Meet the Staff

Cesar

Luthier Manager

Spoons

Cesar Morales apprenticed one-on-one for several years under an exceptional luthier and master repairman in a West Coast shop authorized by C.F. Martin & Co. After performing warranty-related work on Martin instruments, Cesar's professional training has given him the ability to recognize the subtle differences that make instruments perform both as they should and at their best—the latter for which he strives.

Cesar loves putting instruments in the hands of those that wish to play them, spreading the power of music as far as possible. He strives to provide anyone with a desire to play instruments with high-end setup that are both affordable and playable.

Beyond his expertise in violin setup, Cesar enjoys building instruments and spending time with his beautiful wife and daughter.

Maureen

Head Luthier

Bass

Maureen Pandos is a luthier based in Vancouver, Washington. She has owned and operated a violin shop specializing in the Double Bass.

Jeff

Luthier

Guitar

Jeff has been performing on guitar for over 15 years, concentrating in classical, jazz studies and rock music. Jeff graduated from Frostburg State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business, and moved to the Vancouver/Portland area to pursue a life in music.

He enjoys working as a luthier here at Kennedy Violins, setting up and repairing violins. He also builds guitars outside of work and can be found performing locally in several groups in the Portland Area.

Ben

Director of Marketing

Drums / Guitar

Ben possesses a wealth of experience in the digital marketing and tech industry, with a strong focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and web development. As a cofounder of https://juice.ai, he successfully built a company that supports businesses in bolstering their SEO presence and driving online growth. His leadership skills allowed him to effectively manage a diverse team, providing direction and strategic guidance that resulted in the achievement of key company objectives. Away from the office, Ben plays drums and writes and records his own music.

Lauren Eastman

Teacher

Violin

Lauren Eastman has played the violin for over 30 years and has performed extensively in Texas, North Carolina, and Washington. She currently plays with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, Sunnyside Symphony, and Oregon Sinfonietta, and serves as Associate Concertmaster of Blueprint Arts’ Symphony Topaz. Previously, she held leadership roles as Associate Concertmaster of the Western Piedmont Symphony, Concertmaster of the Hickory Choral Society orchestra, and Principal Second Violin of the Salisbury Symphony, and she has performed with Greensboro Opera as well as in many regional orchestras, chamber ensembles, opera productions, and musical theater pits across these states. Lauren has attended prominent summer festivals including the Brevard Music Center and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, taken part in masterclasses with Lawrence Dutton, Shmuel Katz, and members of the Daedalus Quartet, performed under conductors such as Keith Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Matthias Bamert, and Joel Revzen, and accompanied artists including Béla Fleck, Susan Graham, Alisa Weilerstein, and Renée Fleming. Lauren holds degrees in music performance from Texas Tech University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where her primary instructors were John Gilbert and Marjorie Bagley. She has taught students of all ages in private studios and as an adjunct violin professor at Lenoir‑Rhyne University. Her lessons are tailored to each student’s learning style and musical interests, with a focus on healthy, injury‑preventive playing informed by her study of the Alexander Technique, clear technical foundations, and—most importantly—keeping violin playing fun and engaging.

Kaylee

Teacher

Violin

Kaylee started playing in 2017 at Pacific Middle School, and played all the way through high school at Evergreen High. She had the pleasure of working with students in both the Symphonic and Chamber orchestras, offering sectionals and individual help. Over the years, she has performed with the LCRMEA Honor Orchestra, Clark College Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Youth Orchestra as concertmaster, and had the honor of playing with the professional group Astral Mixtape. Her goal for teaching is to offer a foundation of strong technique, confidence, and a genuine love for violin playing.

