PIANO

We offer piano lessons for Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and beyond. Our approach to piano instruction is unique in that we want our students not just sight reading and learning the classics but also improvising and composing. We call this our “two-lung” approach: we want our students “breathing with both musical lungs,” playing by sight and by ear. Though all of our students actively engage with and assimilate the classics, we also seek to help them to be well-rounded, like being  able to write music of their own or play their favorite popular song by ear, without sheet music in front of them. We believe this will ensure a life-long relationship with the instrument. 

In any one of our bi-annual recitals, you are bound to hear anything from Bach to Brubeck to Beck, and many of our piano recitals feature an original student composition. A number of our students have participated in (and excelled) in Illinois’ Achievement in Music program (through our local ISMTA chapter). We have a faculty of seven professional, Conservatory-trained piano instructors who are all active musicians, performing around Chicagoland, serving in their churches, and here at Bellas Artes committed to sharing that joy with their students.

FACULTY

JUSTIN JACOBSON, piano
Founder and Director of Bellas Artes

Justin Jacobson (Wheaton College, ‘03, ‘08) earned his Music Composition degree at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano with William Phemister and Joe Cisar, as well composition with Howard Whitaker and John Lane. Justin is an active church musician, songwriter, composer, recording artist, recording engineer, music instructor.  He is happily married to Victoria, who is also head of the strings department here at Bellas Artes.  They are blessed with four beautiful daughters (also musicians) and a little 3 yo boy who sings/screams at the top of his lungs. 

Justin grew up in Argentina, where he first began his study of classical piano, along with tango and Argentine folk music. After college, he spent a year in East Jerusalem, Israel teaching high school - his first formal experience as an educator.  He has been teaching private music lessons for over 18 years now and absolutely loves interacting with his students, seeing them progress and achieve things they never could have imagined themselves achieving before. His aim is not so much to turn his students into virtuosos but to cultivate in them a love for music that will last a lifetime.

He seeks to teach all of his students not just how to read music, but also how to improvise and create their own music. He believes that the classical music  education paradigm has been too heavily weighted toward replication and not enough toward re-creation.  In other words, far too many pianists know how to play Bach and Chopin from memory but are at a loss if requested to compose their own music or play “Happy Birthday.” 

Therefore, Justin’s desire is to bring musical education into a more holistic equilibrium by complementing the traditional model of instruction. He requires all of his students to learn how to read music and to do so proficiently, but he also encourages and teaches them how to improvise, how to compose their own music, and how to play “by ear,” reproducing their favorite song in a piano reduction. This paradigm of instruction does not take place to the neglect of the classics; on the contrary, it seeks to build upon their foundation.  It is for this reason that a number of his students have played original compositions in their recitals and have received awards at the Illinois state level for their original composition. Several of his students have gone to excel in music at the college level, in programs around the country.  

As director of the school, his primary role is that of providing vision and executive leadership.  He has hired a team of over 25 professional musicians from diverse backgrounds but who all share a similar vision for building a holistic and versatile education upon the Western classical tradition.  He is committed to hiring educators who themselves embody the values that Bellas Artes has become known for - goodness, truth, and beauty.

KATELYN ACKLAND, piano/clarinet/voice

Katelyn Ackland has a passion for sharing her love of music with others and is dedicated to their success. Currently, she is pursuing her bachelor's degree in music education and clarinet performance at NIU. While she completed her associate's degree at Kishwaukee College, she was a part of the Performing Arts Club and studied keyboard, voice and guitar during her time there. Previously she studied piano with Professor Choi and Jeong Soo Kim, violin with Marie Wang, guitar with Eric Schroeder and voice with Professor Rakes. She studies clarinet with Gregory Barrett and Elizabeth Kapitaniuk. 

