BSSA Faculty Celestine Fitzgerald Mrs. Fitzgerald has been teaching Suzuki violin/viola since 1980. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Alverno College studying under Sr. Agnes Meysenburg. In 1984, Mrs. Fitzgerald attended the Suzuki Association of the Americas Teachers' Conference where she had the opportunity to be in the presence of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and learn directly from him. She received her Suzuki training from nationally known Teacher Trainer, Joan Rooney, and from other dedicated Teacher Trainers including Allen Lieb and Professor Carol Dallinger, at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI. Mrs. Fitzgerald is a SAA registered Suzuki violin/viola instructor. She began her Suzuki teaching with Sister Noraleen Retinger, at Mount Mary College. After leaving Mount Mary she continued her teaching as a faculty member of the Rooney School of Violin before founding the Barcel Suzuki String Academy with Barbara Lauer in 1994. In addition to her teaching, Mrs. Fitzgerald was a Suzuki mom to three wonderful children. All of her children are still actively involved in music teaching and/or performance. In 1995 the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee awarded Mrs. Fitzgerald the Certificate of Excellence in Studio teaching. For the past 17 years Mrs. Fitzgerald has been the general music teacher at St. Joseph School in Wauwatosa. She is also actively involved in St. Joseph's Parish adult handbell choir as co-director and ringer. Mrs. Fitzgerald continues to perform as violist with the Newstring Quartet. Her professional memberships include SAA, SAW, NFMC, and MMTA. Barbara Lauer Mrs. Lauer has been teaching Suzuki violin in Ozaukee County for the past 25 years. In addition to her teaching, she is a proud Suzuki mom. Mrs. Lauer was on the faculty of the Rooney School of Violin before founding the Barcel Suzuki String Academy with Celestine Fitzgerald in 1994. Mrs. Lauer received her Suzuki training from nationally known teacher trainer Joan Rooney, and from teacher trainers Craig Timmerman, Nancy Jackson and Geri Arnold at Suzuki Institutes in Wisconsin & Michigan. Mrs. Lauer is a SAA registered violin instructor; her professional memberships include SAA and NFMC. Mrs. Lauer credits her abilities to the grace and gifts of God. Colleen Fitzgerald Ms. Fitzgerald, the 2006 recipient of the Certificate of Excellence in Studio Teaching from the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee, has been teaching violin for the past 11 years. Besides teaching, Ms. Fitzgerald is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching Degree from Cardinal Stritch University. During the year she adjudicates at the National Federation of Music Club's Junior Festival Auditions and is a frequent guest clinician at Suzuki weekend workshops throughout the Midwest. For the past 7 summers, Ms. Fitzgerald has had the amazing opportunity to teach students from all over the United States and Europe as a clinician at the Louisville Suzuki Institute-Kentucky, Capital University Suzuki Institute-Ohio, and Montana Suzuki Strings Institute-Montana. Besides her many teaching opportunities, Ms. Fitzgerald performs as 1st violinist in the Newstring Quartet. Her professional memberships include SAA, SAW, MMTA and NFMC. Ms. Fitzgerald began Suzuki violin lessons at age 6 and two years later continued her studies with Suzuki Teacher Trainer, Joan Rooney. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville where she studied under world-renowned Suzuki pedagogue, Professor Carol Dallinger, and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy. She has also received supplemental Suzuki teacher training at the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, WI and recently began her Early Childhood Education training under Suzuki ECE Trainer, Dorothy Jones. Ms. Fitzgerald is a Suzuki Association of the Americas registered Suzuki violin instructor. Gina Wood Mrs. Wood has been teaching Suzuki violin since 1998. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Illinois Wesleyan University where she studied with Vadim Mazo. She is a registered Suzuki violin instructor and has received Suzuki training from Teacher Trainers Ronda Cole, Ed Kreitman and Linda Stieg. At age 3, Mrs. Wood began her Suzuki studies with Mary Ellen Meyer and continued with Suzuki Teacher Trainer, Joan Rooney. She has also studied with Lewis Rosove and Tim Klabunde of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Her professional memberships include SAA, MMTA and NFMC. Mrs. Wood has performed at Carnegie Hall, in the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria and Canada. She has performed regionally in the North American Tours of Josh Groban (2007), Rod Stewart (2004) and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (2004, 2005 and 2007). As a member of various orchestras, she has shared the stage with numerous artists including Peter Cetera, Charlotte Church, Art Garfunkel, Garrison Keillor, Melissa Manchester, Anne Murray, Bernadette Peters, Gene Pitney, Diane Reeves, Daniel Rodriguez and Maxim Vengerov. You can currently see Mrs. Wood perform with the Green Bay Symphony, Racine Symphony (principal second violin), Waukesha Symphony, Light Opera Works (Evanston, IL) and the Bel Canto Orchestra.

Barcel Suzuki String Academy 424 Bel Aire Drive · Thiensville, WI 53092 · Tel: 262-242-4295 · Email Us 2775 N. 122nd Street · Wauwatosa, WI 53222 · Tel: 414-258-2881 · Email Us Mission Statement