Jinghong Chen
Jinghong Chen is a cut paper artist currently based in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in Fuzhou, China, her works are influenced by Chinese folk traditions. She often uses layers of paper or paper-like materials to play with light and shadow and create a sense of space. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. Her works have been exhibited in Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, and Rhode Island. She is a 2021 Contemporary Art Department Fellow of RISD Museum and a 2023 resident at Peter Bullough Foundation.
For more information visit Jinghong's website here.
Jinghong will be teaching Papercutting, Book Making, and Painting at Middle School Camp and Papercutting, Book Making, and Drawing at High School Camp.
For more information visit Jinghong's website here.
Jinghong will be teaching Papercutting, Book Making, and Painting at Middle School Camp and Papercutting, Book Making, and Drawing at High School Camp.
Mike Tuckner
Mike Tuckner is an Army Veteran, entrepreneur, podcast host and professional photographer. He specializes in sports, music and street photography. He estimates that he has taken over 2.5 million photos over his 13 years as a professional photographer. He has photographed many musical acts including Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Sheryl Crow, The Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows and Imagine Dragons. One of his favorite things to do as a photographer is to “capture youth”. He believes in the philosophy that every photo taken appreciates in value over time and that if you don’t think photos are important, just wait until they are all you have left.
Mike will be teaching Digital Photography at High School Camp.
Mike will be teaching Digital Photography at High School Camp.
Niki Saludez
Niki Saludez (he/they) from the DMV to NYC, is a dancer, educator, and choreographer with over a decade of experience in his craft. Niki's artistic style is a culmination of years training in hip hop dance, street styles, contemporary dance, and music. His passions for people, movement, and the arts have taken him along the east coast and across the country in a journey to build community and uplift others, both in their craft and in life. Niki has been a part of works by artists including Don Diablo, Katy Perry, and made his Broadway debut in Hell's Kitchen after performing in the show's opening run at The Public Theater. Niki has also trained and featured in works with the companies tedted Performance Group, directed by Teddy Tedholm, and Soul Project Dance Company, directed by Candace Brown. Niki has taught and worked with a diverse group of students of all ages and experience. He has been a faculty member at Broadway Dance Center, Gibney Dance's outreach program Hands are for Holding, and Sitka Fine Arts Camp, sharing spaces where dancers feel safe to explore and challenge limiting mindsets, and to expand on their skills and unique voices as artists.
Niki will be teaching Hip Hop and Street Dance at Middle and High School Camp.
Niki will be teaching Hip Hop and Street Dance at Middle and High School Camp.
Cathryn Klusmeier
Cathryn Klusmeier is a writer living and working in Sitka, Alaska. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow. She also holds a master’s degree in medical anthropology from the University of Oxford, where her work focused on Alzheimer’s and other non-communicable diseases. Cathryn is the recipient of a 2021 Pushcart Prize, the winner of the 2018 MIT Media Lab’s Resisting Reduction Essay Competition, the winner of the 2018 Crazyhorse Creative Nonfiction Prize, and author in the book Against Reduction: Designing a Human Future with Machines. She has twice been a notable essay in The Best American Essays series and has received fellowships and recognition from the University of Oxford, the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Sitka Fellows Artist Residency, Agni Literary Journal, the Missouri Review’s Jeffrey E. Smith Editor’s Prize, Narrative Magazine’s “30 Below 30”contest, Hunger Mountain’s Creative Nonfiction Prize, and the Southampton Review’s Frank McCourt Memoir Prize. In her spare time Cathryn loves hiking, running, fishing, drawing, and living in Southeast Alaska.
For more information visit Cathryn's website here.
Cathryn will be teaching Writing Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Foundations of Fiction Writing at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Cathryn's website here.
Cathryn will be teaching Writing Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Foundations of Fiction Writing at Middle School Camp.
Kaasteen Jill Meserve
Kaasteen Jill Meserve is a Lingít artist and language instructor. Kaasteen grew up in Hoonah, and graduated from UAS where she earned her BLA in Alaska Native Languages and Studies. As an artist, she specializes in beadwork, and most recently, Ravenstail weaving. Kaasteen has won the Best in Beadwork during Sealaska Heritage Instituteʼs biennial Celebrationʼs Juried Art Show. She has also sold pieces to individuals such as Sterlin Harjo, creator of Reservation Dogs on FX, Bobby Wilson, writer of shows such as Reservations Dogs and Rutherford Falls, and Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas. She has had pieces featured in the hit show Reservation Dogs on FX.
Her work can mainly be found on her Instagram page, @jill.kaasteen, or on her website here.
Kaasteen will be teaching Beading and Northwest Coast Woolen Weaving at High School Camp.
