Faculty Category: 3 Vale Rd.

Amy Feriante, piano and voice faculty

A versatile musician and instructor of many talents and interests, Amy Feriante began her piano study at age 7 under Annamarie Lindstrom, and began playing the flute in school at age 8. By middle school, she was studying flute privately as well as participating actively in her  local community theater.

In high school, Ms. Feriante devoted most of her spare time to various musical ensembles, and began taking private voice lessons in addition to piano lessons. She sang in both Concert Choir and Madrigal Ensemble, and co-founded North Harford High School’s first ever all-women’s barbershop quartet. In the summer of 2001, she spent 10 days touring Italy with her various choirs, where she was given the amazing opportunity to sing a solo in the Vatican!

Amy attended Lebanon Valley College and graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Music Education. There she immersed herself in Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Symphony Orchestra, recording technology, and pedagogical approaches.

Ms. Feriante began her teaching career in Delaware, teaching middle school, general music, and choir. Five years later, she moved to Portland, Oregon.  While there, she began teaching private piano and voice at Ethos Music, and joined Beati Chorum, a professional choir based in Portland.

Driven by her passion for music and for helping others, Ms. Feriante now teaches part time at Mother Seton Academy in Baltimore, in addition to Bel Air Music Studios. Her training in music education has given her tools for working with children of all ages and backgrounds, including those with learning disabilities or on the autism spectrum, but she is at ease with students of all ages, including adults and the very young.

Carol Biskup, piano faculty

Carol Biskup has been teaching piano in Harford County since 1985. Her concentration is on the basics of playing and the classical approach to playing. She likes to get to know each student as an individual and find music for each one to inspire their love for music. She enjoys teaching all ages of people from the very young to senior citizens.
Carol received an AA in music from Harford Community College, and also received the Student Leadership Award upon graduation for her participation in many community musical groups. She also sings and plays several other instruments.

She received a BA in Music magna cum laude with concentration in piano from Towson University. She has also studied piano pedagogy at Westminster Choir College. In addition, she taught class piano for all ages at Harford Community College. She is a member of the Harford County Piano Teacher’s Association, and served as the Association’s President for two years.

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Brian Streckfus, guitar faculty

Brian Streckfus received his Bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. There, he studied with Ray Chester, who chairs the guitar department at Peabody Conservatory and is one of the world’s leading guitarists. In addition, he has also studied with other notable pedagogues including classical guitarists Serap Bastepe-Gray, Julian Gray and James Hontz, as well as jazz guitarists Brian Kooken and Vincent Corson.

In addition to guitar, Mr. Streckfus has long-standing interests in numerous music topics, including the pedagogy of guitar and the pedagogy of music theory. He also has a love for music technology, and his knowledge of music equipment in general is invaluable for an aspiring guitarist. He often incorporates and explains effects, chord detection programs and interactive games that help students develop the necessary fundamentals to become successful musicians.

Brian Streckfus started music at age 9, playing percussion on a snare drum. Soon after, he started playing on a full drum set and taking private lessons. After playing various orchestral percussion instruments in middle school band, he discovered guitar at the age of fifteen, playing tabs of his favorite songs and jamming with friends.

The new-found interest in guitar and in music became a turning point in his life. He quickly developed a love for music, and was inspired to enroll in three years of guitar and music theory, extra-curricular jazz band and private lessons in high school.

One major reason Mr. Streckfus continued with music is because his grades improved dramatically the year he really got into music. He thinks that music gave him a purpose that he wouldn’t otherwise have had. “That’s one of many reasons,” Streckfus says, “that music lessons should be available to everyone.”

Shortly after that, Mr. Streckfus studied classical and jazz guitar in college, played in jazz big bands for a total of three years, and continued to collaborate with musicians in diverse genres and styles, acquiring extensive ensemble experience both in and out of school. In addition, he has performed jazz, popular and classical genres at numerous Maryland music venues. These include Baltimore’s Lyric Opera House, Miriam A Friedberg Concert hall, Towson’s Recher Theatre, Fret Fest at Goodwin Hall, the Cohen Davison Family Theatre, Fallston Hall and Fletcher’s.

More than anything, Brian Streckfus is motivated by a desire to give back to the music community, to keep the art of music alive and available, and to improve music pedagogy by incorporating technology.  It isn’t unusual for him to work on and teach rock music, electronic music, improvisation, Indian ragas, and classical music on the same day. The versatility of his chosen instrument, and the sense that there is always something new and exciting around the next corner, is what he believes keeps his students coming back for more.

