Executive & Musical Director

Emily Chiet directs the repertory rehearsals & privately teaches a majority of the students in the performance group Magical Strings West. Her teaching approach has been shaped by many wonderful teachers over the course of 25+ years of teaching, but she is strongly influenced by the work of her mentors, Sue Mann & master pedagogue, Betty Haag.

Emily started teaching violin at the age of sixteen when she was invited to start an after-school violin class at the elementary school that fed into her junior-senior high school. Starting in 1997 she attended the University of Central Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree under the tutelage of Dr. Ayako Yonetani. Throughout that time she maintained a private studio & taught after-school programs at underserved elementary schools in Orlando, FL. After graduating she began a career as an orchestra teacher in the public school system. While in Florida she taught exclusively strings, but after moving to California branched out into teaching band, chorus, digital music, & general music at all levels K-12. During that time she pursued Suzuki training & established the K-1-2 Suzuki program at Oak Knoll Elementary in Menlo Park, winning two awards for her work. In 2018 Emily began working as the assistant teacher for Magical Strings West & became the Executive & Musical Director in 2021. 

In addition to her work in education, Emily maintains an active performing career. She specializes in musical theater & opera & is a tenured member of the 1st violin section with West Bay Opera.

Piano Accompanist

Amanda Ku is a collaborative pianist & theater music director in her native San Francisco Bay Area. Her piano studies began at a young age with teachers Celia Mendez, Ellen Tryba Chen, & Anna Lin. She cultivated a passion for accompanying by playing for choirs in high school & musical theater in college, eventually pursuing her craft full-time. In addition to playing for Magical Strings West, she currently accompanies the Los Altos, Leigh, & Lincoln High School choirs, & San Jose-based chorus Resounding Achord, & also serves as accompanist, coach, & vocal director for Leigh High School's musical theater program. She has collaborated with distinguished choral conductors from across California & the U.S. for local, regional, & All-State honor choirs, as well as various choral festivals. Recent music directing credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Matilda (Palo Alto Players), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, & Violet (Foothill Music Theatre).

Graduating Senior

Chloe Wang

Chloe is 17 years old & just graduated from high school. She began playing the violin at the age of nine. She is studying under Emily Chiet & has performed with Magical Strings West her entire violin career. She also played with the Gunn High School Symphony Orchestra & Chamber Orchestra. She plans to play violin past high school & into college, where she can continue to enjoy creating music with like-minded & passionate people while furthering her journey through both music & life. 

Thank You for Your Help!

Thank you to Unity Palo Alto Spiritual Center & Community School of Music & Arts for providing space for our rehearsals & performances. Above all, thank you to everyone who jumps in to volunteer at rehearsals & performances. We couldn’t do this without your support!