Katelyn has numerous experiences in performance settings including the NIU Philharmonic, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, NIU Sinfonia, DeKalb Municipal Band, NIU Huskie Marching Band, NIU Wind Ensemble, Kishwaukee Concert Band, DeKalb, Dixon and Rochelle Municipal Summer Bandshell and was principal clarinetist and ringer for the Illinois Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is currently serving as the pianist at the Esmond and Lighthouse United Methodist Church and has served in numerous musical capacities for the Rochelle United Methodist Church in their handbell choir, regular choir, as well as playing  violin and clarinet in small ensembles during their church services. She previously worked as a teacher's assistant for band, choir and strings classes in the Greater Rochelle Area Christian Education School and served as the camp counselor and clarinet sectional leader in the Maranatha Baptist College Band Camp. Mentoring music students brings her so much joy!

DEBORAH JOY BACKUS, piano

Dr. Deborah Backus is an award-winning concert pianist and composer. She earned her Doctorate in Piano Performance from Arizona State University, her Masters in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelors in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan. She has a passion for both classical and modern music, and as a composer brings forth neo-romanticism pieces that delight audiences with their beauty and emotional content. 

Dr. Backus completed the first high-definition, surround sound recording of Etudes Australes by John Cage, a revolutionary post-modernist. She has also performed throughout the United States and internationally in Korea, Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, and France. Additionally, her piano performance of Schubert Impromptu Op. 90, No. 2. was featured during her interview on radio station KXXT 1010 AM.

Dr. Backus was First Place winner of a concerto competition held at Arizona State University and has performed at Gammage Auditorium. She also took First Place for a concerto competition held at the University of Michigan and has performed at Hill Auditorium. She took First at Boston's Contemporary Music Competition held at the New England Conservatory of Music and has performed at Jordan Hall. She won First Place in the I.M.E.A.-S.N.A.P. Competition (Illinois State Composition Competition) with the debut of her original solo piano composition, "Melody of Love," and at the University of Michigan was the recipient of their piano department's first-ever Excellence in Piano Performance Award, created especially for her. She was a finalist for the Bach and Concerto competitions at the renowned Aspen Music Festival and Shreveport Piano Competition. Her concert opportunities have extended through a variety of spheres. She has organized and performed fundraisers for Good News Rescue Mission in CA, and for Phoenix Children’s Hospital Cancer Center. She also created a concert event at Phoenix College called The Dream is Alive, through which she successfully raised tuition for twelve international students to support their hopes for the future.

Dr. Backus loves teaching children of all ages and levels. She has instructed classes at the University of Michigan, North Eastern University, and Arizona State University, where she also taught private lessons to music majors while working on her Doctorate in Piano Performance. And with over 30 years of experience as both a performer and piano educator, her lessons are customized and catered to each student's learning style and goals, for the optimal learning experience. While Deborah's students will undoubtedly love learning to play piano music, they will also be building a great foundation of technique, music theory, and performance technique. Throughout her years of teaching, Deborah's students have won numerous competitions, including the MTNA State Piano Competition, and have gone on to pursue music as their profession.

NATALIA DIEHL, piano

Natalia Diehl is professional music educator, with over 30 years of experience as a piano instructor, teaching both in the United States and in Russia. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine, her parents had music playing in the home all the time, even though they were not musicians themselves. She began piano at the age of 6 and eventually received her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Rostov State Music Institute, Russia. In Taganrog, Russia, she taught piano for 11 years at the School of Fine Arts, where she held a position as accompanist for voice students at concerts, competitions, and regular exams.

Since immigrating to the U.S. in 2000, Natalia has been teaching at various public and private schools around the Chicagoland area. Additionally, she has served as the pianist at her church for many years, where she accompanies the choir and other vocal ensembles. She is also a member of the choir. When she is not teaching or accompanying, she enjoys spending her time with her loving husband and three daughters.

Music is her life-long passion, and she loves sharing it with her students. Her expertise is exceptional, and her students love that she is equally interested in popular styles along with the classics.

