Born and raised in South Carolina, Vanna Tsiknias is a clarinetist and educator. She received her Master of Music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Spring of 2023 where she studied with Dr. Janice Minor. She previously completed her undergraduate degree in music education at Furman University in Greenville, SC under Dr. Cecilia Kang and Dr. Anastasia Christofakis. Having spent her junior year in Arezzo, Italy she also studied with Gianluca Piomboni as well as attended master classes taught by Markus Stockhausen and Sergio Bossi at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. 

Vanna currently teaches 4th and 5th grade band at two elementary schools in the Northern Virginia area. She enjoys teaching young musicians, introducing them to the joys of music making with others while also helping them to find their own place in the music world. She is inspired everyday by their excitement and curiosity to learn which carries over to her own performing and teaching. Vanna has also taught private clarinet lessons for 5 years throughout Greenville, SC and Urbana- Champaign, IL and now in the Northern Virginia area.