Faculty

POLLY VAN DER LINDE - Director of The Sonata Programs and Co-Director of Summer Sonatina International Piano Camp, Piano, Monster Rehearsals. M.M., 1989 Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University; B.F.A. Piano Performance, 1982 SUNY at Purchase. Attended Juilliard School of Music, Pre-College Division. Soloist with the Vermont Symphony, Sage City Symphony and Purchase College Orchestras. Studied with Edgar Roberts, Robert Goldsand, Daniel Epstein and, in London, Benjamin Kaplan. Recipient of many honors at Rutgers including Naumberg and Bergen Foundation Awards and Michael Fardink Memorial Scholarship for Accompanying. Participant in numerous international and national piano competitions. Founder and former director and piano faculty member of the Rutgers Community Music Program in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Travels the U.S. giving master classes and teaching lessons. Piano Faculty at Bennington College. 

 

DALE COBB - Operations Manager. B.S.E.E. Michigan Tech University. Former experiences include lead engineer at Lockheed Martin, teacher of computers and physics, and network administrator. Certified in Thai Massage. Dale enjoys yoga, Tae Kwon Do, and hiking. Husband of Polly van der Linde and father to Taylor and Austin Cobb. 

 

ROSAMOND VAN DER LINDE - Founder of Summer Sonatina International Piano Camp, The Sonatas and The Sonatina School of Music, Created the Sonatina International Institute of Music on the Caribbean Island of St. Eustatius in the Netherlands Antilles called Statia Plantation Piano Vacation. B.A. (Music), 1958, Bennington College . Studied piano with Lionel Nowak (student of Edwin Fischer) and Julian DeGray (student of Tobias Matthay). Studied composition and theory with Theodore Strongin and Louis Calabro. Established piano programs at Southern Vermont College and the Community College of Vermont. President of the VMTA 1967-73. Named a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences for outstanding contributions to the cultural resources of the state. Teaches classes and gives private lessons in New York City and at Steinway Hall; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Boston. Travels the world giving master classes, lectures and demonstrations and lessons in piano and composition. Writing a memoir about the van der Linde family and the creation of the Sonatina and Sonata programs. See www.APianoInEveryRoom.com and go to "How to Order" to obtain your signed first edition book.

DEIRDRE BRENNER - Piano. BA from Dartmouth College with a double major in Engineering Sciences and Music, and Master's degrees from both the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Vienna Conservatory. As a pianist with a great love for art song and chamber music, she has performed in venues including the Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Kozerthaus (Vienna), Stadthalle (Bayreuth), Teatro Real (Madrid), Beurs van Berlage (Amsterdam), the National Concert Hall (Dublin), St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London), and the Hollywell Music Room (Oxford). Further recitals in festivals in the USA, UK, Italy, Poland and Korea. Deirdre's teaching has taken her as far away as the Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific, and Venezuela, where she gave masterclasses in 2007. Teachers include Carolyn Hague, John O'Conor, Julius Drake, Colin Stone, Sally Pinkas, and Loretta Slovak. Alumna of Summer Sonatina. Deirdre currently lives in Vienna, Austria.

ABIGAIL CHARBENEAU - Piano. BA in Music from Skidmore College, and Master in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from University of Illinois. Has studied with Pola Baytelman, William Heiles, Arkady Aronov, Adaleina Krivosheina, Kenneth Drake, and Reid Alexander, and has been on the faculty of Millikin University and the University of Illinois. Currently teaches at The Concord Community Music School and St. Pauls School, both in Concord, NH. Charbeneau has performed extensively about the country as a soloist and in ensembles. A regular performer with the Musicians of Wall Street in Concord. Has been invited to play at two Inaugural Balls for Governor John Lynch. Has a recording featuring music by Bach, Schubert, and Clara Schumann. Since 2006. 

JEFFERS ENGELHARDT - Piano. B.M. in Piano, Oberlin Conservatory, M.A., and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology, University of Chicago, 2005. Jeffers is currently an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology of Music at Amherst College. Jeffers's research deals with music and religion, music, human rights, and cultural rights, and the musics of postsocialist Eastern Europe and Eurasia. As a performer, he is interested in piano music of 20th and 21st centuries. Alumnus of Summer Sonatina. Since 1995.

