Miss Cathy has always had music in her life. She started singing and playing the piano at a young age, and attended music camp for many years, did musical theatre throughout high school and college, and sang and played keyboard in a local band after graduating college.

In addition, Cathy has over 16 years of experience as an educator. She was as an English teacher at Centennial High School in Roswell for 11 years where she was awarded “Teacher of the Year” in 2007. In 2011, she started teaching children’s music classes for The Music Class in Suwanee, Georgia. She immediately loved the curriculum and the teaching philosophies, but most of all, she loved sharing music with her students and their families.

When Cathy and her husband Wes decided to move to Athens with their two children, Jack and Ollie, Cathy knew she wanted to continue teaching music. She opened Allegro in August 2014, and now has over 100 students who take music classes. She was also the music teacher at Lifespan Montessori for five years. Cathy also loves bringing music to children’s events around town, and has played at Kidsfest, Athens Pride, and Creature Comforts Curiosity Corner.

In 2021, she opened The Studio Athens with two partners, and now Allegro has a permanent studio home. She also runs a youth musical theatre program at The Studio in addition to teaching music classes. She is thrilled to continue working with children in the arts in Athens!

Marian Welch-Quigley has been singing since she was a child. Today, as mother of a a preschool daughter, she has plenty of opportunities to sing! After taking Allegro classes with her daughter, she realized that BOTH of them were having a good time in class. She saw magic in the moments when a child reaches for a new instrument, or they belt out their favorite song with pure joy. 

Marian is a certified teacher with 15 years of elementary and middle school experience. In her quiet moments (which seem too few), she enjoys quilting and sometimes teaches sewing classes in town. She also works extensively with Athens Area Diaper Bank, and is a reading tutor. She is excited to be a part of the team at Allegro!

The arts have been a major part of Miss Waverly's life since she was a young child. She began performing as a competitive Scottish highland dancer at 5 years old and found her love for musical theatre and solo voice in high school. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.M. in Music Therapy with a concentration in voice.

Waverly is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) and the owner of Classic City Music Therapy, LLC. She is passionate about learning through music and play, as well as the ways music can aid in childhood development. She also teaches youth voice lessons in the Athens area. When she's not teaching at Allegro, you can often find her combing the racks at local thrift/ vintage stores or hanging with her two cats, Banjo and Coda.