Eric Parchen
Eric Parchen is a freelance percussionist who lives in Seattle, WA. He has played in various jazz bands, musical theaters, rock bands, and symphony orchestras. Additionally, he has a private lessons studio and works with many middle schools and high schools in the Seattle area coaching the student percussionists. Eric has done extensive work with drumlines including teaching multiple ensembles, giving clinics, teaching at camps, and writing music for marching percussion groups.
Eric will be the Percussion Tech at Middle and High School Camp and will teach Percussion Technique at Middle School Camp as well as assisting with percussion in other classes.
Eric will be the Percussion Tech at Middle and High School Camp and will teach Percussion Technique at Middle School Camp as well as assisting with percussion in other classes.
Isabelle Aspin
Isabelle Aspin is an animator and painter based in Solano Canyon in Los Angeles, California. She has contributed designs, animations, and background art to award-winning films, ads and television series. Her personal work is inspired by the landscapes, people, and politics of her adopted home of Southern California, where Isabelle runs a Huell Howser themed plein air club called the Ralph M. Painters. Isabelle graduated with a BFA in Character Animation from CalArts in 2016.
For more information visit Isabelle's website.
Isabelle will be teaching Animation at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Isabelle's website.
Isabelle will be teaching Animation at Middle School Camp.
Hank Moore
Hank Moore is a guitarist who lives in Sitka, Alaska. He has been a freelance musician for most of his life.
Hank will be teaching guitar at Elementary Camp and Rock Band and Guitar Technique at Middle School Camp.
Hank will be teaching guitar at Elementary Camp and Rock Band and Guitar Technique at Middle School Camp.
Will Healy
Will Healy is a composer, pianist, and improviser, whose work across genres is characterized by textural richness, thematic depth, and vibrant experimentations. Based in Brooklyn, Healy composes music drawn from the musical traditions of New York City and the collaborations it inspires.
Healy is the founder and artistic director of ShoutHouse, a collective of hip-hop, jazz, and classical musicians. Recent ShoutHouse performances have taken place at the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and (le) Poisson Rouge, and their music has been featured on WNYC’s “New Sounds,” among other radio programs. Their debut album, Cityscapes, was released in 2019 by New Amsterdam records, and Healy’s recent 30-minute piece for chorus and ShoutHouse, Orbits, was premiered at Roulette Intermedium in 2022.
As a pianist, he has performed solo recitals in the United States and abroad, including programs of original music, world premieres of pieces by other composers, and a wide variety of works from the classical repertoire. Healy has performed the works of J.S. Bach extensively, including the complete Goldberg Variations. Healy is currently the pianist in Pathos Trio, an award-winning chamber group that has premiered dozens of new works.
Healy’s awards include the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Charles Ives Scholarship, two ASCAP Morton Gould Awards, Vassar College’s W.K. Rose Fellowship, a J-Fund commission, and residencies at the Bogliasco, Willapa Bay AiR, and Brush Creek Foundations. Healy has written pieces for the New York Philharmonic’s Bandwagon and YPC Concert series performances. He holds an M.M. in Composition from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Samuel Adler, John Corigliano, and Steven Stucky.
For more information visit Will's website.
Will will be a collaborative pianist and teach Piano Technique at Middle School Camp.
Franco Zacha
Franco Zacha is an Argentinian illustrator raised in Paraguay, Colombia, and the United States. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Here, he works as a freelance, editorial illustrator for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and online publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and more. Franco is also the art director at Creature Conserve--a non-profit dedicated to bringing artists and scientists together to study, celebrate, and protect wildlife around our planet.
For more information visit Franco's website.
Franco will be teaching Pen & Ink, Landscape Painting, and Illustration at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Franco's website.
Franco will be teaching Pen & Ink, Landscape Painting, and Illustration at Middle School Camp.
Erin Vonder Haar
Erin Vonder Haar is a native of Seattle, Washington. She received a BFA in dance from Southern Methodist University. She has performed in works by Summer Rhatigan, Danny Buraczeski, James Barry, Russall Beattie, Bruce Wood, Joshua Peugh, & Desmond Richardson. Erin is the co-founder of Groundworks Dance Company located in Dallas, Texas. Erin has danced for two professional contemporary companies, founded her own dance company, and now lives in LA where she is performing live, dancing in film, and teaching. Erin was featured in the film, “Backcountry Basin” by Joshua Peugh, commissioned by Dance Now NYC which was featured in Forbes magazine. She also choreographed Sydney Cope’s music video “Think I found My Way”. Erin most recently choreographed and danced in a film for sculpture artist, Daniel Winn and performed in 100 live shows in San Francisco with The Empire Strips Back. You may also catch Erin on season 3 of Physical on Apple TV as a ballet dancer. Erin is a certified reiki healer and has recently began combining reiki with movement exploration. She has a passion for sharing her knowledge of the artform and life with dancers of all ages.
Erin will be teaching Dance at Elementary Camp, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, and Modern Dance at Middle and High School Camp.
Erin will be teaching Dance at Elementary Camp, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, and Modern Dance at Middle and High School Camp.
Kyle Zeuch
Dr. Kyle Zeuch serves as Director of Choral Activities and the Co-Chair of the music department at Lebanon Valley College. In addition to conducting the choirs on campus, Zeuch teaches courses on conducting and music education. He holds a bachelor of music in music education degree from Capital University, a master of music in choral conducting from Michigan State University (MSU), and a doctor of musical arts in choral conducting degree also from MSU. Dr. Zeuch’s teaching experience includes Director of Children and Youth Choirs at Michigan State University and the Head Director at Rivera High School in Brownsville, Texas, where he was named the Texas Choral Director Association’s Distinguished Young Director (2010). Zeuch received the Lebanon Valley College Inclusive Excellence Award (2020) and was an American Prize Finalist for the Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting (2022). He is the President-Elect Designate and R&R chair for Community Choirs for ACDA-Pennsylvania. Dr. Zeuch conducts the Harrisburg Choral Society and is an active clinician, presenter, and conductor nationwide. Under his direction, Dr. Zeuch’s choirs have performed at state conferences, throughout Europe, and on the stage of Carnegie Hall.
Kyle will be teaching Vocal Technique, Choir, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
Kyle will be teaching Vocal Technique, Choir, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
Bethany Zeuch
Bethany Zeuch is a music educator and piano accompanist with a Bachelor of Arts in music education degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Bethany has held teaching positions at Stell Middle School in Brownsville, Texas as an assistant choir director, Charlotte High School in Charlotte, Michigan as a choir director, and is currently teaching elementary music in the Lebanon School district in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. While currently pursuing a Masters of Music in choral conducting degree from Messiah University, Mrs. Zeuch is also an active choral accompanist. Her piano accompanying roles have included playing for high school and collegiate choirs, choral reading sessions, honor choirs, festival choirs, vocal solos, pit orchestras, and church choirs. Bethany resides in Cleona, Pennsylvania with her husband, Kyle, and daughter, Harper.
Bethany will be a collaborative pianist and teach Piano Technique at High School Camp.
Bethany will be a collaborative pianist and teach Piano Technique at High School Camp.
Elizabeth Jean Younce
Elizabeth Jean Younce (b. 1993 Newport, RI) is a visual artist working primarily in Printmaking and Illustration. Specifically, through the mediums of Lithography and Graphite her work functions as a psychological investigation of the flora and fauna inhabiting our world. While primarily (and proudly) a printmaker, Elizabeth has produced her prints in conjunction with installation, sculpture, bookbinding, found object, drawing, and painting. In addition to her Fine Art studio practice, Elizabeth is also the owner of Mustard Beetle where she sells mainly screenprints, relief prints, and giclée prints, on paper and on fabric. Because of Mustard Beetle, Elizabeth is able to simultaneously function as a Fine Artist and a Commercial Illustrator. Elizabeth received her MFA in Printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 and her BFA in Illustration and Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in 2015. Elizabeth has master-printing experience from Gemini G.E.L. and Tandem Press. Elizabeth currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where she is pursuing her fine art as well as her small business.
For more information visit Elizabeth's website.
Elizabeth will teach Visual Arts at Elementary Camp, Digital Painting: Animals & Creatures, Digital Design & Printing, and Drawing the Natural World at Middle School Camp and Printmaking, Digital Design & Printing, and Drawing the Natural World at High School Camp.
For more information visit Elizabeth's website.
Elizabeth will teach Visual Arts at Elementary Camp, Digital Painting: Animals & Creatures, Digital Design & Printing, and Drawing the Natural World at Middle School Camp and Printmaking, Digital Design & Printing, and Drawing the Natural World at High School Camp.
Christopher Hanson
Conductor, violinist, composer, pedagogue, philosopher, and musicologist; Dr. Christopher T. F. Hanson enjoys working across a number of disciplines to promote the transformative power of the arts. Dr. Hanson holds three master's degrees from Texas State University in Music History, Music Theory, and Music Composition. He also holds a PhD in School Improvement from Texas State University, as well as a certificate of professional ethics from the Texas State Philosophy program.
As a violinist and composer, Dr. Hanson has premiered several works across multiple genres and serves as the chief arranger and first violinist of the Sacred Ensemble with Dr. Shana Mashego. Dr. Hanson regularly performs with his wife, mezzo-soprano Erin Hanson, in a chamber music series entitled “Sonatas & Songs” which explores a unique repertoire of music written for solo voice and violin.
