Marielisa Alvarez

Director, Violin Faculty

Venezuelan violinist, Marielisa Alvarez is a graduate of “El Sistema”, the National System of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela. During her time in Venezuela she performed in several orchestras, including the Barquisimeto Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and the Lara Symphony Orchestra. In addition she was

Mariesther Alvarez

Director, Violin Faculty

Violinist Mariesther Alvarez is a founder and co-director of the Boston String Academy, an El Sistema- inspired program which hosts an outstanding children’s string orchestra curriculum. She holds a Master of Music Degree and a Graduate Performance Diploma from The Boston Conservatory, where she was a student of Professor Rictor

Jorge Soto

Conductor and Violin Faculty

Jorge Soto is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist with an active and diverse career both in North and South America. Currently, he is the Principal Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and the Music Director of the Sistema Side-by-Side Orchestra at

Tony Morales

Violin Faculty

A native of St. Louis Missouri, Tony recently relocated to Boston after completing his Masters of Music in performance at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Tony held an assistantship in the MU Graduate String Quartet, served as concertmaster of the MU philharmonic, and served leadership roles in the Columbia Civic Orchestra.

Michal Shein

Cello Faculty

Israeli-Mexican-American cellist Michal Shein focuses her work on curating unique performance projects alongside intensive educational work. Building on her work teaching cellists in Latin America, Michal is currently the Artistic Director of the Cellisimo Virtual Festival (www.cellisimo.com), which debuted this summer. The festival offers full scholarships to a select 20

Madeline Stewart

Violin and Viola Faculty

Violist and violinist Madeline Stewart recently relocated to Boston to further her professional aspirations as a dedicated teacher and performer. Since her move last Fall, she joined the Boston String Academy faculty as Violin and Viola Instructor, and performed in some of the city’s most iconic concert venues including Symphony

Tyler James

Cello Faculty

Cellist Tyler James got his musical start attending the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts while working on his private teacher’s farm to pay for lessons. Tyler toured as principal cellist of the 2018 National Revival Tour of Miss Saigon. He has performed in venues across the globe including Carnegie

Allison Eldredge

Internationally-renowned Cellist, Allison Yoshie Eldredge was born in New York City of Japanese and American parents. She began studying piano with her mother at 3 and started cello with Joan Lunde and Eleanore Schoenfeld in California and continued her studies with Harvey Shapiro and Yo-Yo Ma in New York. Allison Yoshie Eldredge has