Meet Our Team
Our tight-knit team designs and delivers musiConnects' education program, creates our concert season, and carries our mission into all aspects of their musical lives. Our part-time Resident Musicians ("RMs"), faculty, and administration are supported in this work by an eight-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders and musiConnects parents.
Resident Musicians & Faculty
Biographies (from top left)
David Rubin (Resident Musician, violin) joined musiConnects in 2016. He currently serves as a Resident Musician, teaches private lessons, and coaches mC², a chamber ensemble & peer leadership group for advancing students. David served as musiConnects' Program Director from 2020-21, and as its Artistic Director from 2021-24. David's teaching practice is informed by a two-year fellowship at Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI, pedagogy study at Indiana University's Summer String Academy (Retreat for Violin & Viola Teachers), and registered trainings in Suzuki Books 1-3 and Elise Winters' Kaleidoscopes method. As an orchestral violinist, David works throughout New England with ensembles such as New Bedford Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and BMOP, and has performed nationally/internationally at the Peninsula, Lucerne, Spoleto, and Banff festivals. David is also an experienced performer on baroque/classical instruments (Providence Baroque, Upper Valley Baroque, Madison Bach Musicians, Baroque Band), and particularly enjoys exploring 19th and early 20th-century music on gut strings with a historically-informed perspective. He has worked directly with numerous composers and contributed to recordings/live broadcasts for BMOP/sound, WBEZ Chicago, and Wisconsin Public Radio. David holds degrees from Lawrence University and Boston Conservatory, and completed additional study at the Banff Centre, Lucerne Festival Academy, and Conservatorium van Amsterdam. David was a 2021-23 recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's META Fellowship.
Elizabeth Cook (Resident Musician, cello) joined musiConnects in 2021, teaching young cellists and performing with mC's faculty string quartet. Elizabeth grew up in North Carolina, where she studied cello at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with cellist Zvi Plesser. She went on to obtain degrees from Mannes College, SUNY Purchase, and The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she studied with renowned cellists such as Marcy Rosen, Brooks Whitehouse, Julia Lichten, and Michal Korman. Elizabeth has had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with artists such as Gary Hoffman, Peter Wiley, Paul Watkins, Zuil Bailley, Eighth Blackbird, The Orion String Quartet, David Finckel and Wu Han. In 2018 Elizabeth was awarded the Gloria Miner Fellowship at the 2018 Sitka International Cello Seminar, and performed as soloist with the Western Piedmont Wind Symphony in the “Music Beyond Borders” concert series which highlighted the stories of refugees. Elizabeth's passion for social change has driven her to serve in many different places all over the world, such as Sounds of Palestine, a music program for refugee youth in Bethlehem; and Children of Cambodia, a sponsorship program for orphans in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Elizabeth has spent a total of six years in Palestine and Israel where she both studied and taught cello to marginalized youth, including those living in refugee camps. In 2021, Elizabeth created and co-organized the first Palestinian Cello Choir, which gathered 30 cellists from all over Palestine to perform together in a concert tour.
Jubilee Chen (Resident Musician, violin) Jubilee Chen is a multi-genre violinist based in Boston, Massachusetts who cultivates the arts to restore the sacred and beautiful in urban contexts. Chamber music is her first love and in addition to musiConnects, she is on faculty with Boston Music Project and the Young Artists Chamber Music Intensive, and is a co-founder of the contemporary trio, nexbloom and string quartet, AMBAR. She has taught both locally and internationally to advocate for chamber music education as a model for nurturing student voice and communal care. In conjunction with music, Jubilee has a background in community development, and has worked in agencies dedicated to improving public policy and basic social rights. She is currently pursuing certification to develop a neighborhood Listening and Seed Project. She was a Fellow of Artistic and Social Change at the Longy School of Music where she earned her Master’s Degree with Paula Majerfeld.
