Our Team
Tobias Overath: Chamber Orchestra Conductor
Tobias Overath has lived with music for as long as he can remember. Growing up, he played violin in numerous youth orchestras and chamber music ensembles, attended multiple music camps, and enjoyed going to concerts as often as possible. At 21, when being faced with the Catch-22 of playing 2nd violin in excellent orchestras or 1st violin in good ones, he finally saw the light and decided to play viola in all kinds of ensembles, and hasn’t looked back since!
Tobias has completed degrees in musicology, psychology, and neuroscience, and is now faculty in the department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. But he always dreamed of being a conductor in his ‘second life’, so when the opportunity to conduct PYFO presented itself, he didn’t think twice. He loves making music and sharing the excitement and emotions of music with others.
Amy McKinnis: Prelude Orchestra Conductor
Amy McKinnis began playing violin as a child in the Suzuki program of Kathy Hart in Knoxville, Tennessee. Later, as a student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Amy earned a BA in English Literature; continued to enjoy violin in the UT Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra; and met her husband, Pete. Amy next moved to Indiana where she taught high school English, played with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, worked as the symphony’s Education director, and ran the Sempre Violin Suzuki Studio. Finally, Amy landed in Carrboro, NC where she had the privilege to study violin with Mary Frances Boyce, play in the UNC Baroque Ensemble, and teach violin and orchestra in the Grow-a-Fiddler Suzuki studio. When not thinking about music and education, Amy enjoys baking bread and spending time with her four kids and her husband.
Rebecca Buchanan: Strings coach, PYFO administrator
Rebecca Buchanan is the Director and full-time Suzuki violin and fiddle teacher at Grow A Fiddler Studio in Carrboro, NC. Rebecca began violin in the Suzuki Method at the age of six with Betsy Fee and later Kathy Hart in Knoxville, TN. She graduated from the University of Tennessee where she studied violin with Matus Zelmanovich and worked as an assistant with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra for 8 years. While in Tennessee, Rebecca also taught violin at Walters State Community college and opened her own private teaching studio in Knoxville. She has completed Suzuki training with James Hutchins, Rebecca Sandrock, and Mary Frances Boyce; Rebecca is proudly certified in the Suzuki method and believes deeply that every child can learn.
After moving to Carrboro, Rebecca’s interest in old-time fiddle expanded, and she sought out workshops and learning experiences with many of her favorite fiddlers including Judy Hyman, Bruce Molsky, Jake Blount, Tatiana Hargreaves, and Amy Alvey. Rebecca uses old-time fiddling as both a supplement and a tool with her Suzuki students—both incorporating the strength of learning by ear. In addition to her studio students, Rebecca teaches fiddle at workshops, camps, and fiddle weekends. Rebecca also enjoys teaching fiddle to adult learners. You can find her playing in her square-dance band, The Square Biscuits, and as half of the fiddle-banjo duo, Sue In The Pulpit.
Phil Warren: Strings Coach, Board Member, PYFO Historian
Phil Warren is a freelance cellist and Suzuki cello teacher. He started cello at age 10 and was fortunate to experience solid string programs in the public schools. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at Stanford, studying cello with Bonnie Hampton and performance of early music with George Houle. After moving to Chapel Hill in 1972, he co-directed the Early Music Ensemble at UNC and taught the graduate music course in white notation.
Phil discovered his love of music performance as a teenager in a 1962 Gilbert & Sullivan musical. Over the decades, he has performed in professional and amateur productions of opera and musical theater and in community orchestras. A highlight was performing at the Folger Shakespeare Library (twice!)
After a 26-year career at Duke in finance and IT, Phil has devoted his time to teaching cello. Having attended Suzuki summer institutes for 18 years, he completed teacher training on all the cello books, violin books 1-4, and group class techniques.
As a Board member of PYFO since 2001, Phil is thrilled to share the joy of performing live music with students of all ages.