Interested in learning with La Toya?
Contact us to schedule your first lesson!
Contact us to schedule your first lesson!
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Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, La Toya started playing the violin at age four. At eight, she became a member of the newly formed National Youth Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago, and achieved the post of concertmaster at age 14. In Trinidad, La Toya maintained a full schedule teaching, competing and performing, both with the Orchestra and several chamber groups. She competed successfully several times at the Biennial Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival and captured first place in numerous categories. It was during her time with the Orchestra that she decided to pursue music professionally.
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La Toya relocated to the US in 2002 in order to pursue a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music at South Carolina State University. During her tenure there, she enjoyed active participation in the Long Bay Symphony, the Florence Civic Orchestra, and the Orangeburg Part Time Players. After completing her degree, she went on to complete a Professional Diploma in Performance at Berklee College of Music, Boston in 2009. While in Boston, La Toya enjoyed performing as a member of the Boston String Players, the Boston Opera Collaborative, the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra and the Berklee Jazz / World String Orchestra.
Never having harbored a desire to be a concert soloist, La Toya has continued to perform in various symphony, chamber and theater productions, including the Mount Pleasant Symphony, the Summerville Orchestra, and the North Charleston Pops! Orchestra. She also enjoys frequent engagement with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir and Spiritual Ensemble and has participated in the Colour of Music Festival in Charleston South Carolina both as a member of the Festival Orchestra and the festival's resident chamber group, the all-female Colour of Music Virtuosi.
She has played in pit orchestras as a violinist or violist for productions such as Oliver, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof, A Little Night Music, The Magic Flute and Carmen. She has had the privilege during her career of sharing the stage with Gloria Estefan, Isaac Delgado, Eva Ayllon, Patti LaBelle, George Benson, Vanessa Williams and Frank McComb.
La Toya loves living in Charleston, where she homeschools her five children. Together with her guitarist husband, Eric, she performs for weddings and special events!
Listen to Latoya's music on our sister company's website: www.lowcountrypianist.com/latoya
Never having harbored a desire to be a concert soloist, La Toya has continued to perform in various symphony, chamber and theater productions, including the Mount Pleasant Symphony, the Summerville Orchestra, and the North Charleston Pops! Orchestra. She also enjoys frequent engagement with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir and Spiritual Ensemble and has participated in the Colour of Music Festival in Charleston South Carolina both as a member of the Festival Orchestra and the festival's resident chamber group, the all-female Colour of Music Virtuosi.
She has played in pit orchestras as a violinist or violist for productions such as Oliver, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof, A Little Night Music, The Magic Flute and Carmen. She has had the privilege during her career of sharing the stage with Gloria Estefan, Isaac Delgado, Eva Ayllon, Patti LaBelle, George Benson, Vanessa Williams and Frank McComb.
La Toya loves living in Charleston, where she homeschools her five children. Together with her guitarist husband, Eric, she performs for weddings and special events!
Listen to Latoya's music on our sister company's website: www.lowcountrypianist.com/latoya
La Toya's Teaching Style
"I think that all music education should be fun and engaging, and never a thing to be dreaded! I especially love working with beginner students and helping them to establish a firm technical foundation on the instrument as well as solid music reading and theory, because then they can build on that foundation and apply their technique to whatever they're learning. With students who have a little more experience, the thrill is in working with them individually to
make the music their own!
As we move through our lessons, my goal is to make it fun, rewarding, and always interesting. The students and I choose and work on specific pieces that allow for focus on whatever form of expression we are seeking to improve, be it intonation, tone or left and right hand technique, and of course, the most fun part of all: learning to play the works or songs that the student has heard and wants to learn to play!"
make the music their own!
As we move through our lessons, my goal is to make it fun, rewarding, and always interesting. The students and I choose and work on specific pieces that allow for focus on whatever form of expression we are seeking to improve, be it intonation, tone or left and right hand technique, and of course, the most fun part of all: learning to play the works or songs that the student has heard and wants to learn to play!"