About us

Elena Keil is the founder of Evergreen Conservatory of Music and Evergreen Music and Performing Arts.  

Her pedagogy, knowledge, and artistic standards were formed in the highest echelons of the Russian musical tradition and date back to the age of four, when she began playing the piano.

When Elena was three years old, her father — a legendary cameraman in Russia — brought her to the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory for a concert. In that moment, the world stopped spinning. From then on the Conservatory became her concert hall. She grew up on production sets thanks to her father, as well as in theaters and ballet houses. The Bolshoi and the Mariinsky were her theaters. This early immersion in the full spectrum of Russian performing arts — ballet, opera, theater, operetta, and film — continues to inform her teaching and artistic vision.

As a child she sang in the renowned Vesna Children’s Choir, touring across Europe and performing on major concert stages with leading musicians and orchestras under conductors such as Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Yevgeny Svetlanov. She later trained at the Gnesin Music College in Moscow, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Piano, Composition, Theory, and History of Music. Her principal piano teacher, Ludmila Alekseeva, guided her through her college studies with the wisdom and rigor that still shape the way Elena teaches today.

Elena’s pedagogical approach is rooted in the prestigious Russian Piano School, known for producing performers of exceptional “singing tone” and effortless technical command. She had the profound privilege of personal encounters and professional proximity to the titans of the twentieth century, including Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, and Evgeny Kissin. Equally formative were the emotional and eye-opening meetings with those great artists who had emigrated and later returned to Russia — among them Vladimir Horowitz, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Galina Vishnevskaya. These encounters, filled with stories of exile, longing, and homecoming, deepened her understanding of the living continuity of the Russian musical tradition.

A particularly meaningful chapter of her artistic life was the opportunity to produce a documentary and stand inside Heinrich Neuhaus’s apartment in Moscow, seeing the very piano on which Richter and so many other legendary pupils had studied. She also filmed and met the mother of Mikhail Pletnev

— herself a pianist — and saw the room and instrument where so many of his formative works were practiced. These experiences remain among the most vivid and affecting of her life.

Today Elena translates these rare, hard-won insights for a new generation. She holds unparalleled standards for music education and performance, and is actively revolutionizing the musical culture and development of the Evergreen community and beyond. Students who have studied with her have gone on to attend top music programs across the United States. With clear vision and uncompromising dedication, Elena is positioning Evergreen Conservatory of Music as a prominent musical education landmark in the country and the world — ensuring that the heritage of the greats remains a living, breathing force in the twenty-first century.

www.ElenaKeil.com

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Pianist Nolan Alexander Ancil is highly regarded for his “clarity” and “singing tone.” He has performed both nationally and internationally, including venues in South Korea, Italy, and Spain. Nolan has also given numerous performances in Washington, D.C., at locations such as the Catholic University of America’s Ward Recital Hall, the National United Methodist Church, and the Embassy of Bulgaria, among others. Additionally, he performed with the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra in 2021 after winning the 2021 Concerto Competition. His international engagements include a solo performance via global simulcast at the Festival Internacional de Música de Tecla Española (FIMTE) Granados Marathon in 2018, as well as performances as a soloist and chamber musician at the Orfeo Summer Music Festival in 2018. Nolan serves as both an artist and organizer for the Washington Young Artist Music Series in Washington, D.C.

As an active chamber music performer, Nolan maintains a piano duo, the Ancil-Voutsas Duo, which frequents audiences throughout the DMV area. Most recently, the duo performed at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (2026). Other notable engagements include performances of Antonín Dvořák’s Complete Slavonic Dances and Legends in celebration of the Embassy of the Czech Republic’s Year of Czech Music. Additional chamber music projects include his piano trio, which received an honorable mention for their performance of Brahms's first Piano Trio at the 2024 Lancaster International Piano Festival Chamber Music Competition.

Nolan is currently a doctoral candidate in piano performance at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., under the supervision of Dr. Ivo Kaltchev, and has been awarded a full scholarship for piano studies. His doctoral research and lecture series focus on the works of 20th century pianist, pedagogue, and composer Samuil Feinberg. Feinberg’s distinctive approach to piano composition, which is characterized by intricate contrapuntal textures, virtuosic demands, and a uniquely Russian romanticism, serves as a crucial link between the tradition of Scriabin and modern musical practices. By advocating Feinberg’s repertoire, Nolan explores the composer’s transformative influence on contemporary performers, who encounter Feinberg’s scores as both an intellectual challenge and an exceptional means of producing expressive, "singing" tone. Nolan’s dedication to this demanding repertoire underscores a commitment to revitalizing vital yet under-performed segments of the musical canon for modern audiences.

