Meet our String Teachers
Tony Chang is a dedicated violin performer and educator with over 28 years of experience. He studied violin performance at Indiana University. He has taught violin and conducting at Central College and Simpson College, performed with orchestras in the US and Japan, and maintains an active private studio. He is accepting violin and viola students of all ages and skill levels. He uses both Suzuki and Traditional Orchestral methods to bring out strong skills of musicianship with his students.
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Appointed as Associate Principal Cellist with Orchestra Iowa in 2022 and achieving tenure in
2023, Ryan Doerr maintains an active career as both an orchestral performer and educator.
Currently serving as Section Cellist with the Des Moines Symphony and recently joining the
Missouri Symphony, he has established a significant presence in the Midwest's classical music
scene.
As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Orchestra Iowa String Quartet, and
Candlelight Concerts String Quartet. Ryan’s other orchestral experiences include positions with
the South Dakota Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra. In
2022, he served as Principal Cellist for Opera In the Ozarks.
His teaching experience includes serving as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Iowa
(2022-2024), where he instructed individual cello lessons, class strings, orchestral audition
preparation, and undergraduate chamber music.
Ryan’s education includes a Master of Arts in Cello Performance from the University of Iowa
and a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Minor in Biology from Drake University. Professional
development includes participation in the Iowa Music Teacher Association Conference, Audition
Confidential, DePaul String Summer Intensive, and the Online Summer String Intensive, where
he worked with renowned cellists including Gloria Lum (LA Philharmonic), Brinton Smith
(Houston Symphony), and Brant Taylor (Chicago Symphony).
​Askar Khaetov is a bass player, performer, composer and teacher. He holds a Bachelor's and two Master's in Jazz performance from the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan and in Jazz Studies from the University of Iowa. He has shared the stage with some of the finest jazz musicians such as Benny Green, Chris Coles, Christie Dashiell, Anibal Rojas, Aaron Gosh, just to name a few.
During his Master's at the Universityof Iowa, he worked as a teaching assistant of jazz history and was an assistant director of a jazz combo. He also worked as an electric bass instructor at the state Conservatory of Uzbekistan and as a guitar teacher at British school of Tashkent.