Maureen Heflinger (Resident Musician, viola) joined musiConnects in 2022, teaching young violists/violinists and performing with mC's faculty string quartet. Maureen is a multifaceted performer and educator who feels equally at home premiering new works, leading an orchestra sectional, and getting in and out of a headstand. Maureen grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she studied piano and violin before finally settling on the viola. Despite living in an igloo and riding polar bears to school, Maureen managed to move to Boston, where she now enjoys a varied freelance career and performs regularly with the New Bedford and Atlantic Symphony Orchestras. An avid chamber musician, Maureen's performances have ranged from three seasons with the Nova Fellows, to premieres of chamber works written in Denali National Park as part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. A recipient of a New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Grant, her trio, The Nix Ensemble, championed two rare works of Paul Hindemith in Project Heckelmith, which featured Hindemith's Heckelphone Trio, and a reading of his wonderfully absurd play, Violamania. Maureen has been a prizewinner of the Philharmonic Society of Arlington Concerto Competition, and a National Finalist in the MTNA Soloist Competition. Recent performance highlights have included performing Paganini's La Campanella with viola orchestra as a faculty soloist at Idaho Viola Camp, and performing a livestream recital as a member of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Maureen teaches orchestra at Boston Latin School. In her spare time, she practices yoga and studies Brazilian Portuguese. Maureen studied with Marcus Thompson at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Elizabeth Stefan (faculty, viola/violin) teaches young violinists at mC's Roslindale studio, after previously serving as Program Director (2016-20), longtime Resident Musician (2012-20), and founding violist with the Sumner Quartet. Previous teaching positions range from group classes with Making Music Matters, to private lessons, early childhood classes, and coaching chamber music at the Community Music Center of Boston. She received a META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the inaugural class of fellows, and presented her teams’ research on supporting Teaching Artists. As a performing violist, Elizabeth is a founding member of Phoenix, an innovative, Boston-based orchestral ensemble. Elizabeth holds degrees and certificates from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. She is currently the Director of Education and Partnerships at Rockport Music.
Rachel Panitch (faculty, violin) joined musiConnects in 2014. Rachel specializes in working with violinists at musiConnects who are looking to compose, improvise, and expand the styles and genres they perform with on their instruments. She identifies both as a fiddler and violinist, and can be found in string quartets as well as in string bands, playing French-Canadian, Old-time, and Cajun, among other fiddle traditions for dancers. In 2009, Rachel founded Rhode Island Fiddle Project, a free music program teaching traditional fiddle and dance music to students, which was inspired and incubated by Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI. She has served on Faculty at New England Conservatory Preparatory and Continuing Education Schools. Rachel was chosen as a Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing “individuals with an exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm." As a composer, Rachel has been an artist-in-residence in Zion and Acadia National Parks, and was the 2019 recipient of the W.K. Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts. Rachel regularly performs with singer-songwriters including Phil and the Flying Leap and Bill Harley. She performed for 8 years as a founding member of Thread Ensemble, which created original, participatory works for audience, vibraphone and violins. Rachel holds a M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory.
David Rubin (Resident Musician, violin) joined musiConnects in 2016. He currently serves as a Resident Musician, teaches private lessons, and coaches mC², a chamber ensemble & peer leadership group for advancing students. David served as musiConnects' Program Director from 2020-21, and as its Artistic Director from 2021-24. David's teaching practice is informed by a two-year fellowship at Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI, pedagogy study at Indiana University's Summer String Academy (Retreat for Violin & Viola Teachers), and registered trainings in Suzuki Books 1-3 and Elise Winters' Kaleidoscopes method. As an orchestral violinist, David works throughout New England with ensembles such as New Bedford Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and BMOP, and has performed nationally/internationally at the Peninsula, Lucerne, Spoleto, and Banff festivals. David is also an experienced performer on baroque/classical instruments (Providence Baroque, Upper Valley Baroque, Madison Bach Musicians, Baroque Band), and particularly enjoys exploring 19th and early 20th-century music on gut strings with a historically-informed perspective. He has worked directly with numerous composers and contributed to recordings/live broadcasts for BMOP/sound, WBEZ Chicago, and Wisconsin Public Radio. David holds degrees from Lawrence University and Boston Conservatory, and completed additional study at the Banff Centre, Lucerne Festival Academy, and Conservatorium van Amsterdam. David was a 2021-23 recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's META Fellowship.
Elizabeth Cook (Resident Musician, cello) joined musiConnects in 2021, teaching young cellists and performing with mC's faculty string quartet. Elizabeth grew up in North Carolina, where she studied cello at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with cellist Zvi Plesser. She went on to obtain degrees from Mannes College, SUNY Purchase, and The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she studied with renowned cellists such as Marcy Rosen, Brooks Whitehouse, Julia Lichten, and Michal Korman. Elizabeth has had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with artists such as Gary Hoffman, Peter Wiley, Paul Watkins, Zuil Bailley, Eighth Blackbird, The Orion String Quartet, David Finckel and Wu Han. In 2018 Elizabeth was awarded the Gloria Miner Fellowship at the 2018 Sitka International Cello Seminar, and performed as soloist with the Western Piedmont Wind Symphony in the “Music Beyond Borders” concert series which highlighted the stories of refugees. Elizabeth's passion for social change has driven her to serve in many different places all over the world, such as Sounds of Palestine, a music program for refugee youth in Bethlehem; and Children of Cambodia, a sponsorship program for orphans in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Elizabeth has spent a total of six years in Palestine and Israel where she both studied and taught cello to marginalized youth, including those living in refugee camps. In 2021, Elizabeth created and co-organized the first Palestinian Cello Choir, which gathered 30 cellists from all over Palestine to perform together in a concert tour.
