About our teachers

Kathryn Christie grew up in Milwaukee and attended Lawrence University and the University of Wisconsin, where she studied violin with Vartan Manoogian and obtained a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance. She is a longtime member of the Ariel Trio and the Northern Lights String Quartet. Kathryn maintains a private violin and viola studio in addition to her work with the Early Bird String Academy. She also is a freelance violinist in the Twin Cities metro area.

Ingrid Koller is a freelance violist and violin/viola teacher in the Twin Cities area. She has played in numerous ensembles and orchestras including the St. Paul Civic Symphony, the First Unitarian Society Orchestra, and the Anoka Opera Ensemble. She has played in the Lake String Quartet for 17 years and is a performing member of Thursday Musical. Nationally recognized artists with whom Ingrid has played include Roy Clark and contemporary Christian recording artists, Michael Card and Fernando Ortega. She is a member of the contemporary Christian rock group EDGE. Ingrid is a founder and co-director of the Early Bird String Academy. She studied with John Tartaglia at the University of Minnesota where she obtained a BM in Viola Performance. Other teachers include Rennie Regher of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Milton Thomas at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.

Janis J. Nash has a music education degree from University of Minnesota -Twin Cities, where she studied cello with Tanya Remenikova. Other teachers include Peter Howard of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. She holds a current teaching license for music education in instrumental and general music for grades K-12. She has taught orchestra in the Hastings School District and in North St. Paul where she is a co-founder of Early Bird String Academy, LLC, at St. Peters' School. Janis teaches at Magnuson Christian School in White Bear Lake, and has also taught and served on the boards of other newly created orchestra programs. She has been involved in several choral, instrumental ensembles, and music ministries. Also a graduate of University of Wisconsin Milwaukees' Nursing Program and former RN, she has a special interest in the value life-long participation in music to benefit health and wellness.