Meet our team.
Violin
Jacob Olbrot
Jacob Olbrot is the Executive Director of the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo as well as an instructor. He attended Western Michigan University's School of Music, and was brought up in the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra and the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo before becoming part of its staff in the early 2000s.
Additionally, Jacob is the Director of Strings at Kalamazoo Kids in Tune, and he is a core member of the Traverse City Symphony Orchestra.
Jacob enjoys klezmer music, improvisation, and collecting records. He has a wife, Sheri, and two daughters, Mayim and Zoe, who keep him on his toes.
Sherese Bultman Mom
Sherese teaches violin and piano at the Suzuki Academy. She has a Bachelor of Music Education from Michigan State University, studying violin with Dr. Walter Verdehr and piano with Dai Uk Lee. She pursued graduate study in musicology at University of Michigan. Among her Suzuki teacher trainers were Carrie Reuning and Rebecca Sandrok, who trained with Dr. Suzuki. Sherese also teaches piano and violin at REACH Kzoo and is the violinist for Thorn Among the Roses.
Janet Bogart, founder of Kalamazoo Talent Education (aka SAK), was her first violin teacher, leading to membership in Kalamazoo Junior Symphony and studying with David Updegraff (WMU). Sherese studied piano with Marcia Bultman, Will Fickes, and Jill Christian, participating in many KAMTA/MMTA competitions.
Sherese also taught Suzuki strings/orchestra and K-12 general music in schools, played in Fox Valley and Green Bay Symphonies, and was the fiddle instructor at Blue Lake Suzuki Camp. She enjoys time with friends and family, including fiddling at traditional music festivals with her children Liesl, Jeffrey, and David, who are graduates of her studio and have, or are working on, music degrees.
David Mom
David is a violin instructor at the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo. He is a student at Western Michigan University, studying music education. He studies violin under Dr. Junqi Tang and plays in the University Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, David has a passion for folk music; he plays with several bands on mandolin, fiddle, and other instruments, and is the founder of the Bronco Folk Music Club at WMU. He has been featured on mandolin with the WMU Chorale. David is from a musical family and was taught for many years by his mother, Sherese Bultman Mom, in her Suzuki violin program. He has been playing violin for nineteen years, eight of which he played in the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony organization. He is excited to share his enthusiasm for music with his students.
Piano
Michael Zutis
Michael Zutis is a pianist, composer/arranger, and educator, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He currently teaches at the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, holds the position of Director of Music at St. Thomas More Student Parish, and serves as the Arts Advocacy and Awareness Chair for the Michigan Music Teachers Association. A recent graduate from Western Michigan University’s composition program, he has dedicated much of his time to collaborating with other musicians with the end goal of creating and developing exciting new works for various instruments. A pianist and conductor himself, Michael is also very grateful for the opportunity to perform his own work alongside his colleagues.
Sherese Bultman Mom
Sherese teaches violin and piano at the Suzuki Academy. She has a Bachelor of Music Education from Michigan State University, studying violin with Dr. Walter Verdehr and piano with Dai Uk Lee. She pursued graduate study in musicology at University of Michigan. Among her Suzuki teacher trainers were Carrie Reuning and Rebecca Sandrok, who trained with Dr. Suzuki. Sherese also teaches piano and violin at REACH Kzoo and is the violinist for Thorn Among the Roses.
Janet Bogart, founder of Kalamazoo Talent Education (aka SAK), was her first violin teacher, leading to membership in Kalamazoo Junior Symphony and studying with David Updegraff (WMU). Sherese studied piano with Marcia Bultman, Will Fickes, and Jill Christian, participating in many KAMTA/MMTA competitions.
Sherese also taught Suzuki strings/orchestra and K-12 general music in schools, played in Fox Valley and Green Bay Symphonies, and was the fiddle instructor at Blue Lake Suzuki Camp. She enjoys time with friends and family, including fiddling at traditional music festivals with her children Liesl, Jeffrey, and David, who are graduates of her studio and have, or are working on, music degrees.
Juan Pablo Cosme
"Juan Pablo Cosme connected multiple worlds, highlighted and exalted an era of change, and brought together composers who, without needing to coincide in time, communicated musical messages that reached us that day" (D. Jaramillo, May 26, 2022).
Juan Pablo is a passionate Colombian classical pianist known for his performances and academic accomplishments on stages around the world. He began his musical journey at the National University of Colombia, where he completed both his undergraduate and master’s degrees. Currently, he is furthering his studies at Western Michigan University and works as a Graduate Assistant in the piano department.