JUSTIN GJATA, piano

Justin Gjata is a pianist from Wheaton, IL, who began playing piano at age 5. During his middle and high school years, Justin was mentored by Victor Moreno, which helped him develop a strong knowledge, appreciation, and enthusiasm for music. In his senior year at Glenbard South High School, he won the Senior Solo Competition with Mozart’s Coronation Piano Concerto. In 2020, Justin began his studies at the College of DuPage under Dr. Steven Havens and participated in both large and small jazz ensembles led by Dr. Matt Shevitz. In 2022, he matriculated to Roosevelt University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance in 2024, studying with Dr. Winston Choi. Currently, Justin is continuing his studies at Roosevelt University in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Piano Performance, also under Dr. Winston Choi.

Justin has performed locally, nationally, and internationally. Notable performances include a solo recital at the Belushi Performance Hall at the College of DuPage and multiple recitals for their Music Fridays at Noon series. In 2023, he performed a solo recital in Hinsdale, where he played works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy, and Liszt. His most recent concert was in the summer of 2025, during which he performed Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto alongside Reid Taylor and his orchestra.

Nationally, Justin has performed in Boston, Hawaii, and Alaska, in both solo and multi-pianist settings with Victor Moreno. Internationally, he gave a solo recital at the Cultural Center of the Orthodox Church in Tirana, Albania, his family’s country of origin. He was interviewed by news outlets including Gazeta Panorama and RTSH and was featured on Top Channel Albania’s morning TV show, “Wake Up.”

Currently, Justin is dedicated to honing his craft in both performance and teaching. He views teaching as a performative art and aims to impart passion and motivation to his students. Beyond classical music, he enjoys playing hymns and jazz, as well as improvising by ear. Additionally, he loves making music with his father, who has played the accordion since childhood. Outside of music, Justin’s passions include playing soccer with his brother, spending time with friends and family, and reading Scripture.

EUNHEE HAN, piano

Eunhee Han earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in piano performance at the Young Nam University in South Korea. She then came to the United States and earned another Master’s Degree in piano performance from Georgia State University and continued to a doctoral program at the University of North Texas.

Mrs. Han has been teaching piano for over thirty years in her private studio and has sent students to pursue music in college. She has played as an accompanist at the Community School of the Arts at Wheaton College since 2018 and has accompanied students from a variety of local middle and high schools for competitions, auditions, performances and the IGSMA Solo and Ensemble Festival for decades. She has also been a church pianist for over thirty years.

Mrs. Han believes music is a vital tool to express the experiences of life and to enrich the people in her community. Her vision is to continue providing learning opportunities to those who wish to explore music and performance.

She loves to travel and has been to over 40 states. She is married to Kwon, a pastor, and thankful to be a mother of five children.

SONGI LEE, piano

Songi Lee holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Wheaton College, where she studied under distinguished faculty including Dr. Hyejin Cho, Dr. Daniel Paul Horn, Dr. Michael Messer, and Dr. Sung Hoon Mo. During her undergraduate studies, she served as a Teaching Assistant for the Community School of the Arts, gaining valuable experience in instruction and student mentorship. She is passionate about teaching young musicians and is committed to helping each student develop a solid technical foundation while cultivating creativity and a love for music. 

In addition to teaching, Lee has served as a collaborative pianist for SENT International Church and Chicago Onnuri Church, and has performed in piano duos, duets, and chamber ensembles. She brings a warm, purposeful approach to music education that encourages discipline, expression, and joy.

SOOJEONG CRYSTAL LEE, piano

Soojeong Lee is a pianist, composer, and music educator from Seoul, South Korea. She began studying classical piano at the age of five and embarked on the study of pop/jazz piano in high school. Soojeong earned an AA degree in Music Composition in Korea (2012). Later that year she moved to Los Angeles where she continued her studies at the Musicians Institute and later earned her Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance from California State University, Los Angeles (2017).

All the while Soojeong was performing as a jazz pianist and accompanist. In 2018, Soojeong returned to Seoul and earned her master’s degree in Cultural Contents Planning from Dongguk University (2023). Upon finishing her degree, she moved to Chicagoland to join her husband (a local bassist and music educator).

