About Us

Dr. Manuel Capote was principal cellist with the Florida Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera, Boca Pops and the Miami City Ballet orchestras for over 20 years. He has taught cello and chamber music throughout South Florida, was Band and Orchestra Director at American Heritage School of Boca/Delray, and served as Conductor and Music Director with the Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County.

Dr. Capote has performed chamber music in the United States and Europe. As a fellowship alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival, he has been a member of the Aspen Festival Orchestra and the Aspen Chamber Symphony. His teachers include Ingus Naruns, Dudley Powers, Frank Miller and Laszlo Varga. He has collaborated with such diverse artists as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Mstislav Rostropovich, James Galway, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Capote has recorded with Crosby Stills and Nash, the Miami Sound Machine, Julio Iglesias, KC and the Sunshine Band, the original Miami String Quartet, and the Florida Philharmonic on the Harmonia Mundi label.

Dr. Capote has served on the board of directors of the League of American Orchestras Youth Orchestra division and is currently on the programming advisory committee of the Nat King Cole Generation Hope, Inc. as well as the advisory board of the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition. He has traveled to Havana, Cuba to perform and produce concerts, events and master classes as part of the Lynn University Conservatory’s Education and Outreach efforts.

From August 2010 to September 2020, Dr. Capote was the Coordinator – Preparatory School, Community Outreach, and Music Education at the Lynn University Conservatory of Music. His firm beliefs in the positive effects of mentoring led him to his Ed. D. dissertation topic: “The Perceptions of Participation in a Mentored Title I Elementary String Instrumental Music Program”. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide validation for the importance of free and expert music mentoring to the lives of young underserved students.

Laura Sinclair – Violist/Violinist/Educator.  An active performer in the South Florida music scene, she can be seen in Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Miami City Ballet, Boca Symphonia, and the Kravis Pops Orchestra.  A lover of Broadway old and new, she has appeared on both violin and viola in the South Florida stop of the national tour of “The Book of Mormon”, “Hello Dolly!”, “Anastasia” and “Aladdin”.  She has performed with Broadway greats Bernadette Peters, Idina Menzel, Lea Salonga and Hugh Jackman, rocker Rod Stewart, guitar legends Bucky and John Pizzarelli, indie artists Amanda Palmer and Dashboard Confessional, American Songbook legends Steve Tyrell, Neil Sedaka, Marilyn Maye, Anne Hampton Calloway, Michael Feinstein & David Foster, and renowned pianist/theatre star Michael Cavanaugh. 

She is a member of Trio Wolfe, an all female string trio with attitude, specializing in performing rockin’ arrangements of modern classics for a high energy performance experience. The group performs internationally.

Ms. Sinclair is the former Director of Strings at Plumosa School of the Arts in Delray Beach, Florida, where she implemented a Suzuki in the Schools based program focusing on a joyful music learning experience. Committed to bringing the arts into the schools, Laura used her network as a performer to bring performers from all over the world to the students of Plumosa. 

Laura maintains a vibrant Suzuki studio of young violinists and violists, supporting families as they learn how to create a positive learning environment with their child and see their child as their authentic self. She is a registered Suzuki teacher through Book 5, and is currently pursuing long term training through Book 10 with Dr. Terry Durbin at the University of Louisville. She has taken numerous supplemental courses in Pre-Twinkle, Group Class, Suzuki in the Schools, Spiccato, Priority Teaching, and Energy work. She blends high level teaching with her interest in neuroscience and attachment parenting. She shares this with her vibrant home studio, and parents and teachers worldwide.

In the non-profit sphere, Laura is committed to creating opportunities for as many students as possible. As the Music Curriculum Director for the Volta Music Foundation, she has created the curriculum for a virtual afterschool for students in Title 1 strings programs and provides teacher training for the mentors, who must be enrolled music majors. This curriculum creates an atmosphere of inclusion and incorporates composers from diverse backgrounds. This unique program provides training for a new generation of teaching artists, as well as supporting students who have a love for strings but may not have access to the necessary support to succeed. After a pilot phase in Palm Beach County, this program has expanded to engage students internationally, with mentors from leading music conservatories. Because the program is virtual, the possibilities for access are endless.