 

BONNIE FAIRCHILD - Piano, Monster Rehearsals. B.A. in Piano Performance, Lyndon State College, 1974. Studied with Melissa Brown, John Koch and Rein van der Linde. Has taught piano for 35 years. Teacher of piano, flute and cello at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Director of the piano program at Putney Central School and of Milkhouse Music Studio in Westminster, VT. Former director and conductor of Southern Vermont Youth Orchestra and of Westminster School Orchestras in Westminster, VT. Bonnie enjoys singing with the Brattleboro Community Chorus and playing cello with Windham Orchestra, also in Brattleboro, VT. Member MTNA, MENC, ASTA and certified by VMTA. Since 1991. 

MICHAEL HAKIM - Piano, MIDI, Cello, Guitar, Composition, and Theory. B.M. in cello performance from The Manhattan School of Music, studying with David Geber and Julia Lichten, and a M.M. in composition from Boston University, studying with Martin Amlin and Lukas Foss. He performs with many regional ensembles, and is recently the recipient of commissions from the Sage City Symphony and the Vermont Music Teachers Association. He taught cello, guitar, and piano at the Bennington Music School. Michael lives in Burlington, VT. Since 2003. 

ANNA DAGMAR JOHNSON - Classical and Jazz Piano, Chorus. B.M. in Jazz Performance and Music Education, Eastman School of Music. Further classical studies with Princeton Piano Dept. Chair Elizabeth DiFelice. The Anna Dagmar Songbook with piano/vocal feature on Anthony Gatto's setting "Making of the Americans" (Gertrude Stein), which will premier at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis. Teaching experience includes Th Sonatas and Sonatina School, Mamaroncek High School, Middlesex Middle School, The Midori Foundation, Musical Kids, and a private piano studio. National Piano Guild Member. Information and recordings available at www.AnnaDagmar.com. Since 2000. 

ELLEN DILTHEY - Ellen received her Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Northwestern University, was educational director of the Marymount Preparatory Music Program, Marymount College for six years, and has recently joined the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Mass. College of Liberal Arts as adjunct professor of music. She has taught students of all levels and ages fro 25 years in her own studios in eastern Mass. and Westchester County, NY. Hear teaching style is relaxed and nurturing, yet focused with regard to practice techniques and musical interpretation. In addition, Ellen is a certified yoga instructor in The Kripalu tradition. She recently relocated to The Berkshires with her husband and 4 teenage sons. Since 2009. 

 

MICHAEL DILTHEY - Michael received his Doctorate in Composition at Northwestern University. He also holds Master of Music degrees in composition and conducting. He has composed two operas and a musical, orchestral and choral music as well as theatrical incidental music. Recently he had his composition for string orchestra premiere at Carnegie Hall in New York City and in Sweden. He is currently a Music Professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He lives in North Adams, MA with his wife, Ellen and four teenage sons. Since 2009. 

 

HANS KRIJNEN - Chef. Born and raised in Southern Holland. Son of a baker and a homemaker. Hans began apprenticing at the village bakery at the age of 12. He trained in Holland in all aspects of fine cooking, dining, hospitality, and his specialty, pastry baking. Hans has over 30 years of international experience as a chef in Holland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Northern California, and Vermont and is a 2007 graduate of the Institute for Intergrative Nutrition, NYC. As Hans puts it, I want my love of good food to become a moment of happiness for everyone who eats my food. Father of two girls, Shea (19) and Eva (15), husband to Jennifer. Since 2001. 

CHRISTOPHER LEWIS - Piano. Taught and performed throughout the U.S., Italy and British Columbia since graduating from SUNY Purchase in 1979. Concerts in such major venues as Carnegie, Weill, and Alice Tully Halls in NYC; Orchestra Hall in Detroit; Empire State Performing Arts Center in Albany. Prizewinner, American National Chopin Competition, NY Leschetizky Society. Recordings on Newport Classics label. Held faculty positions at New York University as well as several private schools in New York City. Accomplished organist; currently Organist and Director of Music at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro. Resides in South Londonderry, VT with his wife and five sons, ages 17, 10, 8, 5 and 1 months. Since 2003. 

