Guitar & Ukulele Faculty
Sungmin Lee
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Sungmin Lee is a classical guitarist from South Korea who is currently based in San Francisco, California. He started piano training when he was four years old and his passion for music grew at a young age of 12, when he grew interest in finger style guitar. Sungmin then discovered his love for classical music, sparking his interest in studying classical guitar.
Sungmin has received several prizes and wide recognitions in competitions during his guitar career—highlights include the Great Lakes Guitar Festival, Eastman Guitar Concerto Competition, Lone Star Guitar Festival and SF Bay Classical Guitar Competition. He has also performed in several reputable master classes with Jorge Caballero, Carlos Barbosa Lima, Manuel Barrueco, and Matthew McAllister. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Sungmin received his Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance in addition to the Performer’s Certificate. He received his Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2020. At SFCM, his primary teacher is Judicaël Perroy and prior teachers include Nicholas Goluses, Thomas Viloteau, and Leighann Narum. |
Mario To
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Mario Tsz-chun To is an avid guitarist and chamber musician. He had worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as German tenor Knut Schoch and Hungarian conductor Gergely Madaras.
As a solo guitarist, Mario won the Tarrega Malaysia International Guitar Festival Competition in 2017 and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Concerto Competition in 2021. He had also been invited by the Hong Kong International Airport, the Asia Society and the Royal Commonwealth Society to perform on stage. As an ensemble player, he collaborated tightly with the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble and was featured as the spotlight artist in the NOVA Ensemble Guitar Project in 2019. He is also an experienced musician in operas, notable production includes the 2019 world-premiere chamber opera “Beauty and Sadness”. In 2020, he was invited by the University of Hong Kong to deliver a lecture on the music of Tōru Takemitsu. Mario’s achievements have also been widely recognized through his numerous scholarships. He is a three-time recipient of the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship and an awardee of the prestigious Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. Other scholarships include the Society of APA Scholarship and the Grantham Scholarship etc. Mario is currently studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on full scholarship as the graduate assistant. He graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, under the guidance of Ms. Meng Su and the Academy Director, Prof. Adrian Walter. |
Alex Rutter
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Alex is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter who loves nothing more than sharing his passion for music with others. He graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a Bachelor’s Degree in music, and since graduating has continued to sing in choir, write/produce his own songs, and play with others often. While at Saint Mary’s College, he participated in the jazz band, multiple student-led groups, and all three choirs. He also started learning to teach by tutoring students.
Alex has been playing guitar and drums since he was in elementary school and took to learning bass guitar in high school. Around this time he started writing his own songs and listening to a wide variety of musical genres to better understand how music exists not only in his life but in others' lives and in other parts of the world. He adores music theory and always loses himself talking about anything music-related. Alex believes that learning music should be about technique and theory as much as it should be about feeding your curious and creative mind. He always wishes to impart knowledge just as much as he hopes to inspire and expand one’s perspective on the world of music and what it can do for you. |
Jake "M-K" Margulis-Kessel
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Jake is excited to be a music instructor at Amabile and has been teaching and playing music for over 20 years. He teaches all levels and styles of guitar, voice, congas and percussion, songwriting, production, composition, and artist identity development/branding. He also teaches drum set, piano, ukulele and electric bass. Additionally, Jake enjoys leading band direction for developing musicians.
Jake has an M.A. in Music Composition and has been a music instructor with Bay Area music schools such as Village Music School, School of Rock San Ramon, COVA, Star Power Music, Art and Soul Music Studios, Hayward Music Center, and ALMA. He was also Music Program Director at Mission Hills Middle School in Union City for three years where he designed and taught all music program classes to grades Pre-K through 8. Prior to that, he was the guitar and percussion instructor at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Oakland. Jake began studying jazz guitar at age 14 and majored in jazz guitar as an undergrad. His primary teachers were Steve Erquiaga, Dave Creamer, and Jack Wilkins. Jake also studied AfroCuban percussion for many years under the instruction of Josh Jones, as well as with Maestro Regino Jimenez, Sandy Perez and in Cuba with Grupo AfroCuba de Matanzas and Daniel Rodriguez of Yoruba Andabo. He also studied traditional AfroCuban singing with Lazaro Galarraga and classical voice with Jane Sharp. Jake has performed or recorded with musicians such as Boots Riley, Kent Nagano, Ambrose Akinmusere, Thomas Pridgen, Dayna Stephens, Josh Jones, Michael Aaberg, and The Hogan Brothers. He has played at jazz festivals including Montreux, North Sea, Vienne and Umbria. Jake has also performed at venues such as Yoshi’s, Zellerbach Hall, Cleopatra's Needle and Small’s. He is also a songwriter, composer, and music producer. In his spare time, Jake enjoys writing comedy, reading, and the great outdoors. |
Essie DeVille
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Essie is a contemporary-folk powerhouse with a sound that lends itself to greats like The Waifs, Janis Joplin, and Ani DeFranco. Essie’s unique form of contemporary folk incorporates soulful vocals, live looping, and transcendent guitar reminiscent of an age best not forgotten.
Solo, accompanied by multi-instrumentalists as Essie Thomas Trio or with a full band, she has been described as: “A songwriter who doesn’t mess with her words,” (Blank Magazine, GC) breathing roots, blues and bohemian gypsy jazz into every note. Essie has drawn crowds to Australian festival stages since the early 2000s, touring extensively In Australia, Canada and The USA. As a soloist or with her band, Essie Thomas owns a stage presence that leaves audiences aching for more. She has graced the stage of some of Australia’s favorite events: Woodford Folk Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Palm Creek Folk Festival, Seven Sisters, Kuranda Roots, Island Vibe, Earth Frequency Festival, Rainbow Serpent and The Dreaming. Essie has played alongside some of Australia’s finest including but not limited to Shane Howard, Archie Roach, Hiatus Kaiyote, Mojo Juju, Mia Dyson, John Butler, and Wolfmother. |
Matt Funamura (online only)
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Matt Funamura is a trumpeter, guitarist, composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist raised in the Sierra Nevada Foothills near Sacramento. At the age of six, he picked up his first guitar and trumpet at the age of 8 beginning his musical journey. He majored in music performance and jazz studies at American River College in Sacramento, California for two years during which time he was a freelance musician throughout the west coast. He then went on to earn a Bachelor of Performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
Matt has performed with and studied under numerous musicians in a wide range of genres including: Angelique Kidjo, Ingrid Jensen, Tiger Okoshi, Gamble & Huff, Salvador Santana, Joe Gilman, Charles Haynes, Dontae Winslow, Jerry Martini, and Victor Mendoza. He currently plays with local legend Ed Ivey and the North Beach Brass Band, as well as a wide range of musical acts in Northern California. He teaches trumpet, guitar, bass, ukulele, and mandolin. |