About us
Annie Ponce
Annie Ponce is a Mexican flutist, arts manager, and teacher whose journey into classical music began unexpectedly–when she started playing flute she didn’t like classical music, but over time she fell deeply in love with its beauty, depth, and expressive power. Today, she finds joy in performing, teaching, managing, and helping others connect with it. Annie loves performing and guiding audiences through what they are about to hear, helping them discover meaning in sound.
Annie has been teaching music for over ten years in a comprehensive way, guiding her students to build trust, develop healthy practice habits, set meaningful goals, and find emotional depth in their playing. She believes that making music offers us the chance to experience connection, joy, and boost our confidence when we achieve musical goals.
A passionate chamber musician, she earned National Second Place in Mexico with the Quinteto Panamericano at the 16º Concurso Nacional de Música de Cámara of the Escuela Superior de Música (INBAL, Mexico, 2021). She has premiered contemporary works such as “Into the Hydrosphere” (2022) and “Suite para Quinteto de Alientos” (2021), both by the Mexican composer Eduardo Herrera.
Annie has participated in masterclasses with Philipp Bernold, Joanna G’froerer, Mimi Stillman, Bella Hristova, Roberto Díaz, Daris Dale, Ian Davidson, Linda Toote, and Sonora Slocum. She thrives in collaborative music-making, exploring artistic ideas and ensemble sound with creativity and intention.
She recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Flute Performance from the University of Ottawa, where she studied under Stephanie Morin, and she also studied a Master in Arts Management and Cultural Policies at the Panamerican University in Mexico City.
In addition to her performance and teaching love, Annie has worked in the behind-the-scenes of music for several years, helping with the administrative, logistic, and promotional part of music-making. She is passionate about “making things happen” and connecting people with classical music.
IG: @Annie.Ponce.Music
Guillermo Castillón
As a musician, classical pianist, and teacher by vocation, Guillermo looks to make music not only by performing, but also by helping his students to find their own way as musicians. Currently residing in Ottawa, Canada, he teaches piano privately (both online and in-person) and is a Teaching Artist at OrKidstra accompanying the KidSingers on the regular as well as other ensambles for concerts. Also, he is pursuing the Master of Arts in Music Research program at the University of Ottawa. His present research seeks to directly correlate music theory and instrument instruction at any pre-university level, and he remains interested in topics related to music education in general as well as the role of piano technique in preventing and treating occupational injuries caused by practice with an instrument. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music and Innovation from the School of Fine Arts at Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City, with an emphasis on classical piano and music education.
He is currently a teacher at the same institution in the Pre-College program, where he teaches music theory and ear training. Additionally, he is co-director and also an instructor at “ALBOR, Academia de Música,” which he founded with composer Eduardo Herrera in 2021 with the goal of making pre-professional music education accessible in a virtual format.
As a pianist, he has focused on piano technique, receiving training in the Taubman Approach from instructors at the Golandsky Institute in both the United States and Mexico. Furthermore, he has dedicated himself to the premiere of contemporary works—having performed eight premieres to date—and to accompanying children’s and youth ensembles.
With over a decade of experience as a music and piano teacher, he has taken courses on various music teaching methods, including the Dalcroze Method, the Kodály Method, and the Suzuki Method. Additionally, he has worked in various schools, such as Northridge School Mexico, teaching subjects related to piano, general music appreciation, music theory, ear training, choral groups, and more.
IG: @guillermo.cs_pianist
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