North Junior High All Region Orchestra

Alanna Mossell is a violist and teacher based in Northwest Indiana. She currently serves as Principal Violist with the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra and South Shore Orchestra. Alanna recently completed her Master’s Degree in Viola Performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Li-Kuo Chang. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Indiana State University.

As a licensed teacher in Indiana, Alanna has worked in over a dozen schools, primarily in Northwest Indiana. This includes long-term orchestra work and private lessons on viola and violin. She values creating a supportive and approachable environment for her students and enjoys helping them grow as musicians and individuals. Her teaching is guided by the belief that music education should be both structured and flexible, meeting students where they are while encouraging steady growth.

Alanna maintains an active performance schedule alongside her teaching, finding that each part of her work informs the other. She believes in balancing these two areas to stay grounded and continue learning. Whether performing in an ensemble or leading a classroom, her focus is on clear communication, consistency, and helping others develop a deeper connection to music.

Yvonne Davila-Cortes, a native of Chicago, began Suzuki violin lessons at age five. She earned her B.M. in Music Business and Violin Performance from DePaul University, studying with Joseph Genualdi, and performed with the Chicago Civic Orchestra as a substitute. She completed her M.M. in Violin Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under Vartan Manoogian. Dr. Davila-Cortes has appeared as a soloist at the AIMS Music Festival in Solsona, Spain, and the Rural Musicians Forum in Spring Green, Wisconsin. She was a member of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and a substitute with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Her teaching experience includes adjunct instruction at Ripon College, leading an elementary string orchestra in McFarland, Wisconsin, and founding Suzuki violin studios in Madison and Spring Green. She later moved to Texas to pursue teacher certification and a Doctorate in Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin. There, she directed a middle school orchestra in Round Rock ISD and led the Austin Youth Concertante Orchestra. She also maintained a private Suzuki studio and held leadership roles in the UT String Project, including Preschool Coordinator and Assistant Director. Dr. Davila-Cortes’ research focuses on children’s musical development, parent education, and musical achievement. She has presented her work at conferences hosted by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the American String Teachers Association, and the Texas Music Educators Association. She currently serves as the Assistant Professor of String Education, Director of Orchestra, and Artistic Director of One City Strings at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.