Her work can mainly be found on her Instagram page, @jill.kaasteen, or on her website here.
Kaasteen will be teaching Beading and Northwest Coast Woolen Weaving at High School Camp.
Jennifer Drake
Inspired by the power of music to connect people, ideas and communities, Jennifer Drake is a conductor, violist, teacher, clinician, and camp director. One of the most enthusiastic musicians you will ever meet, Jennifer is known for her versatility, humor, and energy. Jennifer is the Music Director of the Serenata Orchestra and the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestras She has been a guest conductor for the Idaho State Civic Symphony and Opera Idaho. Jennifer is the principal violist for the Boise Baroque Orchestra, as well as a section violist for the Boise Philharmonic. Jennifer has enjoyed an international chamber music career, performing at the 33rd International Viola Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland and the International Bass Clarinet Convention in Rotterdam, Holland. She has performed concerts in Iceland, Holland, Denmark, Romania, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Canada. Jennifer is the founder of Idaho Viola Camp. She is also the co-artistic director for the Idaho Orchestra Institute. Both camps provide students with unique outdoor experiences, in addition to high quality musical engagement. Jennifer is a highly sought after teacher and clinician. As a clinician, she is known for her infectious energy and ability to engage with ensembles of all levels. Recent All State orchestras conducted include Texas, Alabama, Nevada, Indiana, South Carolina, New Mexico, and Minnesota. She has also done MEA clinics in Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Colorado and Idaho. She has also been a featured clinician for Music for All and The Midwest Clinic. She has also been the cover girl for HerLife magazine. When she is not living the obviously glamorous lifestyle that being a conductor and cover girl must afford, she is cruising around in her 1985 Volkswagen camper van, calling the vet for her not-exactly-Corgi dogs Fergus and Cameron, thinking of how to avoid grocery shopping, and planning trips with her husband, Chad Marvin. Jen and Chad climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2016. Jen is a very mediocre CrossFitter, cyclist, and hiker, and will gladly talk your ear off about any of these endeavors.
For more information visit Jennifer's website here.
Jennifer will be teaching String Technique, Orchestra, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
For more information visit Jennifer's website here.
Jennifer will be teaching String Technique, Orchestra, and Chamber Music at High School Camp.
Jennifer Nie
Jennifer Nie is a filmmaker and animation artist born and raised in Los Angeles. She graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Character Animation. Since then she has directed multiple short films and worked at Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Television Development, Bento Box, Jackbox Games and Breakwater Studios. When she is not working on animation projects, she loves to work on comics, throw clay on a pottery wheel, and walk around somewhere with a lot of trees.
For more information visit Jennifer's website here.
Jennifer will be teaching Animation at High School Camp.
For more information visit Jennifer's website here.
Jennifer will be teaching Animation at High School Camp.
Claire Shea Duncan
Claire Shea Duncan (she/her/elle) is an interdisciplinary costume designer and researcher from Granville, Ohio. She aims to collaborate with a guiding framework of cultural humility and empathy. She has a strong interest in the intersection of art, linguistics, and education and she believes the convergence of these concepts is storytelling. Claire has been based in France as an educator for the past two years and is incredibly excited for a third summer at SFAC.
For more information visit Claire's website here.
Claire will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Costume Design, Upcycled Fashion, and Stitch Lab at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Claire's website here.
Claire will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Costume Design, Upcycled Fashion, and Stitch Lab at Middle and High School Camp.
Nat Dickey
Nat Dickey serves on the Concordia College faculty as chair of the music department and professor of music, teaching low brass and conducting the Cobber Athletic Band. During the summer, he serves as jazz trombone instructor at the International Music Camp. He is an SE Shires Trombone Artist. Dickey is currently principal trombonist of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, trombonist of the Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome, and trombonist and leader of The Skipjacks jazz quartet. He has performed with the IRIS Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Vermont Symphony, and Boston Ballet. An active chamber musician, Dickey was a founding member of the Orion Trombone Quartet (winner of the Coleman Competition) and the Brass Mosaic, with which he performed at Carnegie Hall. Dickey performs frequent solo recitals and has performed as a soloist with the U.S. Army Orchestra, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and numerous collegiate and public school ensembles. He appears on recordings with the IRIS Orchestra, the Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome, the Paramount Brass, and Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trombonist Ron Barron. Dickey's first solo CD, "Collaborations," was released in 2014 and includes original compositions by Dickey himself, as well as by colleagues and former students. His second solo CD, "Reflections," was funded by a McKnight Fellowship and was released in May 2018. Both albums can be heard on Spotify and YouTube. As a conductor, Dickey has commissioned and premiered works from numerous renowned composers, including Benjamin Taylor, David Avshalomov, Andrew Boysen, Jr., Stephen Paulus, Elliott Schwartz, Mark Camphouse, Carol Barnett, Mary Ellen Childs, and Allen Feinstein. With the Symphonic Band, he directed the annual Composers Concert series, featuring contemporary music, including the work of student composers. Dickey previously served as assistant director of bands at Harvard University. He is a frequent band clinician and adjudicator. Dickey holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory (B.A. mathematics, B.M. music performance), Rice University (M.M. music performance), and the University of Minnesota (D.M.A. music).
