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Prysm Strings Faculty • 2019-2020
Robert dePasquale was a member of the New York Philharmonic before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1964, where he served as Associate Principal Second Violin until his retirement in 1997. He studied at the New School of Music with Jascha Brodsky, and gave many recitals in Philadelphia and Washington while he was a member of the US Navy Band. He is now currently Music Director of the Academy of Community Music, which he co-founded in 1983 with his wife, Ellen Fisher. He is a very sought after teacher and maintains a large studio in the Philadelphia area. Risa Cullen, violist, teaches strings at two elementary schools in Springfield Township School District. Risa graduated from Temple University in May 2016, and has her own private teaching studio in the Philadelphia Area. Hannah Doucette, violin, earned a Master of Music degree in string pedagogy from Temple University and a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from The Hartt School. She is a former student of William dePasquale. Hannah is the Violin/Viola Instructor, Private Music Lesson Coordinator, and Lower School Orchestra Director at Germantown Academy. In addition, she is certified in books 1-8 of the Suzuki Method and works with various Suzuki programs. Hannah has been on the adjunct faculty at Moravian College, Temple University, and Ursinus College and performed in chamber groups and orchestras throughout the East Coast and Peru.
A dual citizen of Latvia and the United States, Annija Kerno has performed in a variety of concert venues throughout Europe and America. Most recently, she has concluded her two year residency with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to work with many of the major classical musicians in the world. Among them are Ricardo Muti, Christoph Eschenbach, Yo-Yo Ma, Kristjan Jarvi, and Ken-David Masur, amongst many others. Recent solo performances include performing in the bi-annual North American Latvian Song and Dance Festival, where she collaborated with Latvian musicians from all over the world to create a performance of choral and orchestral music written solely by Latvian composers. She currently holds an active private studio of violinists and violists through Darlington Arts Center and the Music School of Delaware, as well as privately. She has also has taught group classes through a variety of programs in Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia, including the Harmony Program, the PYO Music Institute (Prysm Strings), and Play on Philly.