Dr. Hanson is an assistant professor of music at Seattle Pacific University where he serves as the director of music education and orchestral activities. He has developed and instructs a number of courses in music and education, including but not limited to: Applied Pedagogy of Strings, Making Music with Diverse Learners, Foundations of Music Education, Teaching instrumental music in public schools, Teaching Music in the Non-Music Classroom, Advocacy in the Arts, and a number of courses that explore creativity, imagination, and interdisciplinary pedagogy. His research focuses on the transformative power of the arts, student and teacher agency, and the significance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) in education. As a queer scholar, Dr. Hanson uses research platforms to challenge and “queer” professional spaces of teaching and learning, particularly within and through the arts.
Before his current position at SPU, Dr. Hanson worked as a public school teacher in central Texas for eight years. He designed, implemented, and taught unique curricula for music appreciation, AP music theory, and string orchestra in both middle school and high school. Hanson played a crucial role in reviving the public school strings program in San Marcos CISD through public advocacy for the arts within the community.
Dr. Hanson is the founder and former artistic director of the San Marcos Artist Retention and Training (SMART) Orchestra in San Marcos, Texas. The SMART Orchestra is a community music ensemble that promotes the transformative power of the arts by engaging its members and audiences in the orchestral experience. Hanson served as the artistic director for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019.
Currently, Dr. Hanson serves as the director of the Rainbow City Orchestra (RCO), a community music ensemble that serves and supports the LGBTQIA+ community in greater Seattle through the study and performance of contemporary and historically marginalized composers. The Rainbow City Orchestra is one of several ensembles under the umbrella of Rainbow City Performing Arts (RCPA). More information about the RCO and RCPA can be found at www.rainbowcity.org.
Dr. Hanson moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2019, and lives with his partner Erin and children, Emily and Graham, in Tukwila, WA.
For more information visit Christopher's website.
Christopher will be teaching Orchestra, String Technique, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
As a violinist and composer, Dr. Hanson has premiered several works across multiple genres and serves as the chief arranger and first violinist of the Sacred Ensemble with Dr. Shana Mashego. Dr. Hanson regularly performs with his wife, mezzo-soprano Erin Hanson, in a chamber music series entitled “Sonatas & Songs” which explores a unique repertoire of music written for solo voice and violin.
Dr. Hanson is an assistant professor of music at Seattle Pacific University where he serves as the director of music education and orchestral activities. He has developed and instructs a number of courses in music and education, including but not limited to: Applied Pedagogy of Strings, Making Music with Diverse Learners, Foundations of Music Education, Teaching instrumental music in public schools, Teaching Music in the Non-Music Classroom, Advocacy in the Arts, and a number of courses that explore creativity, imagination, and interdisciplinary pedagogy. His research focuses on the transformative power of the arts, student and teacher agency, and the significance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) in education. As a queer scholar, Dr. Hanson uses research platforms to challenge and “queer” professional spaces of teaching and learning, particularly within and through the arts.
Before his current position at SPU, Dr. Hanson worked as a public school teacher in central Texas for eight years. He designed, implemented, and taught unique curricula for music appreciation, AP music theory, and string orchestra in both middle school and high school. Hanson played a crucial role in reviving the public school strings program in San Marcos CISD through public advocacy for the arts within the community.
Dr. Hanson is the founder and former artistic director of the San Marcos Artist Retention and Training (SMART) Orchestra in San Marcos, Texas. The SMART Orchestra is a community music ensemble that promotes the transformative power of the arts by engaging its members and audiences in the orchestral experience. Hanson served as the artistic director for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019.
Currently, Dr. Hanson serves as the director of the Rainbow City Orchestra (RCO), a community music ensemble that serves and supports the LGBTQIA+ community in greater Seattle through the study and performance of contemporary and historically marginalized composers. The Rainbow City Orchestra is one of several ensembles under the umbrella of Rainbow City Performing Arts (RCPA). More information about the RCO and RCPA can be found at www.rainbowcity.org.
Dr. Hanson moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2019, and lives with his partner Erin and children, Emily and Graham, in Tukwila, WA.
For more information visit Christopher's website.
Christopher will be teaching Orchestra, String Technique, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
Susan Wingrove-Reed
Pianist Susan Wingrove-Reed enthusiastically embraces any and all opportunities to collaborate with singers and instrumentalists. She plays keyboard with the Anchorage Symphony, is the collaborative pianist with the Alaska Chamber Singers & the annual Alaska All State Choir, performs at the Sitka Summer Music Festival and regularly works with the West, Dimond and Bartlett HS choirs plus countless solo and ensemble festivals/competitions. Susan has been part of the SFAC team since 2011. She has been the resident music educator (pre-concert lectures and program notes) for the Sitka Summer Music Festival and the Anchorage Symphony for over thirty-five years, sharing stories about composers, music and history. A graduate of Indiana University with Piano Performance and MAT degrees, she returned home to Alaska to work with Anchorage Opera and the Alaska Repertory theater. She is a retired choir/drama teacher (Bartlett) and received an Alaska Governor’s Award for her contributions in arts education. When Covid began, she joined the Alaska Black Caucus to further her commitment to anti-racism and concert programming that is inclusive of historically neglected voices and serves on the Justice Committee.
Susan will be a collaborative pianist at Middle and High School Camp.
Susan will be a collaborative pianist at Middle and High School Camp.
Denush Vidanapathirana
Denush Vidanapathirana is the Technical Theater Manager for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. Originally from Sri Lanka, working with local theater companies is what first interested him in theater. He then moved to Texas to study at Midwestern State University, where he earned his bachelor's in theater performance. During his time at MSU, he was involved in all aspects of theater production, from acting to design to technical operation, and that variety gave him a deep appreciation for the values that theater stands for. His identity as an artist continues to be shaped by the places he goes to and the people he meets.
Denush will teach Live Event Production at Middle and High School Camp.
Denush will teach Live Event Production at Middle and High School Camp.
Lee Soroko
LEE SOROKO is delighted to have been invited to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp where he is looking forward to sharing his passion for physical storytelling through the illusion of violence. Lee is a recognized Fight Director, Certified Teacher of Stage Combat and a Theatrical Firearms Instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors who earned his MFA from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Texas. He is also a former National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient for his work in character masks. Lee provides professional fight choreography for theater, opera companies and universities across America and lives is sunny South Florida where he is the Assistant Professor of Movement at Florida Atlantic University.
Lee will teach Stage Combat at High School Camp.
Lee will teach Stage Combat at High School Camp.
K. April Soroko
K. APRIL SOROKO – Professional Scenic and Costume Designer. Ms. Soroko has been a professional scenic and costume designer since 1993. She is currently the Associate Professor of Scenic Design at Florida Atlantic University where she has taught since 2016. Prior to her tenure at FAU, she was the Associate Professor of Scenic Design at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL from 2007-2016. Ms. Soroko is a member of USA Local 829 in both Scenery and Costumes and holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Some of her notable credits are listed below- Off-Broadway: Scenery for Napoleon at New York Musical Festival; Costumes for Mariage Blanc at Playwrights Horizons. Regional: Scenery for Collected Stories, A Long Day’s Journey Into Night and My Old Lady for Palm Beach Dramaworks, Scenery for The Tempest, King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing, Costumes for The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at NC Shakes; Costumes for Manifest at Portland Stage; Costumes for The Cure at Troy at Yale Rep, Scenery for Pump Boys and Dinettes, Scenery and Costumes for Androcles and the Lion, The Last Romance, Talley’s Folly, The Savannah Disputation, Race, The 39 Steps, Costumes for Native Gardens, The Fabulous Lipitones and Beehive: The 60s Musical at Florida Studio Theatre; Costumes for Man of La Mancha, Dracula, Driving Miss Daisy, Hedda Gabler, Gas Light, Mirandolina, Debunked and Suddenly Last Summer at Triad Stage.
For more information visit April's website.
April will teach Building Stage Props: Faux Food, Theater Stage Design, and Costuming: Sketching and Sewing at High School Camp.
For more information visit April's website.
April will teach Building Stage Props: Faux Food, Theater Stage Design, and Costuming: Sketching and Sewing at High School Camp.
Leslie Shows
Leslie Shows is a Los Angeles-based artist whose mixed media paintings explore materiality, abstraction, and representations of nature. She grew up in Juneau, Alaska and has taught art for 12 years. Her work has been exhibited at institutions like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Berkeley Art Museum, and the Anchorage Museum. Recent public commissions include a 35-ft glass artwork for the San Francisco Central Subway and a large-scale lithomosaic for a school in Richmond, CA.
For more information visit Leslie's website.
Leslie will teach Painting, Abstract Painting, and Collage & Mixed Media at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Leslie's website.
Leslie will teach Painting, Abstract Painting, and Collage & Mixed Media at Middle and High School Camp.
Ambar Navarro
Ambar Navarro is a Texan filmmaker and artist based out of Los Angeles. She holds a B.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Experimental Animation. Her films often explore the use of miniature, found objects, using in-camera, and special effects that play with scale and place her subjects into surreal fictional worlds. Her work is often shot on film, using rudimentary techniques and in the genres of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. Her newest short film, "How To Lasso" is premiering at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival (LALIFF) '23 and has been commissioned to direct music videos for labels such as (Warner Bros., Atlantic, Republic Records.) Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, The Fader, and NPR.
