Board Member bios

Heather Atha - Heather studied violin performance at the University of South Florida where she earned her Bachelor and Masters of Music with Carolyn Stuart. She continued her studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she received a Master of Music in Violin Performance under the tutelage of Kevin Lawrence.

Heather played for regional orchestras and weddings, but focuses on teaching. She has completed the Suzuki courses 1-10, supplementary courses for developing the bow arm & advancing technique, Rolland Unit 1, Creative Ability Development, as well as Music Mind Games Unit 1 and 2. She is a registered Suzuki Association member, and opened her studio, Queen City Suzuki Violin, Fall 2017. She has been teaching Suzuki violin to children ages 3 and above for almost a decade and enjoys sharing violin with her 3 year old. Heather finds joy in the open genius of the mind of the young child, and is passionate about teaching the soul of music to everyone who is willing to join her in the pursuit of music making. Outside of music, she practices ashtanga yoga and enjoys gonfucha tea.

Jessica Jenkins Davis - Jessica is a Suzuki violin and viola educator known for her leadership in building innovative, school-based string programs. She founded the Suzuki violin program at the Montessori School of Raleigh, where every student from age two through third grade receives Suzuki instruction as part of the school day. Under her direction, the program has grown to more than 300 students and employs two full-time faculty members. In addition to her work at MSR, Jessica maintains a small Suzuki violin and viola studio at Meredith College. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance and music education from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Master’s degree in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy from East Carolina University.

Jessica’s work has been featured in the Suzuki Association of the Americas Journal, and she has completed long- and short-term Suzuki training in violin Books 1–10 with a variety of teacher-trainers. Her additional pedagogical studies include Music Mind Games, Suzuki Early Childhood Education, and Suzuki in the Schools. She is particularly passionate about social-emotional learning and helped pioneer the integration of the MindUP curriculum within her school community. Outside of teaching, Jessica enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and spending time with her family.

Laura Eis - Laura earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Susquehanna University in 2001. She received a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy and a Certificate of Advanced Performance Studies in viola from East Carolina University in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Currently, Ms. Eis is a member of the Fayetteville Symphony, the Tar River Symphony, and concertmaster of the Pitt Community College Symphony Orchestra. 

She was the associate director for the North Carolina Suzuki Institute from 2007-2023 and became the director in 2024. She is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and treasurer of the North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina Suzuki Associations. Ms. Eis maintains a private violin and viola studio in Greenville, NC, and is an adjunct faculty member at Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, and Pitt Community College.

Nan Freeman - Nan is from Hickory, NC and has been teaching music since 1970. She holds a Music Education degree from Appalachian State University. Nan’s Suzuki Training has been through many teachers, but mostly from William Starr, Hiroko Driver, Linda Fiore, Gilda Barston, Tanya Carey, and others.   In addition to teaching violin, viola and cello, she is the Executive Director of the Suzuki School of the Arts in Hickory, NC and the Director of the Virginia Suzuki Institute in Emory, VA. She also directs the Suzuki Tour Group of the Carolina’s which has toured throughout the eastern United States, the Caribbean,and 7 tours of Europe. Nan has been a guest clinician throughout the southeast and Hawaii  and holds weekend workshops through the Suzuki School of the Arts.  She directed and taught in the Suzuki Preschool in Hickory for 10 years.  

Nan is a retired middle school orchestra teacher and a retired symphony player with the Western Piedmont Symphony where she performed for 51 years. In March, Nan was awarded the “Creating Learning Community” award from the Suzuki Association of the Americas.  Nan and her husband Gene are avid potters and have their own pottery studio, Foo’s Pottery, where they enjoy making lots of fun and functional pottery.  They have three sons who grew up as Suzuki students. Her biggest joy in life is spending time with her 4 granddaughters and her family. 

Marissa Keener - At age five, Marissa began studying violin as a Suzuki student and went on to earn her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Miami University of Ohio in 2012. She holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from East Carolina University (2014). Marissa is registered for Every Child Can! and Violin Books 1-10 with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and completed her training with Joanne Bath, Edward Kreitman, and Liz Arbus. In addition to private lesson teaching, Marissa has taught at several public school Suzuki outreach programs in Greenville, Bath, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra.

In addition to teaching, Marissa is a versatile performer and currently serves as the principal second violinist of the Union Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at many prominent summer festivals, including the Meadowmount School of Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Sewanee Summer Music Festival, among others. Marissa was invited to perform with the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival's Next Generation Concert series and toured with the Next Gen on the Road series. Marissa is a certified Teaching Member of Alexander Technique International and applies this practice to her private and group violin lessons. She has a special interest in teaching children with exceptionalities and fostering the love of music in every child. In her spare time, Marissa enjoys reading, hiking, and baking with lots of chocolate.

Gabriela Potter Peoples - Gabriela is a professional violinist, violist, and registered Suzuki violin instructor residing and teaching in Durham, NC. Gabriela has completed intensive long-term teacher training with renowned Suzuki Pedagogue Joanne Bath, and has registered teacher training for Violin Books 1-10 with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She completed Suzuki Early Childhood Education Unit 1 teacher training with Danette Schuh, Revisiting Suzuki Violin Book 1 teacher training with James Hutchins, and Suzuki Violin Book 7 teacher training with Kirsten Marshall. She has also attended Music Mind Games Unit 1 teacher training with Kristen Tourville.

Gabriela is a proud alum of the East Carolina University School of Music, and serves as Secretary of the North Carolina Suzuki Association. Gabriela enjoys listening to audiobooks while tending to her garden, camping with her husband and friends in state parks and forests, attending workouts at Burn Boot Camp, and teaching her students ages 3-70 at the High Strung School of Music near Duke’s East Campus.

Annie Valente - Coming Soon!