Katarzyna Honsberger
I was born into a musical family in the beautiful city of Krakow, Poland. With two musicians as parents I was blessed to be enrolled in full time music elementary and high schools during my formative years. By the time I graduated from the Frederic Chopin Conservatory in Krakow I held dual diplomas in Classical Piano Performance and Dalcroze Eurythmics Method of Early Childhood Music. In 1999 I moved to the United States in order to enter a Bachelor’s Degree program at Roosevelt University in Chicago. I continued my studies at DePaul University, graduating with a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance.
Though my college degrees are in performance, my passion for education has also thrived during this time. For the past 15 years I have maintained a private studio of up to 40 students. I served as Producer, Director, and Choreographer for three Polish folk music ensembles in Chicago. I have also served as the Music Director and Teacher at the St. John Vianney School and Parish until 2013.
I have had the good fortune to be a featured solo performer for festivals in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, the United States, Singapore, and Malaysia. In addition, I have performed frequently for the Phoenix Opera.
Through all of these experiences I was inspired to open Kat’s Artist Tree. Here, students gain access to the same quality instruction I enjoyed as a student. Children and adults are equally welcome to come and explore their talents. After all, Kat’s Artist Tree is a place where people can have fun, be enriched, and learn to express themselves all at once.
For a complete list of performing credits and more please visit my website
Brian Honsberger
Brian Honsberger is an actively performing Musician, Sound Designer, and Audio/Recording Engineer in the greater Phoenix Area. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Audio Production from Ithaca College and a Master’s in Music from the University of North Texas. As a musician, Mr. Honsberger has been a frequent performer with the Phoenix Symphony, as well as the Musica Nova Orchestra, the Spokane Symphony and he has toured throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Thailand. Mr. Honsberger was the 2006 winner of the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition and an Alternate in the 1999 Donald Yaxley Bass Trombone competition held by the International Trombone Association. He is also a former member of the internationally acclaimed One O’clock Lab Band and has appeared on numerous CD releases.
Mr. Honsberger’s teaching career began in 2001 as a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. Since then he has served on the teaching staffs of Gonzaga University, Whitworth College, and Eastern Washington University. Brian’s teaching style is based around encouraging students to treat every moment of playing as a performance. Many teachers focus on helping students learn how to operate their instrument like it is a machine. The inherent problem with this approach is that students learn very little about being expressive. Whether playing ‘Row, Row, Row, the Boat’ or Beethoven our goal should always be to make music first.
Mr. Honsberger is also a founding partner of UPstage Consulting Group (www.UPstageGroup.com), a theatre consulting company focused on providing expertise in Sound and Lighting to performance venues, schools, and churches throughout the Southwest. His sound design credits include over 40 productions within the state and his work has frequently been nominated for the AriZoni Theatre Excellence Awards. In the past few years alone Mr. Honsberger has worked for Arizona Broadway Theatre, Actors Theatre, The Phoenix Opera, Lonely Streets Productions, the Elks Opera House in Prescott, The Orpheum Theatre, the Herberger Theatre Center and more. In addition, Mr. Honsberger continues to work as an independent live recording engineer as he has for over 15 years. In that time he has recorded well over 100 concerts ranging from solo recitals to full orchestras. Along with his wife, Mr. Honsberger owns and operates Kat’s Artist Tree, a Music, Dance, and Arts Academy located in Goodyear, AZ (www.KatsArtistTree.com). Mr. Honsberger lives in Waddell with his beautiful wife Katarzyna and their two daughters.