Jubilee Chen (Resident Musician, violin) Jubilee Chen is a multi-genre violinist based in Boston, Massachusetts who cultivates the arts to restore the sacred and beautiful in urban contexts. Chamber music is her first love and in addition to musiConnects, she is on faculty with Boston Music Project and the Young Artists Chamber Music Intensive, and is a co-founder of the contemporary trio, nexbloom and string quartet, AMBAR. She has taught both locally and internationally to advocate for chamber music education as a model for nurturing student voice and communal care. In conjunction with music, Jubilee has a background in community development, and has worked in agencies dedicated to improving public policy and basic social rights. She is currently pursuing certification to develop a neighborhood Listening and Seed Project. She was a Fellow of Artistic and Social Change at the Longy School of Music where she earned her Master’s Degree with Paula Majerfeld.
Maureen Heflinger (Resident Musician, viola) joined musiConnects in 2022, teaching young violists/violinists and performing with mC's faculty string quartet. Maureen is a multifaceted performer and educator who feels equally at home premiering new works, leading an orchestra sectional, and getting in and out of a headstand. Maureen grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she studied piano and violin before finally settling on the viola. Despite living in an igloo and riding polar bears to school, Maureen managed to move to Boston, where she now enjoys a varied freelance career and performs regularly with the New Bedford and Atlantic Symphony Orchestras. An avid chamber musician, Maureen's performances have ranged from three seasons with the Nova Fellows, to premieres of chamber works written in Denali National Park as part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. A recipient of a New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Grant, her trio, The Nix Ensemble, championed two rare works of Paul Hindemith in Project Heckelmith, which featured Hindemith's Heckelphone Trio, and a reading of his wonderfully absurd play, Violamania. Maureen has been a prizewinner of the Philharmonic Society of Arlington Concerto Competition, and a National Finalist in the MTNA Soloist Competition. Recent performance highlights have included performing Paganini's La Campanella with viola orchestra as a faculty soloist at Idaho Viola Camp, and performing a livestream recital as a member of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Maureen teaches orchestra at Boston Latin School. In her spare time, she practices yoga and studies Brazilian Portuguese. Maureen studied with Marcus Thompson at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Elizabeth Stefan (faculty, viola/violin) teaches young violinists at mC's Roslindale studio, after previously serving as Program Director (2016-20), longtime Resident Musician (2012-20), and founding violist with the Sumner Quartet. Previous teaching positions range from group classes with Making Music Matters, to private lessons, early childhood classes, and coaching chamber music at the Community Music Center of Boston. She received a META Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the inaugural class of fellows, and presented her teams’ research on supporting Teaching Artists. As a performing violist, Elizabeth is a founding member of Phoenix, an innovative, Boston-based orchestral ensemble. Elizabeth holds degrees and certificates from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. She is currently the Director of Education and Partnerships at Rockport Music.
Rachel Panitch (faculty, violin) joined musiConnects in 2014. Rachel specializes in working with violinists at musiConnects who are looking to compose, improvise, and expand the styles and genres they perform with on their instruments. She identifies both as a fiddler and violinist, and can be found in string quartets as well as in string bands, playing French-Canadian, Old-time, and Cajun, among other fiddle traditions for dancers. In 2009, Rachel founded Rhode Island Fiddle Project, a free music program teaching traditional fiddle and dance music to students, which was inspired and incubated by Community MusicWorks in Providence, RI. She has served on Faculty at New England Conservatory Preparatory and Continuing Education Schools. Rachel was chosen as a Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing “individuals with an exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm." As a composer, Rachel has been an artist-in-residence in Zion and Acadia National Parks, and was the 2019 recipient of the W.K. Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts. Rachel regularly performs with singer-songwriters including Phil and the Flying Leap and Bill Harley. She performed for 8 years as a founding member of Thread Ensemble, which created original, participatory works for audience, vibraphone and violins. Rachel holds a M.M. in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory.