I am so happy I found Charles to teach my daughter, Angel, to play the cello! Charles is very…read morewarm, professional, well-prepared and friendly. He is always thorough in his lessons and has well thought out assignments for Angel. He is excited when she is doing well and compliments her. When she has a hard day, he is very encouraging and warm. He has become part of the family and supports Angel even in her other activities. Charles is a passionate cello player. He plays at numerous events around the Bay Area and releases cello numbers on YouTube. I recommend Charles highly to anyone interested in learning to play the cello.

So excited that we hired Charles to play at our wedding ceremony at House Family Vineyards…read more(10-12-14). He was very professional and I loved that he played Top 40 on the cello during our wine reception hour. This was perfect and added a nice upbeat ambiance that night. The ceremony music was just beautiful and he made our wedding day very special. I would definitely hire him again :) Thanks Charles!!!

Spindrift is Great! Our daughters have been there for 9 years!…read moreThey love it all. They have taken many classes including Acting, Dancing, Guitar, Piano and Singing. They have performed every year in various shows which continually challenge them and make them feel accomplished. They have met many friends there. The organization is run very well and all of the instructors are Top Notch! The experiences our girls have gotten from Spindrift are priceless!

We love Spindrift! All three of my girls have been enrolled in dance classes here at some point…read more Everything From preschool ballet to joining the Spindrift Dance company. Guitar and piano lessons to attending productions at the community theater. It has and continues to be a great experience. Pacifica is very lucky to have this gem in our community.

I'm a free lance musician and I play all sorts of gigs. This is one my favorites. I LOVE Gilbert…read moreand Sullivan and Lamplighters puts on a very enjoyable show. The quality of the singing is pretty high and the stagings are fun. Part of the fun of G & S is that you can update some of the jokes to make it current so during the showing of a 150 year old play they start joking about Elon Musk and vegans, etc. After the show the cast goes into the lobby still in full costume to talk the audience.

On Sunday I went to the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts to see an afternoon…read moreperformance of Il Ducato, the reimaging of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado done by the Lamplighters Music Theater. I was nervous about seeing a classic redone and moved from Japan to Italy. But I needn't have been. It was brilliant. This was just about the finest production of any G&S I've ever seen, and I have seen dozens and dozens. From the opening song, "We are Gentlemen of Milan," to the curtain calls, it was magic. The voices were beautiful, with spot-on pitch and clarity of enunciation, and by EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER. That's practically unheard of but there you are. This group could have jumped right on the stage with the cast of Doyle Carte and given them a run for their money. The acting was marvelous. Funny, funny things happened onstage that were set up cleanly, with the precision of focus that made it easy for the audience to appreciate. It was beautifully staged and directed. The costumes were perfect, as was the set. In short, this is a show that must be seen by anyone who appreciates Gilbert and Sullivan and it is too bad it's not traveling around the world. But it can be seen on August 19th and 20th in San Francisco and the 26th and 27th in Walnut Creek. Strictly a Bay Area thing.

This fabulous, talented duo not only provides excellent music, but they're highly professional and…read morea delight to work with. Hillary (piano) and Monika (violin) have their own nice website with bios, sound clips, booking info, etc., but I wanted to add my rave review to the mix for them. Hillary and Monika provided the music for our wedding reception at the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park in May 2007 and we got lots of compliments on the quality of the music. They spoke with us quite a bit in the weeks before the wedding about what kind of music we wanted and Hillary provided suggestions when I was uncertain. As the reception was about to begin, I was embarrassed to realize that I hadn't actually had anyone move the piano to the correct location for them, but they gamely rearranged and didn't make me feel bad about this obvious goof on my part. In addition to playing beautiful music to high artistic standards, they are delightful people and were probably the easiest to work with of any of the professionals involved in the wedding ceremony and reception. Thank you, Hillary and Monika!

Eusebius Duo was exactly what I was looking for. I needed a duo that could perform church songs as…read morewell as pop songs for our October church wedding. I thought it was going to be difficult to find someone who can play Ave Maria, Bittersweet Symphony, This I Promise You (by Nsync) and Sweet Child O Mine (Guns and Roses). But Eusebius Duo was able to deliver! If they didn't know the song, then they learned it! My wedding music was exactly how I had pictured it in my head! The duo was very professional and experienced! All I had to do was give them our wedding time line and they knew what to do from there! I didn't have to worry about anything regarding our music! Thank you to Hillary who was very responsive through email and super helpful too!

I came to Angeline as an adult beginner with a quiet fear that I had waited too long to start…read moreviolin. That fear didn't survive my first few lessons. Angeline has a rare ability to meet students exactly where they are. She never made me feel like a novelty or an exception, just a student with work to do and the capacity to do it. Her instruction is structured and clear, with genuine attention to technique, but she also knows when to slow down and rebuild a foundation rather than just push forward. What I didn't expect was how encouraged I'd feel. Adult learners carry a different kind of self-consciousness, and Angeline seems to understand that without it ever needing to be said. Progress felt real and earned, not artificially inflated. Waiting for my lessons, I've also watched her work with younger students. She's patient, engaging, and clearly knows how to hold a kid's attention without losing the substance of the instruction. She's genuinely good with all ages. She also holds recitals for her students, which I think says a lot about how seriously she takes their development. I'm not there yet, but making it onto that stage one day is something I'm actually working toward now, and that's not something I would have said before studying with her. If you're on the fence about picking up the violin, whether you're an adult who thinks it's too late or a parent looking for the right fit for your kid, Angeline is the answer. Hands down the best teacher you'll find.