Nat will be teaching Brass Technique, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band at Middle School Camp.
Nat will be teaching Brass Technique, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band at Middle School Camp.
Medar de la Cruz
Medar de la Cruz is a Dominican-American cartoonist and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, he has contributed to The New York Times and The New Yorker. In 2024, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting for “The Diary of a Rikers Island Library Worker,” a striking black-and-white comic capturing his experiences delivering books to incarcerated people. Currently Medar volunteers with the Brooklyn Public Library’s jail-and-prison services and teaches zine-making and visual storytelling across NYC.
For more information visit Medar's website here.
Medar will be teaching Landscape Painting and Pen & Ink at High School Camp.
For more information visit Medar's website here.
Medar will be teaching Landscape Painting and Pen & Ink at High School Camp.
Charlie Havenick
Charlie Havenick is a musician, writer, and composer from Los Angeles. She plays drums and guitar for several indie rock outfits and does regular session and touring work. Charlie grew up in the LA DIY music scene and went to UCLA for Comparative Literature where she wrote essays centered around musicology and the contemporary music industry. She has scored and played guitar on several feature films and has been on several North American tours. Charlie has a home-studio where she produces and engineers music for her own band and others. She was previously a percussion Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA, taught rock camp and songwriting at School of Rock, and teaches at Bloom School of Music in LA. Charlie is a big believer in holistic and accessible music education and loves playing indie rock, jazz, and classical, and anything in between.
Charlie will be teaching at Elementary Camp and Rock Band and Songwriting at Middle School Camp.
Charlie will be teaching at Elementary Camp and Rock Band and Songwriting at Middle School Camp.
Sarah Diamond
Sarah Diamond is an audio producer for The New York Times, based in New York. She has worked in journalism for nearly a decade at NPR, PBS and as a freelancer for HBO and Showtime productions. Her writing has also appeared in The Washington Post. Before joining The Times in 2021, she worked as an associate producer for National Geographic Studios in Washington. A film she worked on there, “Going Viral: Beyond the Hot Zone,” won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary in 2020. She has a bachelor’s in business with a minor in international relations from American University and a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.
She was born in New Delhi and raised in a small town north of San Francisco called Sebastopol. She now splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and Princeton, NJ.
Website: https://www.nytimes.com/by/sarah-diamond
Sarah will be teaching Narrative Nonfiction, The Art of Storytelling, and Reporting 101 at High School Camp.
She was born in New Delhi and raised in a small town north of San Francisco called Sebastopol. She now splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and Princeton, NJ.
Website: https://www.nytimes.com/by/sarah-diamond
Sarah will be teaching Narrative Nonfiction, The Art of Storytelling, and Reporting 101 at 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 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 Music Composition, Jazz Combos, and Electronic Video Game Music at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Kyle's website here.
Kyle will be teaching Music Composition, Jazz Combos, and Electronic Video Game Music at Middle 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 almost two decades 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 10th season year-round at SFAC as the Young Performers Theater Director.
Zeke will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Clown Theater, Acting, and Shakespeare at Middle School Camp and Directing for the Stage, Shakespeare, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
Zeke will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Clown Theater, Acting, and Shakespeare at Middle School Camp and Directing for the Stage, Shakespeare, and Musical Theater at High School Camp.
Sarah Branton
Sarah Branton is in her 24th year of teaching and 19th at Cherry Creek High School in Denver, Colorado. She directs several of the school’s choirs and teaches AP Music Theory. Under her direction, choirs have performed at numerous state and regional conventions, Carnegie Hall, and have toured around the world. Prior to Cherry Creek, Ms. Branton taught choir and orchestra in Longmont, CO and Blaine, MN. She currently serves as Assistant Director, Section Leader, and sings with Kantorei, a Denver-based semi-professional choir. Additionally, she has been on faculty at the summer Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, Alaska, she sings with various ad hoc ensembles throughout the community and is an orchestral and jazz string bassist and served as principal bassist of the St. Olaf Orchestra. She is currently Chair of the Colorado All-State Choir and has previously served on the Colorado ACDA board. Ms. Branton holds music degrees from St. Olaf College and Colorado State University and is studying continuing education through Berklee College of Music.