For more information visit Ambar's website.
Ambar will teach Filmmaking at Elementary Camp and Filmmaking and Music Video Production at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Ambar's website.
Ambar will teach Filmmaking at Elementary Camp and Filmmaking and Music Video Production at Middle and High School Camp.
Richie Schiraldi
Richie Schiraldi is a Chicago-based devised physical theatre maker, specializing in movement, physical comedy/clown, partner acrobatics, and cyr wheel. He has toured internationally with Aura CuriAtlas, as well as his own company Whisper Theatre. Richie has spent the last decade teaching physical theater, circus, and movement in Chicago to all ages, and has been focused on integrating circus into his theater-making. Richie holds a BFA in Physical Theatre from Coastal Carolina University, in conjunction with Accademia del’Arte in Arezzo, Italy, as well as an MFA in Devised Performance Practices from Columbia College Chicago, in conjunction with Arthaus Berlin (formerly LISPA). His latest artistic obsessions are dreams, the mothman, and being authentically odd. In his spare time, he is also a woodworker, cat dad, board game nerd, part-time chicken, and outdoors enthusiast.
Richie will teach Theater at Elementary Camp and Clown Theater, Stage Combat, and Acrobatics at Middle School Camp.
Richie will teach Theater at Elementary Camp and Clown Theater, Stage Combat, and Acrobatics at Middle School Camp.
Sara Sadawi
Sara Sadawi is Syrian multidisciplinary artist born in Ohio, raised in Syria and Canada. She mainly works in ceramics and print-media—exploring the interplay of ceramics and intaglio. She examines themes of functionality and space through material-driven processes while referencing geometry and industrial objects. Her visual vocabulary is made up of abstract shapes inspired by geometry, architecture and ventilation systems. Through the use of clay to create industrial objects, Sadawi attempt to create a correlation between gendered practices, industrial spaces and invisible labor. Most recently her installation Ducts was selected in a group show titled The Sum of Our Shared Selves at the FOFA gallery in Montreal, Quebec. She is currently attending Cranbrook Academy of Art, as an MFA candidate within the Ceramics Department, 2024.
Sara will teach Wheel Thrown Pottery at Middle School Camp.
Sara will teach Wheel Thrown Pottery at Middle School Camp.
Abel Ryan
Abel Ryan was born in Ketchikan, Alaska in 1978. He was raised in Metlakatla on the Annette Island Reserve in Southeast Alaska. Abel is half Tsimshian, a member of the Metlakatla Indian Community, and a member of the Laxgiboo Clan. In May of 2006 Abel graduated from Sheldon Jackson College with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a minor in Art. In May of 2009 he graduated from University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Native Arts Studio and Printmaking. Abel studied traditional Tsimshian art under master carver Jack Hudson of Metlakatla. He has carved in Metlakatla, Sitka, Juneau, and Fairbanks for over 30 years. Working in the medium of wood and metals, Abel produces masks, bowls, spoons, pipes, ladles, plaques, combs, bracelets, rings, pendants, drums and other hand carved items. He is also proficient in two-dimensional graphic design using Northwest Coast formline art. In June 2013 Abel was invited to an international carving competition in Beijing, China. Abel has taught classes at Sheldon Jackson College and the University of Alaska in Sitka, Juneau, and Fairbanks, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, and the Alaska Native Heritage Foundation in Anchorage as well as done artist demonstrations at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka, Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Washington DC, and the Alaska State Museum in Juneau, AK. Abel’s work is sold in galleries in Juneau, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Sitka. He also has work in private collections.
Abel will teach Formline Design at Elementary Camp and Northwest Coast Carving at Middle and High School Camp.
Abel will teach Formline Design at Elementary Camp and Northwest Coast Carving at Middle and High School Camp.
Niki Saludez
NIKI SALUDEZ is a choreographer and educator based in New York City. With over a decade of dance and performance experience, Niki pulls from his training in street styles, hip hop choreography, freestyle, as well as contemporary dance to provide his students with a diverse and foundational dance education, to build and connect with the community, and to help others cultivate life skills through the art form of dance. Throughout Niki’s career, he has been a part of works both in commercial and concert settings. From being a part of projects with artists such as Don Diablo and Katy Perry, to being a member of Soul Project Dance Company (directed by Candace Brown) and tedted Performance Group (directed by Teddy Tedholm), Niki uses his knowledge from different realms/ideas of movement and career experience to uplift dancers in the art of expression and performance, onstage or on camera. Niki is currently on faculty with Broadway Dance Center and the BDC Children & Teen Program in New York City. Prioritizing safety, inclusion, and positive education, Niki always works to create and facilitate a space where students feel safe expressing themselves fully and authentically, stepping beyond their comfort zones, challenging limiting mindsets, and practicing building supportive mindsets as artists and humans.
Niki will teach Dance Jam, Freestyle Dance, and Hip Hop Dance at High School Camp.
Niki will teach Dance Jam, Freestyle Dance, and Hip Hop Dance at High School Camp.
Cassidy Russell
Cassidy Russell (she/her) has been improvising since middle school (cool!). She performs, teaches, and directs all over Chicago—at Second City, the Annoyance Theatre, the Revival Theater, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago. She has acted in plays, movies, TV shows, and commercials, has been featured at theater festivals internationally, and been interviewed about comedy in print publications and on NPR. Additionally, she has an MFA in Printmaking from Savannah College of Art & Design and maintains an active studio art practice. Her teaching philosophy focuses on bringing emotion and vulnerability to the stage, whether you’re doing drama or comedy. Cassidy won a lot of high school theater awards, so she knows what she’s talking about.
For more information visit Cassidy's website.
Cassidy will teach Theater at Elementary Camp, Improv at Middle School Camp, and Improv, Advanced Improv, and Sketch Comedy at High School Camp.
For more information visit Cassidy's website.
Cassidy will teach Theater at Elementary Camp, Improv at Middle School Camp, and Improv, Advanced Improv, and Sketch Comedy at High School Camp.
Amelia Rozear
Born and raised in coastal New England, Amelia Rozear is a multifaceted artist with a focus on comics and character design. Her work revolves around themes of girlhood, nostalgia and the wonders of the natural world. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design’s illustration department with a BFA and honors in 2022, and still roams the eerie streets and libraries of Providence for scenic inspiration. She always has a sketchbook in hand, and is passionate about sharing her work with other artists online. Between her multiple social media accounts, she has amassed an audience of over 60k art lovers to join her in the love of paint process videos & sketching.
For more information visit Amelia's website.
Amelie will teach Portrait Painting, Intro to Procreate: Illustrating Magical Worlds, and Drawing Characters at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Amelia's website.
Amelie will teach Portrait Painting, Intro to Procreate: Illustrating Magical Worlds, and Drawing Characters at Middle and High School Camp.
Jen Reid
Jen Reid is a professional vocalist who lives in Sitka. She has been singing since childhood with her earliest recordings beginning at age two. She got her start singing publicly as a teen where she was 1st chair in SE Alaska honor choirs, Alaska all state choirs, and was invited to sing in a choir touring Europe in the late 1990’s. As an adult she has worked for the past 12 years as a professional rock and roll vocalist. She is also a sound engineer who believes understanding how voice, mic technique, and stage presence come together to create a performing vocalist who is ready for the music world. Jen also works as a 5th grade classroom teacher and loves sharing her love of music with students of all ages.
Jen will teach Rock Band at High School Camp.
Jen will teach Rock Band at High School Camp.
Rebecca Poulson
Rebecca Poulson is a writer and artist who grew up reading and drawing in Sitka, Alaska. She commercial fished and repaired wooden boats before earning an MFA from Tyler School of Art in 2000. She is a printmaker and painter, and publishes "The Outer Coast," a wall calendar of art and poetry. She has illustrated novels for young readers and memoirs for adults, and designed the 2023 Alaska Folk Festival poster art. Her work is in the Alaska State Museum and other collections. She has been practicing her art in a deep dive into the history of the Sheldon Jackson School and College in the context of Lingit Aaní, through oral history interviews, archival research, an upcoming article in "Alaska History" journal, writing at sitkaartblog.wordpress.com, installation, and the collaborative history project "Voices of Sheldon Jackson" (sjvoices.org). She is the recipient of a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award, and of the Alaska State Records Advisory Board Archival Excellence Award for a place-based history curriculum. She is a member of the Alaska Historical Commission and the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society board, and manages historic preservation grants on campus and at the Japonski Island Boathouse. She also has fun designing and building sets, often in collaboration with youth, for theatrical productions and writes and directs radio plays. It is her work with kids in the arts that more than anything has deepened her understanding of what art is and what it can do.
For more information visit Rebecca's website.
Rebecca will teach Graphic Novel, Watercolor & Drawing, and Printmaking at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Rebecca's website.
Rebecca will teach Graphic Novel, Watercolor & Drawing, and Printmaking at Middle School Camp.