We feel so fortunate to have found Angeline. She is truly an exceptional and one-of-a-kind violin…read moreteacher. From the beginning, Angeline places a strong emphasis on building a great technical foundation, especially developing a beautiful and controlled bow hand. These are the kinds of skills that set her students apart and elevate their playing to a higher level. Angeline holds her students to very high standards, but she does so with care, intention, and a deep commitment to each child's growth. In fact, my daughter had to relearn how to bow for almost a year; however, the time and effort was worth it. Angeline knows exactly how to challenge her students to reach their fullest potential while providing the structure, clarity, and encouragement they need to succeed. The progress and growth we've seen in our daughter the past two years has been remarkable. She has grown not only in technical ability and tone, but also in confidence, discipline, and musical expression. It's clear that Angeline's thoughtful, detail-oriented approach brings out the best in her students. If you're looking for a teacher who is deeply committed to excellence, meticulous, and genuinely brings out the best in her students, we couldn't recommend Angeline more.

I started my daughter this year (2019) through a referral of one of the moms I knew from my…read moredaughter's daycare. Auntie Camille was super sweet and welcoming. My daughter enjoys the Monday classes. We also started the Saturday classes which I have to get her warmed up to. The instructors are good, they do their best I don't have an outrageous high expectation, its hard enough to be a teacher yet, it's even harder to be a teacher to children because not all kids have a long attention span. Im happy that I found this new dance family for my daughter. We plan to be with them for a long time.

Manuia is family. I started my daughter at Manuia when she was 3 and right before the lockdown. I…read morewas going to pull her out when COVID happened, as when they started virtual classes I thought it was not going to be worth it, but I am so glad I let her stay. It was a perfect extra curricular for her during lockdown and she learned so much virtually. They had virtual showcase and the kids learned the dances just though the screen and to me that was amazing. Teachers Fue and Jackie are very patient to the kids. Now that Manuia has been open in person, they were able to do in person shows lately, one of which was in Chase Center for the Warriors Polynesian Heritage Night. That was a very memorable experience for my daughter. Not only that she's learning different dances, coming out of her shell and is more confident, but Manuia is like a family to us. She's making new friends and the amazing team: Auntie Camille, Uncle Tommy, lovely teachers Fue and Jackie and the rest of the Manuia teachers and drummers are very welcoming and talented in more ways than one.

We were able to book Krista for our wedding and let me tell you, if you're thinking of adding a…read morelittle extra to your ceremony do NOT hesitate in booking Krista. She's has a wide range of song samples on her website that will help you choose the perfect set. Thank you again Krista!

Krista was such a joy to work with! From the day of booking to the wedding day, she was very…read morecommunicative and made everything so effortless. When she arrived she was so sweet and personable yet professional. She also shared her expertise and advice when it came to the ceremony which was so helpful because I did not have a coordinator for my small intimate wedding. Prior to the wedding day, I was worried about not being able to hear the music during such a busy Friday at SF City Hall but all my guests were so impressed how clearly they could hear her music. Her repertoire was incredibly extensive! We did not even need to make any special requests because she offered such a wide variety and you can tell she keeps it updated. But don't you worry if you do not see a particular song in her list, because she offers the option to make one special song request a month prior with no additional cost. Just having Krista there really brought the romantic and elegant ambience to our ceremony. She is a true talent and you can truly feel the passion in her music. If you are still undecided on what type of music and who to play for your wedding, TRUST ME, you will NOT regret booking Krista! Side Note: I wish we caught pictures of this moment but my 2 year old niece was SO mesmerized by Krista and her harp. We may have a future harpist in our family LOL!

Ms Maria taught my son piano for about 2 years. When he first started, he did not know a single…read morenote, but she worked patiently to build up his foundation and musical skills. At the end of his 2nd year, he was able to sight read fairly well, and was comfortable playing more advanced pieces. Maria is very responsive and easy to communicate with. Whenever I had any thoughts regarding his curriculum, she was receptive and eager to work with me on changes. She always gave me her genuine opinion and tried her best to personalize the piano experience. I came to think of Maria as not just a teacher, but a friend who truly cared about about my son's progress. Unfortunately due to our schedule, we were unable to continue taking lessons with her. However, I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who wants to learn piano, or anyone who knows piano, but wants to advance their skills to contact Maria.

Both of my children are taking piano lessons with Ms. Maria for almost 4 years. Comparing my…read morechildhood piano experience to my kids, Ms. Maria really has made their experience fun and enjoyable. She is very positive and encouraging on getting my kids challenged and at the same time, absolutely not shy about developments my kids should focus. My son has gone from being frustrated with practicing to enjoying playing music and even volunteered to play songs to the little kids at his school. My younger daughter started about a year ago and has continued to progress and very close to learning notes. I would highly recommend Ms. Maria to any family who is looking to introduce their child(ren) to piano.