UPPER EAST SIDE MUSIC
At Upper East Side Music, we design an individualized curriculum for each student. We teach students in our home studio, online or at the families home.
Read more about us and our services below!
FACULTY
Sydney Kucine
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Andrew Hill
Andrew A. Hill is a freelance conductor and professional musician based in New York City. He holds a Masters of Music in Conducting at Colorado State University and a Bachelors of Music in Music Education/Trombone Performance from San José State University.
As a conductor, Andrew made his New York City debut with the New Conductors Orchestra leading the orchestra in David Diamond's Symphony No. 1 (1941) on February 11th and February 12th, 2023. In May of 2025, he conducted & recorded with the FAMES Institute Orchestra in Skopje, North Macedonia collaborating with composers from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam recording new music for short animated films. As a professional musician, Andrew has extensive experience as a trombonist performing orchestral, jazz, broadway, salsa and contemporary repertoire. He has performed at Carnegie Hall (NYC), Davies Symphony Hall (SF), Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA), Berliner Philharmonie (Berlin, Germany), Milan Conservatory (Milan, Italy), Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine (Udine, Italy), The Royal Concertgebouw Hall (Amsterdam), Smetana Hall (Prague), Teatro El Círculo (Rosario, Argentina) and Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires, Argentina). In 2021-2022, he was awarded Educator of the Year as the Music Director (band, orchestra and jazz director) at Los Gatos High School, California. Currently, he is an active freelance professional musician in New York City.
Sydney Kucine is a distinguished American operatic soprano with a prominent career. She earned her Master’s degree in Music from Mannes College of Music at The New School and her Bachelor’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Sydney’s recent achievements include performing as the soprano soloist in the "Gloria" from Misa Criolla and Mark Hayes' "Gloria" at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. She has also been acclaimed for her portrayal of Pamina in The Magic Flute on a U.S. tour with renowned author Carolyn Sloan, and for her performance as the soprano soloist in Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Op. 36: II in New York City.
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Sydney has received several prestigious awards, including prizes from The Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, The Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, and The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
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In addition to her performance career, Sydney is passionate about teaching voice and piano. She began playing piano at age ten and started her musical journey as a singer at age six. She specializes in teaching beginning to intermediate piano students and students of all levels in voice. Sydney is dedicated to developing strong foundational skills in her students, encouraging their self-motivation and success in performance settings.
Andrew Hill
David Morales
Michiyo Morikawa
David Morales is a pianist, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, and musical director based in Long Island. Originally from Nicaragua, David migrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of 13 in pursuit of a better life, which ultimately led to his discovery and passion for music. After graduating from The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC, David further honed his craft in jazz performance while retaining his roots in salsa and other Latin rhythms, helping him stand out among his peers.
As a performer, David has had the opportunity to tour the East Coast, from Philadelphia to Florida, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Additionally, David is a music educator specializing in piano and general music education, teaching primarily in minority and bilingual communities in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. He believes that music is a core component of the education system and should be accessible to all students, regardless of their racial, linguistic, or financial backgrounds.
Michiyo Morikawa, pianist, was born in Nagano, Japan. She holds a B.M. from Toho Gakuen School of Music, Japan, a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Karl Ulrich Schnabel and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes College of Music. She has studied with Germán Diez, Jerome Rose, Hugo Goldenzwieg. She had classes with Aube Tzerko, John Perry, Richard Goode, and Alicia de Larrocha. Ms. Morikawa has received several honors including First Prize and the Special Composer's Prize in Spain, Cuba, Mexico, the U.S., and Japan. She has performed concerti with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, the Filarmonica de Jalisco, the Sinfonica de Coyoacan, UNAM Chamber Orchestra, and the Fukushima Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a frequent recitalist in the New York area, as well as Latin America, Europe and Japan. As a chamber musician and accompanist, Ms. Morikawa has performed with brass players including Philip Smith and Thomas Smith of the New York Philharmonic, Raymond Reccomini of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Stefan Dohr of the Berlin Philharmonic, Michael Rossi of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and her husband opera singer Jose Adán Perez.
She can be heard as soloist and accompanist in the following recording albums: “Midnight Conga“ as soloist; Trumpet and Piano albums “The Inner Voice” with Raymond Reccomini and “Path“ with Antonio Marti, and Violin and Piano “Estampa” with Hisaichi Shimura.
Javier Madrazo
Stella Mamasiyeva
Javier Madrazo (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1996) is a composer, arranger and guitar player. He had his
formal education in the bachelor in Jazz in the conservatory Manuel de Falla from 2015 to 2018 and completed his Masters Degree in Jazz at Queens College in New York City in 2023.
He initiated his professional carrer playing standards in local jazz clubs in Buenos Aires as a leader and as
a sideman. This is how he participated in the bands of Mariano Loiácono, Julia Moscardini, Sebastian
Loiácono, Julieta Iricibar, Malena Rampi among others.
Also he won 3 competitions in his conservatory which allowed him to participate in ensembles of alumni of Michael Formanek, Devin Hoff and Tim Berne, each concluding in a concert in the distinguished Concert Hall of the CCK called “Ballena Azul”.
In 2021 he released his first album “Interior” with Ernesto Jodos in piano (the director of the conservatory where Javier studied), Jerónimo Carmona in doublebass and Fernando Moreno playing drums. The repertoire in this recording is composed from five original tunes of Javier and two jazz
standards with original arrangements (Autumn Leaves and Look for the silver Lining). He currently performs in places like Casa Cipriani, Teatro Si, Silvana amongst other places, with
renowned musicians like Joe Martin, David Berkman and Kevin Congleton.
Stella Mamasiyeva is an accomplished musician, composer, and researcher whose multifaceted career spans performance, composition, and groundbreaking research into cognitive benefits of music education. Born in Moscow, Russia, Stella demonstrated an early aptitude for music, beginning formal studies in piano, voice and composition at a young age. She developed a robust foundation in music theory, ear training, piano, and vocal technique, cultivated through rigorous training in Russia's highly esteemed music education system. This early immersion in the discipline laid the groundwork for a lifelong commitment to musical excellence and innovation. At age 13, Stella immigrated to New York City, where she continued her musical journey at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High school of Music and Art as Voice Major. Attending La Guardia provided an ideal environment to further her skills in Voice and Piano, refining her technical proficiency and developing a nuanced understanding of musical performance and expression. Eager to expand her creative and technical expertise Stella pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree at SUNY Purchase, a globally recognized institution for its Conservatory programs in Music and Arts. She majored in Studio Composition, focusing on songwriting and music engineering. Furthering her expertise, Stella earned a Master’s degree in Orchestral Composition from the Columbus School of Music, an institution known for its rigorous and forward-thinking programs. During her graduate studies she embarked on an ambitious research agenda, investigating the profound effects of music on brain development and its correlation with academic success in non-musical disciplines. This research bridged the fields of music theory, cognitive science, and education, examining how musical training enhances cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem solving, as well as its role in fostering academic achievement across subjects like mathematics and language arts. Stella remains dedicated to advancing the understanding of music’s transformative potential, both as an art form and as a catalyst for intellectual and personal growth for children and adults of all ages.
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