Patricia Noonan
Patricia Noonan is an actor, writer, and teaching artist from the land of cheesesteaks and rabid sports fans—Philadelphia, PA. An alumna of Boston College’s Presidential Scholar Program, she has been living and working in the NYC and Philadelphia arts communities for over a decade where she has focused on expanding the stories we tell about women on stage and screen and expanding access to arts education for all. Her writing projects include the 1940s-meets-2020s world of Sweetwater, a musical about the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first women to fly military planes for the U.S. in WWII), the modern Irish fairy tale Learning How to Drown, and the animated Adventures of Ara set in the world of music itself. As an actor, she has created roles in shows including Maury Yeston’s Death Takes a Holiday and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and appeared in revivals at Lincoln Center and City Center in NYC and theaters across the country. Patricia has performed nationally with symphonies and can be heard on the cast albums for Death Takes a Holiday and Merrily We Roll Along. Where theater is currently being streamed, you can catch her in the PBS “Live from Lincoln Center” production of Carousel or watch re-runs of her singing back-up vocals for Josh Groban on Jimmy Fallon. She made her TV debut as Macie-Lynn Pearce on Law & Order: SVU and feature film debut in The Light of the Moon. She is a regular Guest Artist with the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU and has been a Guest Artist at Emerson College, Boston College, and Sacred Heart University as well as a proud teaching artist in New York and Philadelphia public schools for over seven years. As a performer, her favorite projects include collaborating with writers on developing new musicals -- and she can't wait to collaborate with students to create something new this summer.
Brian Neal
As a member of the internationally-celebrated Dallas Brass, Brian Neal has been displaying his talent on the trumpet for decades. His career has taken him to Russia, Europe and across the US, where he has performed at diverse venues—from the grand concert halls of LA and New York to school gymnasiums in small towns across the nation. Known for a singing quality on the trumpet, Neal has shared the stage with members of such prestigious groups as the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony and has served as principal trumpet for the Miami City Ballet. Mr. Neal received his training at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and the University of Miami. During summers, he was a fellow at many of the major music festivals such as Tanglewood, Waterloo, Fountainbleau Conservatory in France, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival performing with the Meridian Arts Ensemble. He has performed with Charles Dutoit, Yoel Levi, John Nelson, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, Stanislav Skorbachevsky, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leon Fleischer. Brian Neal has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the country from the Monterey Ensemble and the California Symphony to the Florida Philharmonic, Orchestra Miami, Miami Wind Symphony, and the Miami Symphony. Recently, Mr. Neal was invited to perform his composition, “Concertante #1” in Carnegie Hall and with the Escuela-Conservatorio Orquesta Manuel Rodriquez Sales de Leganes, Spain. Mr. Neal and organist, Mr. Thomas Schuster released "Reflections," a solo trumpet and organ CD. The collaboration continues with the newly formed ensemble, “Ethos”, with the addition of voice, cello, and percussion performing his original works and arrangements of ancient and world music. He is an active international clinician and serves as Director of Instrumental Studies and Professor of Trumpet at the Kendall campus of Miami Dade College.
Brian will be teaching Music at Elementary Camp and Blast Masterclass at High School Camp.
Brian will be teaching Music at Elementary Camp and Blast Masterclass at High School Camp.
Joe Montagna
teaJoe Montagna has been playing guitar since 1984 and professionally for over 20 years in various bands. He toured the U.S. in the late 90’s in an authentic KISS tribute band, “Dressed To Kill” playing the part of KISS frontman Paul Stanley, even taking them to Sitka in 2009. By day he is “Mr. Joe” to his Kindergarten P.E. students at Baranof Elementary School here in Sitka, on weekends he is an active founding member of local rock/ funk band ‘SlackTide’, performing everything from the Beatles to Zappa. He loves to improvise on his instrument and jam with new musicians, especially in his newest collaborations in Sitka with the ‘Holland Tunnel Orchestra’. He is a die-hard Mets, Jets, and Knicks fan, born and raised in Queens, NYC. He loves Van Halen and Phish.
Joe will be teaching Rock Band and Recording Session at High School Camp.
Joe will be teaching Rock Band and Recording Session at High School Camp.
Stephen Meyer
Dr. Stephen Meyer is currently the director of bands and assistant professor of music at Northern Arizona University. He previously served on the faculties of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and the University of South Carolina. As director of bands at Clear Creek High School, the Clear Creek Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the 2013 Midwest Clinic, was a three-time National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors project, a two-time national finalist for American Prize in Wind Ensemble Performance. Dr. Meyer graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and earned both a master's and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. He is the author of Rehearsing the High School Band, Rehearsing the Middle School Band, and Rehearsing the Marching Band published by Meredith Music/GIA Publications.
Stephen will be teaching Symphonic Band, The Wizarding World of Conducting, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
Stephen will be teaching Symphonic Band, The Wizarding World of Conducting, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
Zak Mandel-Romann
Zak Mandel-Romann is a rock musician from Oakland, California. He has been playing shows, touring, and recording since he began high school in 2005. He currently plays in the bands King Dream and Rubber Tramp, and has played in countless other bands in the past. He plays indie rock, classic rock, punk, soul, folk, blues, bluegrass, country and more. He has played in almost every state in America, as well as internationally, from street corners, to big festivals and everything in between. He sings and plays bass, guitar, piano, organ, as well as dabbling in other stringed instruments and drums. He is excited to hang out in Alaska and meet the next generation of musicians.
Liz Love
Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, Liz Love is an active classical and jazz saxophonist and music educator in the Austin, Texas area. She is currently in her first year as the Director of Bands at Leander Middle School in Leander, TX. Previous to her time at LMS, she was the Director of Bands at Grisham Middle School, and the Assistant Band Director at Running Brushy Middle School in Leander ISD. Her ensembles consistently receive UIL Sweepstakes ratings, and her students have earned Outstanding Soloist honors at Austin area jazz festivals. In 2019, the Grisham Middle School Honors Band was selected to perform at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic! In addition, the Grisham MS Honors Band was selected as a National Winner for the Mark of Excellence Wind Band Honors in 2022. Ms. Love is a founding member of the Austin Saxophone Ensemble, which is in its eighth season and released its debut album in Spring of 2017. She also founded ASEYouth, a city-wide youth saxophone ensemble comprised of the most talented middle and high school saxophonists from all over the Austin area. An active clinician and adjudicator around the state, Ms. Love is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association. She also served as the TMEA Region 26 Middle School Band Chair for four years, as well as the Region 26 TBA representative. Ms. Love received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Master’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. She has performed and recorded extensively on flute, clarinet, and saxophone at both schools and counts Susan Scarborough, Jerry Junkin, Jeff Hellmer, Harvey Pittel, Paul Haar, and Carolyn Barber as her principal mentors. Liz attributes her passion for music and education to her incredible music-teacher parents, Ed and Loretta. She lives in Cedar Park, Texas with her ridiculously supportive and adorable husband, Walter.
Liz will be teaching Symphonic Band, Saxophone Technique, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.
Liz will be teaching Symphonic Band, Saxophone Technique, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.
Ed Littlefield / Shaakindustóow - Lingít
Ed Littlefield / Shaakindustóow - Lingít
Ed is a freelance percussionist, educator, and composer based out of Seattle, WA. He is Lingít from Sitka, Alaska and has released three albums featuring traditional native melodies, which he also arranged into the jazz idiom with the Native Jazz Quartet. This quartet also represented the United States in South America as “Jazz Ambassadors” through the American Music Abroad program. For film he composed a song for the 2009 Disney movie The Proposal for Betty White’s character and played the percussion score and consulted on indigenous music for the 2022 documentary Exposing Muybridge. Ed has played K’alyaan in the world-premiere of Battles of Fire and Water by Dave Hunsaker and written and performed an original musical score for Eurydice by Sara Ruhl for Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska. He has done sound design and composition for the world premieres of Our Voices Will Be Heard by Vera Starbard, and was the composer and cultural advisor for They Don’t Talk Back by Frank Katasse at Native voices at the Autry, La Jolla Playhouse and Perseverance Theater. He also did sound design for Off the Rails by Randy Reinholz at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Sovereignty by Mary Kathryn Nagle at Arena Stage. Most recently he composed the songs for a new play produced by the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign called The Neverland by Madeline Sayet. Currently he is working on a three-year project to create the first ever Lingít opera. This project will combine traditional contemporary Lingít melodies inside the western opera genre and will also include an all-indigenous cast. Ed is also an active educator around the country facilitating artist residencies for students and teachers to help them learn more about Lingít culture and music and traditional ways of knowing.
Ed will be teaching Jazz Band, Jazz Combos, and Sonic Boom at Middle and High School Camp.
Ed is a freelance percussionist, educator, and composer based out of Seattle, WA. He is Lingít from Sitka, Alaska and has released three albums featuring traditional native melodies, which he also arranged into the jazz idiom with the Native Jazz Quartet. This quartet also represented the United States in South America as “Jazz Ambassadors” through the American Music Abroad program. For film he composed a song for the 2009 Disney movie The Proposal for Betty White’s character and played the percussion score and consulted on indigenous music for the 2022 documentary Exposing Muybridge. Ed has played K’alyaan in the world-premiere of Battles of Fire and Water by Dave Hunsaker and written and performed an original musical score for Eurydice by Sara Ruhl for Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska. He has done sound design and composition for the world premieres of Our Voices Will Be Heard by Vera Starbard, and was the composer and cultural advisor for They Don’t Talk Back by Frank Katasse at Native voices at the Autry, La Jolla Playhouse and Perseverance Theater. He also did sound design for Off the Rails by Randy Reinholz at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Sovereignty by Mary Kathryn Nagle at Arena Stage. Most recently he composed the songs for a new play produced by the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign called The Neverland by Madeline Sayet. Currently he is working on a three-year project to create the first ever Lingít opera. This project will combine traditional contemporary Lingít melodies inside the western opera genre and will also include an all-indigenous cast. Ed is also an active educator around the country facilitating artist residencies for students and teachers to help them learn more about Lingít culture and music and traditional ways of knowing.