He has also received his MM in Piano Performance from The University of Louisville (UofL), studying with Dr. Anna Petrova. At UofL, Nolan received a full graduate teaching assistantship. He received a BA in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he was the recipient of the William K. Hill Scholarship for Piano Performance and received the 2020 award for most outstanding performer.

As a teacher, Nolan focuses on developing a healthy, flexible technique at the piano, emphasizing tone production, as well as strong music fundamentals, such as sight-reading and music theory.

 A Steinway Teacher and Educational Partner 

Hanna Wo is a lifelong musician and dedicated educator whose love for the piano began at age five. Holding a Doctor of Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Colorado, she brings doctoral-level musicianship to every lesson.

A Colorado-licensed music educator with broad classroom experience nurturing young musicians throughout the greater Denver area, Hanna’s performance background runs equally deep. She spent six years as choral accompanist at Thunder Ridge High School and has directed choir, piano, and organ at Church of the Hills in Evergreen since 2016.

Her greatest joy? Watching young students fall in love with music and grow into confident, expressive pianists.

Welcoming beginners through advancing students.

 A Steinway Teacher and Educational Partner  

https://teacher.steinway.com/listing/from-curious-hands-to-confident-performers.html

Clint Dadian is a professional guitarist who specializes in jazz and is fluent in a variety of styles.  He holds a BA in jazz performance from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY.  He has studied guitar with Rodney Jones, Peter Bernstein, Randy Johnston, Mark Elf and Chris Rosenberg as well as piano with Bruce Barth and David Berkman.  He has served on faculty at Long Island University, Greenwich House Music School and the Village Community School in New York City.  In 2009 Mr. Dadian received a Masters Degree in Jazz Composition with an emphasis on Big Band arranging from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.  His compositions for big band have been performed in Europe and the U.S. by bands such as the Air Force Academy big band, The Falconaires.Mr. Dadian is comfortable in settings ranging from solo guitar to big band. He has a warm, rich sound and a flowing improvisational style. While in New York City, he led a six-piece ensemble playing original arrangements of jazz standards. Mr. Dadian has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan with artists such as Houston Person, Etta Jones and Bobby Watson. He currently makes his home near Denver, Colorado where he has taught guitar at the Community College of Aurora and directed band and choir at Academy Charter School in Castle Rock. He performs frequently in the many venues throughout Colorado.

  I was born in Detroit Michigan. 

From an early age, music was part of my life. My mother sang in the church choir, my father was an amateur boogie-woogie pianist and my grandfather owned a funeral parlor where he was also an organist.

My musical beginnings were as a trombonist but drums and percussion were my passion. In 6th grade, my mom bought me a snare drum and I started taking private lessons. I played in concert and marching band in school from 7th grade through high school as well as rock bands playing for school dances.

I moved to Colorado in 1973 and played in many groups touring the west playing night clubs through 1977 at which time I moved back to Michigan for a short period and continued playing mostly in rhythm and blues groups.

In 1978 I moved to California and lived there until 2014. While in California I played on hundreds of tv and radio commercials, artist recordings, songwriting demos even walk-up music for amusement park ride California.

I have toured North America and Canada extensively as well as Europe, Japan, Australia, and Tahiti.

I have appeared on The tonight show with Jay Leno several times as well as The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Academy of country music awards (ACM), The Grammy awards show. The Country music awards (CMA), and others.

Prominent artists I’ve played, toured, and recorded for include Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams, Jim Messina, Johnny Rivers, Buck Owens, Jefferson Starship, Roger Miller, Kathy Segal, Katie Webster, Eddie “cleanhead “ Vinson, Chuck e Weiss, Ralph Stanley, Tony Furtado, Harold Land... and others.

I’ve played at festivals and venues such as Bonaroo, Coachella, Stagecoach , Montreaux, Roskilde, Glastonbury, Radio city music hall, Pepsi Center, Red Rocks, the Forum, Madison Square Garden, and many others.

Former students are

Mario Calire...CalArts graduate....former Wallflowers, Ozomatli drummer, and active recording drummer in L.A.