She has traveled to Cuba with the Volta Foundation, providing an introduction to Suzuki violin to students ages 8 – 11 and has done additional outreach with Symphony of the Americas in Panama. As orchestra director, she has taught 9 summers with the Nat King Cole Generation Hope Summer Strings at Lynn University.

Thanks to a partnership with the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, hundreds of Plumosa students have been exposed to high level musical performances. Laura helped facilitate the Community outreach portion of the 2020 EOIVC, with finalists performing for students in front of a jury of arts advocates, community leaders and educators. She looks forward to helping them prepare for the 2023 competition.

Ms. Sinclair attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, receiving a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree and Chamber Music Diploma, studying with Christine Vlajk and Jerzy Kaplanek of the Penderecki String Quartet. She earned her Masters of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Jeffrey Irvine and Kirsten Docter.  Most recently, she completed a Professional Performance Certificate at Lynn University Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of Ralph Fielding.  Ms. Sinclair has had the pleasure of studying and performing at summer festivals around the globe.

Teaching Philosophy

Music can be a tool to break down barriers and build good citizens of the world.  In the right context, learning an instrument is an experience that uplifts, unites and empowers a child to be curious, work as a team and think beyond themselves. In combination with personal performance experiences with accomplished artists, students see a world beyond themselves and experience the power of “what if”.

Pianist Marina Machado Gonzalez graduated with honors from the studio of Professor Leonel Morales at ‘Alfonso X el Sabio’ University in Madrid, Spain, in 2019. She offered her first solo concert at the “Gabriel y Galán” theater in Trujillo in October 2014 and since then she has performed in venues in Spain, Germany, and Austria, such as the Eutherpe hall in León (León, Spain), the Medina Elvira Auditorium (Atarfe, Spain), the American Institute Auditorium (Santa Fe, Spain), the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (Aachen, Germany) and the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Salzburgo, Austria). She has attended masterclasses with some of the most renowned pianists in Europe and the US as Pavel Gililov, Mariana Gurkova, Wu Han or William Wolfram and harpsichord masterclasses with Webb Wiggins.

She is a founding member of the Aidoni Piano Trio, who has in performance on many series including ‘Airas Nunes’, in Santiago de Compostela, and has given concerts in venues such as the Auditorium of the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Eutherpe hall in León or the “Manuel de Falla” hall in the Longoria Palace, current headquarters of the SGAE (General Society of Authors and Editors).

In 2017 she won the position of titular pianist in the Youth Orchestra of the Community of Madrid (JORCAM), performing in venues like the National Auditorium of Music and the ‘Teatros del Canal’ in Madrid. In September 2020, she participated with the JORCAM in the ENSEMS festival (Contemporary Music Festival held in Valencia, Spain) offering a concert in the “Palau de les Arts”, Valencia.

Until 2021 she worked as piano and music theory teacher in the High-Performance Music Center (Centro de Alto Rendimiento Musical), collaborating center of the ‘Alfonso X el Sabio’ University in Madrid and as pianist in the ‘Coro Abierto’ (‘Open Choir’), a choral project formed by people with intellectual disabilities interested in vocal training.

She has won competitions collaborating with different instrumentalists, such as the NSAL Collaborative Piano and Brass Duo Competition (2023), and the John Oliveira String Competition (2023). In 2022 she was finalist of the Chamber Music Competition at Lynn Conservatory of Music with the Sapphire Quintet.

She has recently completed her Master of Music in Instrumental Collaborative Piano from Lynn University in Boca Raton (USA). Ms. Machado studied under Professor Lisa Leonard and received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Education.

Cellist Megan Hagel hails from Rapid City, South Dakota. She began her cello studies at the age of 12 and quickly developed a passion for the instrument. Following her graduation from Stevens High School, Megan took a transformative gap year, studying with cellist Ismar Gomes. She then attended SUNY Purchase College, where she completed her freshman year under the guidance of Thomas Mesa, whom she also studied with at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in 2022. Megan has since transferred to Lynn Conservatory, where she is currently a senior studying with Professor David Cole, and is preparing to graduate in May of 2025 with her undergraduate degree in Cello Performance.