GEORGE LOPEZ - Piano. Laureate of several international competitions including the Xavier Montsalvatge Competition for 20th Century Piano Music in Barcelona. Has performed extensively in Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Spain, South America, Japan and the U.S. Recently recorded Melloni's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in Prague. Gave world premiere performance of Jan Swafford's In Time of War with cellist Emmanuel Feldman in Boston's Jordan Hall. Has performed Mozart's Piano Quartet in G Minor with the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet. Piano faculty Phillips Exeter Academy. Since 1999. 

MELANIE ANDREWS - Assistant Director for Summer Sonatina. She is a year-round employee for Summer Sonatina and the Sonata programs. A Bennington native, she has been a Summer Sonatina fan since 1988. She is a Certifeied Medical Assistant and has worked in NY, VT and CT. She is also a Red Cross Certified in CPR and First Aid. She has been a Gymnastic Coach for the Cheshire Athletic Training School in CT. Her hobbies include snowboarding, running, sculpting, yoga, motor cross racing, kayaking and most importantly, being a Mom to her 11-year old daughter, Taylor, a Summer Sonatina participant. Melanie's favorite saying is "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.". Since 2007. 

JEFF BENTLEY - Piano Technician. Attended 2 year piano technology program at North Bennett Street School in Boston, MA, and also factory training at the Steinway Factory in 1997. He tunes for many major concert series, such as Tannery Pond Concerts, South Mountain Concerts at Pittsfield, MA and Close Encounters with Music. Jeff has been working at the Sonatas and Summer Sonatina since 2000.

ED GOLLIN - Music Theory and Analysis. Ph.D. in Music Theory, Harvard University, 2000. Ed is an Associate Professor in the Music Department at Williams College, where he teaches classes in harmony, couterpoint, and music analysis. His research involves structure in early-twentieth-century music, in particular, the music of Bela Bartok.

KATHERINE (KITTY) MEYERS - Piano, Theory, MIDI, and History. M.M. in Music Theory, Boston University College of Fine Arts, 2004. B.A. in Music, Hamilton College, 2000. Studied piano with Steven Heyman, Sara Krohn, and Julie Albright, and voice with Anita Firman and Lauralyn Kolb. Alumna of Summer Sonatina. Faculty at Bennington Music School 2004-2006. Currently residing in Burlington, VT and working for the Emily Post Institute. Since 1993. 

AURORA MANZANERO-LOPEZ - M.M., Artist Diploma Hartt School of Music; Superior and professional degrees, Real Conservatorio Superior de Musica De Madrid, Spain. Former faculty member at Conservatory of Madrid, Hartt School of Music, Community Music Center of Boston, Brookline Music School. Taught privately in Holland. SSIPC since 2008. 

JOEL PATTERSON - Recording Artist. A native of California, in 1995 he founded Mountaintop Studios in Petersburgh, New York. He works with a wide variety of local ensembles, as well as Albany Pro Musica, Sage City Symphony, and Bennington County Choral Society. Joel has been recording the concerts at Summer Sonatina since 1996 and the Sonatas since 1998. 

RUTH RICHARDSON – Chorus and Piano. Received her B.M in Music Education from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. Ruth studied both piano and French horn under Dr.Gary Busch and Roy Schaberg, respectively. She received M.M degree from the University of Michigan, where she spent time researching the role movement plays in teaching and learning music.  Ruth teaches both privately and in public school. She has taught music in CT, NY & VT and currently teaches elementary music classes and chorus in Bennington.  She has been a member of the CT Choral Society and currently enjoys playing French horn with the Sage City Symphony.

TRIIN VALLASTE - Piano. Diploma in Piano, Tallinn High School for Music (2001), B.A. in Musicology, Estonia Academy of Music and Theatre (2005), M.A. in Musicology, Estonia Academy of Music and Theatre (2007). Concerto performances in the Estonia Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia. Solo, chamber, and accompanying appearances in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Italy, Germany, and USA. Triin is also active as a scholar and music journalist, and teaches piano privately in Amherst, MA. Since 2006. 

ANDREA LINDHARDT - Administrative Assistant. Born and raised in Budapest, Hungary and have been living in the US since 2000. She is currently enrolled at the Community College of Vermont, as an Administrative Management Associate Degree student. Andrea has been a part of the Bennington community since 2002, and a proud Mom of her 6 year old son, Adrian. Andrea has been working at the Sonatas and Summer Sonatina since 2007