Ed will be teaching Jazz Band, Jazz Combos, and Sonic Boom at Middle and High School Camp.
Brendan Jones
Raised in Philadelphia, Brendan Jones attended Columbia and Oxford Universities, and teaches creative writing at University of Alaska, Irkutsk Technical University in Russia, and Stanford University, where he was a 2013-15 Wallace Stegner Fellow. He has published work in The New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, GQ, Smithsonian, Patagonia, Ploughshares, Fine Woodworking, National Fisherman, Adventure Journal, Narratively, The Seattle Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Narrative Magazine, and recorded commentaries for NPR. His novel The Alaskan Laundry, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, won the 2017 Alaskana prize, was recognized by Oprah was nominated for the Center of Fiction debut prize. He recently returned from Siberia, where he spent a year with his family as a Fulbright Scholar. His novel Whispering Alaska, published with Penguin/Random House in October 2021, received a starred review from Booklist, and won the 2022 Green Earth Book Award for Young Adult Eco-lit. He lives in Sitka, with his wife and three daughters, one dog, and six chickens.
For more information visit Brendan's website.
Brendan Jones will be teaching Writing Your Screenplay, Spoken Word Poetry & Performance, and Short Fiction Writing at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Brendan's website.
Brendan Jones will be teaching Writing Your Screenplay, Spoken Word Poetry & Performance, and Short Fiction Writing at Middle and High School Camp.
Alexis Joy Hagestad
Alexis Joy Hagestad (she/her) was born and raised in Missoula, Montana whereas a child; she thought she lived on half of the earth because the sky was so large. Her heart truly lies in the untouched prairie lands and the snowy peaks of mountains. She frequently finds herself dreaming of the western landscape, a landscape she has spent many years traveling through, photographing its beauty. Alexis' work often reflects on childhood memories, nostalgia, and her connection to the landscape. She holds a B.F.A in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design where she graduated with honors in 2016. She currently lives and works in Missoula, Montana (traditional Salish & Kootenai lands) as a photographer and Wildland firefighter.
For more information visit Alexis's website.
Alexis will be teaching Photography at Elementary Camp and Darkroom Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Alexis's website.
Alexis will be teaching Photography at Elementary Camp and Darkroom Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
Allyss Haecker
Dr. Allyss Haecker is currently in her second year as the Director of Choirs at Seneca High School (SC) and her first season making music as the Artistic Director of the Foothills Chorale. Most recently, she served as the Artistic Director of the Riverside Singers at Augsburg University, the See Change Treble Choir in St. Paul, MN, and the Colonial Chorale at Colonial Church in Edina, MN. Dr. Haecker was a member of the music faculty at the Shattuck-St. Mary’s School as a voice teacher within their Vocal Performance Program. She was also the Artistic Director of the Northfield Youth Choir program and conductor of the Concert Choir. Formerly, she was on the voice faculty at St. Olaf College and was the conductor of one of the college’s choirs, Cantorei. Dr. Haecker served as an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Emory & Henry College (VA) where she taught voice, conducting, choral methods, vocal pedagogy, diction, and directed the Concert and Chamber Choirs. In addition, Dr. Haecker was an Assistant Professor of Music at Newberry College (SC) and the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan. For sixteen years, she served on the vocal and conducting faculty of the Performing Arts Institute, a summer festival for students of music, dance, and theater. Previously, she taught choral music in the Fenton Area Public Schools (MI) and was the Artistic Director of the Saginaw Youth Chorale (MI). Dr. Haecker received her doctor of musical arts in choral conducting and literature from the University of Iowa, her master of music degree in choral conducting from the University of Illinois, and her bachelor of music education degree from Converse College (SC). She is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for district, state, and regional choral festivals. Dr. Haecker’s ongoing research includes contemporary South African choral music and its impact on social and political change. She was a recipient of the T. Anne Cleary International Research Fellowship which allowed her to study and perform throughout South Africa. Her time in the Middle East has also led to research and performances of unpublished Arab choral music. She has twice presented at the Virginia Music Educators Association Annual Conference on topics of vocal pedagogy and courageous music-making. To watch her recent Ted Talk and hear recent performances by Dr. Allyss Haecker, please visit www.allysshaecker.com. Dr. Haecker currently lives in Pickens, SC with her husband, Arthur, and their hilarious son, Kai.
Allyss will be teaching Vocal Technique, Choir, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Allyss will be teaching Vocal Technique, Choir, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Adam Grim
Adam Grim is an award-winning photographer from Savage, Minnesota. His love for photography began at the age of 6 and carried on through junior high and high school. In 2004, Adam parted ways with film photography and started his digital career. During that time his focus was on landscape, wildlife and architecture. His images netted him multiple awards including Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Travel Images of the Year four straight years. 15 years ago, Adam’s photography shifted to concerts and entertainment where he has photographed over 700 national acts and 2,000+ concerts. Some of the artists he has photographed include Taylor Swift, Elton John, The Who, Aerosmith, Kid Rock, Imagine Dragons and Garth Brooks to name a few. In 2018, Adam was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Award for his 10 years of photography work and contributions with Lakefront Music Fest. In that same year, he was named Southern Minnesota Magazine’s Artist of the Year and was given Honorable Mention Photographer of the Year in 2018 and 2019. His images have been featured in multiple publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine, People Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Minneapolis Star Tribune.
For more information visit Adam's website.
Adam will be teaching Digital Photography at High School Camp.
For more information visit Adam's website.
Adam will be teaching Digital Photography at High School Camp.
Hannah Gossett
Hannah Gossett, has set up bases in dance communities all over the country including Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City. She began her training in all styles at age 10 and has been creating her own art since age 15. As a commercial dancer and choreographer, her credits include, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Ricky Martin, Kimberly Cole, Herb Alpert, Beacon, T Mobile, Sonos Speakers and Amazon, to name a few. In 2015, she created her own training company, The Westsiders, based in Seattle, Washington. The Westsiders has recently expanded, now holding weekend intensives throughout the country known as The Westsiders Camp. Gossett is a dedicated faculty member for the national dance convention, Artists Simply Human and continues to freelance at studios, camps and intensives all around the country.
Shai Golan
Shai Golan is a saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator. Shai has performed with numerous distinguished artists including David Binney, Billy Childs, Walter Smith III, Chris Potter, Nate Wood, Louis Cole, John Daversa, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge, Estelle, and Black Thought. As a touring musician, Shai has performed internationally at music festivals around the world, including Brazil, Ecuador, Canada, China, Thailand, Russia, and numerous countries in Europe. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Arts from the Manhattan School of Music in 2017 and with a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University Northridge in 2015. Shai is currently an adjunct professor at CSU Northridge’s jazz department.
Shai will be teaching Saxophone Technique, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combos at High School Camp.
Shai will be teaching Saxophone Technique, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combos at High School Camp.
Franz Felkl
Franz Felkl was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. He started his violin studies with Guo Hua Xia at age four and continued his studies in high school with Mrs. Linda Rosenthal. Upon his acceptance into the University Alaska of Fairbanks he continued his studies with Dr. Kathleen Butler-Hopkins. Mr. Felkl received a Bachelors in Violin Performance and a Bachelors of Music Education K-12 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mr. Felkl collaborated extensively with faculty members of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in both chamber music and recitals. He played with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, retained a position as Principal Second Violinist and guest Concertmaster of the Juneau Symphony Orchestra during his undergraduate studies, Principal Second Violin for the Opera Fairbanks Orchestra, and many other ensembles in Alaska. In 2012 he won the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and had the opportunity to play the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the orchestra. As an educator he has worked as a coach in a chamber music setting for young artists, taught at music camps for young musicians, and worked with the Fairbanks Youth Symphony Orchestras. In the fall of 2013 Mr. Felkl worked as a student teaching intern with the Fairbanks Northstar School District as part of his music education studies. He worked with cooperating teachers in the elementary and middle school programs. The following spring he continued to teach within the district as a substitute teacher, primarily focusing on the music classrooms. In the spring of 2016 Mr. Felkl received his Masters of Music in Violin Performance from Lynn University Conservatory of Music where he studied with Mr. Elmar Oliveira. During his time at Lynn he acted as Concertmaster of the Lynn Philharmonia and participated in many different chamber music groups. Recently he has held positions in Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and the Palm Beach Symphony as well as played in numerous other groups in the South Florida area. From 2016-2019 Mr. Felkl was the Second Violinist in the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at Florida International University. During his tenure with the quartet he traveled throughout the United States, Mexico, and Middle East. While in the quartet he collaborated with musicians such as Joseph Kalichstein, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, and Guillermo Figueroa. At FIU he taught courses as an adjunct faculty and most recently as visiting professor. In addition to his concertizing, Mr. Felkl maintained a full studio at the Palm Beach Suzuki School of Music. Mr. Felkl now lives in Juneau where he is the Concertmaster of the Juneau Symphony, has a studio of private students, is the director of the Juneau Symphony Prelude Orchestra, and is a lead teacher and site coordinator for Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM). JAMM is an El Sistema inspired afterschool program that uses the power and social experience of music for youth to reach their fullest potential and create active and engaged community members. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors, fishing, and is an avid runner.
