2024 Faculty

Acting

Instructor

Coming soon!

Chorus

Michael Barrett, Conductor

Pretoria, South Africa

Michael Joseph Barrett, who was awarded a DMus (Performing Arts) in Choral Performance by the University of Pretoria in 2017, is currently the conductor of the University’s (Tuks) Camerata choir and a senior lecturer in Choral Conducting in the Department of Music. He has received a Y2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF). Barrett's choirs have won numerous national and international awards and he is in demand as a choral clinician, a lecturer and an adjudicator both locally and abroad. He is an active composer and arranger, and 40 of his compositions have been published internationally by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and Walton Music (USA). Barrett is the executive director and co-producer of Capital Singers, South Africa's largest community choir project.

tukscamerata.co.za

Creative Writing

Instructor

Coming soon!

Dance

Andrew Palermo, Dance Instructor

Los Angeles, California

Highlights include Allegiance (Broadway/Longacre Theatre), Nickel Mines (ACT of CT, The Duke on 42nd St), Myths and Hymns (PBS/AllArts), The Mikado, Iolanthe, Babes In Toyland, Of Thee, I Sing, Let ‘Em Eat Cake!, Kristin Chenoweth (Carnegie Hall), The Frank Loesser Songbook/New York Philharmonic (Lincoln Center), Ace (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Let Go (Moscow State Theatre, ‘Gzhel’), and The Aluminum Show (international tour), and others. As performer: Original Broadway companies of Wicked and Annie Get Your Gun (Bernadette Peters revival), the closing company of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Matthew Broderick revival), national/international tours of West Side Story, Little Fish and many more. Andrew is the founder of Creatively Able, a movement workshop for individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as a professor of drama at University of California, Irvine. He lives in Los Angeles with his rescue dogs, Henry and Steve.  

andrewpalermo.com

Mary Carpenter

Mary Carpenter, Ballet & Pilates Instructor

Latham, New York

Mary studied at CCM, the official school for Cincinnati Ballet Company, and on scholarship at the David Howard Dance Center.  She holds a BA with high honors in dance from Butler University. She danced for The Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center; performed as a principal guest artist for Ohio Dance Theatre and Granite State Ballet, as a soloist with  Ballet Artists of Cincinnati, Maryland Ballet, Lexington Ballet, and Charleston Ballet and in numerous off-Broadway productions. Mary was previously on the faculty of  Broadway Dance Center, The Ballet Hispanico School, Barnard College, and The New School University. She is on the current faculty of Ballet Academy East and the world-famous Steps on Broadway. She directed nine ballet classroom music recordings with Roper Records from creative movement through advanced ballet and is a featured teacher in two DVDs for RizBiz Productions, "Budding Ballerinas'' and "From Tights to Tutus." Mary created "The Magical World of Ballet" with Roper, a DVD designed for young dancers, teachers, and parents. Mary has been certified in Pilates mat since 2014 and holds a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. You can take her ballet classes virtually on the Dancio.com website, where she is a featured master teacher for adult beginners. Ms. Carpenter’s latest project is a classroom recording collaboration with Metropolitan Opera Ballet pianist Steven Mitchell for his music app Balletrax. Mary is a master pointe shoe fitter with over thirty years of experience working with dancers in ABT, The Royal Ballet, and NYCB - to name a few. She has given pointe shoe lectures at prestigious summer programs for ABT/JKO, Dance Theatre of Harlem, NYSSA, and Oklahoma Summer Arts at Quartz Mountain. She has served as a panelist on pointe shoes alongside Misty Copeland, coached Julia Stiles for her role in the movie “Save the Last Dance”, and assisted NYCB principal dancer Jenifer Ringer with pointe shoes for Oprah Winfrey for TV. Mary is the featured pointe shoe expert for the last video project by the late master teacher David Howard “I’ll Be Seeing You” on Vimeo. In 2015 she launched her Youtube channel “Dancewithmary NYC” where she shares her pointe shoe expertise in monthly segments.

dancewithmarynyc.nyc

Drawing & Painting

Instructor

Coming soon!