Ashley

Teacher

Violin, Viola

Ashley recently graduated from Brigham Young University with her bachelor's degree in viola performance. Her musical journey began at the age of five after listening to a memorable recording of the violin on the radio, instantly falling in love with its depth and beauty of sound. She knew she wanted to learn how to play the instrument, and after two years of persistent pestering, her parents secured her a position with her first private teacher and has played ever since. Ashley has since had the privilege of performing as assistant principal violist of Brigham Young University's Philharmonic Orchestra, principal violist of BYU’s Chamber Orchestra, and violist of BYU’s prestigious honors quartet. Ashley has also had the opportunity to work in masterclass with some of the great violists of our time, including Paul Neubauer, Professor of the Juilliard School, Robert Vernon, Principal Violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, Jutta Puchhammer-Sedillot, Associate Professor of Viola at the Université de Montréal, and Stephen Wyrczynski, Professor of Viola at the Jacobs School of Music. Along with her extensive performing experience, Ashley has served as adjunct professor of viola at her college, working with students of many experience levels. Her work with the college, as well as her performance excellence resulted in her being awarded the prestigious David Dalton Scholarship the last two years of her degree. Ashley studied under Claudine Bigelow and plans to pursue a masters degree in viola performance and pedagogy in the near future. She hopes to instill a lasting love for music in her students, and finds great joy in seeing her students excel and gain an appreciation for their instrument.

Zach

Teacher

Bass

Bass lessons with Zach will help you meet your musical goals. Zach emphasizes clear fundamentals and musical concepts to help you with whatever kind of music you want to play. Whether you want to study classical upright bass, jazz, rock on electric bass, or any musical style, Zach Sears is here to help.

Zach has a bachelors in music performance from Portland State University, and has performed regularly in regional symphonies, chamber concerts, musicals, and has been active in jazz performance. Zach has over 10 years teaching experience in teaching students from beginner through the college level. His students have played in youth orchestras and won performance awards and scholarships.

Owen

Teacher

Cello, Voice

Owen Hofmann-Smith is a performer of many talents. He began his musical training in the fifth grade on the cello. He played in orchestra and sang in choir through his school years. As a youth he played with the Portland youth Philharmonic. During college he picked up the string bass and began studying jazz. It was also at that time that he got his first choir directing position at a local church. After winning the concerto competition at PSU, Owen was awarded the first prize of performing the full, unabridged concerto with the PSU Symphony. When practicing vigorously for this concert he sustained a severe playing injury that prevented him from continuing to play bass or cello.

Faced with giving up his lifelong goal of a career as a cellist, he then begin to study voice and opera singing as well as completing a master's degree in conducting at Portland State in 2013. Having made a full recovery from that injury a couple of years later, he is back performing on his cello and bass regularly. After years of gigging as a classical, jazz, and theatrical stage performer, more recently Owen has been developing as a rock and R&B musician on guitar and bass guitar.

Owen has recently performed on bass with The Casimir Effect, Karaoke from Hell, Pete Krebs, The Clambake Combo, Stumptown Swing, Vintage Knights, Torchsong Entertainment, Rio con Brio, Arco PDX, Columbia Symphony, and Opera Theater Oregon. Owen is also very into folk and fiddle music after traveling to Dublin and Cork. Fiddle tunes and Irish folk songs are often featured in his musical sets. Owen currently holds position as Director of Music Ministry at Bethel UCC, conductor of Liedertafel Harmonie (community choir of the German American Society of Portland), and instructor at Kennedy Violins.

Lauren Trujillo

Teacher

Violin

Lauren began her violin studies in 2005 and has been teaching private violin lessons since 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Portland State University and has studied with Carol Sindell, Adam LaMotte, and Dr. Tomas Cotik. Lauren is the concertmaster for the Tualatin Valley Symphony orchestra and frequently plays with The Vancouver Symphony, Orchestra Nova Northwest, and Newport Symphony Orchestra. Lauren enjoys working one-on-one with her students to help them achieve their musical goals!

Rafael

Teacher

Violin

Rafael first began playing violin in 2009. He plays with the Clark College Orchestra as well as Clark Community Strings, led by Sandra Edwards in Vancouver Washington. Rafael has taught local private lessons as well as sectionals at Evergreen High School and Cascade Middle School. He led a professional string quartet from 2019-2021 which performed pieces from Dimitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev. Although the journey of a musician is shared by many, it is ultimately experienced alone, making each and every one's experience unique. He wants to teach how to be a self-sufficient musician, how to explore, how to enjoy and appreciate music while still learning how to play well.

