Our Team
Providing Quality Music Education
David E. Robinson
Founder & Artistic Director
Mr. David E. Robinson III, a Detroit, Michigan native of musical progeniture, is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia of Metropolitan Atlanta. He is also co-founder of the DeKalb Youth Pops, of which electric jazz violinist extraordinaire Ken Ford was a member. This Morehouse College alumnus is a retired 36-year Orchestra Director for Dekalb County Schools in the state of Georgia. He often conducted its premier Dekalb Elementary Honor Orchestra. David is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (where he was the conductor of the D. Jerlene Harding Memorial/NANM Youth Orchestra for 20 years). He served as organist and assistant music director at Providence Missionary Baptist Church under the pastorship of Dr. Gerald Durley for nearly two decades, and presently serves as music minister at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in SW Atlanta.
Although being retired, he has taught at Heritage High School and Urban Strings of Columbus Youth Orchestra, on top of his long-living venture of composing, arranging, and publishing orchestral music.
Alycia W. Robinson
Operations & Dance Director
Alycia W. Robinson is the Operations and Dance Director of Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia Orchestra of Metropolitan Atlanta, one of the few African American Community Youth Orchestra in the world, with its own Dance Company. Alycia was National Dance Director for the National Association of Negro Musicians for nearly a decade. With a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Sweet Briar College, nearly 4 decades of experience in dance performance, instruction and troupe management, Alycia’s specialty is developing private dance programs and managing orchestra programs specifically geared toward youth, including event production, fund raising, promotions and international performance tour scheduling.
Briana Robinson
Music Director / Instructor
Briana Robinson began performing solos on the violin at three years old and eventually became a member of several youth orchestras and chamber groups. This allowed her to travel nationally and internationally to Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Scotland, and to perform for several dignitaries such as Dick Gregory and Harry Belafonte, all before graduating high school. Briana received a B. S. in music and biochemistry/molecular biology from Agnes Scott College, where she studied under Dr. Qiao Solomon, was a member of the ASC Community Orchestra, and was one of the College’s most requested musicians for events. Since graduating, she has performed with many ensembles such as the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra, Soullective String Trio, and behind artists such as India Arie, Robin Thicke, and Regina Belle, The Migos and Future. She has also been featured in the tv show, “Greenleaf” and the film, “Coming 2 America”.
Briana has taught for many private school orchestra programs but now runs her own private violin & viola studio, and is currently a teaching assistant for the software engineering bootcamp, App Academy.
Carissa Walker
Instructor
Carissa serves as the Orchestra Director at Dekalb Elementary School of the Arts, Robert Shaw, and Rainbow Elementary School. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Carissa began her musical career at the early age of 11 in the MD Roberts Middle School orchestra and continued progressing with Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts. As a student, she was an active musician in her county's Honors Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and two school musicals. Carissa also served as Sinfo-Nia Youth Orchestra's concertmistress from 2015 – 2019. These opportunities allowed her multiple performances throughout the city of Atlanta, Carnegie Hall, and a 10-day performance tour in Kingston, Jamaica.
While pursuing her B. A. in Music, Education Track from Valdosta State University, she studied violin under Dr. Kristin Pfiefer Yu, maintained her own private teaching studio, taught for the South Georgia Strings Project, and performed with multiple orchestras including the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Valdosta Opera Orchestra and Albany Symphony Orchestra.
Isaiah Cuffey
Instructor
Isaiah Cuffey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to Atlanta in 2016. Having a passion for artistry, he started in the boychoir at age 12 and picked up the cello at age 16. After only two years of private lessons and playing with Sinfo-Nia Youth Orchestra, Isaiah was accepted into the cello studio of Dr. David Starkweather at the University of Georgia.
Isaiah completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Music Business Certificate in 2022 from UGA. He has performed in the Atlanta Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia, Orchestra Noir, and the UGA Symphony Orchestra since then. He has served as an ensemble coach and camp counselor for the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival, the UGA Band & Orchestra Camp, and the Sinfo-Nia Youth Summer Workshop since 2017. He began teaching ages 3 and up in 2019, and instructed musicians in both solo and group settings. Isaiah's music instruction is primarily based on solo, orchestral, and chamber group repertoire.
Isaiah serves as a Program Manager for the Atlanta Music Project, a community music school in Atlanta. He also maintains his private cello studio throughout the year.