Seth Woods...Los Angeles music Academy graduate and University of Miami graduate....drummer for Paul Anka and active educator

Randall Marsh ....drummer for Mudcrutch and Original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Dick Gay....longtime drummer for Clint Black

John Spittle....drummer for Trace Atkins

Tina Curtis ....CalState Long Beach graduate...CalState Northridge masters degree....music educator for Los Angeles unified school district.

Professional equipment endorsements

Tama drums

Zildjian cymbals

Remo drumheads and percussion

Innovative Percussion Drumsticks and Mallets

Spencer began playing drums at age eight and continued playing in concert bands, marching bands, rock

bands, and jazz bands in and outside of school. He performed his first concert in a band at a local

bar at age twelve. Gradually he gained control of the snare drum by learning rudiments and earned

center snare drum in high school marching band. Early on his favorite drummers to listen to were

rock drummers like John Bonham and Neil Peart, until he heard the album “Time Out” with Joe

Morello on drums, which opened the door to his curiosity for jazz, and later to many other styles. In

2017 he received the Outstanding Senior Award for jazz.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. As

an educator, he taught private lessons and group ensembles at Music House School of Music in

Kansas City to students of all ages and skill levels. Spencer appears on the albums “Contigo” and

“Modes of Nature” with the Jeff Shirley Trio. In Kansas City, he has performed at notable jazz clubs

including the Green Lady Lounge, The Black Dolphin, The Majestic, Corvino, and The Blue Room.

At the end of 2023, Spencer moved to Evergreen to be closer to family, and to enjoy Colorado. In

Colorado, he has performed at the Denver Botanical Gardens, Snowmass Club Golf Course, Ritz-

Carlton in Avon, St. Julien Hotel in Boulder, and Mile High Stadium. 

Elisabeth Kern-Roos is Head of the Strings Department at Evergreen Conservatory of Music, where she teaches violin and viola. With more than 20 years of teaching and performing experience, she is dedicated to helping students of all ages develop not only strong technical skills but also confidence, artistry, and a lifelong love of music.

Originally from Switzerland, Elisabeth's musical journey began at the age of seven when her grandfather, Kurt Roos, a violinist himself, gave her a quarter-size violin. She studied with Alice Wild at the Jugendmusikschule Weinfelden and was fortunate to have her father, Markus Roos, as her accompanist throughout her early years. As a junior high student, she won a Young Artist Concerto Competition, performing Vivaldi's Concerto in G Major with her local student orchestra. She also served as concertmaster of the prize-winning youth orchestra in Weinfelden and received several honors for her musical achievements.

Although music was an important part of her childhood, Elisabeth chose to first pursue a career in hospitality. She earned a degree from the Belvoirpark Hotel Management School in Zurich and worked in Switzerland's hospitality industry. During this time, she also traveled extensively before realizing that her true calling had always been music. After moving from Switzerland to Denver with her husband and two daughters in 1997, she returned to the violin with renewed purpose.

Elisabeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance, magna cum laude, from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She studied with Tamara Mullikin and Oswald Lehnert, both distinguished students of the legendary pedagogue Ivan Galamian and alumni of The Juilliard School. During graduate studies in violin pedagogy at the University of Colorado Boulder, she immersed herself in the teaching philosophies of history's great violin pedagogues. Discovering the work of Mimi Zweig proved especially transformative, and her comprehensive approach has become the foundation of Elisabeth's teaching ever since.

Today, Elisabeth combines the pedagogical traditions of Shinichi Suzuki, Paul Rolland, and Mimi Zweig to create a nurturing, student-centered learning environment where technical excellence, healthy movement, and joyful music-making go hand in hand.

Elisabeth is a member of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Colorado American String Teachers Association (CASTA)

 Mary Davis Cowell has served as the Fixed Third Chair in the Colorado Symphony viola section since 2007. A versatile performer, she has appeared at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. One of the most rewarding aspects of her career with the Colorado Symphony is the opportunity to perform in iconic venues across the state, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre,  Beaver Creek, Salida, and Telluride. Education
Mary’s academic background includes elite conservatory and university training: Professional Studies Diploma – Cleveland Institute of Music(2004), where she studied under the tutelage of Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey. Bachelor of Arts – University of Wyoming(2002), studying with James Przygocki.