Haelli Elyse

Teacher

Piano

Haelli gravitated towards the piano at a very young age.  Before learning to tie her shoes, ride a bicycle, or sculpt playdough, she was sounding out the chords of her favorite songs on her Grandma's piano. Her enthusiasm for music has only continued to grow and flourish into her college years. She was lucky enough to learn from some of the best teachers this area has to offer, both privately and through college.  At the age of 10 Haelli began performing at weddings, church events, and various recitals. As an adult she has continued to learn from, and perform with exceptional musicians. Second to her love of playing music is her love of teaching it. She has spent more than a decade sharing the joy of music with both kids and adults. During her early years, Haelli relied heavily on her ear and less on sheet music. This left her feeling inadequate and unmotivated when it came to practicing her assignments.  Luckily she was able to find a special teacher who was able to guide her through the challenges and help her to learn proper technique and master necessary skills. Now, as a teacher herself, overcoming those struggles has given her excellent insight in how to help others and draw the music out of each student where it can flourish.  In her lessons, Haelli strives to understand and connect with students in order to teach them in a way that suits their learning style and helps them build a love for music. This is what all of her esteemed teachers did for her, and she hopes to pass it on, gratefully.

Annie Harkey-Power

Teacher

Cellist

Annie began her cello studies in Longview, Washington, and later studied with renowned teachers at Mt. Hood Community College and the University of Oregon. She has performed with numerous symphonies and festivals, including the Oregon Mahler Festival and Andrea Bocelli. In addition to the cello, Annie learned double bass in 2022 and co-founded a jazz ensemble. A dedicated teacher since 1999, she emphasizes technique and performance preparation, helping students achieve success in auditions and contests. Outside of music, Annie enjoys gardening, swimming, and spending time with her husband and pets in Vancouver, Washington.

Nic

Teacher

Cello / Bass

Justin DeFreece

Teacher

Guitar

Justin DeFreece is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who hails from Vancouver, Washington. He began playing guitar at age 10, taking lessons at local music stores, and later under the more formal instruction of professional musicians in the Portland area. In his teens he began studying with Alan Hager studying guitar technique, theory and classical guitar repertoire. Justin started performing professionally around the age of 19 with local groups. He went on to receive more instruction at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, California under Sid Jacobs, Steve Trovato and Joe Elliot to name a few, and received further education at Portland State University. Justin has toured nationally and traveled internationally with various acts performing Funk, Classic Rock, R&B, and Country. He does session work, and has laid guitar tracks on several albums and recording projects with local artists and abroad. DeFreece is well versed in a multitude of musical styles and also plays some other instruments such as bass, mandolin and fiddle. Justin continues to perform and teach locally in the greater Portland/Vancouver area. Although he appreciates just about every musical style, his great loves are Jazz, Blues, and Roots Country. Playing improvisational styles of music is what he finds most enjoyable. Some of his biggest guitar influences are Joe Pass, Albert Lee, Danny Gatton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, all of which are well known for their compositions and improvisational styles and abilities. Justin’s mission for teaching is to, through guitar, help students discover the magic of music and how music can stimulate minds and bring joy. Music is so vast, and no matter how much one delves into it, having a better understanding of music can bring about a deeper appreciation for the language of music. Justin’s other interests include taking time to appreciate nature, reading about philosophy and practicing martial arts.

Ricky Selman

Teacher

Violin

Ricky grew up playing music from the young age of four in a house full of violinist's/fiddlers. Suzuki certified through the Suzuki Association the Americas Ricky also has many years experience playing contest style fiddle music, as well as classical. Ricky received formal Suzuki training at the Denver Talent Education program from Denver University in 2004, further expanding his knowledge and refining his skills. Graduated from Denver School of the Arts High School and studied Commercial Music at South Plains college with an Associates in Music Performance. His focus is to inspire his students and parents to create a fun and nurturing relationship with their new friend the Violin and recommend's parent involvement. By attending lessons with their child the parent can act as in home teacher and help to create a stable support system to maintain student confidence. Ricky has over ten years of experience teaching students from ages two on up to sixty plus.