Palm Beach Suzuki School of Music
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Faculty:


Picturephoto © Moya Studio
Ida Ivanovic (piano)
was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia in South Eastern Europe. She graduated with honors in 1991 from former Yugoslavia’s most distinguished High School of Musical Arts ‘Stevan Mokranjac’ having studied piano performance and music theory.
She earned her BM in piano performance from the University of Belgrade in 1996, studying with eminent pianists of former Yugoslavia Aleksandar Sandorov, Dejan Sinadinovic and Jasmina Gavrilovic. During her studies she also attended master classes working with one of the founders of European Piano Teachers Association, Arbo Valdma from Cologne, Germany.
She was very active both as an author and translator for the Musical Artists Association publication ‘Pro Musica’ and was awarded the First Prize at the National Competition for the article ‘Mozart and Free Masons’.
While exploring music history and its effects on style of piano music interpretation were her passions, the biggest challenge and the most important goal in her musical journey is to show children the beauty and joy of music making as well as help parents understand the enormous benefits these studies bring about through practice and performance.
Even during her studies, she started working with young pianists and right after graduation continued teaching at ‘Stevan Mokranjac’ High School of Musical Arts. During the war in her country, she worked as an accompanist at ‘Giuseppe Tartini’ Music School in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and shortly after moved with her family to work at Suzuki School of Newton, MA.
While accompanying at this Suzuki program, she was able to observe their group classes which sparked a great interest in this new method, not popular in Europe at that time. Supported by Sachiko Isihara, piano teacher trainer and director of the Newton school, she began her studies of Suzuki Piano Method in 2001. with two SAA Piano Committee members – Master Teachers Mary Craig Powell, OH (Chair) and Dorris Harrel, TX as well as Ms. Cristine Magasiner, one of the pioneers of Suzuki Method in London, England and Caroline Fraser from Peru.
Her approach and personal teaching style came out combining 'best of both worlds' - traditional and Suzuki.
She is an active member of Music Teachers National Association and board member of Palm Beach County MTA, where she serves as Chair for Judging Musicales. Her students are recognized and awarded every year in various MTNA events and competitions, as well as being accepted into art schools in the area after successfully passing the auditions.
Ida Ivanovic currently lives with her family in west Boynton Beach and teaches at Palm Beach Suzuki School of Music from 2006.

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Rita Hough (piano) 
has been registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas since 2000 and has been a private piano instructor for over 20 years. Her love for music began at an early age where she studied the traditional method of piano for 10 years with a private instructor in her hometown, Berne, Indiana. She received her first introduction to the Suzuki method at a concert in the early 1970’s featuring Dr. Suzuki and his young Suzuki violinists from Japan. It was after attending this concert that Rita realized her desire to teach the Suzuki method. She began her initial Suzuki training in Peru, South America in the late 1990’s with Master Teacher Caroline Fraser. She continued her teacher training at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan in the summer of 2000, with Master Teacher Armena Marderosian.
At the same time that Rita was training with various Master Teachers, she was very involved with raising a family of two daughters alongside her husband Tom as they lived in the Amazon region of Peru from the mid-1980’s until the early 2000’s. They work alongside the indigenous peoples of the region. Rita continued her study in Lima, Peru with Master teacher, Caroline Fraser, receiving private instruction and upgrading her book levels. This enabled Rita to participate with two of her students at the South America Suzuki Festival in 2002. Further instruction throughout the years has included formal teacher training with Suzuki piano pioneer, Doris Koppelman, Jane Kutscher Reed, and Supplemental Training with teacher trainer, Annette Lee. Always inspired by the spirit of learning and sharing, Rita has had the opportunity to observe and study with outstanding teachers throughout the years. This is reflected in her expertise as she instructs her students. Her passion for teaching and for passing music on to another generation is surpassed only by her love and commitment to each student and their families.
With new students, Rita first introduces them to the Suzuki repertoire as their foundation, then adds other genres of music to expand their appreciation and understanding of the musical language. Her bi-weekly group classes offered at PBSSM are a vital part of the fun and interactive learning for all students. One of her greatest joys are the group classes where playing games, learning music theory and practical musical concepts, participating in duets, trios, ensembles, and piano group performances are all part of making a well-rounded musician. These group classes continue to build musical and lasting friendships throughout the years.
Rita has maintained a full and diverse studio throughout the years. She has successfully prepared several students for their auditions to study piano at BAK Middle School and Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
Rita currently resides in the Wellington area with her husband Tom, who travels back and forth to Peru as the work there has continued throughout the years. She enjoys traveling with him when possible, as they both have a heart for the people there.
Her
family includes her two daughters Melissa and Hannah, and two granddaughters, Madison and Selah.