Darcy Naugle is a Soubrette/Lyric soprano who has recently obtained her Bachelors of Music with a concentration in Classical Vocal Performance under the guidance of Professor, Gene B. Roberts at MSU Denver. Her journey in vocal music began in an intermediate treble choir and musical theatre program in high school where she discovered a love for music theory and choral ensembles. During her senior year, she acclaimed herself by competing in prominent choral ensembles like Colorado Allstate Choir, the Western State Choir Competition, New Orleans Choir Competition and toured internationally with Colorado Ambassadors of Music. Throughout her years at MSU Denver, she cherished her experiences within the university's opera theatre program as she performed as Gretel in Engelbert Humperdink’s opera, “Hansel and Gretel” in 2023 as well as many partial opera roles ranging from Susanna in W.A Mozart’s “Le Nozze Di Figaro” to the role of Röschen in contemporary female opera composer, Ethel Smyth, “Der Wald.” Her exploration in the theory department blossomed as she expanded her knowledge in contemporary music with MSU Denver’s composer in residence, Cherise Leiter, and her composition “Cowboy Songs for Her,” that she featured in her Senior recital. Darcy performed concert and oratorio throughout her time at MSU Denver featuring soprano solo performance in John Rutter’s “Requiem” with Festival Choir and Symphony Orchestra, a solo performance for Notiziaro-Donna Di Merito and Scholarship Awards, and received a scholarship from Denver Lyric Opera Guild. Even though Darcy’s vocal focus is in Classical Performance, she will always have a special bond with contemporary and experimental music, especially in modern operas and up and coming composers because she believes that music is forever changing and always evolving. Darcy’s style of teaching is rooted from the artistic approach of singing that incorporates music theory to better understand how the theory relates to the music and how we are able to communicate through music. 

Darcy is currently a soprano in ELUS Vocal Ensemble in the Denver Metro area and recently moved with her partner and puppy, Sawyer to Evergreen to teach voice lessons for all different ages and skill sets. 

   Holly Garrity is an actress in the Denver Metro Area who specializes in immersive theatre and early childhood music education. Holly started working as an actress at the age of 9. After graduating High School, she attending the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City where she was trained in Alexander Technique, Fosse Dance Technique, and Advanced Musical Theatre Theory. She moved to Evergreen Colorado in 2020 and continues to perform in multiple productions a year. Holly has performed in over 40 productions nationwide, including her own two person show in New York at the age of 14. In addition to acting, Holly became a certified Kindermusik Educator and has been sharing her love of music with the children in her classes. She has worked with many institutions including Universal Studios and the Disney Company.  

Teresa Mae Lafferty is a New York–based actor, singer, and educator with a B.F.A. in Dramatic Arts from The New School for Drama, additional training at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Theater Institute, and an A.O.S. in Acting from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

A versatile soprano/belt (D3–E6), Teresa most recently completed the First National Tour of Miracle on 34th Street, serving as Ensemble and First Understudy to Doris Walker. She has also toured internationally with Justice League: Meet the Heroes and Scooby Doo: Mystery at the Mall, performing for audiences around the world. Her Off-Broadway and regional credits include Ximer: An Electronic Musical at the John Cullum Theatre, Ragtag’s Cinderella at SoHo Playhouse, and the California regional tour of Les Misérables.

As a voice and acting instructor, Teresa is committed to cultivating technically grounded, emotionally truthful performers. She empowers students to trust their instrument and develop lasting confidence through disciplined technique and intentional practice. Her teaching integrates healthy vocal production with acting craft, helping students refine musical interpretation, strengthen storytelling abilities, and make bold, specific choices. Teresa fosters a rigorous yet supportive studio environment where artists are challenged to expand their range while honoring their individuality.

When I was four years old, I sang before friends and family at a holiday gathering in our home.  I knew then that I wanted to be on stage!  Once seeing Julie Andrews portray Maria in the film “The Sound of Music”, that instinct was totally confirmed.

I attended Emporia State University in Kansas.  Back then, there was no “Musical Theatre” degree, so I started out in opera.  I was fortunate to play the role of Frasquita in “Carmen”, and then my sophomore year that of Marguerite in “Faust”.  But somehow, vocalizing in practice rooms just wasn’t for me.  I switched over to Theatre and enjoyed numerous roles, including that of Laurey in “Oklahoma!”.

I spent the next decade in Colorado, performing in Aspen, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Greeley and Vail.  Once moving to Florida I performed at The Public Theatre of Ft Lauderdale and the Actor’s Playhouse in Miami.  All experience in both states was professional in that I was paid!  I was a member of Actor’s Equity for 25 years, as well.

I am happy to have returned to beautiful Colorado, and look forward to both my time here at the Conservatory, and investigating local theatre groups.