Meet our instructors

 Mariah Bondy grew up in the Rochester area and began studying the cello at a young age in the Penfield Schools Suzuki Program. She received a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Nazareth College in 2014, and established a private studio, teaching violin, viola, and cello during her undergraduate studies. Following graduation, Mariah worked as a String Orchestra Teacher for the Greece Central School District. In 2018, Mariah received a Masters in Music Performance and Pedagogy. She now works full time teaching stringed instrument students of all ages, learning styles, and musical genres. She also enjoys playing cello throughout the Rochester music scene in her free time. 

Christy Greer frequently plays with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and is on the Sub list for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a performer, she has soloed with Equinox Symphony, Penfield Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed in masterclasses for artists such as Cho Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, David Russell and Christian Tetzlaff. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees at Eastman School of Music, studying with Zvi Zeitlin, Oleh Krysa and Renee Jolles. While there, she also served as concertmaster of Eastman's orchestras and participated in Baroque and new music ensembles. She also spent 3 years in Miami Beach as a Violin Fellow in the New World Symphony, where she often mentored youth during the side-by-side auditions, rehearsals, and concerts and through the Internet2 program, taught lessons remotely in cities throughout the U.S.

Jonah Martin has been playing the guitar for fifteen years, and has taught students of all ages for the last five both privately and with OFC creations. If you are brand new to guitar, or just not getting what you want from it, give my approach a try. My passion is teaching students of all ages how to demystify the guitar, using music theory and pattern recognition. No need for method books and hours of dry exercises. Each student can expect their instruction to be catered to their unique learning style and goals. From Bob Dylan to Broadway, you will learn the music YOU want to learn, while gaining proficiency in technique and music literacy. It's never too late to learn, and to enjoy every step of the journey. 

Dorothy Deen is new in town from Chicago and a professional cellist, educator, arts advocate and live music contractor for 30 years. She received her master's degree in cello performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University and trained for 4 years under the Chicago Symphony Orchestra training program; the Civic Orchestra performance, Suzuki and Merit Music School education programs.

In addition to her experience in the orchestral, liturgical and pops style worlds, she has often enjoyed exciting opportunities to stretch further into the music worlds of living creators of new music, jazz improvisation and inventive ways of blending classical music with more familiar rock, indie and popular tunes. The Suzuki method and other alternative and folk methods of teaching music have influenced her and formed her gentle perspectives on teaching the cello to all ages in her private studio in Chicago.

Since moving here to Rochester last year, she has enjoyed connecting with the ROC Lyric Opera, Greater Rochester Women's Philharmonic and of course, the exciting new space to share with students at Eastside Strings!

Amidst an active creative life, she enjoys biking, a local book club, yoga classes, stress cleaning and the challenge of cooking yummy things that even 4 and 9 year old girls will accept.