Currently, Soojeong is working to develop her career as a musician and educator in the greater Chicagoland area. She loves teaching and helping young musicians develop a passion for music, especially with beginning students to inspire in them a love of music! She focuses on making each lesson exciting and fun.  Students build technique, repertoire & theory by utilizing the Piano Adventures method book, their favorite songs & their ears. Each lesson is tailored to the individual student's needs and desires to build a lifetime love of learning.

MATT PETERSON, piano and jazz piano

Originally from Seattle, WA, Matt Peterson is a jazz and classical pianist and composer. He has composed for film, theatre, and Internet productions, and has performed as a soloist and in a variety of groups around the country. 

Matt holds a Bachelor’s in Piano Performance and Composition from Wheaton College, where studied with Daniel Horn and Howard Whitaker. He also holds a Master’s in Jazz Studies from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2010, he was invited as the overall winner of the Ben Heppner Concerto Competition to perform Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2013, he worked as a pianist and percussionist with the Disneyland All-American College Band at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. He was an invited performer at the 2013 Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival with the Indiana University Quartet.   

Matt has studied jazz under Luke Gillespie, Nicole Mitchell, Bradley Williams, Steve Houghton, and David Baker and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Curtis Fuller, Peter Erskine, Gordon Goodwin, Gregg Field, and Wycliffe Gordon. Matt performs in a number of jazz groups around the Chicago area.

He is passionate about music education and believes in the art of simultaneously encouraging students’ self-confidence and self-worth and challenging them enough to stretch their abilities and broaden their horizons.  

MASSIMO SCAPIN, piano

Massimo Scapin is an Italian conductor, composer, and pianist, known for his work in both operatic and symphonic repertoire. He studied Piano and Choral Conducting at the State Conservatory in Perugia, and earned diplomas in Orchestral Conducting and Composition from the National College of Music in London. He also trained in Gregorian Chant and Composition at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, with further studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg (piano) and under Donato Renzetti at the Accademia Musicale Pescarese.

Scapin has performed across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., with notable engagements at the National Theatre of Galați (Romania) and the Musical Theater of Karaganda (Kazakhstan). He has served as Assistant Music Director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, Associate Conductor of the Karaganda Symphony Orchestra, and taught at the Catholic University of Daegu in South Korea. 

Since 2019, he has served as Composer to the Sistine Chapel Choir and currently holds the position of Director of Music at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago.

DR. DEVIN STARR, clarinet and piano

Devin Starr is a professional clarinetist and collaborative pianist who currently works in the Chicagoland area. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in May 2016 from the University of Oklahoma where he studied with Dr. Suzanne Tirk and taught as an adjunct professor at the same institution. During his four years in Oklahoma, Dr. Starr also served as the woodwind department accompanist and opera accompanist at OU while simultaneously teaching clarinet and serving as a maternity leave replacement. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from Grand Valley State University where he studied with Dr. Arthur Campbell and his Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Bowling Green State University where he studied with Mr. Kevin Schempf.

Starr has competed in several competitions, most recently as a finalist in the 2015 NAFTZGER Young Artist Competition. He has performed several solos with the Wheaton Municipal Band and played principal with the West Wind Chamber Players of Oklahoma City. Starr was also a Finalist at OU’s 2013/14 Concerto Competitions and BGSU’s Chamber Music Competition. He has presented masterclasses and sectionals at the University of Central Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa Youth Orchestra, and several high schools. Alongside performing on clarinet, he has spent much time on the piano, solo and collaborative. Most recently, Starr premiered Kenn McSperitt’s triple concerto for Saxophone, Piano, and Strings in 2015. He was on staff with OU as the opera accompanist, performed piano with the orchestra on Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, and toured around accompanying for John Davies’ “Three Little Pigs” opera (based off several Mozart operas). Starr has also performed for many venues including solo recitals at BGSU and UofM with the Principal Clarinetist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, recitals with the Principal Bassoonist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and dozens of other student recitals, chamber ensembles, orchestras, bands, and new music ensembles.