Sarah will be teaching Vocal Technique, Opera Scenes & Songs, and Choir at High School Camp.
Sarah will be teaching Vocal Technique, Opera Scenes & Songs, and Choir at High School Camp.
Joe Burck
Joe Burck studies History Education for grades 5-12 with a minor in Theater Arts at Augustana College. Originally from Aurora, Illinois, Joe started learning about technical theater as a middle school camper at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and is eager to return to Odess Theater and the Sitka Performing Arts Center. In his time at Augustana, Joe has worked on productions such as Macbeth (Assistant Sound Designer), Threepenny Opera (Sound Board Operator), Cabaret (Sound Designer), most recently Nine (Sound Designer), and currently works as a Scene Shop Supervisor in charge of managing set production. In the summers of 2022, 2023, and 2024, Joe worked at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp as the Technical Theater Intern, the Assistant Technical Manager, and the Technical Director. Joe collaborated on the 2022 SFAC production of Mamma Mia as the Pit Sound Board Operator and on the 2023 SFAC production of Cinderella as the Technical Director.
Joe will be teaching Live Event Production at Middle and High School Camp.
Joe will be teaching Live Event Production at Middle and High School Camp.
Olivia Cerullo
Olivia Cerullo is a musician, music director and educator. She started at Inspire in 2020 as the vocal music, musical theater and choir teacher. Olivia was raised in Chico and attended Chico State where she received a bachelors in music with a focus on vocal performance. As a musician Olivia has worked for many local theater companies including Theater ETC, Blue Room, Slow Theater and is currently the resident music director for California Regional Theater. From 2012-2018 Olivia was based in the Bay Area where she worked as a freelance music director for professional theater companies as well as a pianist for a collection of orchestras. When Olivia is not teaching she enjoys hiking, traveling, being outdoors and of course making music with friends and family.
Olivia will be teaching Piano, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Olivia will be teaching Piano, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Cleo DeOrio
Cleo DeOrio (she/her) is a Physical Theatre and Dance artist-teacher from Cleveland, Ohio. Cleo received a BA at Baldwin Wallace University, where she focused her studies in Directing and Choreography and an MFA from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, where she developed works such as Citizens of Nowhere and Visions of a Crying Girl. Cleo specializes in storytelling through movement, physical character development, emotional embodiment, and devising. She is on faculty at Dell’Arte teaching Dance and Movement classes.
Cleo will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Acrobatics & Partnering, Mask Theater, and Slapstick Comedy at Middle and High School Camp.
Cleo will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Acrobatics & Partnering, Mask Theater, and Slapstick Comedy at Middle and High School Camp.
Marissa Childers
Marissa Childers is a ceramic artist residing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was born in Florence, Alabama where she earned her BFA from the University of North Alabama. Upon graduating, she worked as a ceramic intern at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and soon after received her MFA from the University of Oklahoma. Her work explores moments of connection and intimacy while celebrating femininity and craft found within domestic spaces. She is often inspired by things that society deems as a ‘craft’ or ‘feminine’ such as quilting, sewing, and decoration. Marissa has exhibited her work at numerous galleries and has received various grants and awards to support her research, including support from the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts. She was chosen as one of Ceramics Monthly’s Emerging Artists of 2022, was an Emerging Artist for NCECA in 2023, and was a long-term Artist in Residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in 2023/2024. She is an educator and studio technician at the University of Oklahoma and enjoys traveling around the US to teach ceramics.
For more information visit Marissa's website here.
Marissa will be teaching Ceramic Handbuilding and Wheel Thrown Pottery at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Marissa's website here.
Marissa will be teaching Ceramic Handbuilding and Wheel Thrown Pottery 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.
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.
Gaz Ehrreich
Gaz Ehrreich is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator from California, currently residing in New England. Gaz graduated from Rhode Island School of Design where he carved out a path to study miniature modeling within the Illustration Department, alongside traditional drawing and painting. Professionally, Gaz is an accomplished architectural renderer, illustrator, muralist, and craftsman with a love for teaching and a lot of knowledge to give. He specializes in handmade art, fine craftsmanship, drafting, perspective, and lighting. He is also passionate about the connections between art and music, creative writing, humanity, AI, and apocalyptic fiction. He is currently working on a graphic novel and a series of scientific posters with the goal of better understanding the natural world. This summer he will be teaching courses in drawing perspective, stop motion animation, and miniature modeling.
For more information visit Gaz's website here.
Gaz will be teaching Making Miniatures, Drawing Perspective, and Painting at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Gaz's website here.
Gaz will be teaching Making Miniatures, Drawing Perspective, and Painting at Middle 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.
