Music Faculty
Gustavo Cortiñas
Drums • Composition • Music Appreciation • Jazz
Gustavo Cortiñas is a Mexican-born, Chicago-based drummer, composer, producer, and educator whose music brings together jazz, Latin American traditions, and a strong interest in storytelling and culture. Cortiñas has released multiple recordings as a leader, performs widely as both a bandleader and sideman, and has taught students in the United States and internationally. For a more expanded biography, please follow the link below. His teaching experience includes The Chicago High School for the Arts, and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic education programs. He holds a B.M. in Jazz from Loyola University New Orleans and an M.M. in Jazz from Northwestern University.
MUS-100 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
MUS-136 Private Applied Percussion Maj (2 Credits)
MUS-137 Private Applied Percussion N-M (1 Credits)
MUS-166 Private Applied Percussion Maj (2 Credits)
MUS-167 Private Applied Percussion N-M (1 Credits)
Ben Dillinger
Bass• Guitarrón • Strings • Jazz • World Music • American Music
Ben Dillinger is a Chicago-based upright and electric bassist, composer, and educator whose work spans jazz, rock, pop, Brazilian music, musical theater, classical settings, and improvised music. His performance credits include Javier Red’s Imagery Converter, Constantine Alexander’s Firetet, and the Angelo Hart Trio. Recordings on which he appears include Life & Umbrella, Firetet, and The Adler Suite. He is a founding member of projects including Astro Samurai and Imagery Converter and is an active sideman in the Chicago music community. Ben also teaches at Roosevelt University. Dillinger holds degrees in Jazz Composition from DePaul University.
MUS-106 Trends Modern American Music (3 Credits)
MUS-108 World Music Survey (3 Credits)
MUS-138 Private Applied Strings Major (2 Credits)
MUS-139 Private Applied Strings Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-168 Private Applied Strings Major (2 Credits)
MUS-169 Private Applied Strings Non-Major (1 Credits)
Jered Montgomery
Trumpet • Brass • Humanities and Fine Arts Full Time • Music Appreciation• World Music
Jered Montgomery is a Chicago-area trumpeter and educator whose work spans orchestral, chamber, jazz, theater, and commercial performance. Montgomery has performed with ensembles including the Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony, and Southern Illinois Music Festival Orchestra, and the Lakeshore Brass. He’s played numerous Chicago theater productions at Porchlight Music Theater, Kokandy Productions and The Goodman. His world/commercial music credits include groups such as Electric Sugar, Hey Jimmy, Yacht Lobsters, Chicago Samba, Sin Genero and ConcertsUnderTheStars: Sinatra. He earned a B.M. in Trumpet Performance from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and an M.M. in Trumpet Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.
MUS-100 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
MUS-108 World Music Survey (3 Credits)
MUS-142 Private Applied Brass Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-143 Private Applied Brass Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-172 Private Applied Brass Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-173 Private Applied Brass Non-Major (1 Credits)
Octavio Montiel
Piano • Piano Pedagogy • Piano Tuning
Octavio Montiel has a B.A. in Music from North Park University and a Masters Degree in Applied Piano Pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University, where he studied with Susan Tang. He has earned the Leadership and Talent Scholarship from Morton College, and the Honors Music Scholarship from North Park University. Octavio is also passionate about service to the community and has been an active leader and volunteer at the Boys Club of Cicero.
Octavio oversees the piano program at Mattix Music Studio. A veteran Suzuki Method teacher, Octavio implements healthy piano technique from the first lesson and works with his students to develop good practice habits.
He continues to inspire students through his outstanding pedagogy and service to the community.
MUS-130 Private Applied Piano Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-131 Private Applied Piano Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-160 Private Applied Piano Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-161 Private Applied Piano Non-Major (1 Credits)
Kristina Mucha
Clarinet • Woodwinds • Music Appreciation
Kristina Mucha is a clarinetist and educator from the Chicago area whose work includes orchestral, chamber, and contemporary music.Her performance work has included programming centered on music by living women composers, and she has performed with the Naperville Winds. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Clarinet Performance from Roosevelt University and has studied with Todd Levy, John Bruce Yeh, and Teresa Reilly.
MUS-100 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
MUS-140 Private Applied Woodwind Major (2 Credits)
MUS-141 Private Applied Woodwind Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-170 Private Applied Woodwind Major (2 Credits)
MUS-171 Private Applied Woodwind Non-Major (1 Credits)
Mateo Nossa
Composition • Music Production • Film Scoring • Sound Design
Mateo Nossa is a Chicago-based composer and sound designer whose work combines traditional orchestral scoring, modern synthesis, and culturally specific musical traditions. A graduate of NYU Steinhardt and former educator at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he has composed for film, concert music, theater, and interactive media. His recent screen work includes the original score for The Musical, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, as well as scores for Virgencita, The Bullfighter, RATA, Dead Girl, and When I Was There. His concert music has been performed internationally, including by Cuarteto Latinoamericano.
MUS-100 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
MUS-180 Introduction to Media Production (3 Credits)
MUS-181 Music Production 1 (3 Credits)
MUS-182 Music Production 2 (3 Credits)
MUS-280 Music Production for Media (3 Credits)
MUS-281 Live Sound Recording (3 Credits)
MUS-282 Music Production Internship (1 to 4 Credits)
Erik Skov
Guitar • Vuela • Ukelele • Jazz • Music Theory • Music Appreciation
Erik Skov is a guitarist, educator, and composer who has performed in Chicago for more than a decade. He earned degrees in Jazz and Anthropology from North Central College and a master’s degree in Jazz from Northwestern University. Performing on guitar and banjo, Skov has worked with musicians and composers across jazz and classical settings and has appeared at major Chicago venues and festivals including the Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Millennium Park, and the Chicago Jazz Festival. His projects include the ensemble Liminality, and he performs with a range of Chicago-based groups. Erik also teaches at Lewis University and College of DuPage.
MUS-100 Music Appreciation (3 Credits)
MUS-110 Music Theory I (3 Credits)
MUS-111 Music Theory II (3 Credits)
MUS-210 Music Theory III (3 Credits)
MUS-211 Music Theory IV (3 Credits)
MUS-134 Private Applied Guitar Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-135 Private Applied Guitar Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-164 Private Applied Guitar Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-165 Private Applied Guitar Non-Major (1 Credits)
Meghan Stagl
Guitar • Vuela • Ukelele • Jazz • Music Theory • Music Appreciation
Erik Skov is a guitarist, educator, and composer who has performed in Chicago for more than a decade. He earned degrees in Jazz and Anthropology from North Central College and a master’s degree in Jazz from Northwestern University. Performing on guitar and banjo, Skov has worked with musicians and composers across jazz and classical settings and has appeared at major Chicago venues and festivals including the Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Millennium Park, and the Chicago Jazz Festival. His projects include the ensemble Liminality, and he performs with a range of Chicago-based groups. Erik also teaches at Lewis University and College of DuPage.
MUS-112 Keyboard Musicianship 1 (1 Credits)
MUS-117 Keyboard Musicianship 2 (1 Credits)
MUS-115 Ear Trn & Sight Sign I (1 Credits)
MUS-116 Ear Trn & Sight Sign II (1 Credits)
MUS-130 Private Applied Piano Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-131 Private Applied Piano Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-132 Private Applied Voice Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-133 Private Applied Voice Music Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-162 Private Applied Voice Music Major (2 Credits)
MUS-163 Private Applied Voice Music Non-Major (1 Credits)
MUS-230 Private Applied Piano Music Major (2 Credits)