Music Conservatory of Westchester • Faculty

Loren Kiyoshi Dempster was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He began studying music at age 5 and started playing the cello at age 9. “I chose cello because it was unique - all the other kids wanted to take violin. The problem was that there were not enough students for a cello class, so I had to recruit a bunch of friends." My father, a professional trombonist, was happily shocked when I came home saying I wanted to play the cello, and soon after, I started private lessons at a local Suzuki school."

After pursuing his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Loren went on to complete Suzuki teacher training through level 10 at the School for Strings in Manhattan. He studied Suzuki pedagogy with such renowned teachers as Pam Devenport, Irene Sharp, Barbara Wampner, and Tanya Carey and has a dozen years of teaching experience.

Now in his fourth year as a faculty member at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, Loren enjoys teaching students of all ages. "I like to bring energy and unending enthusiasm to my teaching, and I aim to cultivate a positive and focused attitude in each student. With the proper mental tools and support, each student can find joy in both practice and performance. It is also very important to develop a rapport with students and their families. Regardless of each student’s learning style and personality, my goal is the same - to encourage the each student’s unique talents so he/she they can find their own voice and develop a deep love of music." Loren also serves on the faculty at the Waldorf School of Garden City.

Loren enjoys all styles of music and performs in a wide variety of contexts including classical, Broadway, improvisation, and rock. He has developed a strong reputation in the contemporary music scene, most notably in his performances with Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Loren's goal as a musician is to be able to do anything that a composer may ask: utilize a beautiful tone, difficult techniques, extended techniques, improvisation, amplification, and electronics. "We musicians are servants to the music...the more things we can do, the more useful we are to composers in bringing their works to life."

A composer and sound artist in his own right, Loren has created music for many choreographers, has been the recipient of a composition grant from Meet the Composer, and has concerts of his work produced in the New York area.

Photo/Pinsky Studio

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Conservatory faculty are all highly skilled and experienced teachers. Teachers are assigned to maximize the learning experience of each student taking into account the students musical interests and goals, age and scheduling needs.

"I am very happy and proud of Jun Luke Foster’s and Benjamin Boventer’s achievements. I taught Jun Luke for 12 years and his acceptance to Juilliard School of Music is a great sign of his musical maturity and accomplishment. He was also accepted to Harvard and Yale. Benjamin was with me for five years. He won a prestigious $40,000 scholarship from Skidmore College for music studies. He was the only pianist in that competition who received this award. He was also accepted at Tufts University. It is very satisfying to know that our students continue to achieve such success." —Svetlana Gorokovich, MCW Faculty

Conservatory faculty are all highly skilled and experienced teachers. Teachers are assigned to maximize the learning experience of each student taking into account the students musical interests and goals, age and scheduling needs.

"I am very happy and proud of Jun Luke Foster’s and Benjamin Boventer’s achievements. I taught
Jun Luke for 12 years and his acceptance to Juilliard School of Music is a great sign of his musical maturity and accomplishment. He was also accepted to Harvard and Yale. Benjamin was with me for five years. He won a prestigious $40,000 scholarship from Skidmore College for music studies. He was the only pianist in that competition who received this award. He was also accepted at Tufts University. It is very satisfying to know that our students continue to achieve such success."
—Svetlana Gorokovich, MCW Faculty

Loren Dempster | Cello

Music Conservatory of Westchester • 216 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606
914.761.3900 • info@musiced.org

The Music Conservatory of Westchester is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

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