VOCAL STUDIO
Xan Waddell Jeffery – Soprano
Xan Waddell Jeffery is a native of Nashville, TN. She earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees (with Honors) in Vocal Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), University of Cincinnati. Xan is Head of Voice Studies at Indian Hill Performing Arts and has a large private voice studio, with locations in Indian Hill and Anderson Township. She has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. She is a choir section leader/soloist at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, a member of the Cincinnati Choral Society, Music Director of McNicholas High School Theatre and regularly serves as vocal director for community theatre groups in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Xan is Past-President of the CCM Alumni Board of Governors and member of the Friends of CCM Board. She is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA) and on the Executive Board of Sigma Alpha Iota-Cincinnati Alumnae Chapter. In 2008, Xan was invited to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). She was very honored to receive two Orchid awards in 2014-2015 for Excellence in Vocal Direction for Cincinnati Music Theatre’s production of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and Footlighters’ production of LITTLE WOMEN. |
Kimberly Buczek – Soprano
Kimberly is an active soloist and music educator in the Cincinnati/Dayton area. Recently she made her debut with the Queen City Chamber Opera as Sieglinde in Wagners Die Walküre, Act 1. Kimberly graduated from Ithaca College (New York) where she received a bachelor’s degree in voice performance. She went on to earn a master’s degree and D.M.A. at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. While at CCM, Dr. Buczek performed Elettra in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Diana in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Ariadne in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and covered Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Iphigénie in Gluck’s Iphégenie en Tauride. Other roles include Magda in Menotti’s The Consul and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Dr. Buczek has trained as a studio artist with Chautauqua Opera, where she covered Giannetta in Donizetti’s Elixir of Love. At the end of her time at Chautauqua, she was the recipient of the Ed Harmon Young Artist Award. In 2010, Dr. Buczek made her debut with the Asheville Symphony, in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Dr. Buczek has taught Applied Voice at Wright State University, Wittenberg University, and is also the Executive Director of Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts.
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Michael Young – Baritone
Michael Young is a native of Cortland, Ohio and a graduate of The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He is a former First Prize winner of the Palm Beach Opera International Vocal Competition, The CCM Undergraduate Vocal Competition, and a two time winner of the Corbett Vocal Competition.
Mr. Young is on faculty as a Voice Instructor at Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts, and Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble Institute of Music. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Ohio Music Education Association. He is a member of the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, The Knox Presbyterian Choir, the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas, and the Cincinnati Opera Chorus. Michael also maintains a steady performance schedule, which has included such operatic engagements as Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, Opera Western Reserve, Marcello in Puccini’s La Boheme, Opera Western Reserve, Alberich in Wagner’s Siegfried, Queen City Chamber Opera Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and various supporting roles at Cincinnati Opera and Dayton Opera. In the fall, Michael will make his west coast debut as Alberich in Wagner’s Siegfried at San Francisco’s Valhalla Productions. Recent concert repertoire includes the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and bass/baritone soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. |
INSTUMENTAL STUDIO
Cynthia Lawrence – Piano & Voice
Cynthia has worked as a singer, musical director, vocal coach, accompanist, and arts educator for many years. Before moving to Cincinnati, Cynthia served as Musical Director for Springfield Little Theatre, Missouri’s oldest and largest civic theatre. Musical directing credits include Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and many other productions. As a performer, Cynthia has experience onstage in regional, community and professional theatre as well as in the studio as a jingle artist and studio musician. Her teaching credits include private studio voice and piano instruction, public school music education and community theatre education and workshops. Her focus in recent years has been on training the young musical theatre singer, arts integration and program development. Cynthia holds a BS, Vocal Performance, from Southwest Baptist University, teacher certification in music and theatre studies from Missouri State University, and a MM from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, with special emphases in music education, musical theatre and arts administration. |
Richard Miller-Wimmer – Guitar & Brass Instructor
Rich currently serves as a Worship Pastor at a church in Northern Kentucky while teaching lessons on a variety of instruments. With a Bachelor of Music Education, Rich has studied a variety of instruments with a large emphasis on Trombone and other low brass instruments. While working on his degree he studied trombone under Jeanie Lee and Bill Mann. Rich has also taken lessons with Douglas Yeo, Massimo La Rosa and Joseph Alessi. Not only has he studied and played trombone but has been involved in multiple bands playing bass guitar most often. He has toured across the United States and spent time recording in Nashville. With studying orchestral trombone to playing bass and guitar, touring and recording, Rich has developed a unique and diverse musical experience and perspective.
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Kevin Norton – Saxophone
Dr. Kevin Norton earned his DMA in saxophone at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (where he studied with Dr. James Bunte). He is currently a private instructor in the Cincinnati metro area, primarily at the Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA) and the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). During the 2012–13 school year, he was also an Adjunct Professor (teaching Intro to Music and music history) at The Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio.
