Guitar

Teaching schedule: Mondays & Wednesdays

Martin is a guitar teacher and performer with over 30 years experience teaching in schools and performing throughout New Zealand. As a teacher, he has taught at a number of secondary schools, and has been teaching at Kristin School for the last 14 years. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an L.T.C.L. diploma in guitar teaching, and specialises in teaching students of all abilities, from complete beginners to advanced players. Students can choose to play the guitar as an enjoyable hobby, or can study the guitar as part of the NCEA or IB syllabus. His main area of expertise is the acoustic guitar, and he teaches all the related styles: popular song accompaniment, strumming, picking, classical, blues, jazz and modern music. He also teaches the electric guitar, with the related styles: chord shapes, using a pick, scales and rock solos. As a performer, Martin has many years of experience as a singer/guitarist, playing in many venues throughout Auckland and New Zealand. He has appeared a number of times on television and has recorded two albums of easy listening music.

Teaching schedule: Tuesdays

Lora Kurusa is a classical guitar teacher originally from Budapest, Hungary. After moving to Adelaide, Australia at age 11, she began her classical guitar studies and quickly progressed, earning a bronze prize at the 2017 Adelaide Eisteddfod and completing several AMEB grades with top marks. She received a scholarship to study at the Elder Conservatorium’s Open Music Academy and was an active member of youth guitar ensembles in South Australia.

In 2019, Lora’s family relocated to New Zealand, where she continued her studies with respected teachers in Auckland and Wellington. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Auckland under the guidance of Barkin Sertkaya and earned multiple awards during her time at Wellington East Girls’ College, including Top Scholar in Music and Most Accomplished Instrumentalist. Lora also won the 2020 Binary New Zealand Classical Guitar Competition Youth Division and performed her first guitar concerto with the New Classics Sinfonia at Auckland Town Hall.

Now based in Auckland, Lora is a sponsored artist at Dominic Roscioli Guitars and has teaching experience with several music schools in Auckland. She is passionate about teaching students of all ages and levels, offering engaging lessons that focus on technique, musical growth, and self-expression. Lora has participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned guitarists and attended prestigious guitar festivals across New Zealand and Australia.