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
​
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.
​
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.
​
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
Jarod Yap
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.
Zoey Zhou
Collaborative pianist Jarod Yap always strives to portray music as a human experience. Based in New York, he is a staff pianist at The Juilliard School, founder of Vision Possible Charity Concerts, and faculty at Lyra Music and BRAVO Chamber Music Workshop during the summers. With soprano Margaret Tigue, he is a 2025 Young Concert Artists semifinalist, 2025 SongStudio Artist, 2026 CSI Fellow, 2026 songSLAM participant with composer Steven Ward, and 2026 Federation of Art Song Fellowship finalist. He has performed at distinguished venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Park Avenue Armory, Merkin Hall, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and important collaborators have included violinists David Chan and Stella Chen, cellists Amy Barston and Horatio Contreras, cut paper artist Bovey Lee, Klangforum Wien, and members of the Argus and Prometheus Quartets. An advocate for giving back to the community, he has performed on Music for Food and If Music be the Food. Studies were at The Juilliard School, Rice University, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, RCM, and UT-Health (MPH) with Dr. Lydia Brown, Jeanne Kierman Fischer, Tom Jaber, Mary Handley, Jonathan Feldman, and Cameron Stowe. Notable masterclasses were with JoAnn Falletta, Augustin Hadelich, Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, and Anthony Roth Costanzo. He is the son of Dr. Johnny and Christina Yap and the older brother of Constance Yap.
Stella Mamasiyeva
Zoey Xinyue Zhou is known for her versatile repertoire spanning vocal, instrumental, and orchestral music. Her performances grace prestigious venues across North America, Europe and Asia, including stages as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kaufman Music Center, Caramoor Music Center and Michael Klein Music Tent.
Currently, she works as a staff pianist at The Juilliard School and serves for distinguished pedagogues, including Timothy Cobb, Harold Robinson and Cynthia Hoffmann. She frequently performs in recitals with members of San Fransisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony. She was a staff pianist for the International Society of Bassists Competition in 2025. She has worked in masterclasses with renowned artists such as Renée Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee, Frans Helmerson, Sébastian Jacot and Dominik Wagner.
Zoey holds a bachelor’s degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London and master’s from The Juilliard School. In the past, she participated in prestigious programs such as Festival Napa Valley, Schubert Institut, SongFest, Aspen Music Festival and School and Schwab Vocal Rising Stars at Caramoor.
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.
More teacher biographies coming soon
Our Services
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.