A native of Williamsburg, Kentucky, Kevin previously studied at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky under Dr. Nathan Nabb and Prof. Eugene Norden. At Morehead, Kevin earned a Bachelor’s degree (Summa cum laude) in Music Education and a Master of Music in saxophone performance. He has performed at several events held by the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA): regional conferences at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (2007), Northeastern Illinois University (2011) and Bowling Green State University (2013); the 2008 national conference at the University of South Carolina; the 2010 national conference at the University of Georgia; the 2012 national conference at Arizona State University; and the 2014 national conference at the University of Illinois. Furthermore, he performed at the United States Navy Band’s International Saxophone Symposium in 2011, 2015 and 2016. |
ACTING STUDIO
Erin Carr – Acting Instructor
Erin Carr is currently working as a professional freelance actor and traveling teaching artist. She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Experimental Theatre Wing and received her BFA in drama. Erin enjoys working on the stage, in front of the camera and in the classroom. She is currently a full-time movement teacher and director at the Cincinnati Actor’s Studio & Academy and will be touring this winter with The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. When time permits, she works as an adjunct theatre professor at Miami University, as a teaching artist with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as well as The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, a traveling guest artist with the Educational Theatre Association, and a private acting coach at Cincinnati Music Academy. She is also the Co-Artistic Director of the women-focused theatre company, ReVamp Collective. For more information: www.erincarr.com
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GROUP CLASS INSTRUCTORS
Danielle Muething – Group Class Instructor
Danielle Muething has directed CAPA summer camps for the last two years. Last year she made her debut with the company directing Jungle Book Kids and was delighted to be asked back to direct two of her favorite shows. Danielle has been a professional actor for over 20 years around the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area as well as in Orlando, Florida. She has worked for such great companies as The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, The Carnegie, and Cincinnati Landmark Productions. Within the last 10 years she has added writing and directing to her credits. Her favorite writing credits include the training video for the Cincinnati Museum Center where she was also lucky enough to be in the video, and at the Newport Aquarium, where she co-wrote the script for Scuba Santa and did voice over work for many events including Mermaids. She is also a proud member of the a capella singing duo The Sweet and Lows. Outside of her performance jobs she loves to ride her Wonder Woman motorcycle with her amazing husband, Mike, and hang out with her two doggies, Bender and Oz.
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Carol Brammer – Group Class Instructor
Carol Brammer is the founder of the Clifton Performance Theatre, Creative Director and Producer. “Growing up in a small town, performance art became the life line to seeing a future.” In 1987 she was selected for a role with Warner Brothers, and later toured Europe and United States in various music reviews. In college, Carol pursued her interest in early child development and music theater while also traveling throughout the Midwest with various theatrical production companies. Today, she directs 23 children’s productions a year and is a playwright for young audiences. She is a member of two Ensembles, The Clifton Players and Untethered Theater Company. Most recently appearing as Randy in “Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts, April in “Savage in Limbo” by John Patrick Shanley, Marilyn in “A Behanding in Spokane” by Martin McDonagh, Trish in “Monkey’s Paw” by Kevin Crowley and Barbra in “August Osage County” Carol Brammer’s personal mission is to provide an environment that encourages every child to find a solid place in the Arts and to be able to use these skills in their daily life.
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Kevin Bell – Group Class Instructor
Kevin Bell is a native of Baton Rouge, LA. After trainin with the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet School. He founded the Miami Valley Ballet Theatre in a northern suburb of Cincinnati where many declared that a ballet company would not survive. It is a thriving regional company which performs to sold out audiences season after season. Kevin has also worked with numerous regional modern choreographers, performing frequently in the annual Area Choreographers Festival hosted by Cincinnati’s very own Contemporary Dance Theater. Kevin has performed in musicals such as Anything Goes, the Music Man, Brigadoon, Shrek, and Cincinnati Children’s Theaters recent production of Peter Pan, Jr. Kevin was principal choreographer for the Cincinnati Music Theater’s recent production of Billy Elliot. For a number of seasons, Kevin danced the role of Uncle Drosselmeyer in Dela’s production of The Nutcracker All Jazzed Up. This will Be Kevin’s 3rd year working with Cincinnati Academy of Performing Arts.
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John Woll – Dance & Theatre Instructor
Regionally John has performed with: The Papermill Theater, Broadway Palm West, Roxy Regional, The Barn Theater, Cherry County Playhouse, The Geffen Playhouse, The Knightsbridge Theater, Performance Riverside and Candlelight Pavillion. John has toured with Theater IV, Artreach, Nebraska Theater Caravan and Theaterworks. John has also performed at Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, Universal Studios, King’s Island, Cedar Point, Coney Island and Americana.
Locally, John has worked withLoveland Stage Company, Showbiz Players, Mason Community Players, Cincinnati Music Theatre, Falcon Theater and The Showboat Majestic. John has has been an adjudicator for The League of Cincinnati Theaters (LCT) and Association of Community Theaters (ACT). Most recently, John performed in “Swing!” At The Carnegie, The Jungle Book Jr. with The Children’s Theater of Cincinnati, King’s Island’s Winterfest in the Holly Jolly Trolley and The Who’s Tommy in Concert at Memorial Hall. His next project will be Pippin at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater. |
Allison Evans – Dance Instructor
Allison is a Cincinnati native. She began dancing at age 4 and has been dancing ever since. She has trained in many styles, but her favorites are Tap, Hip Hop and Contemporary. Besides dancing, Allison also loves to sing and act. She graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and works consistently as a performer in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. Among her favorite roles are: Cinderella (Disenchanted), Inga (Young Frankenstein), Val (A Chorus Line), Graziella (West Side Story), and Judy Haynes (White Christmas).
She began teaching and choreographing for her dance studio when she was about 14 years old and continued throughout high school. While studying Musical Theatre at NKU, she was also a member of the Dance Troupe; for which she also choreographed pieces. She has spent the last year choreographing for local schools. Most recently, she choreographed for Fairfield Middle School’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and St. Ursula Academy’s production of Meet Me in St. Louis. She has also worked as a camp counselor for Theatre Works; where she taught music, acting, dancing and improvisation skills. She has also worked as an instructor with Cincinnati Ballet, Uptown Arts (assistant), and various studios in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. |