Over the years, Megan has had the privilege of learning from a variety of esteemed musicians, participating in masterclasses and festivals with cellists such as David Geber, Paul Watkins, Alisson Wells, Matthew Zalkind, Minna Rose Chung, and most recently, Gary Hoffman. Megan’s passion for chamber music is reflected in her involvement with the Marcando Quartet, which won the Lyric Chamber Music Competition in December of 2023. As a result, the quartet was invited to perform a recital at the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York in May 2024. Megan’s musical journey has also included competing in both the SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music and Lynn Conservatory Concerto Competitions.

In addition to her educational pursuits, Megan is passionate about engaging with her local community through performance and outreach. Whether through collaborative projects, gigging, or educational initiatives, she strives to connect with diverse audiences and share her love for music beyond the concert hall. This dedication to building connections within the community continues to shape her artistic and professional path.

Megan is also thrilled to have recently acquired a 2007 John Terry cello, an instrument that has allowed her to further elevate her artistry. As she prepares for graduation, she looks forward to continuing her studies and embracing the many performance and career opportunities that lie ahead.

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.

As a violin teacher she worked as a member of “El Sistema” 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 Brasilian “favelas” (low income communities).

She has been living in Florida since 2017. Since then 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 currently teaching violin at “Kalos Music and Arts School” in Aventura, “Da’s Music School” in Miami Gardens, “The Palm Beach Suzuki Schoo”l and the Volta Music Foundation. Miss Guerere is a certified Suzuki teacher, under the guidance of David Storm and Ann Montzka-Smelser. She is married to cellist German Marcano and lives in Miramar with daughter Laura and son Raul.

Gabrielle Malaniak is a performing violist and educator based in South Florida. She holds a B.M. in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.  She is currently studying at Lynn Conservatory with Sheila Brown for graduate school. Gabrielle is convinced that music has the power to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students.

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.” -Leonard Bernstein

Juliana Parra is a Colombian violinist and educator located in South Florida. In May 2023, she graduated with her masters in violin performance from Baylor University. She previously held a bachelor’s degree in music from Stetson University in central Florida. Juliana found her passion in teaching as she was pursuing her performance degree, and has been an educator for six years. She loves pedagogy as much as performing and will continue working hand in hand with both areas of music. Her experience in social work through music started when she joined Amadeus Foundation in Colombia, founded by her uncle. With love, compassion, guidance, and encouragement, Juliana immerses in the powerful impact that music provides in the lives of children.

“Music speaks what cannot be put into words and expresses the desires of the heart. Music is the language of the soul.”

Born in Arequipa, Peru, Guadalupe Justiniani started with music at the age of 4, beginning with violin and piano.Later, she moved to Lima, Peru. At the age of 9, she began playing the cello as a student of Annika Petrozzi, who included her in the Suzuki system and international Suzuki festivals, participating for more than 5 consecutive years where she took classes from an early age with international teachers such as Tania Carey and David Evenchick. At the age of 14, she entered the National Conservatory of Music of Peru with the teacher Cesar Pacheco. At the age of 15, she joined the National Youth Symphony of Peru, where she participated for 9 consecutive years under the baton of maestro Pablo Sabat and other guest conductors for seasons like Benjamin Zander. Subsequently, she participated in different international festivals, giving her the opportunity to visit various South America countries such as Chile-Claudio Santos, Argentina, and mainly Brazil, where she had the opportunity to study for a short season remotely with maestro Fabio Pesgrave at the UFRN School of Music. Guadalupe has performed as a soloist with the “Sinfónica del Sillar-Arequipa” playing E. Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor and Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. In 2021, she received the opportunity to study in the United States, receiving a scholarship at the New World School of the Arts under the guidance of Bryan Hayslet. Finally, in 2018, she began teaching at the Santísimo Nombre de Jesús school, where she found one of her main vocations, which was teaching music. In 2019, she began training as a Suzuki teacher as she had been trained, so now she can be a teacher and have all the necessary tools to perform as such.

Caroline Campos started to play the violin at age of ten and holds a bachelor degree in performance from the Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Brazil. She has played in some professional orchestras in Brazil, Ireland and the USA.

