William Kossler
Guitar, Director
Left: Duo gig at the Mast General Store downtown!
William Kossler is a gifted guitarist in demand internationally as both a teacher and performer. He holds Undergraduate and Masters Degrees in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Christopher Berg.
William has placed as a finalist in regional and national competitions and received positive reviews for his compelling performances. He is the author of several publications on guitar pedagogy and his articles have appeared in Soundboard (the Journal of the Guitar Foundation of America), The Suzuki Journal (the Journal of the Suzuki Association of the Americas) and several other publications.
He has conducted Long Term Artist Residencies with both the South Carolina and Tennessee Arts Commissions. As a recipient of a Rotary International Scholarship, he spent a year in Japan studying with pedagogue Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. A co-author of the Suzuki Guitar Method, Mr. Kossler has conducted pedagogy workshops for guitarists throughout the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
He currently directs the Winston Salem Suzuki School and enjoys performing on the guitar, lute, and vihuela.
Cindy Spell
Cindy Spell holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from East Carolina University, where she studied with Dr. Elliot Frank.
While living in Utah for eight years, she served as instructor and guitar coordinator for Utah Valley University and as president of the nonprofit organization, Utah Classical Guitar. She also directed preparatory division guitar studies for the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City.
Other teaching positions include Barton College, Pitt Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, the Music Academy of Eastern Carolina, and Always Learning Guitar Studio.
Cindy enjoys teaching and performing, and she also puts her organizational skills to use in administrative roles. She has served as administrative director for the East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival since 2003, and she recently assisted with the inaugural event for the Queens University of Charlotte Guitar Symposium.
In addition to her work with Winston Salem Suzuki School, Cindy teaches at the Community Music School at the UNC School of the Arts in a unique partnership to expand the Suzuki guitar community.