As a teacher, I engage and connect with students through the joy of music and learning. Music has a transformative power to enrich all areas of our lives. It is a privilege to join students in discovering and developing their potential as people, through music.
My credentials
I have been a professional violinist, violin instructor, and music educator since 2000 in Canada and in the Netherlands.
Currently, I teach at the Accademia Filarmonica, in Utrecht. In addition, I run a private teaching studio in Amsterdam. As a certified Suzuki teacher, I have taught at various Suzuki workshops, written articles and facilitated masterclasses for the European String Teachers Association, and served as teaching assistant to the Dutch violin pedagogue, Johannes Lievaart.
For many years I called Toronto home, performing with Canadian ensembles such as the Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Notable festival performances include events in Banff, Orford, and Domain Forget. I have also performed in master classes with renowned artists such as Andres Cardenes, James Ehnes, Mauricio Fuks, Sidney Harth, Sylvia Rosenberg, Ian Swensen, and the Tokyo String Quartet.
My formal education includes an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and a Bachelor of Music with Honours in performance, from Western University in London, Ontario, where I was awarded the gold medal of my graduating class. My principal teachers are Gwen Thompson, Mayumi Seiler, Paul Kantor, and Tom Johnson.
I am active in my community serving as a board member of the Theo Verbey Foundation, a non-for profit organisation dedicated to keeping alive the works and legacy of the Dutch composer, theorist, and educator Theo Verbey.
Testimonials
Hanna is very creative and well organised, with a good sense of humour. A great communicator of her rich knowledge, she connects very well with my child which makes the lessons fun and engaging. Her devotion to her career is outstanding. We were very lucky to have her as my son's violin teacher.
How full of warmth, positive energy and creativity you are! You put a happy spin on every lesson. You spontaneously adapt your lessons to what the child needs at that moment, while keeping the focus on the learning objective. We are very happy with you!
Hanna creates an atmosphere that makes the children go gladly to her classes. Children always want to hear that they played well and to correct them can be very disappointing. Hanna can give compliments and at the same time instructions to improve in a creative and stimulating way. She keeps learning and improving her skills as a teacher and is a great example for her students.