Film & Video

Jeffrey Palmer

Jeffrey Palmer, Instructor

Ithaca, New York

Jeffrey Palmer, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, is an award-winning filmmaker and media artist. He describes his work as a multimedia exploration of Indigenous people's lives in 21st century America. He recently completed his first feature film, "N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear", examining the life and mind of the first Native American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and aired nationally on the PBS series, American Masters. In 2020, the film was nominated for an Emmy in support of American Masters' 33rd season, for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series. Palmer received numerous awards, grants, and recognition from the Sundance Institute, ITVS, Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and the Firelight Media Documentary Lab. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, International Documentary Association, Television Academy, and is an associate professor of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University.

vimeopro.com/user2833074/jeffreypalmer

Alan Novey, Technician

More info coming soon!

Orchestra

Kimcherie Lloyd, Conductor

More info coming soon!

Min-Jeong Koh, Violin

Buffalo, New York

Praised for her “extreme versatility” and “simply unbeatable beauty of tone” (Berliner Zeitung), Min-Jeong Koh maintains a busy schedule as a concert artist and educator. As first violinist of the Cecilia String Quartet, Koh won First Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, 2nd Prize at the Osaka International Music Competition, and the Prix de la Sacem at the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition. Their latest recording was chosen as Gramophone Magazine’s “Editor’s Choice,” “Top 10 Mendelssohn Recordings,” and was nominated for a JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. Koh has performed across Europe, Asia, and North America at such celebrated stages as London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, Beethoven-haus, Prague’s Rudolfinum, Library of Congress, La Jolla Music Society, Stanford Live, among others. A passionate educator, she serves on the faculty at The Glenn Gould School and the Taylor Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory.

minjeongkoh.com

Tze-Ying Wu, Viola

Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. Tze-Ying Wu is a violist, educator, and director. She is the Assistant Professor of Viola and String Education at the University of Kentucky and directs the UK String Project. She also serves on the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts faculty for instrumental music. Before coming to Kentucky, she was the founding director of the Sturgis Music Academy of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. An active performer, Dr. Wu has played with the Lexington Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In addition, as a member of the Formosa Trio (va/fl/hp), she has given performances in the US, China, and Taiwan. Dr. Wu received her Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University. She studied with Atar Arad and was an instructor for the IU String Academy, working closely with its director Mimi Zweig.

Anthony Stoops, Double Bass

Norman, Oklahoma

Anthony Stoops is Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma School of Music, Principal Bass of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and is a member of the BrightMusic ensemble in Oklahoma City. He has performed as a member of over a dozen orchestras including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus (OH) and Toledo Symphony orchestras, as well as the Detroit Opera, and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra among others. Stoops started the bass in 4th grade in the renowned Westerville (OH) public schools string program. His first bass teacher was Sid Townsend and his orchestra director was Robert Pforsich, former principal 2nd violin of the Columbus (OH) Symphony. Private study in high school was with Dr. Mark Morton, principal bass of the Columbus Symphony. In college, he studied with Jeff Bradetich at Northwestern University, Diana Gannett at the University of Iowa and the legendary Stuart Sankey at the University of Michigan.  

anthonystoops.com

Lani Kelly, Oboe

Lansing, Michigan

Lani Kelly serves as Principal Oboe in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra. She is an active performer, playing with the Memphis, Fort Worth, and St Louis Symphony Orchestras, and in 2013 was invited to perform as Guest Principal Oboe with the Wuhan Philharmonic in China. Kelly loves working with young musicians, and has served as faculty at Alma College and Michigan State University, where she directed several courses and maintained a private studio. She received her Bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory and her Masters from Michigan State University, where she was awarded the University Distinguished Fellowship. Kelly was a prizewinner at the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Competition in 2023, and a recipient of a fellowship from the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2007. In her free time, she enjoys jigsaw puzzles, reading, and spoiling her two cats!

