String Faculty

Carolyn recommends that parents and violin students check out a set of short videos she created for her students at Bronx House in NYC after it was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From Carolyn: “These videos give an excellent and, hopefully, entertaining overview of how to start playing the violin and what to expect from lessons.” Please ask Carolyn for help in finding the right instrument for your music student.
See Carolyn's YouTube playlist.

Violinist and teacher Carolyn Canfield (formerly Canfield Cole) began her violin studies with the iconic Everett string teacher Gene Nastri, and counts her years playing for Vilem Sokol with the Seattle Youth Symphony as a major early influence. While a student at the University of Washington, she won the music department’s Brechemin Scholarship multiple times, and studied with the internationally respected teacher Dénes Zsigmondy. She went on to study in Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship at the Cologne Hochschule where she earned a Performance Diploma and then furthered her Baroque performance studies with Jeanne Lamond at the Toronto Summer Institute and with Elizabeth Wallfisch in Irsee, Germany and Carmel, CA.

After a 36-year performing career in Vancouver, BC, Canada with the Vancouver Symphony and Vancouver Opera, the CBC Orchestra, and many chamber and early music groups, Carolyn moved to New York where she worked as a freelance violinist. Since moving to Ferndale, WA with husband Victor Costanzi, she has performed as concertmaster with Pacific Northwest Opera and as soloist with the Bellingham Chamber Chorale. 

Carolyn Canfield maintains an active teaching career. She is currently a faculty coach for the Bellingham Youth Chamber Players and is presently volunteer-teaching at local high and middle schools in Ferndale. Her most recent faculty position was at the Community Performing Arts Center Bronx House in New York City. Other notable teaching experiences include the co-creation of an after-school low-income string program with an Eastside Vancouver high school, as director of a summer camp string program at a local college in North Vancouver, at the Marrowstone Music Festival in Port Townsend, and at the former Prep School at Western Washington University, with Karen Iglitzin.  

Along with extensive adjudicating experience, Carolyn has coached student groups of all ages, including the Vancouver Youth Symphony strings and Vancouver area school honor orchestras, as well as students preparing for performance exams, such as Royal Conservatory (RCM). She has also prepared young musicians for university auditions and coached both amateurs and professionals auditioning for symphony  orchestra or opera orchestra positions. 

​Loreen Petty, violin, viola, began studying violin at the age of nine with Gene Nastri in Everett.  After graduating high school she attended Northwest Nazarene University and, while a student, played second violin with the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and studied with Karen Krout, the orchestra concertmaster.  After earning a Bachelors degree in violin performance, Loreen returned to Seattle in 1983 and continued her music studies on viola with Eric Shumsky at the University of Washington and Irwin Eisenberg of the Philadelphia String Quartet.

Loreen earned an A.A.S. degree in biotechnology and currently works for 
​a biopharmaceutical company in Bothell.  She enjoys occasional work on violin and viola as a freelance player in the Seattle area.  She was a member of the Sylvan String Quartet for twelve years, and a member of the Bellevue Philharmonic for six years, performing as section violist and substituting as principal violist for one concert.  Loreen has served as principal violist with Civic Light Opera, Village Theatre, Olympic Ballet, Northwest Symphony, and Emerald City Philharmonic, and as a section player with the Federal Way Philharmonic and Juneau Symphony.  Loreen was the conductor of the Mukilteo Community Orchestra for 2 years and directed a church choir for several years.
 
As part of the GNS faculty, Loreen teaches private violin, viola, and beginning piano lessons to students of all ages. She enjoys ensemble work and often organizes large ensembles to perform on student recitals, where she also accompanies her students on piano.  

Eli Weinberger, cello
In demand for recordings, solo engagements, and as a leader in local ensembles, Eli embraces the uniquely dynamic world of a freelance musician. Since obtaining his Masters and Post Masters performance degrees at McGill University, Eli has performed with a wide variety of internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles from pianist Menahem Pressler to pop group Macklemore, and has appeared on and recorded for television shows, film scores, video games, albums, music videos and commercials. During the pandemic, he founded the recording studio C Monster Music, and has kept busy with various recording projects. Eli is principal cellist of the North Corner Chamber Orchestra, (NOCCO) as well as the Northwest Symphony Orchestra. As a teacher, he currently maintains a small studio of dedicated students.
See Eli's YouTube channel.

Piano, Voice, Winds Faculty Page

Julie Buetow, director, grew up in a musical family and earned a degree in clarinet performance from Western Washington University. Julie performed with the Seattle Youth Symphony for five years and since then, has played for numerous local performing ensembles, most recently including Philharmonia Northwest, Cascade Symphony, and Seattle Wind Symphony. She has also played for the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society and the Cascadian Wind Quintet. Her teachers have included Eugene Zoro (Western Washington University), Christopher Sereque (Seattle Symphony), Laura DeLuca (Seattle Symphony), and Jennifer Nelson (Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra). Julie has performed  in a number of chamber music concerts for Philharmonia Northwest and Cascade Symphony. As a teacher, Julie has taught private clarinet lessons to a number of young students and coached with Everett Youth Symphony. She also volunteered as a coach for general music recorder classes in Everett and Mukilteo elementary schools.
Julie started as Director of the Gene Nastri School in May 2020, after serving on various Seattle area arts organization boards. Before that, she worked for Boeing Commercial Airplanes for eleven years as a technical aide, technical writer, and database programmer. She and her husband have three teenagers, who also play musical instruments. 

Gene Nastri Community School of the Arts does not discriminate against any student, teacher, or job applicant
on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation,
gender identity or gender expression.