Beyond performing, he loves teaching and connecting with students. Since 2015, he has been guiding a diverse range of learners both in-person and online, using creative approaches to make music accessible to everyone. His ability to build connections with students has helped him mentor aspiring musicians from various backgrounds, using technology to enhance their learning experiences.
Juan Pablo has showcased his talent at international festivals like the FEMUS Festival in Santa Catarina, the Sewanee Music Festival, and the Cartagena International Music Festival, among others. He has also earned awards in competitions, including the VI Pianissimo Festival, the VI Ibero-American Piano Music Competition 'Luis Carlos Figueroa,' and the "Jóvenes Intérpretes" competition of the Banco de la República de Colombia. His performances highlight a deep appreciation for Ibero-American and Spanish music, blending traditional influences with fresh ideas.
As a classical pianist, Juan Pablo enjoys connecting the richness of classical music with contemporary styles, all while fostering a love for Ibero’American music. Driven by gratitude to God and a passion for music, he aims to inspire others through his art and teaching, proudly sharing Colombia’s rich musical heritage with the world.
Cello
Grace Field
Grace holds a BA in cello performance from Michigan State University, where she studied with Louis Potter, Jr. She also attended the New School of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Orlando Cole, cellist of Curtis String Quartet and professor of cello at Curtis. She received her Suzuki certification at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
In the past, Grace has been a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (1959-1989), a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra String Quartet (1963-1989), the Bach Festival Orchestra, the Arion Trio and Quartet, and the Four Seasons String Quartet.
In addition to teaching at the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, Grace has also taught at Kalamazoo College, and has served as a Suzuki Association of the Americas teacher and trainer in Brazil, Australia, and Calgary. She continues to be a clinician at many US workshops.
Grace is the director of the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo cello program, and is also a director of the Chamber Music Workshop here in Kalamazoo, MI. She has also served as the president of the Michiana Cello Society, the Stulberg International String Competition, and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Women's League. She is a current member of SAA, ISA, and ASTA. She was the 2000 recipient of the Community Medal of Arts Award and the 2002 recipient of the PRISM award given by Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity.
She has two grown sons and four grandchildren.
Lydia Raymond (Schubkegel)
Lydia Raymond (Schubkegel) is a passionate cellist and dedicated music educator with over 19 years of playing experience and 7 years of teaching. A lifelong musician, she grew up as a Suzuki student and now enjoys passing on that same foundation to her own students. Lydia holds a bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University and pursued graduate studies at Belmont University in Nashville. She finds great joy in passing along the gift of making music!
Guitar
Mike Savina
Mike is a guitarist and percussionist with over 20 years of performing experience. He began taking guitar lessons at the age of 9 after playing the air guitar in his bedroom window for the better part of two years. It was a sense of finality, of attaining the key to unlock a lifetime of exploration. When guitar was not an offering for concert band in school, he joined the percussion section instead. Intent on being immersed in music as much as possible, he was a member of concert band, the symphonic wind ensemble and the marching band in high school, and for his final two years joined the choir. He joined his first "rock" group at 13, has played extensively in a recording studio collective that encompassed half a dozen projects, and is currently a member of Kalamazoo-based band The Go Rounds. Music is fun, elevating, and a wonderful tool for processing the relationship between the world around us and our inner selves.
Percussion
Dede Alder
From humble beginnings, Dede has paved her way on her own experimental, alternative, off the grid musician journey. Dede has been studying, performing, recording and writing music for over 15 years. She has studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Northwestern Michigan College, National Frame Drum Association, and in Ireland and Italy. She has worked with world renowned percussionists including Gwen Burgett: MSU Percussion Instructor, Roger Kashou: Percussionist in the National Arab Orchestra, Alessandra Belloni: World renowned Italian Tambourine Performer and many more. Dede has a fun and supportive teaching style that is backed by a deep passion for music. She loves to teach group and private lessons.
Operations Manager
Sabrina Stempek
Sabrina has been active in the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo since 2016. She is a parent of two daughters who started at Suzuki in Little Stars, and who currently study violin and guitar. Sabrina served on the SAK board before assuming the operations manager role. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University and has served children in education since 2008. Sabrina has experienced first-hand what it takes to fully participate in a Suzuki education as a parent, and she has seen how that hard work by students and their families culminates in incredible growth and development of skill and self-confidence. She is committed to the mission of Suzuki. She will often be your first point of contact at the Suzuki Academy and can be reached at suzukiacademykalamazoo@gmail.com.