Franz will be teaching String Technique, Orchestra, and Small Ensembles at Middle School Camp.
Brandon Fillette
Brandon Fillette (he/him) is a dedicated Music Director and Program Manager based in New York City, bringing over a decade of experience in nonprofit arts and youth-focused theater. Passionate about creating meaningful and engaging performances, Brandon specializes in leading creative, project-driven work that combines artistic excellence with a focus on collaboration and education. His extensive experience spans a wide range of productions, including Gypsy, Into the Woods, The Addams Family, Million Dollar Quartet (multiple productions), Hound Dog (Off-Broadway), Spring Awakening, and Assassins. As a summa cum laude graduate of BerkleeNYC, he brings technical expertise in music production, orchestration, arranging, and sound design to every project that will let him. Brandon has worked with diverse groups of performers, from aspiring young artists to seasoned professionals, fostering artistic growth and delivering culturally enriching performances. His work has taken him across international stages, where he has inspired audiences and mentored the next generation of performers. Whether developing original works, directing large-scale productions, or leading music education programs, Brandon approaches every project with creativity, passion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Brandon will be teaching Acting, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at High School Camp and will be the Music Director at Musical Theater Camp.
Brandon will be teaching Acting, Broadway Song Workshop, and Musical Theater at High School Camp and will be the Music Director at Musical Theater Camp.
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.
Teaghan Gokey
Ever since perusing a copy of D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, Teaghan Gokey has been profoundly inspired by the countless ancient tales of sword and sorcery throughout humanity’s shared history, and has since strived to craft weird and wild myths from his own collection of worldly interests. An avid researcher and insatiable bookworm, Teaghan has been eternally mesmerized by the wonders of nature, and usually finds himself drawing from the fields of paleontology, geology, and marine biology as a limitless well of inspiration billions of years in the making. Through modern methods of digital painting, Teaghan seeks to revive the mysterious and grand visions of the Old World with a distinct twist of eerie surrealism. Since graduating with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2022, Teaghan’s work has been featured in the Soul Arts collection by Michael Samuels aka VaatiVidya, and he has recently picked up freelance work designing all manner of creatures and critters for tabletop RPG games.
For more information visit Teaghan's website here.
Teaghan will be teaching Creature Art, Illustrating Magical Worlds, and Character Design at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Teaghan's website here.
Teaghan will be teaching Creature Art, Illustrating Magical Worlds, and Character Design at Middle School Camp.
Allyss Haecker
Dr. Allyss Haecker is currently in her fourth 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 enjoying her third 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 Meetinghouse Chorale at Meetinghouse 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 (PA), 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). Dr. Haecker is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for district, state, and regional choral festivals, having conducted throughout Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Alaska. Additionally, Dr. Haecker spends her summers serving on the vocal and choral faculty of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, Alaska. In April 2023, she enjoyed her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall 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, 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 her YouTube channel. Dr. Haecker currently lives in Pickens, SC with her husband, Arthur, and their hilarious son, Kai.
Allyss will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Start the Day Singing, Vocal Technique, and Choir at Middle School Camp.
Allyss will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Start the Day Singing, Vocal Technique, and Choir at Middle School Camp.
Alexis Joy Hagestad
Alexis Joy Hagestad (she/they) was born and raised in Missoula, Montana (traditional lands of the Salish, Kootenai, and Kalispel people) 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. She holds a B.F.A in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design where she graduated with honors in 2016.
For more information visit Alexis's website here.
Alexis will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Darkroom Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Alexis's website here.
Alexis will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Darkroom Photography at Middle and High School Camp.
Will Healy
Will Healy (he/him) is a composer, pianist, and improviser based in New York City whose music bridges classical, jazz, and hip-hop traditions. A 2023 recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Prize from the ASCAP Foundation, Will has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and National Sawdust, and his compositions have been featured by ensembles like the Minnesota Orchestra, Contemporaneous, and Mivos Quartet. He is the founder and artistic director of ShoutHouse, a genre-defying collective described by US Poet Laureate Billy Collins as “sweetly and smartly off the rails.” Will’s recent work includes Passages, a 30-minute composition for wind ensemble and multi-genre soloists premiered at the CBDNA Conference, which won the 2024 Beeler Prize. He has arranged for the New York Philharmonic, Donda, and the Albany Symphony, and his music has been performed internationally. He plays with Pathos Trio and Upstream, a violin-piano duo with George Meyer, and is the composer-in-residence with Midsummer’s Music in Wisconsin. Will is a Yamaha Artist, a PhD candidate in Composition at Princeton University, and holds an MM from The Juilliard School.
For more information visit Will's website here.
Will will be teaching Piano, Music Composition, and playing piano for Opera Scenes & Songs at High School Camp.
