Scroll down to read bios on our current faculty or click a quick link below.
Visual Arts
Kirsten Brown - AS from Middlesex Community College. Office of Child Care Services Teacher certified. Kirsten has been teaching children for over 4 years. She has shown her artwork at the annual Creative Arts Faculty concert and has volunteered her time at numerous Creative Arts events. Kirsten is an active volunteer in the arts.
Dennis Hart - MFA candidate at Vermont College, anticipated graduation 2010. BFA in Painting & Illustration, Massachusetts College of Art; Graphic Design Certificate, MassArt. He has exhibited his artwork in Creative Arts' Faculty Exhibit; at First Expressions Gallery in Boston; Essex Art Center, Lawrence; The Foster Gallery, Worcester; and in
private collections in the area. He is also a freelance graphic designer and
illustrator. Visit his work at www.dennishartstudios.com.
Lesley King - BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in Ceramics. Lesley's skills include hand building, wheel work, altered wheel thrown work, glazing (low & high fire), special techniques for low fire glazing and overglazing. She has attended numerous NCECA conferences and has taken many workshops with well-known ceramic artists at Medflat Studio, Radcliff Studios and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Lesley has been involved with ceramics for thirty plus years and enjoys sharing her skills, techniques, secreats and enthusiasm with others. She joined the Creative Arts team in Spring 2009.
Jamie (MacInnes) McDonough - BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in Community Art Education, Minor in Ceramics. She has been teaching art to students from ages 18 months - 18 years for over six years. She has exhibited her artwork in the Greater-Boston area, including Creative Arts' Faculty Exhibit. Jamie is also an active art event volunteer. Visit her work at www.jamiemcdonough.daportfolio.com.
Rick Shaffer - BA from Hofstra University. Rick is a professional artist specializing in watercolor; he has worked in this medium for over 20 years and has a strong passion for the arts. Rick has shown his artwork in shows
all over the Northeast.
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Theatre
Kirsten Brown - See bio under Art Faculty.
Angela Merrill - BA in English from the University of Massachusetts where she studied The Works of Shakespeare, English Literature and Creative Writing. For sixteen years, Angela was a dance student learning the inside and out of stage performance. Creative Arts Theatre teacher since 2002. Angela has written many of the plays her students perform at Creative Arts. She is Office of Child Care Services Teacher certified.
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Music
STRINGS
Laura Burgess (Traditional & Suzuki violin, viola) Masters in Music Education and Viola Performance from the Boston Conservatory in 1999 with additional graduate education credits from Salem State, Lesley college NEC Kodaly Program, Hartt University and UMASS Lowell (to name a few). Her music teaching credentials are extensive: Arlington Public Schools (orchestra and group lessons), Cambridge Public Schools (group lessons and All-City Orchestra), Concord-Carlisle High School (orchestra, group lessons, Music Technology), and Revere and Newburyport Public Schools (orchestra, private and group lessons). She also has experience teaching special needs students.
Laura teaches both traditional and Suzuki methods (violin and viola) to all ages and music abilities, and is Suzuki certified through Book 4. Laura taught at Creative Arts in the past and is excited to contribute to our mission and community!
Karl Ørvik (Violin & Viola) Just returning from Korea where he performed with the Klaritas Quartet, Karl is ready to jump into teaching at Creative Arts! In 2008 Karl and his family moved to Boston to pursue his Doctor of Music Arts from Boston University and study under Roman Totenberg. He received a Bachelor's in Music from Lawrence University and a Master's in Music from Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to coaching youth orchestra and symphony programs, Karl has also taught at festivals, ran workshops and taught at the collegiate level. He currently has a small private studio, teaches 2nd-8th graders at The Waldorf School of Lexington, and has been on the faculty of both the Lexington Community Education and Conservatory Lab Charter School. Karl was also published in the May 2007 ASTA Journal, "The Practice Factory", and has two pieces under review - Practical Scale Method for Advanced Violinists and First Year Violin. Karl appreciates the sense of community and support, along with programming opportunities, that community schools like Creative Arts offer.
Jenna Potts (Suzuki violin) An Ohio native, Jenna began her Suzuki training at 6yrs old and, later, teaching Suzuki violin at 16. Her fondness for playing the violin and mentoring younger students blossomed into a music career. Jenna received her BA in music from Case Western University and will receive a Masters of Music in Violin Performance with an emphasis in Pedagogy from Longy School of Music in 2011. She has studied under Mark Lakirovich, Gabriel Pegis, Valarie B. Gardner and Suzuki Apprentiship training under Moshe Neumann and Kimberly Meier-Simms. She is Suzuki certified through Book 4 but is extremely experienced teaching in higher books. Jenna enjoys introducing students to and fostering a life-long relationship with music. For her students, Jenna seeks to "develop concrete technical skills, instill a love of music (in students and their families), encourage personal discipline,...and to provide a positive, encouraging environment while doing so." Jenna joined the Creative Arts Faculty in Fall 2009.
