Meet our teachers
At Solomon Guitar Studio our teachers are all highly skilled instructors, each having earned a degree in music from an accredited university, in addition to having years of professional experience teaching and performing music. Our unique team of highly skilled instructors have each been carefully selected for their teaching capabilities, musical excellence and friendliness.
Nathan Holterman - Guitar and Ukulele
Nathan Holterman, a Portland native and lifelong musician, discovered the guitar in 2003. His determination and dedication to the instrument allowed him to develop great skill and pursue a career in music education and performance.
Mr Holterman studied under notable Portland area guitarists Pamela Goldsmith, (Linfield College) and Jesse McCann (PSU). He has also performed in numerous master classes for some of the best players in the world, including Manuel Barrueco, Jason Vieaux, and Martha Masters. Additionally, Nathan has placed as a finalist in several international competitions and has been a featured performer at the Portland Guitar Society.
Through years of teaching, performing and his education at Portland State University, from which Mr. Holterman holds a Bachelors of Music in Classical Guitar Performance, he has become a highly respected performer and instructor in the portland area and is known for his flawless technique.
Adam Brooker - Guitar, Ukulele and Bass
Adam Brooker is a exceptional guitarist, composer, and local area teacher. For Adam, music has been his lifelong passion, one which he eagerly shares with his students. Mr. Brooker hold both a Master's Degree in Classical Guitar Performance from Portland State University and a Bachelor's degree in Music Composition from the University of the Pacific, in Stockton California.
Adam has competed and participated in several music festivals around the world including the Northwest Guitar Festival, the Guitarraganza Festival, and the HighScore Festival in Pavia, Italy.
In addition to teaching and performing classical guitar Adam regularly plays lead guitar and electric guitar in his band The Weird Kids.
Adam specializes in numerous styles including rock, folk, metal, jazz, and classical.
Irene Weldon - Piano and Vocal
Irene Weldon earned her Master’s in Teaching from Portland State University in 1998; soon after she joined the music faculty at Warner Pacific College where she teaches private music lessons in piano and voice, as well as, classes in vocal techniques and foreign language diction. For over five years, Irene, was a staff singer for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Choir and Portland Symphonic Choir and additionally, was the alto section leader and soloist for the Bach Cantata Choir for its first eleven seasons, performing numerous alto arias and duets.
Irene has performed as soloist with the Portland Symphonic Choir, and most recently in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Oregon Symphony. Irene was chosen by Peter Schickele (PDQ Bach) to sing the role of Madam Peep in Oedipus Tex, and the Soothsayer in the oratorio, The Seasonings. Other solo engagements include the Vivaldi Gloria and Mozart Requiem, with Portland Symphonic Choir, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, with Portland Baroque Orchestra under director Monica Huggett, Handel's Israel in Egypt with Trinity Consort, under the direction of New York, baroque harpsichordist, Eric Milnes, and Respighi's Lauda per la Nativita del Signore with Trinity Cathedral Choir and Oregon Repertory Singers.
Irene is comfortable with the recital format as a pianist, accompanist and vocalist and has performed numerous times with popular local chamber groups, including Marten King, clarinetist and Michael Liu, pianist for the Vancouver Symphony in performances at the Terwilliger Plaza, Classic Pianos, Sherman Clay Pianos, Astoria’s Liberty Theater and the Cascadia Composers national convention.
In her early years, Irene had was mainly a self-taught pianist. However, as a young mother she enrolled in private piano lessons, honing her skills and then studied the pipe organ. After returning to college she discovered that in addition to playing the piano, she loved singing. From then on she focused on developing her voice in addition to her piano amd oregon skills, and Irene went on to perform with the Rogue Valley Opera as Thisbe in La Cenerentola, Flora in La Traviata and Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and sang with the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers before relocating to Portland.
Irene specializes in teaching younger and older students to play and sing. She looks forward to sharing the gift of music with her students.
Tom Probert - Guitar, Bass, and Ukulele
Tom Probert is a transplant to the Portland area and is originally from Connecticut. He and his wife moved to Portland Oregon to pursue higher education and build a life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Throughout his life as a musician, Tom has been interested in the many musical styles from all corners of the country.