For more information visit Will's website here.
Will will be teaching Piano, Music Composition, and playing piano for Opera Scenes & Songs at 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, and 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 here.
Brendan will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Spoken Word Poetry and Science Fiction & Fantasy at High School Camp.
For more information visit Brendan's website here.
Brendan will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Spoken Word Poetry and Science Fiction & Fantasy at High School Camp.
Ilse Kapteyn
Ilse Kapteyn has been a professional dancer for over ten years and loves it more and more each year. She grew up in Deerfield, Massachusetts and started taking dance classes as a toddler, training more seriously as the years progressed. For her senior year of high school, Ilse traveled to Moscow to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and then joined the New Jersey Ballet Company the following year. She has performed many featured and principal roles in the classical repertoire, including Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Giselle. She has also performed works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Harrison Ball, Lauren Lovette, and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. She is a certified instructor of BodyCode System, an innovative training method that helps improve body awareness and function, and has traveled to Italy to train with the founder. As she continues her own journey as a dancer and artist, Ilse finds it incredibly rewarding to share what she has learned so far with people of all ages.
Ilse will be teaching Ballet, Modern Dance, and Body Conditioning at Middle and High School Camp.
Ilse will be teaching Ballet, Modern Dance, and Body Conditioning at Middle and High School Camp.
Julia Klein
Julia Klein is a clarinetist based in Helena, Montana, where she is the associate principal clarinetist of the Helena and Missoula Symphonies and a frequent guest with the Bozeman Symphony. She has performed with orchestras across the country, including the Dallas Symphony and New World Symphony. Julia loves teaching and maintains an active clarinet studio in Helena and online. As a teacher she strives to give her students the tools they need to chase their goals while deepening their creativity. She earned a master’s degree in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas and a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance and Latin American Studies from Oberlin College and Conservatory. She is thrilled to be back for her third summer at SFAC!
Julia will be teaching Woodwind Technique: Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon and Small Ensembles at Middle and High School Camp. Julia will also be one of SFAC's Music Coordinators for the summer.
Julia will be teaching Woodwind Technique: Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon and Small Ensembles at Middle and High School Camp. Julia will also be one of SFAC's Music Coordinators for the summer.
Ed Littlefield
Ed Littlefield is a freelance percussionist, educator and composer based out of Seattle, WA. He is Lingít originally from Sitka, Alaska and has released three albums featuring traditional native melodies with the Native Jazz Quartet called Walking Between Worlds, NJQ: Stories and most recently NJQ: Southeast: Northwest. Ed is also involved in composition and sound design for national theaters such as La Jolla Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Arena Stage.
For more information visit Ed's website here.
Ed will be teaching Jazz Band, Drums Around the World, and Sonic Boom at Middle School Camp and Jazz Band, Jazz Combos, and Sonic Boom at High School Camp.
For more information visit Ed's website here.
Ed will be teaching Jazz Band, Drums Around the World, and Sonic Boom at Middle School Camp and Jazz Band, Jazz Combos, and Sonic Boom 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 The 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.
Joe Montagna
Joe Montagna has been playing guitar since 1984 and professionally for over 20 years in various bands. He toured the U.S. in the late ‘90s 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.
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 Leganés, 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 BLAST Masterclass at High School Camp.
Brian will be teaching BLAST Masterclass at High School Camp.
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 and high schools in the Seattle area coaching student percussionists. Eric has worked extensively with drumlines, including teaching multiple ensembles, giving clinics, teaching at camps, and writing music for marching percussion groups.
Eric will be teaching Percussion Technique at Middle School Camp and serving as SFAC's Percussion Technician for the summmer.
Eric will be teaching Percussion Technique at Middle School Camp and serving as SFAC's Percussion Technician for the summmer.
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, when 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 that understanding how voice, mic technique, and stage presence come together creates 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 be teaching Rock Band at High School Camp.
Jen will be teaching Rock Band at High School Camp.
Amelia Rozear
Born and raised in coastal New England, Amelia Rozear is a multifaceted artist with a love of traditional media. 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, and still roams the eerie streets and libraries of Providence for scenic inspiration. She is passionate about sharing her work with other artists online, and between her multiple social media accounts, she has amassed an audience of over 100k art lovers to join in her love of artmaking. She delights in her self-directed studio practice, and jumps between multiple projects at a time to stay busy– her favorite works come alive through watercolor, oil paint, and sometimes even rug tufting.
For more information visit Amelia's website here.
Amelia will be teaching Portrait Painting, Character Design, and Illustrating Magical Worlds at High School Camp.
For more information visit Amelia's website here.
