Andy Ohlrich - Violin

Andy Ohlrich is a fiddle/violin, viola, and electric baritone mandolin player born and raised in NW Chicagoland.  At the age of three, Andy began studying Suzuki violin with the Barrington Suzuki Strings and graduated high school under the tutelage of Jonathan Leight, a Julliard School graduate and former Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra.  After high school, Andy attended Purdue University in West Lafayette where he led the Purdue Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster from 2002-2004. 

In a parallel timeline in his mid-teens, Andy ventured outside of his classical roots playing fiddle in multiple bands that covered genres from bluegrass, Americana, jazz, blues, rock, gypsy swing jazz…  he gravitated towards any opportunity to play a new style to push his musical experience, challenge himself, and grow as a musician and performer.  

Andy went on to play with many national acts such as Hello Dave, Cornmeal, The Leadfoot Band, Dog 1, Kevin Purcell & The Nightburners, and most recently, Jim Peterik, Grammy Award Winner and co-founder of the bands Survivor & The Ides of March.  Dubbed "Jimmy Hendrix of the Fiddle" by Peterik, Andy draws much of his style from guitarists such as Trey Anastasio, David Gilmour, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Andy has traveled the globe with his fiddle and has had the privilege of sharing the stage and playing along side artists such as Billy Strings, Rusted Root, Greensky Bluegrass, Jerry Douglas, harmonica great Lee Oskar of War, Chuck Garvey of moe., Future Man of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Jeff Austin, Elephant Revival, The SteelDrivers, and many others.  Feeding off the energy of the band and the energy reciprocated by the fans, he delivers an intense aural outpouring of improvised melodies night after night.

Andy and his wife Carley have three children, two of which study Suzuki violin, one of which studied Suzuki piano.  Sandpoint residents since 2021, the Ohlrich family loves skiing together in the winter and dirt biking and attending music festivals together in the summer.  Andy is thrilled to bring his performance experience together with his Suzuki upbringing to teach the next generation of upcoming musicians at the Suzuki String Academy.

Grace Ahola - Cello

Grace Ahola received her Bachelor of Music in performance and composition from Eastern Washington University in 2023. A number of her compositions were featured in recitals and symposiums during her time there. She is a passionate performer with experience in solo, orchestral, and chamber settings, and enjoys writing for various ensembles. Grace currently teaches and performs around the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area, playing regularly with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony and the Amaryllis Trio. Recently, Grace was a winner of the 2024 MusicFest Northwest Young Artist Competition and performed solo with the Spokane Symphony. She has written and arranged a number of works for youth orchestra, including a commission for the Spokane Youth Strings orchestra and hymn arrangements for a youth orchestra she conducted over the summer.

Kelsey Boekenoogen - Bookkeeper and Office Support

Kelsey Boekenoogen joined Suzuki String Academy along with her son, Eli to take violin lessons. The culture of the parent involvement was encouraged throughout the Suzuki Philosophy training she experienced in her violin lessons with Eli.  She loved the culture of the parent involvement of the Suzuki Philosophy so much that when she read, they needed a bookkeeper, she knew she could help.   Kelsey brings strong administrative organizational and bookkeeping skills to the Academy.  Kelsey has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Corban University with over 10 years of administration and bookkeeping experience.

Kelsey loves numbers and organization. When she is not doing the books for SSA, she keeps other businesses books in order.  She is also on the Arts Alliance for Sandpoint board as their Treasurer.

One of Kelsey’s passions is being an Operation Christmas Child Project Leader at her church.  She collects school supplies, hygiene items, toys, etc. throughout the year and then has a huge packing party.  They pack items in shoeboxes to be sent all over the world to children in need.

Kelsey, Scott & Eli moved to Sandpoint in 2018 to be closer to family. They fell in love with Sandpoint, and it has been a great fit for their family.  

She was drawn to the Suzuki Philosophy and method because it uses the natural learning abilities of children with the mindset that “every child can.” Her main goal, as Dr. Suzuki put it so well, is to develop beautiful hearts.

Jessie Creed - Office Manager and Event Coordinator

Jessie Creed joined Suzuki to help out with office duties and concerts. She recently moved to Sandpoint from Florida. She was a springboard and platform diver for 12 years and competed on a national and international level while she was still in high school. After her diving career ended, she spent time coaching diving before she moved to Sandpoint to pursue a pilot's license. She had heard the Suzuki String Academy needed someone for the office manager and event coordinator position and she was excited to learn more about Suzuki String Academy. 

She began to learn about the Suzuki method and became excited about it. Although she has an athletic background, she believes having family involved with the children’s extracurriculars is important. 

In her free time during the week she enjoys crocheting and reading. On her days off in the winter she enjoys snowboarding and skiing. She has been skiing since her parents put her on skis the moment she could stand. In florida she would enjoy surfing on the weekends.