Dr Germán Marcano (cello) - Venezuelan cellist with one of the most versatile career in Latin American scene. Well known as a classical musician, Marcano has embarked a number of different projects on teaching, researching and even performing Venezuelan popular music, creating a very diverse and distinctive musical career. At age 17 he received by unanimous decision of the jury, the "Best Young Musician of the year Award” granted by the Reading Symphony Orchestra, England, and was subsequently invited as a soloist with ensembles such as the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Surrey University Symphony Orchestra, Guildford Camerata and the Surrey Philharmonia. His training started in Venezuela and continued in England and the US with Stefan Popov, William Pleeth and Uri Vardi, along attending courses and masterclasses with Franz Helmerson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Raquel Adonaylo, Lynn Harrel and Janos Starker. His performances have received excellent reviews from audiences in England, The US and Latin America. In Venezuela Marcano performed frequently as soloist with the main orchestras in the country, including the Simon Bolivar Symphony, Orquesta Municipal de Caracas, Filarmónica Nacional and Sinfónica de Venezuela, and in Latin America with the Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, Orquesta Juvenil de Guayaquil, Sinfónica de Cuenca (Ecuador). In 2008 he premiered the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Carlos Vázques with the Puerto Rican Symphony, piece composed specially for Marcano. Marcano was principal cello with the Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra between 1985 and 1997, performing in numerous tours and recordings with them, under conductors such as Eduardo Mata, Zubin Mehta and Seigi Ozawa. He has been invited as principal cello with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, South Florida Symphony and the Orquesta Municipal de Caracas. Marcano was founder of the Rios Reyna String Quartet, one of the most important chamber groups in Latin America, with eleven years of professional career worldwide, and 2 commercial recordings, one of them devoted to Latin-American works. During that time the Rios Reyna concertized extensively in Europe, Latin and North America, counting among their guests Monique Duphil, Frank Fernandez, Michelle Lethiec and other important Venezuelan musicians. For their 10th anniversary the Rios Reyna Quartet performed in Caracas the 2 Brahms sextets together with members of the legendary Amadeus String Quartet. As a teacher Marcano held an important posts at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory (El Sistema), the Emil Friedman School, the Simón Bolívar University, and the Mozarteum Center’s Music School, teaching cello and chamber music. Marcano has regular appeareances in summer courses and Festivals in Latin America such as the Curso Duo Aldo Parisot, Aruba Symphony Festival, Festival Nuevo Mundo, Quito Cellos, Academia de Verano Mozarteun Venezuela, among others. In 2021 Marcano has been chosen to be part of the cello course organized by the Fundación MpMusic in Spain. From 2005 to 2007 Marcano was artistic director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas-Venezuela. Since then he appears ocasionally conducting the Simon Bolivar Symphony, Filarmonica Nacional. Sinfonica de Yaracuy, Sinfonica Juvenil de Merida and Centro Mozarteum in Venezuela, and the Madison Cello Institute (Wisconsin), Kameristika Chamber Orchestra and VUM (Miami-Florida). Among his publications we can count "A catalog of Latin American works for cello" (2004), an edition of the Suite for cello and piano by Venezuelan composer Modesta Bor 2006), and the cello works of Juan Bautista Plaza (2015). Three commercial recordings complete his profile as a cellist: one including works by "Schumann, Beethoven, Debussy" (2005), and two others devoted to folk Venezuelan music: "Rochela" (2011) and "Aquí y allá" (2018). Recently, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization, CelloBello and the Venezuelan cellist Horacio Contreras, the catalog was released online as the “Sphinx catalog of Latin American cello works”, becoming one of the most important publications on this genre. German Marcano holds a BMus degree from the University of Surrey, England, the Premier Prix diploma from the Guildhall School of Music in London, and Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently lives in Florida where he teaches and plays regularly cello solo and chamber music with The Music in Miami series, and also with the Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Symphony, Atlantic Classical Orchestra and South Florida Symphony Orchestras.


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Amari Guerere, Violin

Venezuelan violinist raised in the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela (El Sistema), and member of the “Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra” for 17 years. As a member of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Miss Guerere performed with distinguished international artists, touring Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as participating in various commercial
recordings with the late Mexican conductor Eduardo Mata.
Miss Guerere studied violin with Jose Francisco Del Castillo in Venezuela, participating in courses and festivals with recognized teachers such as Josy Zivonni and Vartan Manoogian, among others. At the same time, she studied musical education at the IUDEM (University Institute of Music Studies) and “Education for children with special needs” in AVEPANE in Caracas, Venezuela.
Being a member of “El Sistema”, she worked as a violin teacher in the Orchestral Center of Montalban and Chacao in Caracas, and the Emil Friedman’s School for more than 20 years. She has also taught in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, taking part in pioneering music projects in the Brazilian “favelas” (low-income communities).
Miss Guerere has been living in Florida since 2017. Since then, she has been an active free lance musician in the area, performing regularly with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra and other local orchestral groups.
Miss Guerere is a certified Suzuki Method Teacher, under the guidance of David Storm and Ann Montzka-Smelser and is currently teaching violin at “The Palm Beach Suzuki School of Music” in Lake Worth, “Kalos Music and Arts School” in Aventura, “Da’s Music School” in Miami Gardens, and the Volta Music Foundation.
She is married to cellist German Marcano and lives in Miramar with daughter Laura and son Raul.


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