Teachers & Staff

Adeline Kovell started studying violin at age 5, and teaching violin at age 13. Ms. Kovell is currently a substitute violinist with the Spokane Symphony and has performed alongside the Seattle Symphony.

Her solo career includes performances at Carnegie Hall and the Fox Theater. Honors include winning the Sno-King Music Educators Solo/Ensemble Festival (2020) and Eastern Washington University’s Concerto Competition (2023). Additional recent awards include MusicFEST 2023: gold medal for Piano Trio and honorable mention for Young Artist’s Competition–string division. 

Ms. Kovell currently studies violin performance with Spokane Symphony violinist and Eastern Washington University Professor Amanda Howard-Phillips.

Gloria Miller has ten years of cello study and is excited to share her passion for this instrument with students here in Cheney. She is an active chamber music performer performing with the following groups: Miller/Komarov Duo, EWU Tango Trio and EWU String Quartet.  Ms. Miller has received the following awards: Spokane Youth Symphony Conductor’s Award, North Central High School Best Musician, EWU Most Academic Growth in Strings & EWU Best Music Historian. 

Gloria is currently majoring in music education—specializing in cello performance (studying w/John Marshall). She performed for five years in the auditioned ensemble: Spokane Youth Symphony–recently as a commissioned player.  She volunteers with the Spokane Solo Ensemble Festival and is active in the EWU Washington Music Educators Association.

Whitney Bertholic is a Vocal Performance major at Eastern Washington University. She has been singing all her life, and has been performing in ensembles and individually for 14 years. She is actively involved in the choir ensembles (Symphonic Choir, Collegians Jazz Choir, Opera) at EWU, as well as being a lead singer for the Masterclass Big Band. She has performed with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra at the Bing Crosby Theatre, the Symphony Chorale/Spokane Symphony at The Fox Theatre, and with the Masterclass Big Band at the Knitting Factory in Spokane. Ms. Bertholic has won numerous awards over the years such as the Anaheim Music Festival Maestro Award (2019), and the Best Soloist Award (Demiero Jazz Festival 2018). She specializes in the Jazz, Classical, and Musical Theatre styles of singing. She currently studies with Dawn Wolski and Dr. Nicole Sonbert at EWU.

Ms. Bertholic has a deep passion for both teaching and performing alike. Her goal is to inspire her students to love performing, and to help them become knowledgeable and creative musicians. She will guide her students to better understand the ways their voice works as well as teaching the pedagogy behind it all. Along with this, she aims to push her students to grow, and to encourage her students to explore outside their comfort zones in order to excel and achieve whatever they set their minds to.