Elena Raucci (traditional cello, string orchestra) MM in Music Education, University of Connecticut. Dedicated music educator, including 18 years at Creative Arts. Also music instructor for Reading's public schools. Cellist with the Arioso Trio.
Shannon Snapp (traditional cello, string orchestra) After receiving her Master degree in Cello Performance from New England Conservatory of Music, Shannon performed in Europe and North America playing in Stuttgart, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Boston, Cleveland and New York (just to name a few locations...). She has performed with members of Cleveland, Julliard and Guarneri Quartets and played alongside Paul Katz, Rudolf Kolisch, Peter Sellars, Craig Smith and many other fantastic musicians. After her rich performance experience, Shannon decided to relocate to Winchester, MA and share her love of music by inspiring and encouraging others; she decided to teach. Recently, Shannon, along several musician friends, started Alcyon Chamber Ensemble to bring music experience into public schools. Shannon joined the Creative Arts Faculty in Fall 2009.
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GUITAR
Jacob Mathews (traditional) Classical guitarist, received music performance degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo (B.Mus.) and New England Conservatory (Masters). His primary teachers were the Castellani-Andriaccio Duo and David Leisner. He has commissioned and premiered new works for guitar solo and guitar with voice and clarinet in addition to transcriptions of other media. Mr. Mathews has performed recitals in Italy, Spain and the United States as well as receiving artist residency awards and grants from the Chautauqua Institute, Rome and Masterplayers' International Festivals, New England Conservatory and University at Buffalo. He has been teaching at Creative Arts since 2003.
Mark Dante Troiano (guitar, bass guitar & electric guitar - rock, pop, folk, folk-rock, jazz and emo, music theory, songwriting, ear-training) Mark is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, MA. He has a BA in English: Dramatic Literature & Theater with a double minor in Music: Theory, Composition & Voice. At Wheaton, Mark was the Musical Director of the all-male A Capella vocal ensemble, The Wheaton College Gentlemen Callers. They recorded five albums together. He has just finished recording his debut solo album - The Lightworker's Union, and is now in the studio recording his follow-up album: The Long Walk Home. Mark can be found playing out at local clubs, bars, cafes, and coffeehouses.
Mark is a Contemporary Musician who teaches Holistically - He teachs to better then entire person. As a student of Zen, he incorporate principles of balance, musical discipline and self-awareness into his teaching methodology to allow the student's inner light to shine though. He is a self-taught musician and a professionally trained vocalist. Mark began at Creative Arts in 2007. Visit www.myspace.com/dante34 to hear his new CD - The Lightworker's Union.
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PIANO
Joseph Beninati (Traditional) Berklee College of Music studies; extensive career in piano performance in the Northeast. Mr. Beninati played for 15 years with the LaPierre School of Ballet and a wide variety of community theatre productions in Reading, Wilmington, Wakefield, Peabody and New Hampshire. He is accompanist for The Reading Community Singers and The Wakefield Choral Society. Joe credits his former teacher and mentor, Mr. James L. Roth, for his musical achievements.
Brent Erstad (Traditional) Brent Erstad received his musical training at The Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of renowned Russian pianists Margarita Shevchenko and Olga Radosavljevich. In addition to solo and collaborative appearances across the United States, he was Organ Scholar at S. Stephen’s Church in Providence before accepting the post of Organist and Choirmaster at historic Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island. In demand as a collaborative artist, Brent is a staff pianist at The Boston Conservatory and former accompanist for The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. An advocate of historically informed performance, Brent has appeared at the Montana Early Music Festival, the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute and with the Baroque Orchestra of Case Western Reserve University.
He enjoys playing classical piano and LOVES to perform (just about every musical genre). Brent joined the Creative Arts faculty in the Summer of 2009.
Tatyana Foaksman (Traditional) MS in Music Ed., I.P. Kotlyarevsky Kharkov, Ukraine. Staff pianist at Boston Ballet Company with public performances at Company Theater.
Natacha Rist (Suzuki & Traditional) Natacha Rist is a Franco-American Pianist born and raised in France.
She received her Performance Diploma in Piano Performance (eq. Masters in
Music) from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, her M.M. in Vocal
Accompaniment from Boston University.