Franz will be teaching Music at Elementary Camp and Orchestra, String Technique, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.
Franz will be teaching Music at Elementary Camp and Orchestra, String Technique, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.
Marco d'Ambrosio
Marco d'Ambrosio loves shaping music and sound, especially the kind that enhances the visual arts. Making music that is evocative, enlightening, and entertaining is a natural result of Marco's creative expression. Marco's musical baptism began shortly after moving from Italy to Boston, when at the age of nine he began playing trumpet. "It really all began in Italy," he reminisces, "when my father would take me to festivals in Florence. He would put me on his shoulders so I could watch the bands march by. I remember falling in love with the trumpet, mostly because it was so shiny! It wasn't until we emigrated to the United States that I had a chance to start playing in elementary school" An insatiable appetite for all genres ("My first two albums purchased simultaneously were 'Maurice Andre Plays Baroque Trumpet Concertos' and Aerosmith's 'Toys in the Attic'.") his musical awareness was soon captivated by film music, particularly the classic collaborations of Fellini and Nino Rota and the scores of Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrman and Jerry Goldsmith. This quickly led him to composition, with a special interest in fusing acoustic and electronic textures, which he pursued as a double major of music and engineering at the Hartt School of Music and University of Hartford. Marco has never been unduly influenced by cultural and stylistic constrictions. He is equally adept at playing and creating pieces that reflect classical, jazz, modern and ethnic influences, and he thrives on blurring the lines between them. In many of his scores, you can hear various instruments like didjerido, dumbek and bodhran drums, melodica, and Indian flutes. Waterphones and Theremin along with hand crafted beats and stylized synthetic textures. Many of his compositions also reflect a romantic orchestral lyricism that can no doubt be traced to his summers performing and studying at the University of Siena and touring with the Puccini and International Festival Opera Orchestras. An East Coast transplant and Lucasfilm alum, Marco has made a niche for himself in a studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist, he has scored numerous award winning films, documentaries and theatre projects including the anime hit VAMPIRE HUNTER D BLOODLUST, JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURES, FIST OF THE BLUE SKY, HAIKU TUNNEL (Sundance 2001), the Emmy winning BLINK, DOUBLE DARE, and RED DIAPER BABY for the Sundance Channel. Other scores of Marco's have been on projects produced by 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Lucasfilm Ltd., Dreamworks, Pixar, Columbia and HBO. In 2005, he was awarded a film scoring fellowship from the Sundance Institute, and in 2009 he was selected to participate in the BMI Conducting Workshop in Hollywood. You can also hear some of his noted scores in THE RAPE OF EUROPA, winner of the Insight Award for Excellence (co-scored with Ben Decter), winner, 2009 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and ATOMIC MOM, winner, Gold Medal at the Park City Film Festival. Marco has also been responsible for designing much of the dynamic sound and music heard in the iconic THX logo trailer. Most recently, Marco has composed for H.P. Mendoza, Brian Benson, and long-time collaborators Josh and Jacob Kornbluth. Marco has also enjoyed a stint co-arranging and performing with Bob Weir (The Grateful Dead) and co-writing/producing songs with Michael Caranello (Santana) and Neal Schon (Journey). He has also served as a studio conductor for Disney, on the TV series 'Off the Map' and 'Intelligence' working on great LA stages, like Capitol and Warner Bros. and is currently a regular conductor at Skywalker, working on larger scores for video games along with baton duty for other composers on their films. When he's not locked up in his mad sonic laboratory, Marco recharges his creative flow working the land at Valle Verde, the Sonoma County ranch he shares with his wife Terri, son Armando and their dog Diva.it.
For more information visit Marco's website.
Marco will be teaching Electronic Music and Film & Media Composition at High School Camp.
For more information visit Marco's website.
Marco will be teaching Electronic Music and Film & Media Composition at High School Camp.
Julie Coppens
Julie Coppens (she/her) is a shape-shifter, having played many roles over a long career in theatre, journalism, and media: actor, director, playwright, arts reporter and critic, book editor, haunted historical tour guide, campfire sing-along leader, “Broadway Bootcamp” fitness trainer... As educational outreach coordinator for Cincinnati Public Radio, she produced the student podcast Democracy & Z and the “What Does Justice Look Like?” YouTube series; previously she served on the national publications staff of the Educational Theatre Association, as an editor of Dramatics magazine and director of the Thespian Playworks competition and development workshop for high school writers. In between came a seven-year stint in Alaska, where she led youth programming and communications at Perseverance Theatre, while working with KTOO Public Media, Juneau Alaska Music Matters, and other nonprofits on a wide range of creative projects. Her author-approved adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology (PT’s Young Company), the musical Bloody Blackbeard (STAR program), and the immersive Here’s Looking at You, Casablanca (Juneau Lyric Opera) are among her directing hits. Offstage, Julie’s a longtime volunteer and current Board President of Ski for Light, Inc., which introduces the sport of cross-country skiing to adults with visual or mobility impairments. She has an 18-year-old son, Seth, and an 8-year-old Schnoodle, Simeo.
Julie will be teaching Scenework Makes the Dreamwork, Shakespeare, and Acting at Middle School Camp.
Julie will be teaching Scenework Makes the Dreamwork, Shakespeare, and Acting at Middle School Camp.
Charlie Nick
Charlie Nick (he/they) is southeast Michigan native with a passion for visual storytelling. Currently, he is pursuing a masters in visual communication with a concentration in photojournalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
Motivated by the queer experience and the ever-changing landscape of our planet, his goal is to document the effects of climate change and how it changes our day-to-day lives. He also loves to explore his queer identity through embracing his community and learning from those who have come before him.
For more information visit Charlie's website.
Charlie will be teaching Digital Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
Motivated by the queer experience and the ever-changing landscape of our planet, his goal is to document the effects of climate change and how it changes our day-to-day lives. He also loves to explore his queer identity through embracing his community and learning from those who have come before him.
For more information visit Charlie's website.
Charlie will be teaching Digital Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
Ling Chun
Ling Chun is a multimedia artist from Hong Kong. Her work represents the coexistence of multicultural identities within a single society. Chun’s practice focuses on creating artifacts which speak about history with a contemporary sensibility. In her execution and conceptualization of creative projects, Chun brings together her knowledge of Chinese culture and her contemporary artistic vision. Chun is currently based in Seattle. She works as a ceramic educator at North Seattle College and also as an educational guide for Wing Luke Museum.
For more information visit Ling's website.
Ling will be teaching Wheel Thrown Pottery at High School Camp.
For more information visit Ling's website.
Ling will be teaching Wheel Thrown Pottery at High School Camp.
Amy Butcher
Amy Butcher is an award-winning essayist and author, most recently, of Mothertrucker, a book that interrogates the realities of female fear, abusive relationships, and America’s quiet epidemic of intimate partner violence set against the geography of remote, northern Alaska. The book earned praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Good Morning America, Booklist, The Chicago Review of Books, Oxford Reviews, Kirkus Reviews, and others, with Kirkus Reviews calling the book “...A sobering reflection on verbal and psychological abuse [that] honors the healing power of female friendship and questions the nature of divinity beyond its constricting patriarchal manifestations,” and Publisher’s Weekly writing, “[Mothertrucker] explores myriad issues with nuance and grace, including Indigenous rights, violence against women, religious hypocrisy, and environmental concerns.” Excerpts of Mothertrucker also won a 2020 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council, with judges calling the book “well researched,” “very well-written,” and “a positive antidote to the trauma of violence against women.” Her first book, Visiting Hours (Blue Rider Press/Penguin-Random House, 2015), earned starred reviews and praise from The New York Times Sunday Review of Books, NPR, The Star Tribune, Kirkus Reviews, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and others, and additional work has appeared in Granta, Harper's, The New York Times “Modern Love,” The New York Times Sunday Review, The Washington Post, The Denver Post, The Iowa Review, Lit Hub, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Fourth Genre, and Brevity, among others. Her work has been featured on National Public Radio and the BBC, anthologized in Best Travel Writing, thrice nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and awarded notable distinctions in the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 editions of the Best American Essays series. She earned her MFA from the University of Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program and is the recipient of grants and awards from the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, the Ohio Arts Council, Colgate University, Word Riot Inc., and the Stanley Foundation for International Research. She serves as the Director of Creative Writing and an Associate Professor of English at Ohio Wesleyan University.
For more information visit Amy's website.
Amy will be teaching Short Fiction Writing, The Art of Poetry, and Writing What Matters at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Amy's website.
Amy will be teaching Short Fiction Writing, The Art of Poetry, and Writing What Matters at Middle and High School Camp.
