Teachers

 

Kerry Haslam (Violin/Viola)

Kerry Haslam is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and has been a teacher for The Menuhin Foundation since moving to Bermuda in 1988.  Kerry has experience teaching at all levels and finds it very rewarding to start students as young as pre-school age on their musical journey and work with them to the ABRSM Grade 8 level and beyond.  Her extensive experience includes teaching violin and viola, theory and aural classes and coaching chamber ensembles.  Kerry has performed in numerous concerts and shows over the years. Notably, performing as a soloist in the concerto for Four Violins by Vivaldi under the baton of Lord Menuhin in the gala concert marking the Bermuda Festival’s 20th Anniversary was a definite highlight. She has led the orchestra for many Bermuda Heritage and Bermuda Philharmonic Society concerts, performed in the Bermuda Festival Orchestra and played for Gilbert and Sullivan Society shows along with playing in the back up band for visiting artists such as James Galway and Josh Groban.  Kerry is a competent pianist and as part of her professional development she gained a distinction in ABRSM Grade 5 cello.

 

Alison Johnstone (Cello/Double Bass)

Originally from the UK, Alison has spent most of her adult life living in Bermuda and working for the Menuhin Foundation.  Alison is a graduate of the London College of Music and taught at the LCM Junior Department prior to coming to Bermuda. Alison was teacher in charge of the Menuhin Foundation for seven years and she loves teaching the cello and bass for the Menuhin Foundation,  and founded the Menuhin Foundation Adult Ensemble. Alison has performed as soloist in the Elgar and Saint-Saëns cello concertos with the Bermuda Philharmonic Orchestra. A special highlight was performing the solo cello part in Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings, conducted by Lord Menuhin, in the 1995 Bermuda Festival. Alison has also performed on cello in numerous local shows, orchestras and at weddings. Alison has had the pleasure of being in the string section for visiting artists such as Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson and James Galway.  Alison has a passion for teaching both children and adults. She likes to create an atmosphere where learners can grow musically and experience new challenges within a friendly and fun environment.

 

Johanna Pino Gonzalez (Viola/Violin)

Johanna joined The Menuhin Foundation faculty in the Fall of 2024 as a viola and violin teacher. She is a passionate and devoted musician and pedagogue with more than 15 years of teaching experience in Colombia, the United States, and Bermuda. A native from Bogotá, Colombia, Johanna initiated her music education at an early age at the Universidad Javeriana Preparatory Music Program, later relocating to the United States to continue her professional studies in music. Johanna holds a Master of Viola Performance with Violin Suzuki Pedagogy Emphasis from The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Since 2021, she has been a member of the Bermuda Philharmonic Orchestra. A co-founder of Duo Latino, a viola and guitar ensemble, Johanna enjoys exploring and playing the diverse repertoire of Latin and Caribbean music as well traditional classic repertoire for both instruments, and currently conducts the First and Intermediate Orchestras.

 

Benjamin Wu  (Violin/Viola)

Dr. Benjamin Wu is a violist and educator and is proficient in teaching both the violin and the viola. He has performed in concert halls and at events around the world, including at the Sydney Opera House, where he conducted the Zohra Orchestra of Afghanistan.

Dr. Wu has served as Strings Director at Homer Opus in Homer, Alaska, and as Artistic Director at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Additionally, he was the assistant director of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program in Petoskey, Michigan. Dr. Wu received his doctorate from Stony Brook University in 2017 and holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and the Peabody Institute of Music. He is also the founder of Melodies of Liberation, a project that collects poetry written by Afghan women and sets it to music.

Dr. Wu is a strong believer in having a holistic approach to teaching and performing music. In addition to his studies of Western Classical music he has studied several American styles of music, including American Fiddle and Free Improvisation, and has gone out of his way to study Hindustani, Afghan, and Chinese Traditional music as well. Having taught music extensively on two different continents, Dr. Wu has a strong interest in using music to bridge gaps between cultures, with the understanding that music itself is a multitude of languages and is a powerful lens with which to understand people of very different backgrounds.

 

Trustees 

• Verde Brown (Chairperson)
• Laura Davis (Vice-Chair)
• Aaron Lutkin
• Monika Burrill
• Fiona Foster
• Lei Jin
• Laura Knox

Executive Administrator 

• Walter Correia