Her teachers include : M. Rybicki in Paris (Neuhaus Russian Piano legacy),
A. Rogers, A. DiBonaventura, M. Kroll, Lois Shapiro, B. Hatheway in Boston.
She teaches Piano (both Suzuki and Non-Suzuki), at Creative Arts, Powers
Music School, and at her home studio in Jamaica Plain. She enjoys
building on her over 20 years extensive experience with students of all ages and
levels.
A certified Suzuki instructor, she has received her Suzuki training from Dr. Doris
Harrel and participates regularly in Suzuki Festivals.
Her Early Childhood training also includes : Methodes Actives Martenot,
Dalcroze Eurythmics, "First steps" with Ruth Schechter, and introduction to
Music Together and Musikgarten. Her exposure to such varied "Introduction to
Music" approaches gives her a wide repertoire of tools to teach musical fluency,
using various listening, movement, singing, rythm games etc ...
N.B. : She's also very diligent about teaching music reading fluency to all her
students, Suzuki and Non-Suzuki.
As a professional Instrumental and Vocal Accompanist she is employed in many
venues and studios, both privately and in several Boston area music schools.
An active free-lance soloist and collaborative pianist, she performs Solo and
Chamber Music in the New England area and in France and is a founding
member of Kharis Chamber Players.
She's also Organist and Music Director at First Baptist Church in Natick. Natacha joined the Creative Arts faculty in the Summer of 2009.
Roald Wilson (Traditional) has been teaching piano and ensembles at Creative Arts for 10 years. He has played in dozens of states and several other countries on keyboards, strings and wind instruments. He has composed for film and modern dance choreography; his acoustic ensemble band "Tornado Bros." based in Boston received regional radio airplay. Roald has built many instruments; collects and plays many more. His performance background includes classical, church, folk, Appalachian and Zydeco music. Roald studied music, religious studies, theatre and audio technology at Indiana University.
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BRASS/WOODWIND
Judy Braude (traditional flute) MM University of Illinois in flute performance. Former flute faculty Boston Conservatory of Music Division of Special Programs, Bradford, Notre Dame and Upsala Colleges; Manchester Community Music School, and the Perkins Center for the Arts (NJ). Presently Principal Flute of the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic, and the Salem Philharmonic Orchestras; former piccoloist with the NJ State Opera Orchestra; Flutist with the Arioso Trio, Concerto Soloist with the Livingston (NJ) Symphony, the MVPO, the Salem Philharmonic and the NJ Bach Festival Orchestras. Solo Recitals at The Behrend College of Penn State, King's Chapel (MA), and many library concert series including Reading Memorial Library and Andover Libraries.
Todd Brunel (clarinet & saxophone) BM in Clarinet performance from the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Atilio Poto and Pasquale Cardillo. He has pursued graduate study at the Longy School of Music as a scholarship recipient, the University of North Texas and was the graduate assistant to Paul Shelden at Brooklyn College Conservatory. He was a scholarship participant at the Aspen Music Festival and has pursued additional clarinet training with Thomas Martin and Jonathan Cohler, composition with Sam Headrick and jazz improvisation with Bob Mover and Peter Cassino. He is an innovative, critically acclaimed clarinetist who leads a dual life as a cross-over classical and jazz musician. “Tremendous virtuosity and heart," said The Boston Globe. Brunel produced the critically acclaimed 'Vortex Series' for improvisational music, which was the jazz "pick of the week" in the Boston Phoenix and the Boston Globe. In addition to premieres of his own compositions, his “powerful, polyrhythmic improvisations,” (Somerville Arts Council) earned him “A true cat, heavy pro” accolade from godsofmusic.com. Todd began teaching clarinet and saxophone at Creative Arts in 2007. You can visit his website at: www.clarinetconspiracy.com
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VOICE
Andrea Loretz (traditional) MM in opera performance, Boston Conservatory of Music; BA State University of New York at Binghamton. Performed over 20 years throughout the East Coast, US and Europe. Taught at all vocal levels for over 15 years in the Boston area and New York, including 6 years at Creative Arts. Founder, Co-Director, and Performance Artist with Improvelocity (visit: www.improvelocity.com). Studied with Robert Honeysucker and Elizabeth Vrenios.
Brian Ocock (traditional) MM in applied voice, New England Conservatory of Music; BM in applied voice, Westminster College, PA. Studied with Mark Aliapoulios, Susan Clickner, Isaac Reid and Frank Pullano. Vocal coaching with Terry Decima & James Benner.
Mark Dante Troiano (traditional-broadway, belt, rock, pop, folk, folk-rock, emo, contemporary & jazz) - see bio. under guitar
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PERCUSSION
Joshua Jade (percussion)
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