Guest Faculty Information

Dr. Maternik Piret is a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, UK, the Paris Conservatory of Fresnes, France, and holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Alabama. His mentors include Helene Dautry, Jerome Pernoo, and Moises Molina.

In the United States, he has held the position of principal cellist with the Columbus Symphony in Georgia, the Huntsville Symphony in Alabama, and the Classical Concert Orchestra in California. He is frequently invited to perform with the Alabama Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, as well as the Atlanta Ballet and Opera. While in the UK, Maternik-Piret had the privilege of collaborating with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Joshua Bell.

Presently, Maternik-Piret is a  cello instructor at the University of Alabama. He also served as a Cello professor at the University of North Alabama for a span of four years. Beyond his love for the cello, Maternik-Piret is actively learning the viola da Gamba and has a deep interest in scholarships that promote the development of American Cultural Heritage.

Cellist Moisés Molina, a native of Honduras, is an active soloist, orchestra and chamber musician, teacher, and clinician. He has performed in the United States, Central and South America, and Europe. He has recorded for Centaur Records, Parma Records, Profil, and New World labels.

Molina was a guest artist and teacher at the 2023 Toradze International Music Festival (Tbilisi, Georgia) and the 2023 Northern Lights Music Festival. He is in the faculty of the Tennessee Valley Music Festival and the Singing River Cello Workshop. Molina is a member of the ensemble for the Chicago Conducting Masterclass and Workshop.

Molina was a guest artist at the St. Augustine Music Festival in Florida for several seasons. He has participated in the International Chamber Music Festival in Lima and Cusco Music Festival in Cusco, Perú. Molina was a guest artist/teacher at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the Tennessee Cello Workshop in Nashville, and the 2011, 2017, and 2021 Biennial Violoncello Festivals in Lima, Peru. He has also given master classes, performances and workshops at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras. In addition, he has recently given online master classes and lessons to students from around the world.

Dr. Molina is Assistant Professor of a Cello at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Molina is Principal Cellist for the Mobile Symphony Orchestra and for the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra. He is currently serving as Interim Principal Cellist for the Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestra. He has served as Principal Cellist for Abilene (TX) Philharmonic Orchestra, Abilene Opera Orchestra, Quincy (IL) Symphony, and as Assistant Principal for Tallahassee Symphony, Peoria Symphony, and Heartland Festival Orchestras.