Alayne Wegner

---

Alayne Wegner sparks musical curiosity through passionate violin performance, engaging musical instruction, and imaginative arts administration. Alayne performs regularly with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Battle Creek (MI) Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to her orchestral pursuits, Alayne is passionate about bringing communities together through creative and collaborative musical performances. In 2019, she was the executive producer of “Summertime: An Evening with the Musicians of Knox County,” an original showcase concert that wove together Americana, Classical, and Jazz music into a fluid and entertaining narrative to reveal the musical diversity of local Knox County Musicians and increase investment in local artists. Alayne  is also the founding member of the OLEA ensemble, a chamber ensemble that places new music and creative collaboration at the center of their artistic vision.

With over 8 years of teaching experience, Alayne also is the caretaker of her student’s musical curiosity. In addition to her private studio of adult violin students, she teaches violin lessons to students of all ages at West Chester Academy, and she is extremely excited to be teaching at Western Hills Music.  Her detail-oriented and observation-based teaching methods create strong foundational techniques with an emphasis on creative expression.

A graduate from Kenyon College (’17) with a dual degree in Music and Sociology,  Alayne holds such achievements as the Thomas B. and Mary M. Greenslade Award for Music Performance, the First-Place winner of the 2017 Knox County Symphony Young Musicians Competition, and Distinction in Music for her senior comprehensive exercise

Alayne resides on the west side of  Cincinnati.  She earned both a Master’s of Music (’21) and an Artist Diploma (’23) in Violin Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Her primary teachers include Timothy Lees and Ariane Sletner.

Greg is an active Cincinnati area performer and educator.  A native of Huntington, WV, Greg is an honors graduate from Marshall University.   At Marshall, Greg studied classical and jazz repertoire while performing with the Jazz Ensemble, Wind Symphony, and Saxophone Quartet.  He also played in several jazz and pit orchestra groups, where he doubled on clarinet and flute. 

Greg has been part of two Cincinnati Entertainment Award winning bands since moving to Cincinnati.  He is currently one half of the GO Jazz Duo with fellow Western Hills Music instructor, guitarist Owen Hopper. Greg gigs every week with the GO Jazz Duo, as well as in solo appearances and with other ensembles. Greg is an inventive soloist who brings tasteful and creative melodic and harmonic ideas to his performances.

Greg has taught private lessons for many years and has also been a clinician with area high school woodwind sections, including Harrison, Deer Park and Conner.  He is an engaging and compassionate instructor, and has students ranging in age  from early elementary through high school.  Helping "little ones" become comfortable making music brings him as much satisfaction as coaching high schoolers to high ratings at OMEA solo and ensemble contests. 

Dixie Karas truly defines what it means to be a professional musician. She has performed in every kind of venue imaginable throughout greater Cincinnati, the United States, and internationally. 

Dixie’s multi-decade career includes recording sessions, television appearances, festivals, radio spots, and near-constant gigs at small clubs and large. She is one of the most recognized and respected vocalists in Cincinnati.

She has recorded feature vocals and backup vocals for ad jingles, TV promos, video game soundtracks, and more for organizations as varied as Kroger, Skyline, Northgate Mall, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Kings Island, and JTM.  Dixie has recorded nationally for Ford, all major cruise lines, and international theme parks in Japan and Germany.

Dixie performs regularly on the Cincinnati jazz and pop club scene and she frequently features with prominent local ensembles. She has recorded at dozens of local and national recording studios and includes instruction on microphone technique and recording protocols with many of her voice students. 

Dixie has been teaching voice and jazz/pop singing styles for many years around Cincinnati, including with the School of Rock program for the last several years. She loves teaching and helping singers reach their personal and professional goals. 

You can hear some of Dixie’s work on iTunes at the following link:    ‎Dixie Karas on Apple Music 

A native of San Antonio, TX, Kole Pantuso is an advocate for the uplifting power of music, and is a multifaceted musician and educator who is comfortable in a number of different styles of music. 

Kole Pantuso is the newly appointed Principal Trumpet of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra beginning in the 2024-2025 season. He has been a fellow with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. He received a Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he was awarded a Brass Quintet Fellowship. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Music from the University of North Texas. His primary teachers are Marie Speziale, Phil Collins, Michael Mergen, Jason Bergman and John Holt.

Kole has played with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony, Corpus Christi (TX) Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony and has served as the Principal Trumpet of Symphony VIVA in San Antonio. Kole is an artist in residence at Cincinnati’s Christ Church Cathedral with the Rhineburg Brass Quintet. 