Kyle Athayde
Kyle Athayde is a San Francisco Bay Area based composer, arranger, performer, teacher, and bandleader. A native of Orinda, California, Kyle primarily plays vibraphone, piano, trumpet, and drums, as well as bongo, congas, timbales, string bass, bass clarinet, sousaphone, and vocal percussion. He is the leader, conductor, and principal writer for the San Francisco/New York based big band, "Kyle Athayde Dance Party", a group acclaimed for its versatility in the wide scope of styles it performs. He is also a keyboard, trumpet, and percussion player for the Bay Area collective “Jazz Mafia”, and is the pianist for The New York Trumpet Ensemble.
Influenced by the music of J. S. Bach, Duke Ellington, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Eric Dolphy, Dmitri Shostakovich, Louis Armstrong, Igor Stravinsky, Charlie Parker, Olivier Messiaen, Art Tatum, and many others, Athayde composes and arranges music in a variety of genres, with an emphasis on jazz, classical, salsa, and electronic. While an undergraduate student at Juilliard, Kyle was heavily immersed in an interdisciplinary arts environment which included dance, drama, and music, which provided him the opportunity to further develop and refine his programmatic approach to composition. Athayde’s recent commissioned compositions and premieres include a double concerto for the New York Sinfonietta, a tone poem for Bobby Sanabria and The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (the title track of their most recent album, ¡QUE VIVA HARLEM!), two pieces for choir and band for The University of Scranton’s performing ensembles, and music for the ending credits of the film "Diller, Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line." He also arranged the music for the halftime show for the University of California at Berkeley Marching Band in their final performance of the 2013 season. Kyle is currently working on commissions for the Canadian Brass, The New York Trumpet Ensemble, Manhattan School of Music Trumpet Ensemble, and the San Francisco Conservatory Brass Choir. Committed to inter-disciplinary educational outreach in the arts, Kyle has offered classes, clinics, lessons and masterclasses at schools, workshops, and camps in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Alaska. A regular visiting faculty member of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, he recently developed and taught a class on video game music history and composition there, and directed the jazz band and a vocal hip hop class. He is the Director of Curriculum at the Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, and regularly offers clinics and masterclasses to middle school and high school bands throughout Northern California. Kyle has a wide range of interests, and loves to teach and learn about a variety of subjects, which brings a wide stylistic variety to his music, as his diverse interests inspire his work. A passionate fan of American football, the ruthless power and strategy of the sport influence his exciting writing style. An avid gamer, the music of these games has inspired some of his most unusual and engaging compositions.
Kyle will be teaching Brass Technique, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combos at Middle School Camp.
Influenced by the music of J. S. Bach, Duke Ellington, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Eric Dolphy, Dmitri Shostakovich, Louis Armstrong, Igor Stravinsky, Charlie Parker, Olivier Messiaen, Art Tatum, and many others, Athayde composes and arranges music in a variety of genres, with an emphasis on jazz, classical, salsa, and electronic. While an undergraduate student at Juilliard, Kyle was heavily immersed in an interdisciplinary arts environment which included dance, drama, and music, which provided him the opportunity to further develop and refine his programmatic approach to composition. Athayde’s recent commissioned compositions and premieres include a double concerto for the New York Sinfonietta, a tone poem for Bobby Sanabria and The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (the title track of their most recent album, ¡QUE VIVA HARLEM!), two pieces for choir and band for The University of Scranton’s performing ensembles, and music for the ending credits of the film "Diller, Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line." He also arranged the music for the halftime show for the University of California at Berkeley Marching Band in their final performance of the 2013 season. Kyle is currently working on commissions for the Canadian Brass, The New York Trumpet Ensemble, Manhattan School of Music Trumpet Ensemble, and the San Francisco Conservatory Brass Choir. Committed to inter-disciplinary educational outreach in the arts, Kyle has offered classes, clinics, lessons and masterclasses at schools, workshops, and camps in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Alaska. A regular visiting faculty member of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, he recently developed and taught a class on video game music history and composition there, and directed the jazz band and a vocal hip hop class. He is the Director of Curriculum at the Lafayette Summer Music Workshop, and regularly offers clinics and masterclasses to middle school and high school bands throughout Northern California. Kyle has a wide range of interests, and loves to teach and learn about a variety of subjects, which brings a wide stylistic variety to his music, as his diverse interests inspire his work. A passionate fan of American football, the ruthless power and strategy of the sport influence his exciting writing style. An avid gamer, the music of these games has inspired some of his most unusual and engaging compositions.
Kyle will be teaching Brass Technique, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combos at Middle School Camp.
Louis Morton
Louis Morton is an Animation Director and Associate Professor at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. His work often contains groups of uniquely designed characters, inventive transitions and meticulous attention to rhythm and sound. He strives to use the metaphorical power of animation and its ability to compress deep meaning into just a handful of frames to tell emotionally impactful stories and messages. He worked in the animation industry in Los Angeles for 12 years, including 5 years as a Graphic Artist and Art Director in the Disney marketing department. He has animation directed projects for clients including MTV, VICE, CVS and AirBnB and his work has screened at festivals around the world including Sundance, Annecy, Hiroshima and Zagreb.
Louis will be teaching Animation and Digital Animation at High School Camp.
Louis will be teaching Animation and Digital Animation at High School Camp.
Amanda Barragry
Born in the UK, Amanda Barragry worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for several publishing houses, newspapers, magazines and public companies after graduating from the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford where she majored in Painting and minored in Art History. After training to be a teacher at the University of Cambridge, Amanda moved to the US and has been teaching in New York since then. Amanda currently teach at Avenues World School in Manhattan.
For more information visit Amanda's website.
Amanda will be teaching Watercolor, Advanced Watercolor, and Graphic Design at High School Camp.
For more information visit Amanda's website.
Amanda will be teaching Watercolor, Advanced Watercolor, and Graphic Design at High School Camp.
Jillian Blackwell
Jillian Blackwell was born in Texas, and her life and artistic career have taken her to many places across the country from San Francisco to Denver to Detroit, where she currently resides. In 2012, Blackwell graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, earning a BA in Fine Arts with a Concentration in Ceramics. She practiced as a potter for many years. She was a Work Exchange Participant at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia and an Artist-in-Residence at Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project. She worked as the Head Ceramics Technician and Facilities Manager at the Art Academy University in San Francisco. Her practice has transitioned from ceramics to painting in the last few years, as she explores ideas of ephemera and memory, how art reifies life. Though shed of function, her making is still informed by attention to material. With the eye of a potter, she crafts her paintings as objects not portals. Blackwell has also worked in art education, as an art teacher at Montessori Academy of Colorado in Denver, and as an instructor at the Grunewald Guild in Leavenworth, WA. She writes and works as an Editorial Coordinator for DARIA (Denver Art Review Inquiry & Analysis) Magazine. Currently, she is an MFA student in Painting at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Jillian will be teaching Visual Arts at Elementary Camp and Ceramic Handbuilding and Sculpture at Middle and High School Camp.
Jillian will be teaching Visual Arts at Elementary Camp and Ceramic Handbuilding and Sculpture at Middle and High School Camp.
Brian Michael Hoffman
Brian Michael Hoffman loves working with Young Artists and can't think of a better way to check his 50th state off of his list than with a summer in Sitka!
This Baltimore School for the Arts and Syracuse University grad lives in NYC where he is most well-known for having starred as “Horton” in the Off-Broadway Revival of SEUSSICAL, and continues his journey with the new Broadway-bound musical BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE (by Duncan Sheik and Nell Benjamin, directed by John Rando) after “out of town tryouts” at the Goodspeed Opera House, Delaware Theatre Company, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Favorite regional credits include “Seymour” (LITTLE SHOP...), “Patsy” (SPAMALOT), “Sancho” (MAN OF LA MANCHA), “Billis” (SOUTH PACIFIC), “Barfee” (..SPELLING BEE), “Uncle Fester” (THE ADDAMS FAMILY), “The Cowardly Lion” (THE WIZARD OF OZ), “Czolgosz” (ASSASSINS), “Charlie Brown” (YOU’RE A GOOD MAN...), “Filch” (THE THREEPENNY OPERA) and “Mr. Grimes” (ON BORROWED TIME, directed by Joel Grey).
Brian’s performed at theatres across the country including Madison Square Garden, 54 Below, Baltimore Center Stage, Sacramento Music Circus, MUNY, Maine State, Syracuse Stage, Marriott Lincolnshire, Pioneer Theatre Company, Ivoryton Playhouse, Two River, Lyric Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh CLO. He led a barbershop quartet at Tokyo Disney Sea in Japan for 3 years, has performed in over 3,000 performances of ANNIE (some with Broadway’s original red-head, Andrea McArdle, and in the 2014 movie!) and can be heard on the SEUSSICAL, ANNIE: 30th Anniversary, ANNIE 2 and THE DRAGONSLAYERS cast recordings.
Broadway/William Berloni Theatrical Animals: LEGALLY BLONDE, THE ROYAL FAMILY, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, THE AUDIENCE (starring Dame Helen Mirren), LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL (starring Audra McDonald), NBC’s ANNIE LIVE, PETER PAN LIVE & THE WIZ LIVE, SNL, Sesame Street and HBO’s “High Maintenance.
He has a one-man show, "From Baltimore to Broadway," and, up next, Brian graduates from summer camp to high school as he will be starring as "Barry" in Tent Theater Company's production of THE PROM.
