top of page

Kathryn is not accepting new students on violin or viola at this time. 

Kathryn Kibbe

Goes by: Miss Kat, Kat or Kathryn

Kathryn Kibbe is a very bright musician, always eager to learn new things and also eager to teach. Kathryn started playing the violin when she was 9 years old and eventually switched to the viola at age 13. After a year or so playing the viola in her youth symphony, she made the official switch to the viola as her primary instrument. 

 

Kathryn received her Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from Central Washington University in 2015 where she studied with Timothy Betts. She then went on to complete her Master's Degree in Viola Performance at Bowling Green State University in 2018 under the tutelage of Matthew McBride-Daline. 

 

Through her private lessons, Kathryn gives her students advice on how to practice efficiently and effectively, how to play without pain, how to address pain during practice, as well as how to have a fun time while practicing. Taking lessons with Kathryn isn't just about learning to play the violin or viola. Students will obtain skills in time management, perseverance, responsibility, taking initiative, preparedness, and respect. 

 

Currently, Kathryn enjoys taking on both violin and viola students of all ages, beginning level through advanced. When Kathryn isn't teaching or playing with different symphonies, she enjoys spending time at the gym, outside having adventures, or sitting on her couch working on a knitting project.

Barb Chapman

 

Goes by: Barb, Mrs. Chapman

 

Barb Chapman is a violinist that started violin at 6 years old.  Her mother was an artist and a violist and made sure that she started playing at an early age.  Barb played in the elementary school band as she was one of a

very few violins in a school that unfortunately did not have an orchestra.  As a sophomore in high school she joined the Webster Civic Symphony which she loved playing Dvorak New World Symphony, which was exciting for her.  As a senior in high school, she auditioned for

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and she attended college there on full scholarship.  She studied with John Kendall and played many different types of music including solo, chamber, and orchestra.  Barb had the opportunity to perform two solo recitals, played West Side Story, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Carmina Burana, just to name a few. She graduated with a music performance degree.

 

While attending SIUE, Barb met Randy on the first week of classes on their freshman year and started dating.  Barb and Randy were eventually married and have been married and playing music together for 47 years.  While  attending the college, they both took classes with John Kendall on how to teach Suzuki Method of Violin.  Mr. Kendall started a program at SIUE and had been to Japan to study with Mr. Suzuki.

 

While living in the St. Louis area, Barb played in the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra.  She played professionally at Six Flags over Mid America, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and Municipal Opera Company of St. Louis.  In the 

Salt Lake City Area she played in Cinderella, Music Man, and Fiddler on the Roof.  Barb also got to play one concert of the Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony with the Utah Symphony.

 

Barb is currently in her seventh year of playing in the Rainier Symphony.  When she is not playing or teaching, she enjoys camping, hiking, and playing with their two golden retrievers.

Barb is currently accepting new students for violin on Thursdays. 

Randy is now accepting students on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays. 

Randy Chapman
Goes by: Mr. Chapman or Randy

Randy Chapman is a violinist who loves to play and loves to help students to enjoy learning and playing too.  He began learning to play when he was 12 years old, and when he had been studying violin for less than two years, he auditioned for the Chicago Civic Orchestra and was accepted. He continued with the orchestra through his high school years and began studying violin at the Chicago Conservatory with George Perlman.
 

Randy attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and studied violin with John Kendall and Kent Perry. He performed in many recitals and played his senior recital while studying for his business degree. On the first day of classes, he walked into his first violin lesson at the university and a woman was just finishing her lesson. She later became his wife, so it was a great first lesson in many ways! 
 

Randy has been playing with the Rainier Symphony Orchestra since moving to the Seattle area seven years ago. He is currently taking violin lessons from Ilka Talvi, retired concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony. Prior to moving here, Randy played with the Utah Symphony and several professional opera companies, and he also played for weddings, funerals and with several community orchestras.
 

Randy started teaching violin at Southern Illinois University and has taught students from 7 to 45 years old. The Suzuki violin method has been used for children as young as three years old, and he still considers himself a student, so it is never too early or too late to start or progress! John Kendall brought the Suzuki method of violin teaching to the United States and the method emphasizes making a beautiful sound over reading music. 

​

During his spare time, Randy loves to camp, hike, ski and ride his motorcycle. He has two golden retrievers and they love to get out on trails and into streams and lakes. He and his wife have two children; one plays French Horn and the other is an Irish step dancer. Playing reels and jigs on violin with a dancer is a lot of fun, but it is fun without a dancer too!

Katherine Serber

Goes by: Katherine, Ms. Katherine or Ms. Serber

Katherine was born and raised in Austin, Texas, where her parents are professional musicians, tenured members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and retired music educators. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has lived her entire life surrounded by music. Katherine was exposed to music before she was even born, sitting comfortably in the baby bump beneath her mother’s cello. As a toddler, her parents would set a playpen in the middle of their string quartet rehearsals, and Katherine would fuss when they started talking too much or something didn't sound right. As a young child, Katherine would gaze in awe, hanging on to every note, as her father would serenade the family with his violin. As she grew, she discovered a passion for composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Camillle Saint-Saëns, and Antonio Vivaldi, and could often be found listening to the local classical radio station, KMFA.

 

Katherine began studying the cello in 1995, and participated in the Austin Youth Orchestras (AYO) from 1998-2006, working her way up to the principal seat of the AYO Symphony. She graduated from the A.N. McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy in 2006, where she led as principal cellist of the Varsity Chamber Orchestra (a 2005 Grammy Signature School Finalist). Katherine continued her study of music at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. After fiddling around with the violin for years she finally began formally studying the violin in 2007, adding the viola around 2012. 

 

In 2010, Katherine relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she married her college sweetheart, Dan Serber. Katherine began formally teaching private string lessons in 2012, and actively performing with the Chapel Hill Philharmonia as well as other small ensembles throughout the Triangle area. She worked closely with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, periodically subbing and running rehearsals when the orchestra directors needed time away. During the pandemic Katherine and her husband briefly relocated to Louisville, Kentucky where her husband began his career as a genetic counselor. Katherine was able to retain a good number of her students who had switched to taking lessons over Zoom. In mid-2022, the Serber family found themselves at home in the PNW, where they hope to remain long-term. Since January 2023, Katherine has been an active member of the Rainier Symphony Orchestra.

 

Outside of teaching, Katherine enjoys watching movies with her husband, snuggling with her three kitties, photography, jigsaw puzzles, and picking up instruments like the mandolin and fretless bass guitar. Piano made several appearances in her education, but alas, they were not made for one another. Katherine’s musical lineage includes Pablo Casals, Paul Olefsky, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Phyllis Young.

Katherine is currently accepting new students on cello and violin on Mondays and Thursdays.

bottom of page