Tom holds his Bachelor's of Music degree from Coastal Carolina University in classical guitar performance. In addition to playing classical guitar, Tom also enjoys playing and teaching rock, jazz, blues, and metal guitar styles. Tom has performed with multiple guitar ensemble, as well as, with rock, alternative and heavy metal bands including Sound Therapy out of Myrtle Beach, SC. Tom is currently working towards earning his Master’s of Music degree at Portland State University. He has a soft spot for South American tango and baroque era music as well as Asian folk sounds on the classical guitar.
Travis Johnson - Guitar and Ukulele
Travis Johnson began studying music at the young age of seven, accompanying his voice with an ukulele and practicing simple piano song. From his eighth birthday on, Travis began studying the classical guitar in depth under the tutelage of notable guitarist Dr. Peter Zisa, who taught him diligently for seven years. During these fundamental years, Travis became an extremely accomplished young guitarist and has be an active member of the Portland Guitar Society and has regularly performed at their monthly open-mics. These studies led Mr. Johnson to Seattle, WA, to study under the remarkable guitarist Michael Partington (U of W) until he was accepted into the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with the well know guitar pedagogue David Tanenbaum. Travis has also enjoyed lessons and Master Classes with various famous guitarists Ana Vidovic, Jeremy Jouve, Marcin Dylla, Judicael Perroy, Gabriel Bianco, William Kanengiser, Martha Masters, David Russel, Oscar Ghiglia, and Raphael Smits.
Travis graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music with a Master of Music Performance degree in 2017 under the tutelage of Adam Holzman. Travis now teaches and performs around the Pacific Northwest and loves to share music with a variety of audiences by performing at open-mics, schools, recitals, and through his live-stream practice sessions.
Brandon Azbill - Guitar and Ukulele
Brandon Azbill began playing the guitar at the age of seven, primarily interested in popular music. In his early teens guitar studies took a crucial role in his life, eventually leading to playing jazz and classical music.
Brandon holds an AAOT in Music from Central Oregon Community College. In 2017 he taught elementary school music at St. Thomas Academy in Redmond Oregon. Brandon is a Sunriver Young Artist Scholarship recipient. Currently, he is completing a BM in Classical Guitar Performance at Portland State University.
Performance is an important aspect of Brandon's life and he enjoys playing both solo and in ensembles. He has performed with many groups, including Central Oregon Symphony, Central Oregon Mastersingers, Opera Bend, and in spring of 2018 as a soloist with the Community Orchestra of Central Oregon. Brandon is a Portland Guitar Society featured performer.
He has studied under many teachers with diverse styles and backgrounds. These include classical guitarists Jesse McCann, Drew Henderson, Hideki Yamaya, Marek Pasieczny, Andrew York, Matt Gwinup, and jazz/ fingerstyle guitarists Rich Hurdle, John Stowell, Dan Balmer, Eric Skye, Alex de Grassi, and Blaine Cameron.)
Matt Solomon - Director, Guitar, Ukulele, Composition
Matt Solomon is a guitarist, teacher and entrepreneur with a passion for education. He is the owner and director of Solomon Guitar Studio, which he founded in 2010, and is an adjunct faculty member at Portland State University for the Classical Guitar Area.
Having earned his Master’s of Music degree in 2012 from PSU, Matt has become a well known musician in the Portland area and has developed into a highly sought-after music educator through his proven experience in preparing students for various performance events including student, graduate and professional recitals and competitions. He additionally has adjudicated on music juries, college undergraduate and master’s exit exams, graduate recitals and as a judge for the 2017 Northwest Guitar Festival Adult Competition.
Furthermore, Matt has taught guest lectures at Portland Community College, the Young Musicians and Artist Summer Camp and has been a consultant to the board of trustees of the Portland Guitar Society as an interim board member.
Mr. Solomon studied under celebrated composer-guitarist Bryan Johanson (PSU) as well as award-winning guitarists David Franzen (PSU), Jesse McCann (PSU), Jeffrey Ashton (U of P) and John Mery (Arts Director, PCC). In his college days Matt competed in competitions and performed in Master Classes conducted by world famous, Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang, top prize GFA winner Martha Masters, award-winning British guitarist Michael Partington and Gyan Riley. Mr. Solomon performs both as a solo artist and with ensembles and his love of teaching has continued to drive his interests in music and the classical guitar.