2024 Faculty

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 interdisciplinary 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 video games has inspired some of his most unusual and engaging compositions.

For more information visit Kyle's website here.

Kyle will be teaching Brass Technique, Jazz Band, and Jazz Combos at Middle School Camp.

Amy Butcher

Amy Butcher is an award-winning writer and the recent recipient of a 2024 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council for work on her new book, a work-in-progress that explores and examines concepts of autonomy, legitimacy, believability, and value as they relate to and shape the lives of female-presenting Americans. Her most recent book, Mothertrucker, 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 here.

Amy will be teaching Creative Nonfiction, Short Fiction Writing, and The Art of Poetry at Middle and High 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." With 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 didgeridoo, dumbek and bodhran drums, melodica, Indian flutes, waterphones, and theremin along with handcrafted 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 theater projects including the anime hits Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, and Fist of the Blue Sky as well as 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) and 2009 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, and Atomic Mom winner of the 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 and son Armando, and their dog Diva.

For more information visit Marco's website here.

Marco will be teaching Electronic Music, Music & Sound for Everyone, and Film & Media Composition 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 after-school 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 String Technique, Orchestra, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.

Allyss Haecker

Dr. Allyss Haecker is currently in her third year as the Director of Choirs at Seneca High School (SC) where she directs five choirs and teaches courses in Advanced Placement Music Theory and Music of the World’s Peoples. In addition to her classroom teaching, she is in her second season as the Artistic Director of the Foothills Chorale of Clemson, SC. 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 also 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 (MN) 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 doctorate 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). Dr. Haecker is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for district, state, and regional choral festivals, having conducted throughout Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Alaska. She enjoyed her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in April 2023 with the Seneca High School Chorale. Dr. Haecker’s commercial recording with Emory & Henry College Concert and Chamber Choirs entitled Making Love Known can be found on Spotify, iTunes, CDbaby, and Apple Music. 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.

​Franco Zacha

​Quilan “Cue” Arnold

Eliana Athayde

Kyle Athayde

Jamie Bates

Zeke Blackwell

Sarah Branton

Joe Burck

Amy Butcher

Emma T Capps

Marissa Childers

Marco d'Ambrosio

Rachel Dawson

Gaz Ehrreich

Ariel Estrada

Franz Felkl

Shai Golan

Teaghan Gokey

Rhiannon Guevin

Allyss Haecker

Franco Zacha

Quilan “Cue” Arnold