Starr has also worked with dance, combining clarinet playing and modern dance in hopes of expanding the boundaries of standard performance to add a more visual aspect. He has travelled throughout the United States, Germany, and France playing with orchestras, bands, new music ensembles and chamber ensembles, as well as going to help teach young musicians in youth orchestras, middle schools, and high schools in the Midwest and Texas. Some of the musical ensembles he has worked with have included the Blue Lake Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Wheaton Municipal Band, and GVSU New Music Ensemble.

When not working in the music industry, Starr is a huge fan of the outdoors and is perfectly content to be out in the middle of nowhere with a bonfire and a tent. He likes spending time away from technology and loves, despites his profession and extroversion, peace and quiet. Aside from classical music, Starr loves movie soundtracks.

RACHEL THOMPSON, clarinet and piano

Rachel Thompson is a clarinetist and pianist originally from Rochester, NY. Rachel was exposed to music at a young age, starting piano lessons at the age of 5 and clarinet in the third grade. She found her love for music partly because of her musical family that fostered her interest and sang four-part harmony in the car with her.

In addition to Bb and A clarinet, she has experience playing both Eb and bass clarinet as auxiliary instruments. She has performed in venues from the Chicago Symphony Center to Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater to the Crystal Cathedral in California to Carnegie Hall. She attended Wheaton College for her undergraduate studies, where she studied under Trevor O'Riordan of the Elgin Symphony and Illinois Philharmonic. She is a graduate from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts with a Master’s in Music Performance, and has studied privately with John Bruce Yeh of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Charlene Zimmerman of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. She studied classical piano for 10 years primarily under the chair of the Piano, Keyboard, and Organ program at Eastman Community School of Music, Alla Kuznetsov, but she also studied with Donna Lascell (beginning piano) and Paul Hofmann (jazz and classical piano).

Passionate about sharing her knowledge with others, she enjoys encouraging students to reach their full potential through development of both critical thinking and personal musical expression. Her studio is a relaxed environment where it is okay to make mistakes and a safe place for technical exploration. She hopes to share not only the instruction and experience she has received in her studies and performances, but also the enthusiasm and joy that comes from music-making.

In her spare time, she enjoys water-coloring, crocheting, and spending lots of time with her husband and rambunctious gray cat.

KEVIN WONG, piano

Kevin Wong holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Roosevelt University where he studied with Winston Choi. Kevin also attended Elmhurst College where he earned Bachelor’s degrees in both Music and German. Kevin has also performed piano with many groups in the Chicagoland area. He has been a member of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra since 2010 and accompanies the Elmhurst Choral Union, the Village Voices, the Pullman Community Choir, and the Greater Chicago Opera Guild.

Kevin has also performed Mendelssohn’s piano concerto in D-minor with the Fox Valley Philharmonic and has also played the second movement of Beethoven’s third piano concerto with Sinfonietta Bel Canto in Downers Grove.

Kevin is a native of Glen Ellyn and has been playing piano since the age of six. Through high school, he studied with Marilyn Andersen at Wheaton College’s CSA program. During college he studied classical piano with Linda Camp and Jazz piano with Frank Caruso and Skip Green. He also spent a year abroad in Vienna where he continued developing his piano skills with Gerald Stofsky.

After college, Kevin began teaching private piano lessons through DePaul University’s Community Music Division. Additionally, he taught Music Appreciation and American Music at Moraine Valley Community College. He helped direct an operetta at the Lutheran School of St. Luke in Itasca. Kevin also led the middle school choir at Immanuel Lutheran School in Elmhurst. He currently accompanies the choirs in Lisle District 202 schools.

Kevin studied organ briefly in college and continues to gain further experience working in local churches. He is currently the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Glen Ellyn where he accompanies, sings in the choir, provides preludes and postludes, leads hymns, and improvises. He has also served as organist for First Methodist at LaGrange, Immanuel Lutheran in Elmhurst, Kingswood Methodist in Buffalo Grove, St. Luke Lutheran in Itasca, and Morgan Park Methodist in Chicago. He served on the board of the American Guild of Organists for three years. Kevin organized a Concerto Marathon with local organists and the Salt Creek Chamber Orchestra, in which he performed Bach’s D-minor Keyboard Concerto.