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Viktor Khodyko, violin and viola faculty

A classically-trained orchestral musician, chamber music performer, violin and viola soloist and an experienced pedagogue,Viktor Khodyko has recently joined Bel Air Music Studios. When teaching students of all ages, Viktor’s goal is to guide them carefully, step by step, from very easy pieces to a more varied and complex repertoire. Viktor believes that learning must be fun; he loves to play along with his students or engage students in playing with each other.

Mr. Khodyko has studied violin since he was 5 years old. He graduated from the Belorussian State Conservatory, one of the most prestigious musical institutions in the former Soviet Union. His teacher was famous violinist Victor Golfeld, who himself was one of the pupils of the legendary Leopold Auer, together with Yascha Heifetz, Mischa Elman and other internationally celebrated violinists.

Viktor Khodyko was the Principal and Associated Violinist and Violist in several orchestras in the former Soviet Union and Germany, including: Minsk Chamber Orchestra and Minsk Radio Orchestra in Belarus; Braunschweig City Opera in Germany; and finally, for the last 20 years he was the Principal Violist of the Radio Orchestra of South-West Germany (German Radio Philharmonie Saarbruecken, Kaiserslautern, Germany). As a Principal Violinist and Violist, Viktor had a chance to work with many internationally renowned musicians, including Mstislav Rostropovich, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Cecilia Bartoli, and Montserrat Caballé, to name just a few. He appeared frequently on radio and television, both in the former Soviet Union and Germany, as a soloist and chamber music performer. Viktor‘s performances were featured in numerous recordings produced in Germany and Belarus.

In addition to his extensive performing career, Viktor Khodyko has always enjoyed teaching. He taught violin and chamber music at the Belorussian State Conservatory and later continued as a violin teacher at the Immanuel Kant Gymnazium in Pirmasens, Germany. After concluding his official performing career, Viktor Khodyko has recently moved to the USA to join his family. He continues to enjoy performing chamber music and appearing as a soloist. He is a member of the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra where he shares his experience and love of music with the next generation of classical musicians.

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Dr. Christopher Dillon, piano faculty

An active recitalist, collaborator and chamber musician, Christopher Dillon recognizes that today’s music student needs a well-rounded musical education. His goal has always been to train the next generation to be musically self-sufficient, knowledgeable, and confident, having the skills to play whatever music they desire.
Christopher Dillon was featured piano soloist with the San Luis Obispo County Symphony at the age of 17. That same year, he attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal.

Dr. Dillon pursued his education at the Eastman School of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory, and the Peabody Institute. While at Peabody, he studied with Julian Martin, Ellen Mack, and Robert MacDonald. After receiving his Doctorate from Peabody, he served as adjunct faculty there for three years; He has taught theory at Towson University since 2003. Dr. Dillon is presently Lecturer in Theory and Piano at Towson University.

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Scott Winter, piano faculty

Scott loves teaching piano to students of a wide variety of ages and with diverse musical backgrounds. Providing private piano instruction since 2015, Scott desires to share his love of music and his expertise in piano with his students. He believes in an eclectic teaching approach, engaging the student with interesting repertoire, high quality training in technique and artistry, and instruction in music theory and music history.

Scott earned his Bachelor of Music (B.M.) and Master of Music (M.M.) in Piano Performance from Towson University. He also holds a minor in Electronic Media and Film (EMF). At Towson, Scott won three piano competitions and received more than ten musical and academic scholarships, including the Distinguished Scholar Award, one of the highest honors for academic excellence conferred by the university. He was chosen as the undergraduate commencement speaker for Towson’s College of Fine Arts and Communication graduation ceremony in May of 2015, where he represented more than 400 baccalaureate students. Scott tutored music theory and music history as an undergraduate, and worked for two years as a graduate assistant to the music department’s recording studio, where he oversaw pedagogical recording sessions.

In addition to his classical piano training, he has studied jazz piano, composition, pipe organ, harpsichord, Latin percussion, and video/audio production. He has also done extensive research into the connections between mathematics and music with an emphasis in the theoretical discipline of “musical geometry.” His thesis entitled “Geometry in Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata No. 1: The Rhythm Necklace as an Analytical Tool” was defended with distinction in May of 2017.

Scott serves as church organist and pianist at Grace Bible Baptist Church in Catonsville. He is active as a composer and arranger, as an accompanist/collaborative pianist, and as a performer for weddings, graduations and other events. Twice he has served as a graduation emcee. He is also the founder and director of Scott Winter Productions, a multi-camera videography business that has recorded and edited more than seventy recitals at Towson University, Mount Saint Mary’s University, and Gettysburg College.

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