Amelia will be teaching Portrait Painting, Character Design, and Illustrating Magical Worlds at High School Camp.
Cassidy Russell
Cassidy Russell (she/her) has been improvising since middle school (cool!). Cassidy is a member of the Second City National Touring Company, traveling the country performing and writing sketch and improv comedy (It’s very fun). When not traveling, 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 has been interviewed about comedy in print publications and on NPR. Additionally, she has an MS in Library Sciences and an MFA in Printmaking from Savannah College of Art & Design and works as a children’s book reviewer while maintaining 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 be teaching 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 be teaching Improv at Middle School Camp and Improv, Advanced Improv, and Sketch Comedy at High 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 be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Northwest Coast Carving at Middle School Camp.
Abel will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Northwest Coast Carving at Middle School Camp.
Danny Ryan
Danny Ryan (he/him) began his creative career as a child, bringing life to G.I. Joes, making baseballs out of rags and duct tape, and playing soldier in the forest on summer camping trips. It was the fascination of taking a little bit of magic and imagination to create something from nothing that attracted him to the arts and specifically to dance. Danny began his professional ballet training at the age of fifteen in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI with Rafael Delgado. From that humble beginning, he was able to further his studies at the Joffrey Ballet School (NYC) with teacher and mentor John Magnus. Through that training he secured a ten year professional career with major companies Louisville Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and Texas Ballet Theater to name a few, as well as international performance credits. Since retiring from the stage Danny has cultivated a thriving career as a Dance Educator - serving students nationwide, Community Engagement Manager - creating curriculum and working with students in their classrooms to support their academic studies through movement at Title 1 Elementary Schools, and eventually as Associate Artistic Director of the Colorado Conservatory of Dance. In 2018 Danny and his family relocated to Milwaukee where he stepped outside of his career in the arts and for 6 and a half years thrived as Operations and Specialty Assistant Store Manager for the Home Depot. It was with Home Depot that he honed his skills around business acumen, leading people through a values based lens, and serving his community. These diverse experiences bring Danny back to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp (SFAC) where he served as Dance Faculty for 5 consecutive summers beginning 2014, and co-founded Dance Alaska Project with long-time collaborator Adam W. McKinney. Danny works year-round for SFAC as Operations Coordinator.
Danny will be teaching dance at Elementary Camp.
Danny will be teaching dance at Elementary Camp.
Leslie Shows
Leslie Shows is a Los Angeles-based artist whose mixed media paintings explore materiality, abstraction, and representations of nature. She works with acrylic and oil paints, glass, metal, collage and assemblage, casting and relief. Leslie grew up in Juneau, Alaska and has taught in the visual arts for 14 years at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate levels. 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. Her recent public commissions include a 35-ft glass artwork for the San Francisco Central Subway, and she is currently working on her 12th solo exhibition.
For more information visit Leslie's website here.
Leslie will be teaching Painting, Abstract Painting, and Collage & Mixed Media at High School Camp.
For more information visit Leslie's website here.
Leslie will be teaching Painting, Abstract Painting, and Collage & Mixed Media at High School Camp.
Michael Takahata
Michael Takahata was born in Oklahoma City and attended the University of Oklahoma where he received a BFA in studio art, and participated in a post baccalaureate program. Michael recently completed his MFA in ceramics at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He is currently working and developing work back in Oklahoma.
Michael will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Ceramic Handbuilding and Wheel Thrown Pottery at Middle and High School Camp.
Michael will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Ceramic Handbuilding and Wheel Thrown Pottery at Middle and 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 one of SFAC's collaborative pianists at Middle School, High School, and Musical Theater Camp.
Susan will be one of SFAC's collaborative pianists at Middle School, High School, and Musical Theater Camp.
Christina Woo
Christina Woo is a filmmaker, writer, and story artist from Los Angeles. She is a recent alum of CalArts with a BFA in Character Animation. From parallel parking, problems at work, and online dating, she enjoys writing stories about those small nuances of life and exploring different art techniques in animation. Her films have gained recognition at SIFF, Santa Fe International, Fine Cut, TAAFI, Annapolis, etc.
For more information visit Christina's website here.
Christina will be teaching Animation at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Christina's website here.
Christina will be teaching Animation at Middle 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 here.
Elizabeth will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Drawing the Natural World, Printmaking, and Design & Printmaking at Middle and High School Camp.
For more information visit Elizabeth's website here.
Elizabeth will be teaching at Elementary Camp and teaching Drawing the Natural World, Printmaking, and Design & Printmaking at Middle and High 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.
Adam will be teaching Digital Photography at Elementary Camp.
Adam will be teaching Digital Photography at Elementary Camp.