She started her teaching career in private studios and music schools in 2008 but it was in 2010 that she got involved with El Sistema-inspired programs and since then has been passionate about teaching music in social projects. In Brazil, she worked as a coordinator and string specialist at the PRIMA Program (Program of Social Inclusion through Music and Arts); PRIMA is a music program in public schools that makes music accessible to hundreds of underprivileged children in her hometown, Paraiba State, Brazil. Ms. Campos was also the Chair of the Strings department and General Coordinator in NEOJIBA (Nucleus of Youth Orchestras of Bahia), one of the most important Brazilian El Sistema-based programs in Trancoso, Bahia.

In 2014, Caroline came to the United States to pursue an Artist Certificate Program in Violin Performance at Azusa Pacific University to study violin performance under the guidance of LA Phil violinist Ingrid Chun. She also holds a master’s degree from the School of Music of Bard College focused on Teaching Artistry and a master’s diploma in violin performance under the studio of Min Jung Park, a pupil of the virtuoso violinist Jasha Heifetz.

Continuing involvement with El Sistema-inspired programs in the USA, since 2015, she has worked as a Teaching Artist in the YOLA Program (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles), YMF (Young Musicians Foundation), YONA (Youth Orchestra of Namibia), among actively collaborating with programs abroad in South and Central America.

Caroline is a very enthusiastic teacher; she believes in the power of music education as a vehicle of life transformation and as the best way to bring people together.

Francys, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, began her musical journey at the age of 5 through the prestigious Sistema Nacional de Orquestas de Venezuela program. Her early exposure to music allowed her to develop a profound foundation for her future musical endeavors.

Throughout her career, Francys had the honor of representing her country at the Second International Gathering of Youth Orchestras in Leesburg and participating in masterclasses and performances with esteemed conductors, including Eduardo Marturet and Gustavo Dudamel, among other distinguished musicians and conductors.

At the age of 17, Francys began her teaching career, instructing violin and string ensembles at local children’s orchestras within El Sistema. Francys teaches a range of instruments, including piano, cello, and voice, helping both children and adults achieve their musical potential through private and group lessons.

Over the years, she has continued to share her passion for music, working independently and with various music studios. Currently, she actively contributes as a teaching artist in the South Florida community, fostering a love for music and nurturing the talents of her students.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, Lucy Joy began violin and piano studies at the age of four. After completing music school, she entered college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. Alongside her love for the violin, Lucy developed a deep passion for opera singing. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Opera at the National Odessa Academy of Music and performed across Ukraine as a violinist with the Odessa National Operetta Theater.

In 1995, Lucy moved to New York City, where she attended Brooklyn College and earned a Master’s degree in Performance. She began teaching violin, piano, and voice for the NYC Board of Education in 2000 while maintaining an active performing career as both an opera singer and violinist throughout the city and beyond.

In July 2025, Lucy relocated to Fort Lauderdale, where she is excited to continue sharing her expertise and passion for music with younger generations. Reflecting on her journey, Lucy says, “I was a very shy little girl. Playing the violin on stage made me confident and brought joy and happiness into my life.”

Lucy believes in the transformative power of music and is dedicated to inspiring students to discover their own passion for the violin and the arts.

Steven Mento received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Delaware.

He completed a Masters program at Temple University and worked with Harvey

Wedeen in piano pedagogy. Steven Mento completed doctoral studies in piano performance

at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Mento has performed in various locations in the

United States and in Vienna, Austria, and has performed at Merkin Hall and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In 2003 Steven Mento composed and performed ‘Elegy’, for piano and

orchestra, commissioned by the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, and ‘Algonquian Dreamcatcher’ for

the Bay-Atlantic Symphony in March of 2016.

Steven and Loretta -as Duo Mento- performed the world premiere of ‘Dies Irae’ for two pianos on October 23, 2008 at Merkin Hall in New York. His piano trio, ‘Music for Lancaster’ premiered with the Amael Trio in 2009 at the Festival Forfest in the Czech Republic.

‘On Angels Wings’ was premiered in 2022 by the MusiCaribe Chamber Orchestra.

