reyes- Director
Mrs. Reyes joined Mentor Schools district in 2021. Mrs. Reyes is a native of Bowling Green, OH and is in her 9th year of teaching, having taught 6 years in Akron Public Schools. Kacy is currently the lead teacher at Shore, directing the 7th and 8th grade orchestras in addition to co-teaching the cadet orchestras at Shore and Memorial with Ms. Driscoll and Mr. Yoke.
Mrs. Reyes graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's in Music Education with an Instrumental Specialization. She studied violin under Dr. Penny Kruse, completing her degree in 2015. In addition to studying violin, Kacy participated in the Falcon Marching Band, playing sousaphone. She enjoyed participating in many music ensembles during her time at BGSU. In 2021, Ms. Albright graduated from Kent State University with her Master's in Music Education.
She is excited to learn from her colleagues and continue to further the success of the Mentor Orchestra program!
Mrs. Reyes graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's in Music Education with an Instrumental Specialization. She studied violin under Dr. Penny Kruse, completing her degree in 2015. In addition to studying violin, Kacy participated in the Falcon Marching Band, playing sousaphone. She enjoyed participating in many music ensembles during her time at BGSU. In 2021, Ms. Albright graduated from Kent State University with her Master's in Music Education.
She is excited to learn from her colleagues and continue to further the success of the Mentor Orchestra program!
High School Section Coaches
Mrs. Masha Andreini - Violin
Masha Andreini was born in Moscow, Russia, where she began studying violin at the age of 6 with her father, Lev Chistyakov. She received her education at Moscow Central Special Music School and at the Moscow Conservatory.
In 1990, she received a full scholarship to study with Almita and Roland Vamos at the University of Minnesota. During her studies, she won several concerto competitions and participated in the Paganini Competition in Genoa (Italy) and in the Bach Competition in Germany. She has given numerous recitals in Russia, Europe, and the United States, and has performed with prominent orchestras, such as the Gorky Symphony (Russia), Orquesta de Julian Orbon (Spain), and the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra, both as soloist and as an orchestra member. She received her Bachelor’s degree and Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory. In 1997, she became a permanent member of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. Presently, she coaches violin sections at Mentor High School, teaches in Four Oaks music school in Painsville and performs with different groups in the Cleveland area.
Masha resides in Shaker Heights, with her husband and two sons.
In 1990, she received a full scholarship to study with Almita and Roland Vamos at the University of Minnesota. During her studies, she won several concerto competitions and participated in the Paganini Competition in Genoa (Italy) and in the Bach Competition in Germany. She has given numerous recitals in Russia, Europe, and the United States, and has performed with prominent orchestras, such as the Gorky Symphony (Russia), Orquesta de Julian Orbon (Spain), and the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra, both as soloist and as an orchestra member. She received her Bachelor’s degree and Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory. In 1997, she became a permanent member of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony. Presently, she coaches violin sections at Mentor High School, teaches in Four Oaks music school in Painsville and performs with different groups in the Cleveland area.
Masha resides in Shaker Heights, with her husband and two sons.
Dr. Carol Linsenmeier - Viola
Dr. Carol Linsenmeier has been a string teacher for over 40 years. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The College of Wooster, a Master of Music Education degree from The University of Georgia, and a Ph. D. in Special Education Research from Kent State University. She has taught in public school strings programs in Greenville, SC, Athens, GA, and was the Coordinator of the Suzuki Program in the Preparatory Department of the Music Department at The University of Georgia. Carol teaches violin and viola at The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby as she has for 37 years and was Music Department Chair there for 15 years. She also teaches at Rabbit Run Community Arts Association in Madison, and The Ashtabula Arts Center. Dr. Linsenmeier has conducted string ensembles at The Fine Arts Association and The Ashtabula Arts Center.
Carol is the principal violist of the Lakeland Civic Orchestra. She has performed solo recitals, and has played in several chamber ensembles. She has appeared as a studio musician on several albums by nationally and locally known musicians. Carol maintains an interest in ethnomusicology and has played fiddle in a Bluegrass band and also does Scottish fiddling. She is also a local history buff.
Dr. Linsenmeier is also a published author, having written chapters for a college textbook and a research compendium. Aside from her own doctoral research on the involvement of students with special needs in high school band and choir programs in Ohio, she was the documentarian for the Northern Ireland Cross Community Initiative and was part of an international research team for Boston University’s State Violence and the Right to Peace study. Carol has presented her research at The British Political Studies Association conference in Swansea, Wales, the Suzuki Association of the Americas national conference, and The National Park Service’s Annual Underground Railroad conference.
Carol is the principal violist of the Lakeland Civic Orchestra. She has performed solo recitals, and has played in several chamber ensembles. She has appeared as a studio musician on several albums by nationally and locally known musicians. Carol maintains an interest in ethnomusicology and has played fiddle in a Bluegrass band and also does Scottish fiddling. She is also a local history buff.