Emily Nixon
Emily Nixon is a flutist currently based in Cleveland, Ohio. A recent graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Emily obtained a BM in Flute Performance under the direction of Alexa Still and completed a concentration in Pedagogy, Advocacy and Community Engagement. At Oberlin, Emily has performed with ensembles including the Oberlin Orchestra, Contemporary Music Ensemble and Oberlin Opera and appeared on Alexa Still’s most recent album, WISH. Passionate about teaching, Emily serves as a woodwind coach for the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra and teaches private lessons. In addition to teaching and performing, Emily is the current Library Intern for The Cleveland Orchestra.
Emily will be teaching Flute Technique and Small Ensembles at Middle and High School Camp. Emily will also be one of SFAC's Music Coordinators for the summer.
Emily will be teaching Flute Technique and Small Ensembles at Middle and High School Camp. Emily will also be one of SFAC's Music Coordinators for the summer.
Patricia Noonan
Patricia Noonan is a storyteller who collaborates with others to expand the stories we tell about women, work towards educational equity, and empower others to find and share their voice. A graduate of Boston College's Presidental Scholar program, Patricia's writing projects have been developed and presented at Goodspeed, Polyphone, 54 Below, The Pitch, and the Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival. They 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, Temple University, University of the Arts, and Sacred Heart University as well as a proud teaching artist with Arts Ignite and in New York and Philadelphia public schools for over eight years.
For more information visit Patricia's website here.
Patricia will be teaching Broadway Song Workshop, Play Production, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Patricia's website here.
Patricia will be teaching Broadway Song Workshop, Play Production, and Musical Theater at Middle School Camp.
Meg Takata
Meg Takata is a Los Angeles-based character designer, illustrator, and art instructor. She has worked with animation studios like Warner Bros. and Bento Box, works with kids teaching foundational drawing and painting, and teaches costume and figure drawing at ArtCenter College of Design. With her sketches, designs, and illustrations, she loves to tell specific and humanistic stories. She also loves to go people-sketching at cafes, swimming in her free time, and listening to her highly specific music playlists.
For more information visit Meg's website here.
Meg will be teaching Figure Drawing, Drawing the Portrait, and Watercolor at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Meg's website here.
Meg will be teaching Figure Drawing, Drawing the Portrait, and Watercolor at Middle School Camp.
Joe Azure
Joe Azure grew up in Sitka, Alaska before discovering his passion for photography later in life. Over the past 18 years, his dedication to the craft has taken him from the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge to the dramatic landscapes of our National Parks and the remote regions of Iceland and Patagonia, always carrying with him the perspective shaped by his Alaskan roots. Joe's work reflects his belief in the power of practice and purposeful observation—skills he enthusiastically shares with photographers of all ages and experience levels. As both a software engineer and photographer, Joe brings a unique blend of technical expertise and artistic vision to his teaching. His experience leading workshops in nature, landscape, and cityscape photography, combined with his knowledge of digital post-processing, allows him to guide students through both the creative and technical aspects of modern digital photography. As a Sitka native, Joe finds special joy in capturing the raw beauty of Southeast Alaska and looks forward to working with young photographers to do the same.
For more information visit Joe's website here.
Joe will be teaching Digital Photography at Middle School Camp.
For more information visit Joe's website here.
Joe will be teaching Digital Photography at Middle School Camp.
Juls Bicki
Juls Bicki began her training with the International Ballet School before continuing on to train with Zamuel Ballet School, Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts, and Ballet Society of Colorado Springs. While attending Walnut Hill on full scholarship, Ms. Bicki had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall in 2008. She has twice won first place at the annual Esther Geoffrey Young Dancers Competition, and has won both fourth and fifth place at the Denver Ballet Guild Competition. Professionally, Julianna has danced with Boulder Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater under the directorship of Ben Stevenson O.B.E., Colorado Jazz Dance Company, Ballet Frontier (Texas), Owen/Cox Dance Group (Kansas City, MO), Napoles Dance Theater (San Francisco), and Arc Dance Company (Seattle). Juls has served as Lead Faculty at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance and for the last six years taught ballet at Lake Shore Dance.
Juls will be teaching dance at Elementary Camp.
Juls will be teaching dance at Elementary Camp.
Jordan Phillips
Jordan Phillips is a theatrical/ film actor proudly hailing from West Virginia. She earned her BFA in Acting from West Virginia University and is a working actor based in Atlanta, GA. She loves teaching the ideas of vulnerability, taking risks, and the importance of going back to the basics of theatre – it’s all just playing pretend after all! Along with teaching at the camp, she fills the role of Director of Students for the middle and high school camps.
Jordan will be teaching theater at Elementary Camp.
Jordan will be teaching theater at Elementary Camp.
