Ovidio Music Institute
Changing the way people read, play and feel the music
Our Teachers
Students at OMI have the opportunity to learn from talented, professional musicians who hold degrees in music and/or education. Our teachers come from a wide range of musical backgrounds and experiences providing a wealth of talent from which our students can learn.
Ovidio De Ferrari
piano teacher and music director
Born in Chile, the son of an Italian emigrant and piano teacher, Ovidio was improvising melodies from the age of 5 before later becoming a music composer. He began giving concerts at the age of 10 as a singer and piano-accompanist to the Choir of the University of Chile. At the age of 15, he was awarded his high school diploma and came first out of 390 hopefuls. Ovidio also received a scholarship to study music and composition at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Chile. During the course of a distinguished career, Ovidio, an official Blüthner Artist, performed in over 25 countries around the world along with his Chamber Orchestra. He has also produced, conducted and organised hundreds of different music events. Ovidio founded ‘The Ovidio Music Institute’ in 2000.
Sandra Stefanova
piano teacher
Sandra graduated with a major in Piano from the National Academy of Music in Bulgaria. She has been a laureate of many national and international competitions including ‘Young Virtuoso’ in 2002 and ‘Albert Russell’ in 2003. In 2005 Sandra won a scholarship from the famous soprano Raina Kabaivanska. Sandra has performed the piano concertos of Mozart and Beethoven with the Pleven City Philharmonic orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the National Academy of Music in Bulgaria. She has been teaching piano from the age of 17 in Bulgaria, North America and in the U.A.E. Sandra has brought her contribution to the development of Ovidio Piano System, focusing on rock and pop music for the young generation.
Irena Mitevska Mileva
flute teacher
Sophie Mclean
piano teacher
Sophie has been studying music from the age of four in Paris and has been teaching the piano since 2004. She has managed the business of music including the operations for the Ovidio Music Institute and Ovidio Chamber Orchestra and contributed to develop the hugely successful Ovidio Piano System and the Piano Builder Application.
Having worked with young children for a number of years, Sophie designed a piano method for toddlers enabling children as young as two to play the piano immediately as well as developing the corresponding application.
Ariel Toledo
guitar teacher
Ariel is an accomplished musician with a proven track record that includes hundreds of performances with a range of rock, soul, jazz, r&b and disco music groups. He has recorded cds and dvds in Argentina with a variety of bands as well as performed with his own ensemble 'The Real Deal'.
He also has extensive experience in musical instruction. Ariel believes that the success of any student depends on the pedagogical approach of their teacher. He drew from his own experience as a 6 year old student and search for new ways to meet the specific needs of the student.
With this in mind, he employs a variety of approaches tailored the age, taste and needs of each individual. He has developed the Ovidio Guitar System which has been proven very successful.
Irena has been working as a teacher in Dubai for the last 6 years, and has performed as a solo artist, with her trio and as well a member of the Ovidio Chamber Orchestra, UAE National Symphonic Orchestra, the Dubai Chamber Orchestra and the Dubai Wind Band.
In 2012 she became a representative for one of Japan’s flute brands, Miyazawa. Irena was presented with one of the company’s handmade golden flutes, which afforded her the opportunity to widen her performance skills and her range. Originally classically trained, Irena started experimenting with other styles, as well as with her own improvisation. This new approach has changed her interpretation, her understanding of music and her methodology of teaching flute.
Earlier this year, she presented her latest research ‘Fitting Western Musical Culture in the New and Fast Growing Societies like UAE’ at the leading Musicology and Ethnomusicology conference, ICTM World Conference in Shanghai, China.