Hülya Alpakin Luethi, Founder (Piano, Music Together & Art)
Hülya Alpakin Luethi has a strong European-style conservatory education in piano performance. Born in Turkey, Hülya is a graduate from Mimar Sinan University Istanbul Conservatory. She moved to Chicago to continue her piano education at Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts. There she earned her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of Dr. Ludmila Lazar and her Performance Diploma, under the tutelage of distinguished British pianist Graham Scott. Hülya is also a licensed Music Together Center Director and registered Music Together teacher.
Hülya has over 30 years of music teaching experience. She started teaching in Turkey as a private piano teacher while she was studying piano in Conservatory. After her graduation from college she started teaching piano at Istanbul Mimar Sinan University Conservatory and Istanbul Istasyon Art School as well as continuing private piano lessons. After she moved to the United States she worked as a piano instructor in various music schools such as Southport Performing Arts Conservatory SPACE, Peoples Music School, and Gasse School of Music. Her students have been accepted to various music colleges and music high schools. Also Hülya’s students have received awards in piano competitions. She has been a judge in CAMTA Roberta Savler Piano Contest.
In addition to her numerous performances in Turkey before coming to the US, Hülya performed as a solo pianist in many recitals and chamber music concerts in the Chicago area, such as at the Chicago Cultural Center, Roosevelt and De Paul Universities, Sherwood Conservatory, Green Mill, PianoForte Chicago and many other venues. She also performed as an ensemble member across the country including New York, California, Arizona, and Minnesota. She played about 10 years with Palomar Ensemble at Access Contemporary Music, which performed the world premiere of many well-known and young composers’ works, such as Xiaogang Ye, Gabriella Ortiz, Jane O’Leary and many others. Her performances were live- broadcast by the radio station WFMT.
After she had her twins she dedicated herself to education for children in music and art. She founded Sparkling Art Piano in 2016. Currently she has been teaching piano and Music Together classes for babies as well as running Sparkling Art Piano.
Füsun Alpakin (Violin&Piano)
Fusun Alpakin was born in Turkey and began her music education at the age of six, playing the mandolin and later switching to the violin, receiving instruction from her long time instructor, composer and violin virtuoso, Ekrem Zeki Un. At age 11 Ms. Alpakin auditioned for and was admitted to the Mimar Sinan University Istanbul State Conservatory where she studied violin with the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Professor Yusuf Guler Aksoz , piano with Ms. Kamberoglu and Ensemble with Professor Resit Erzin. In 1988, she received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance. In 1989, she auditioned for the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra where she worked as assistant concertmistress. In 1996-97, she worked under tutoring Professor Piero Farulli (Italiana Quartet) with the Chamber Ensemble at Scola Di Fiesole in Florence, Italy.
In 1999, Ms. Alpakin moved to the United States where she worked with the Classical Symphony Orchestra as concertmistress, at the New Philharmonic as the principal second violin, and with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, she auditioned for the Roosevelt University Performing Arts Master’s degree program and received a full scholarship from the world famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She completed her Master’s Degree in 2002. While at Roosevelt University, Ms. Alpakin studied under Cyrus Forough (student of David Oistrakh). That same year she was accepted into the Civic Orchestra of Chicago (the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) where she trained with Daniel Barenboim, Sir Andrew Davis, Pinchas Zukerman, Cliff Colnot, and was coached by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s principal string members.
After moving to the United States she focused on her teaching career in violin, viola and piano and gained teaching experience working at DePaul University Community Division and the People’s Music School where she worked with Vermeer String Quartet members to train children. Ms. Alpakin has given many masterclasses for instructors and has been involved with “Yours,” a project for children. In 2005, she founded the Southport Performing Arts Conservatory (SPACE) for music, dance and drama education in Chicago. Since then, she has been teaching at SPACE and directing SPACE’s musical productions. In September 2017 Ms. Alpakin joined Sparkling Art Piano. Since then she works there as the violin and piano instructor.
Carly Colvin (Art)