Faculty
Centrum Faculty
This skilled creative collective could wrap their arms around the globe. Much respect, big hugs.
Teeny Tucker
Voice
Although Teeny was born into blues royalty, (daughter of Tommy “Hi-Heel Sneakers” Tucker), one need only to hear Teeny to know that she has cultivated and developed her “gifts” into her very own uniquely compelling world-class package. As a child, this Dayton Ohio native began singing in the church choir. This experience, like so many other soulful success stories, undoubtedly began to chart the course of Teeny’s music career.…
Yoseff Tucker
Yoseff’s early life exposure to traditional bluegrass and American roots music came courtesy of his grandfather who moved to Central California from the Ozarks in the early 20th century. His first guitar came to him while he was still in diapers and an appreciation for music laid a great foundation in his life.
Brandon Vamos
Cello, Pacifica Quartet
Brandon Vamos is professor of practice (cello) at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a member of the Pacifica Quartet, the school’s quartet-in-residence.
He has appeared as soloist with orchestras worldwide and has collaborated with many distinguished artists, including Paul Katz, Michael Tree, Yo-Yo Ma, Menahem Pressler, and the Emerson Quartet, and has recorded for Cedille, Naxos, and Cacophony Records.…
Grace Van’t Hof
Michigan native Grace van’t Hof has taken their unique shade of ukulele playing across the United States and overseas with such groups as Bill and the Belles, Aaron Jonah Lewis’ Ragtime Banjo Revival, and Chris Jones & the Night Drivers. Driven by inspiration from 1920s and 30s country and popular music, Grace thoughtfully incorporates their uke stylings into all sorts of genres from Bluegrass to Spanish Baroque music.…
Don Vappie
Banjo
Don Vappie, musician / composer / educator, is the 2021 Steve Martin Banjo Prize Winner and was inducted into the Banjo Hall of Fame in 2022. In addition, he has received awards for his contributions to the preservation of New Orleans Creole Culture through music and film. He has produced 7 of his own albums, co-produced and starred in a PBS documentary, performed as a featured artist with orchestras on movie and television soundtracks, and at concerts and festivals around the world.…
Sachal Vasandani
Faculty
Sachal Vasandani is recognized for his singular voice, with a tone and unique phrasing that mark him as one of the most compelling artists on the scene today.
Craig Ventresco
Guitar
Craig Ventresco is a San Francisco-based guitarist and revivalist of early 20th Century jazz, pop, and folk material. He grew up in Maine, but established himself as a guitarist specializing in older styles of American popular music by playing on the street every day for tips in San Francisco, beginning in the late 1980’s.…
Eric Verlinde
Vocal Accompanist
Piano
Eric Verlinde is a highly trained piano accompanist in the Pacific Northwest. You are always in good hands with Eric at the keys. Specializing in multiple genres including jazz, Latin, blues, gospel and R&B. He also has a classical background and can play written music as well. He is an alumni of Berklee College of music.…
Shawn Vestal
Past Faculty
Shawn Vestal’s debut novel, Daredevils, was published in spring 2016 by Penguin Press. His collection of short stories, Godforsaken Idaho, published by New Harvest in April 2013, was named the winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize.
Hannah Viano
Faculty
Hannah Viano is an adventurous artist, educator, and mother living and creating in the Pacific Northwest. Her artwork is done in a variety of media, all starting from sketch studies in the field and then moving to the studio, using simple tools to create graphic images and capture the essential lines of a place or subject.…