For more information visit Brian's website.
Brian will be teaching Acting, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
This Baltimore School for the Arts and Syracuse University grad lives in NYC where he is most well-known for having starred as “Horton” in the Off-Broadway Revival of SEUSSICAL, and continues his journey with the new Broadway-bound musical BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE (by Duncan Sheik and Nell Benjamin, directed by John Rando) after “out of town tryouts” at the Goodspeed Opera House, Delaware Theatre Company, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Favorite regional credits include “Seymour” (LITTLE SHOP...), “Patsy” (SPAMALOT), “Sancho” (MAN OF LA MANCHA), “Billis” (SOUTH PACIFIC), “Barfee” (..SPELLING BEE), “Uncle Fester” (THE ADDAMS FAMILY), “The Cowardly Lion” (THE WIZARD OF OZ), “Czolgosz” (ASSASSINS), “Charlie Brown” (YOU’RE A GOOD MAN...), “Filch” (THE THREEPENNY OPERA) and “Mr. Grimes” (ON BORROWED TIME, directed by Joel Grey).
Brian’s performed at theatres across the country including Madison Square Garden, 54 Below, Baltimore Center Stage, Sacramento Music Circus, MUNY, Maine State, Syracuse Stage, Marriott Lincolnshire, Pioneer Theatre Company, Ivoryton Playhouse, Two River, Lyric Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh CLO. He led a barbershop quartet at Tokyo Disney Sea in Japan for 3 years, has performed in over 3,000 performances of ANNIE (some with Broadway’s original red-head, Andrea McArdle, and in the 2014 movie!) and can be heard on the SEUSSICAL, ANNIE: 30th Anniversary, ANNIE 2 and THE DRAGONSLAYERS cast recordings.
Broadway/William Berloni Theatrical Animals: LEGALLY BLONDE, THE ROYAL FAMILY, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, THE AUDIENCE (starring Dame Helen Mirren), LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL (starring Audra McDonald), NBC’s ANNIE LIVE, PETER PAN LIVE & THE WIZ LIVE, SNL, Sesame Street and HBO’s “High Maintenance.
He has a one-man show, "From Baltimore to Broadway," and, up next, Brian graduates from summer camp to high school as he will be starring as "Barry" in Tent Theater Company's production of THE PROM.
For more information visit Brian's website.
Brian will be teaching Acting, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Emily Nixon
Emily Nixon is currently a fourth year student studying flute performance at Oberlin Conservatory under the direction of Alexa Still, and is a recipient of the Robert Willoughby scholarship. Passionate about music education and outreach, Emily is also working towards a concentration in Pedagogy, Advocacy and Community Engagement (PACE). At Oberlin, Emily has performed with ensembles including the Oberlin Orchestra, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Oberlin Opera and Phlox Ensemble, and has attended the Orford Music Academy for the past two summers. Brought up in East Tennessee, Emily’s previous teachers include Janice Veal and Hannah Hammel (currently principal flutist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra). Outside of making music, Emily loves to read, watch reality competition shows, spend time outdoors and spend time with her cat (Bama) and dog (Newly).
Emily will be the Flute Assistant at Middle and High School Camp and will assist in Symphonic Band, Small Ensembles, and Chamber Music and will teach Flute Technique.
Emily will be the Flute Assistant at Middle and High School Camp and will assist in Symphonic Band, Small Ensembles, and Chamber Music and will teach Flute Technique.
Aaron Young
Aaron Young is originally from Anchorage, AK and is delighted to return to his home state as a first-time musical theatre instructor for the SFAC. He attended East Anchorage High School and trained with several local companies such as the Anchorage Community Theatre, Alaska Dance Theatre, and the Anchorage Concert Chorus.
After receiving his B.F.A in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, Aaron relocated to New York City and has subsequently enjoyed a musical theatre career that has led him to Broadway and many other theaters throughout the country. Internationally, he has toured Japan on three separate occasions as a soloist alongside the Tokyo Philharmonic with Disney on Classic, a concert event celebrating music from the Disney songbook. His most recent engagement in Japan was last fall, singing the role of “Clopin” in a concert version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also recently traveled to Turkmenistan as an Arts ambassador with the U.S. Embassy, performing in and helping to direct a cross-cultural concert featuring the music of West Side Story.
On Broadway, Aaron played “Sasha” (Russian Tenor) in the 2015 Revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring Tony Award Winner Danny Burstein. He can also be heard on this cast recording. Other favorite theatrical roles include “Bob Wallace” in White Christmas (John W. Engeman Theatre), “Joseph” in Joseph…Dreamcoat (Utah Shakespeare Festival, Arvada Center), “Prince Topher” in the modern re-telling of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tuacahn Ampitheatre), “Joe Hardy” in Damn Yankees(the REV Theatre Co.), as well as appearances at the Goodspeed Opera House, The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the Virginia Opera, and the 5th Ave. Theatre in Seattle. Outside of performing, Aaron is actively pursuing a second degree in Social Work. Follow him on Instagram: @youngnaaron. Let’s share in a fun and creative summer together!
Learn more on Aaron's website.
Aaron will be teaching Broadway Song Workshop, Acting I, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
After receiving his B.F.A in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, Aaron relocated to New York City and has subsequently enjoyed a musical theatre career that has led him to Broadway and many other theaters throughout the country. Internationally, he has toured Japan on three separate occasions as a soloist alongside the Tokyo Philharmonic with Disney on Classic, a concert event celebrating music from the Disney songbook. His most recent engagement in Japan was last fall, singing the role of “Clopin” in a concert version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also recently traveled to Turkmenistan as an Arts ambassador with the U.S. Embassy, performing in and helping to direct a cross-cultural concert featuring the music of West Side Story.
On Broadway, Aaron played “Sasha” (Russian Tenor) in the 2015 Revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring Tony Award Winner Danny Burstein. He can also be heard on this cast recording. Other favorite theatrical roles include “Bob Wallace” in White Christmas (John W. Engeman Theatre), “Joseph” in Joseph…Dreamcoat (Utah Shakespeare Festival, Arvada Center), “Prince Topher” in the modern re-telling of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tuacahn Ampitheatre), “Joe Hardy” in Damn Yankees(the REV Theatre Co.), as well as appearances at the Goodspeed Opera House, The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the Virginia Opera, and the 5th Ave. Theatre in Seattle. Outside of performing, Aaron is actively pursuing a second degree in Social Work. Follow him on Instagram: @youngnaaron. Let’s share in a fun and creative summer together!
Learn more on Aaron's website.
Aaron will be teaching Broadway Song Workshop, Acting I, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
Sammy Lamb
Sammy Lamb is a Los Angeles based, independent, non-fiction filmmaker working in the mediums of animation & live action. Lamb’s films highlight underrepresented lives on the edge of being forgotten.
For more information visit Sammy's website here.
Sammy will be teaching Filmmaking and Music Video Production at High School Camp.
For more information visit Sammy's website here.
Sammy will be teaching Filmmaking and Music Video Production at High School Camp.
Rachel Dawson
Hello, I am Rachel (she/her/hers). I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I hold a B.A. in Musical Theater from West Texas A&M University and an MFA in Theater Performance from Florida Atlantic University. Creating and performing have always been an incredibly fulfilling part of my life, but another one of my passions is teaching. I am currently a Visiting Professor of Theatre at Winthrop University. I believe performing helps me become a better teacher, and that teaching helps me become a better performer.
I am a firm believer that the theater strengthens empathy, and that storytelling is an important tool we can use to ask difficult questions about the responsibility we have to society and ourselves. I have always loved the ways in which the theater allows us to learn new perspectives and gain understanding. I am deeply grateful for the ways in which the theater community has helped me grow as a person. I am committed to contributing to this community in positive ways through teaching, performing, and my own continued process; a process which never ends!
Rachel will be assisting in Stage Combat classes at High School Camp.
I am a firm believer that the theater strengthens empathy, and that storytelling is an important tool we can use to ask difficult questions about the responsibility we have to society and ourselves. I have always loved the ways in which the theater allows us to learn new perspectives and gain understanding. I am deeply grateful for the ways in which the theater community has helped me grow as a person. I am committed to contributing to this community in positive ways through teaching, performing, and my own continued process; a process which never ends!
Rachel will be assisting in Stage Combat classes at High School Camp.
Zeke Blackwell
Zeke Blackwell has been involved in over 100 productions as a director, performer, writer, designer, and technician, and has had the joy of making theater in Sitka, Fort Worth, New Haven, New York, and Costa Rica, where he directed the world premiere of the Spanish-language version of Once On This Island! With over a decade of improv comedy experience, he’s performed/taught improv around the country, and most recently at the Boston Comedy Arts Festival and the Wasatch Improv Festival in Salt Lake City. His original play, Still Life, was produced in the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival. He graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Cognitive Science. He served two years on the board of directors for Far Corners Community Musical theater, a non-profit dedicated to providing arts opportunities for underserved youth in isolated regions of the world. Once, he beat-boxed for Lin-Manuel Miranda. This is his 9th season year-round at SFAC as the Young Performers Theater Director.
Zeke will be teaching Shakespeare, Acting II, and Directing for the Stage at High School Camp.
Zeke will be teaching Shakespeare, Acting II, and Directing for the Stage at High School Camp.