Mentor

A passionate and committed educator,

Heller is invited to give classes, lectures, and workshops across the globe. She lectures on topics as wide-ranging as collaborative practices, conscientious curation, contemporary bassoon techniques, and composing for the bassoon as well as intensive seminars on non-traditional career paths and how to create and sustain community-centered spaces in music. She has given classes at The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory, The Peabody Institute, Ensemble Connect, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and The New World Symphony, among many others. Heller often participates in mentorship programs for female-identifying, trans, and non-binary composers and performers, most recently serving as a mentor in the Blueprint Program — a partnership between The Juilliard School and National Sawdust for young composers.

Beyond classroom activities, Heller is often invited to speak at panels, during conferences, and to interview artists and composers during onstage discussions.

Heller joined the faculty of the College of Performing Arts (CoPA) and The Mannes School of Music at The New School in the fall of 2019. She leads a bassoon studio, co-chairs the wind department, and teaches classes in contemporary repertoire and experimental music practices. 

Heller lives in New York City, where she has made music and committed to building community since 2008.