Catherine Hudgins, Clarinet

Boston, Massachusetts

Clarinetist Catherine Hudgins began her career in Caracas, Venezuela with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Caracas, later Sinfonica Municipal de Caracas, Charleston Symphony, and Boise Philharmonic. She has performed on five continents. Currently principal clarinetist with the Plymouth Philharmonic and Eb clarinetist for the Portland Symphony, she frequently performs as an extra with the Boston Symphony. As a duo-soloist with William Hudgins she most recently presented Daniel Crozier’s Spirit premier, written for them. Chamber music includes Assisi Performing Arts, Spoleto, Rockport, and Scotia Festivals, Ensemble Chamarré, and West Stockbridge Chamber Players. Highlights in Japan include Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra, Tokyo Opera Nomori, and Mito Chamber Orchestra, led by Seiji Ozawa. As principal clarinetist for the 75th anniversary tour of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, she toured much of the eastern half of the United States. Her recordings on Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and BSO Classics labels, include 3 Grammy winners.

catherinehudginsclarinet.com

Benjamin Coelho, Bassoon

Iowa City, Iowa

Originally from Brazil, Benjamin Coelho began his bassoon journey at the Tatuí Conservatory at age ten. He holds a BFA from the Purchase Conservatory of Music and an MM from the Manhattan School of Music. Coelho is a sought-after musician, teacher, and recording artist performing on five continents. He finds great joy and fulfillment as a teacher and pedagogue. His students have successfully gained positions at public schools, universities, colleges, orchestras, and in the music industry. Coelho is a passionate champion of contemporary music, actively commissioning, performing, and recording compositions from composers worldwide. He has released seven acclaimed CDs as a recording artist, earning national and international recognition. Currently, he is the professor of bassoon at the University of Iowa and the principal bassoonist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. He resides in Iowa City with his wife, Karen, and is a proud father of Liliana and Julia.

benjamincoelho.com

Amanda Collins, Horn

Columbia, Missouri

Described as “impressively solid” by the Dallas Morning News, Amanda Collins has quickly become a highly sought after performer and educator across the US and abroad. Collins is third horn with the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and second horn with the American Studio Orchestra. She has performed with several notable ensembles including the Seattle Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Kansas Symphony Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Opera Memphis, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Brass Quintet. Collins is a passionate educator and is currently assistant professor of french horn at the University of Missouri. A dedicated chamber musician, she is a member of the Missouri Quintet and the University of Missouri Faculty Brass Quintet. A strong supporter of diversity and inclusion in the arts, many of Collins’ students hail from under-served and underrepresented communities.

acollinshorn.com

Joe W. Moore III, Percussion

Fort Worth, Texas

Joe W. Moore III is a percussionist, educator, and composer residing in the DFW Metroplex. He currently serves on faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has also served on music faculties at the University of Louisiana Monroe, Benedict College, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Texas at Brownsville. Active as a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Moore performs as a member of the Omojo Percussion Duo, the Ninkasi Percussion Group, and Dead Resonance. As a composer, Dr. Moore's works have been performed and heard across the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Moore’s works are published by C. Alan Publications, Alea Publishing and Recording, Percussion Music Europe, and Musicon Publications. He also self-publishes many of his own manuscripts which can be found on his website. Dr. Moore's sponsors include Pearl Drums/Adams Musical Instruments, REMO Drumheads, SABIAN Cymbals, Black Swamp Percussion, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.

joewmooreiii.net

Photography

Instructor

Coming soon!

Ben Long

Ben Long, Digital Technician

San Francisco, California

Ben Long is a San Francisco-based photographer, writer, and teacher. The author of over two dozen books on digital photography and digital video, he is also the author of several best-selling LinkedInLearning.com photography courses. His photography clients have included 20th Century Fox, Blue Note Records, Global Business Network, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Pickle Family Circus, and Grammy-nominated jazz musicians Don Byron and Dafnis Prieto. He has taught and lectured on photography around the world, including workshops at the Santa Reparata International School of the Arts in Florence and a class for imaging engineers at Apple, Inc. He occasionally dabbles in computer programming and has written image editing utilities that are used by National Geographic, the British Museum, and the White House. Long was an OSAI acting student in 1985.

completedigitalphotography.com

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