‘Duo Mento’ was formed with his sister Loretta (Loretta was chosen by Sony Films to play Mozart in ‘Seven Pounds’) to perform four-hand piano literature. Duo Mento performed at Bosendorfer Hall in the Mozarthaus in August 2023 as part of the Golden Key Festival in Vienna, Austria.

Music education:

As a vital root of the humanities, music opens up a library of musical thought from throughout the ages, and through style periods that reveal the links between literature and visual art within the expressions of composers in this most abstract art of sound and vibrations. Music requires listening to the relationships of pitches, rhythms and harmonies, and the relationships and resolutions of dissonance through harmony in a process that strengthens and disciplines the mind and feeds the soul. The art of playing also couples expression with the physical coordination of basic athletic principles of movement, with the math of intervals and rhythm. Whether the student plans to become a musician or not, the crossover values of learning music will prepare the young mind to meet future adventures in other fields of study.

A native of Transylvania, Romania, Tinca Belinschi began studying violin and piano at the age of seven. Since then, she has performed extensively as both an orchestral and chamber musician across Europe and the United States. Her playing has been praised by Palm Beach ArtsPaper as “a fine player, with a confident sound and easy command of this music’s technical difficulties.”

Tinca currently performs with the Palm Beach Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and is frequently invited as a guest with ensembles including Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Palm Beach Oper, and the New World Symphony. She has participated in renowned summer festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival, where she was awarded the New Horizon Fellowship.

In addition to her orchestral work, Tinca is an active soloist and chamber musician, having received awards in various national and international competitions. In 2019, she was named a Young Artist Fellow of DaCamera of Houston, where she premiered works by emerging composers and collaborated with Sarah Rothenberg and other distinguished musicians, performing in leading venues throughout the Houston area.

As an educator, Tinca has over six years of experience teaching all ages and skill levels. Prior to her current private studio, Tinca was a faculty member at Campbell Learning Center, Spring School of Music, and a visiting violin instructor at Travis Elementary School in Houston. She held a private violin studio at Lynn Preparatory School of Music in Florida and was a mentor at Plumosa School of the Arts and Nat King Cole SummerStrings Music Camp in Palm Beach Country. Tinca’s students have participated in orchestra auditions, solo and orchestral competitions, and ABRSM exams in all grade levels, where they passed with the highest distinction.

Tinca earned her Performance Diploma in 2025 from Indiana University, studying with Alexander Kerr. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Indiana University under Grigory Kalinovsky, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the Lynn Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Elmar Oliveira, winner of the Tchaikovsky International Competition.

Quote:

“Every student learns in their own unique way—and music meets them where they are. It teaches not just how to play notes, but how to feel deeply, express freely, and grow into confident, compassionate people. Music has the power to shape lives, and I’m here to help my students discover that power within themselves.”

Cellist Devin LaMarr is passionate about music education and music performance in her community. She received a full scholarship to study in the studio of Anne Martindale-Williams for her Master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University, and received her bachelor’s degree in cello performance from Lynn University, where she also received a full scholarship to study in the studio of David Cole. Other important teacher’s in Devin’s life have been Jonah Kim and Walter Gray. She has also performed in masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Mark Kosower and Brannon Cho.

Devin is also a dedicated chamber musician, having debuted with her quartet, the Kourdisma Quartet, at the Lyric Chamber Music Society in New York, in May, 2022 after winning first prize in Lynn University’s chamber music competition. Other competitions Devin has won include the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Artist Auditions in 2023, which featured a performance on NPR radio as part of the prize, and the Navaroli Young Musicians competition, where she performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the South Valley Symphony in her native California. She was also a finalist in the the Big Arts Classical Music Scholarship competition in Sanibel, Florida.

Other than performing as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist, Devin also loves teaching. She worked for Volta Music Foundation, which is an organization that strives to provide high level musical education and equipment, such as instruments and music, to children. Additionally, in 2019, Devin worked for the Title IX program in Florida state, where she went into the classrooms of underserved public elementary schools to help teach music classes, as well as teaching at the Nat King Cole Summer Music Camp for children in 2020.