A versatile trumpeter, Kole has played in Symphony Orchestras, Pit Orchestras, Wind Bands, Brass Bands, Brass Quintets, Big Bands, Jazz Combos, Rock, Funk, Salsa Bands, and is at home in a number of different musical environments. In his spare time, Kole loves cooking and martial arts.

Heidi Johnson has a passion for teaching music to students of all ages. Her two main instruments are

viola and piano, but she is equally comfortable teaching violin and cello. Heidi is a veteran music teacher,

having taught public school music (orchestra and general music) for 36 years in Kansas, Florida, and

Ohio.

Music was an important part of her childhood. She started playing the piano when she was just 4 years

old, with her mother as her first teacher. The viola came later when they introduced the string

instruments at school. She attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas for her undergraduate degree

in music education and earned a master’s degree in music education at the University of Cincinnati,

College-Conservatory of Music.

Heidi is currently the viola player in the La Chiesa String Quartet, which plays for weddings, receptions,

and other gatherings since 1994. She also played piano for the Family Worship Service at Good

Shepherd Lutheran in Kenwood for 25 years.

“It is important to me that the student is successful and feels a sense of achievement. If one approach is

not working, then look at it from a different perspective. This can involve everything from flashcards

and games to music theory to various types of music. My favorite part of teaching is the moment when

a student learns a new skill or new piece and realizes they can do this!”

Madison Vonderahe is a highly accomplished musician and teacher with a passion for inspiring

students to pursue their musical goals. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College

Conservatory of Music, she holds a bachelor's degree in Commercial Music Production and has

been teaching private music lessons for over 5 years. She has studied guitar under Phil Willis

and Nick Fryer, as well as voice with Thomas Speckhard and Dr. Marcie Givens.

With expertise in voice, guitar, and piano, Madison has helped numerous students develop their

musical abilities. In addition to teaching private lessons, she also teaches Kindergarten through

8th grade music education at two local private elementary schools. Working with students in a

classroom setting has provided her the tools necessary to work with a variety of learning needs.

With over 12 years of experience playing popular music, and a deep knowledge of both music

theory and performance, Madison is committed to helping students of all ages and skill levels

discover the joy and satisfaction of creating music. She also has experience with songwriting,

recording, and producing and can take students step by step on how songs are created.

“I believe that anyone, regardless of their age, can achieve their music goals. I love to create

individualized lesson plans to meet students at their level and to work towards their interests.”

Christian currently plays around 200 plus engagements annually and has performed in 28 different countries across 4 continents. Christian attended Berklee College of Music with classmates John Mayer and Norah Jones.
 

During his travels, Christian has performed with many bands/members: The Eagles, P-funk, Journey, Santana, James Brown's Band, Toto, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Boston, CeeLo Green, Los Lobos, The Romantics, Jewel, Tommy Tutone, John Cafferty, Earth Wind and Fire, Al Green's Band, David Bowie's Band and Elton John's Band.
 

In addition to performing, Christian maintains a guitar studio at Western Hills Music . He teaches all guitar styles, bass and ukulele, to students 7 years old and up.

Marissa Dike is a musician, composer, author, and teacher.  She has fifteen years of teaching experience both in private student lessons and in classroom settings. 

While piano is her first love - she received her bachelor's degree in classical piano performance from the University of South Florida - she also teaches voice, guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons.  She earned her Doctorate in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018. 

Marissa is the author of three novels, Liam's Town , Magdalene, and The Sky Looked the Same, all available from online booksellers. She is a versatile and engaging artist, and her students love her enthusiasm and obvious care for their growth and development. 

She has taught a wide variety of students of all ages, abilities, and skill -levels, and those with special needs. 

Jeannine Groh is a seasoned musical professional with decades of experience honing her craft. 

She studied Piano Pedagogy at Mount St. Joseph University as well as receiving additional training from Phil DeGreg; she also completed Pop Piano Stylings with Frank Wolfe. Jeannine also spent time as the director of the Yamaha Music Education System at Willis Music. Her professional playing experience comes from countless combo bands, and most notably her eponymous Trio, Quartet, and Quintet. Notable performances include appearances on television with her all female rock band, as well as a three-year residency with the Horseshoe Casino’s exclusive venues.

Jeannine’s teaching experience is extensive.  She has taught with numerous local music progams, and at the collegiate level with Mount St. Joseph University's Music Academy and their Community Music Program. 

 Jeannine says, “I take a personal interest in my students; I truly want them to succeed! I encourage my students to distribute their practice throughout the week, this is key to success. I love to see my students learn to read music and play well. Piano lessons in particular provide many benefits to children and adults. We begin with classical music training to develop technique, theory and reading skills, and from there we can add any other genre.”

Jeanine can be reached at grohentertainment@gmail.com