Mara Adler (Voice) –

By the age of 15, soprano Mara Adler had already sung on one of the world’s premier stages; singing the role Bird Seed Vendor in the San Francisco Opera’s star-studded production of Louise. Propelled by this experience, she has since sung such roles as Papagena in the student production of Mozart’ s The Magic Flute with the Bronx Opera, Servellia with Sing Through Central, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera in the Ozarks, Harry in Albert Herring, and Mere Marie in Les Diologues des Carmelites with the Oberlin Opera Theatre, and numerous other performances of opera scenes.

She has had the privilege of being a part of such festivals and training programs such as the New Jersey Opera Theatre, Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre, the Martina Arroyo- Role Performance Seminar, and New York Lyric Opera Theatre Artsist In Residence program. Most recently she was an Apprentice Artist with Bel Canto at Caramoor in 2010. Taking 1st place in the 2009 5-Towns Competition has enabled her to begin concertizing extensively throughout the New York Metro-area at various community venues. She is a frequent performer with Collegium Westchester’s chamber concert series, and sings with the Central Presbyterian Church choir.

A current Student of Ms. Elizabeth Cole Ms. Adler is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is a 2009 graduate of Teachers College-Columbia University. She is equally comfortable as teacher and a performer, and is passionate about sharing the joy of music with a younger generation as a voice, choir, and piano teacher. Please visit her website for audio clips! (http://www.myspace.com/maraadler1soprano).

Karen Cantor –

Karen's professional credits include the role of Venus in the long-awaited revival of Kurt Weill's One Touch of Venus at the Goodspeed Opera House. She played Louisa in The Fantasticks with the Miami Opera, toured as Susan in The Desert Song with Ron Raines, played the title role in an NYC production of Naughty Marietta, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, The Mistress in Evita with Carolee Carmello, Anna in Tintypes, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Starting Here, Starting Now in the Cayman Islands.

Laura Chaneski –

Laura obtained a double B.A. in Dance and Sociology from Rutgers University. Professionally, Laura has performed at the Surflight Theater, Off-Broadstreet Theatre, Bickford Theater, and Waterfront Playhouse. Most recently, she played Ariel in Footloose and Belle in A Christmas Carol at the Bucks County Playhouse. She has numerous commercial, voice-over and film credits. Laura has been a dance educator of students ages 2-adult for the past six years and choreographed at the college level for the Livingston Theater Company at Rutgers University. In addition to teaching classes, Laura directs and choreographs for Kids in Production, a non-profit organization that teaches children the importance of charity work through arts education.

Clare Dill –

Caryn Elefante –

Caryn has been performing on stage, television and in recording studios since the age of 5. She earned her B.F.A from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Drama and a minor in Music and received her M.Ed. from The College of New Jersey. She has sung for numerous commercial jingles such as Pepsi, Cool Whip, M&M's and Toys R Us. She has sung back-up vocals on albums for artists such as Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Liza Minelli, Maureen McGovern and Canadian Brass. She has performed at regional theaters such as Goodspeed Opera House, Musical Theatre Works and the Paper Mill Playhouse.

Caryn was a semi-finalist on "Star Search" as a junior vocalist in 1990. Caryn has taught in the Madison school district for 9 years and has directed and choreographed over 15 musicals there, the latest being Sweeney Todd this past Spring. Caryn lives in Florham Park with her amazing husband, Joe and their Scottish Terrier, Gunther.

Joe Elefante –

Joe Elefante has traveled 4 continents as a pianist, saxophonist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He has musically directed, conducted or played countless musical theater productions, including several at the Paper Mill Playhouse and Jersey Boys on Broadway and National Tour. Joe founded the Joe Elefante Big Band in 2001, which was the house band at Cecil's Jazz Club for three years, and was featured on ABC's Nightline and in The Wall Street Journal. Currently, Joe is a freelance composer/arranger/ performer, is very active as a school clinician and is Artistic Director of Elefante Music & School for the Performing Arts.

Suzanne Hevner –

Suzanne has appeared on television and in films including: Doubt, Broken Flower, Changing Lanes and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She played the Widow Mason in the Broadway revival of The Music Man. Suzanne also appears in many Regional Theatre productions around the country.

With over 15 years of teaching experience, Susanne has taught acting and improvisation for all ages, notice to professional, as well as corporate executives. She teaches acting at the New York Film Academy, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, and the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. In addition to teaching at the Elefante School, Suzanne is also available for private coaching.

Agnes Kim (Voice & Piano) –

Agnes Kim holds Master of Music from Indiana University at Bloomington and Bachelor of Music from University of Colorado at Boulder where she majored in piano performance and minored in voice. She was a recipient of major full scholarships and teaching assistance through her years in CU and IU which led her abundant opportunities to perform and winning local and state competitions. Her career as a performing artist shines through participating summer music festivals such as Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, CO, Adamant piano camps in Vermont, and Arkansas Music Festival in Fayetteville, AR where she performed many solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and appearing as a solo pianist with an orchestra in concerto concerts. Agnes also has been teaching and working actively with students in all ages including experience as an assistant instructor at Indiana University. After moving to New York in 2004, she met many talented students to work with and she looks forward to working with more talented students in New Jersey.

Stephanie Kurtzuba –

Stephanie Kurtzuba is a stage, film and television actress based in Maplewood NJ. She currently can be seen on Broadway in the hit musical Billy Elliot, where she originated the role of Lesley. She also appears as a recurring Defense Attorney on the Emmy Award-winning television show The Good Wife. Film credits include Sam Mendes' Away We Go, Parting Words (Hoboken Film Festival Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress), Knots starring John Stamos and the role of Angela Black in the upcoming feature Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close starring Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks. Stephanie's Broadway and Off Broadway shows include the original casts of Mary Poppins, The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman and A Mother, a Daughter and a Gun starring Olympia Dukakis. As an educator, Stephanie has taught students for NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Pace University, and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She is married to Local 1 IATSE stagehand Joshua Coakley and the mother of their two beautiful sons - Calvin and Dexter.

Greta Martin –

Greta Martin studied dance on scholarship at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She has appeared on Broadway in Guys & Dolls, Oh, Kay! and Jerome Robbins' Broadway and toured internationally with West Side Story playing the role of Anita. Regional theatre credits include Sweet Charity and Victor/Victoria, Peter Pan, as well as TV appearances on Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: CI. Ms. Martin earned a B.A. in mathematics from Spelman College.

Joanna Hoty Russell –

Joanna has appeared in film (One True Thing) and in regional theatre in the area including Buttercup (HMS Pinafore), The Child (L'Enfant et les Sortileges), Hansel (Hansel & Gretel), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Anita (West Side Story) and many more. Joanna loves choral music and has performed in many choirs in California, Colorado, New York and New Jersey. She is also a member of The Early Music Players of New Jersey, a chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Eras. Recordings with The Early Music Players include: Bards, Birds and Bawds, Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier, and A Wreath of Carols. Joanna holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in voice performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.