Dr. Linsenmeier is also a published author, having written chapters for a college textbook and a research compendium. Aside from her own doctoral research on the involvement of students with special needs in high school band and choir programs in Ohio, she was the documentarian for the Northern Ireland Cross Community Initiative and was part of an international research team for Boston University’s State Violence and the Right to Peace study. Carol has presented her research at The British Political Studies Association conference in Swansea, Wales, the Suzuki Association of the Americas national conference, and The National Park Service’s Annual Underground Railroad conference.
Mr. Jeff Singler - Cello
Jeff Singler is a professional cellist and educator based out of Cleveland. Mr. Singler teaches privately and has also served as cello faculty at Youngstown State University and Ohio University. He performs regularly with the Walden Players, Obsidian Quartet, Columbus Symphony, and Erie Philharmonic.
Mr. Singler was formerly Principal Cellist of the Ohio Valley Symphony, and has performed with the Blossom Festival Orchestra, Blue Water Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, Warren Philharmonic, and Youngstown Symphony, where he has filled in as Principal cellist. He has also been Acting Principal Cello in Erie, and frequently fills in as Principal or Assistant Principal in that orchestra.
Mr. Singler is an active recitalist and chamber musician, including guest artist recitals for First Night Canfield, the Bratenahl Chamber Music Series, the Youngstown State University Fine and Performing Arts Series, and the Cain Park Summer series. He has also been a featured soloist with the Ashtabula Orchestra, The Butler Choral Society, The Salem Youth Chorus, the Canton Comic Opera Company, the Dana Symphony at Youngstown State University, and with the Erie Philharmonic. His solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast over WYSU in Youngstown, WQED in Pittsburgh, WQLN in Erie, PA, and several performances are available on YouTube as well.
In the popular vein, Mr. Singler has recorded with the Sony label, been part of the Final Fantasy Tour Orchestra, and performed in concert with Amy Grant, Jordan Smith, and as principal cello for Clay Aiken and Michael W. Smith.
As an educator, Mr. Singler has been cello faculty at Youngstown State University and Ohio University, and currently teaches cello and chamber music privately in the Cleveland area. He gives frequent master classes, lectures, performances and coachings to middle school, high school, and collegiate level individual students and groups in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and has presented his clinic on cello tone and technique at OMEA Convention. His private students have achieved success at their schools, have been members of All-Region and All-State Orchestras, Contemporary Youth Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Students have gone on to successful careers in diverse fields, including music education, therapy, recording, and performance.
Mr. Singler holds a Master's Degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has taken part in the Aspen Music Festival and the Bowdoin Music Festival where he was performing and teaching assistant to Peter Howard. His most influential teachers have included Michael Gelfand, Alan Harris, Mark Schroeder, Peter Howard, Richard Weiss, and Bryan Dumm.
Mr. Singler was formerly Principal Cellist of the Ohio Valley Symphony, and has performed with the Blossom Festival Orchestra, Blue Water Chamber Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, Warren Philharmonic, and Youngstown Symphony, where he has filled in as Principal cellist. He has also been Acting Principal Cello in Erie, and frequently fills in as Principal or Assistant Principal in that orchestra.
Mr. Singler is an active recitalist and chamber musician, including guest artist recitals for First Night Canfield, the Bratenahl Chamber Music Series, the Youngstown State University Fine and Performing Arts Series, and the Cain Park Summer series. He has also been a featured soloist with the Ashtabula Orchestra, The Butler Choral Society, The Salem Youth Chorus, the Canton Comic Opera Company, the Dana Symphony at Youngstown State University, and with the Erie Philharmonic. His solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast over WYSU in Youngstown, WQED in Pittsburgh, WQLN in Erie, PA, and several performances are available on YouTube as well.
In the popular vein, Mr. Singler has recorded with the Sony label, been part of the Final Fantasy Tour Orchestra, and performed in concert with Amy Grant, Jordan Smith, and as principal cello for Clay Aiken and Michael W. Smith.
As an educator, Mr. Singler has been cello faculty at Youngstown State University and Ohio University, and currently teaches cello and chamber music privately in the Cleveland area. He gives frequent master classes, lectures, performances and coachings to middle school, high school, and collegiate level individual students and groups in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and has presented his clinic on cello tone and technique at OMEA Convention. His private students have achieved success at their schools, have been members of All-Region and All-State Orchestras, Contemporary Youth Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Students have gone on to successful careers in diverse fields, including music education, therapy, recording, and performance.
Mr. Singler holds a Master's Degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has taken part in the Aspen Music Festival and the Bowdoin Music Festival where he was performing and teaching assistant to Peter Howard. His most influential teachers have included Michael Gelfand, Alan Harris, Mark Schroeder, Peter Howard, Richard Weiss, and Bryan Dumm.