TEACHING ARTISTS

Selin Balci

Selin Balci is a visual artist and art instructor. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Istanbul University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from West Virginia University, and an Master of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland. Balci’s artwork is classified as bio-art, a new direction in contemporary art that employs living organisms. Selin’s projects merge traditional art practice with scientific materials and biological mediums such as mold spores. She creates a synthetic ‘world’ in which she observes living organisms’ endless interactions, struggles and conflicts across the picture surface. Forming borders, divisions and edges; in her work, mold metaphorically represents human actions and motives.

Balci’s many accolades include the prestigious Mary Sawyers Baker Artist Award in Interdisciplinary Category from Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, College Art Association (CAA) Professional-Development Fellowship, Goldhaber Travel Grant from University of Maryland, Hamiltonian Gallery Fellowship, numerous selections as a semifinalist and finalist for Bethesda Urban Partnership’s Trawick Prize, Smack Mellon's Hot Picks Artist Award and Philadelphia’s Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) fellowship. Numerous galleries have mounted solo and group exhibitions of Balci’s work including the Hamiltonian Gallery, DCAC (District of Columbia Arts Center), WPA (Washington Project for the Arts), ConnerSmith Gallery, Honfleur Gallery in Washington, D.C; Rush Arts Gallery and Smack Mellon in NY.

Michelle Bland

Michelle Bland, Studio 39 Production Manager, has been working in theatre and education professionally for over 20 years. 

Since starting her career in production management at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, she has been committed to creating collaborative environments and providing project management resources for all artists. 

She has master’s degree in Theatre education from Catholic University and has presented both regionally and nationally for American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

Barbara Bustard

Barbara Bustard is returning for her second year with Apex Arts. Ms Bustard is an artist, author and teaching artist. She studied ceramics under Ralph Blaney at CCBC and then moved on to study at Baltimore Clayworks. Barbara received her BA Degree in Religious Studies and Art from The University of Notre Dame of Maryland.

For over 30 years Ms. Bustard has been teaching ceramics. For many years she operated her own ceramics studio, Footedbowl Designs, offering private and group ceramics classes. Ms Bustard also taught many ceramics classes to Baltimore City students through the BrightStARTS program run by Baltimore City’s Department of Promotions and Arts in after-school programs, as an Artist in Residence, and summer camps and has been a teacher with Art with a Heart for many years. During one BrightStARTS summer camp at The Eubie Blake Center in Baltimore, Barbara guided students in creating and installing a mosaic mural. Another summer Ms. Bustard took her wheel and kiln to Frederick MD for the entire summer and set up a ceramics program for the campers as the Artist in Residence at The Bishop Claggett Center.

For three years, Ms. Bustard owned and operated The Dundalk Art School and continues to give private art lessons.

Barbara has also written and published two books, The Art of Healing, 12 Step by Step Meditative Art Exercises for Improved Physical, Mental and Spiritual Well-being and Haiku in Black and White, A Collection of 100 Haiku Poems and Black and White Photography.

Jasmine Caffee

Ms. Jasmine started dancing when she was about 2.5 at National Ballet Institute for the Arts and continued her training through college at Davy Dance Academy. Ms. Jasmine has previously done competitive gymnastics for 9 years and currently has two Acrobatic Arts Certifications. Ms. Jasmine has received numerous awards such as All State Dancer and All County Dancer, while in the AACPS Apex Arts (formerly PVA) Dance Program. She has also danced competitively at an International Competition in Germany! She has received her Associates of Arts Degree from Anne Arundel Community College as a dance major and plans to continue her education at University of Maryland of College Park. Ms. Jasmine is so excited to come back to share her love for dance with Apex Arts again.

Francesca Chilcote

Francesca has been an Apex Arts Guest Artist for past four years, teaching devising and physical theatre. She holds a BA in Theatre from the The College of William and Mary and an MFA in Physical Theatre from the Accademia dell'Arte (Arezzo, IT). Now based in Washington, DC, she is the Co-Artistic Director of Faction of Fools Theatre Company, and has worked as an actor with the following companies: The Welders , Nu Sass Productions, Brave Spirits Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Adventure Theatre MTC, and Discovery Theatre at the Smithsonian Institution. Francesca is a certified teacher of Elemental Body Alignment System (EBAS). Her work as an Italian translator is featured in The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell’arte.

Niaja Diggs

Niaja Diggs is a dancer who has found a special place within her for many genres of dance. Ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and commercial styles such as hip-hop and heels are the main genres she has trained in. She was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland to a family that did not know dance would be a major influence on her life. Her training started at Expressions Dance Company at the age of three and has not stopped since. Upon grade school, she completed training through Anne Arundel County’s Performing and Visual Arts program. After completion of the Performing Arts program at Annapolis high school, she attended Anne Arundel Community College, where she got her AA in Dance. During her time at the college, she became Anne Arundel Community College Dance Company’s president and an American College Dance Association Gala choreographer. As a dancer and performer, she has gained knowledge from many. She finds pride in choreographing pieces and teaching technique for many different age groups and genres of dance. 

Kyle Hartford

Kyle Hartford is a graduate of the first Apex Arts (formerly PVA) Film and New Media class. He graduated with a B.F.A. in Film from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In his six years of working in the film industry, he worked on several films and television series for HBO and Lionsgate Films. He has also directed several award-winning short films that have been featured in the Annapolis Film Festival. 

Julia Hawkins

Julia Hawkins received her early dance training as a member of the pre-professional Huntsville Ballet Company in Huntsville, AL. There, she received extensive training in ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, and musical theatre. She later attended the University of Alabama where she graduated with degrees in Dance and Musical Theatre. Before moving to Annapolis, Julia was located in Birmingham, AL where she was the Director of Dance and Musical Theatre at the Jefferson County Academy for Theatre and Dance for 6 years. For the past 11 years, Julia has directed, choreographed, performed, and won awards for dance and musical theatre workshops and productions across the Southeast. Many of her former students have gone on to work on cruise ships, in regional theatre, in national tours, and on Broadway.

As dance faculty for the AACPS Apex Arts Magnet Program, she trains students in daily Ballet and Modern classes, and is also the Director of the Apex Arts Dance Company. Since joining the Apex Arts Dance program, she has been grateful to help students find their artistic voice as choreographers and technically trained dancers. She is constantly inspired and driven by the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with her dancers and other artists in Apex Arts to create work that is impactful, purposeful, and meaningful to the community.

Margaret Heemstra

Margaret received her Bachelor of Art in English Literature from Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA, in 2011. There she studied American Literature, British Literature, African American Literature, Women’s Literature, and Modern and Contemporary Fiction. Margaret has been with the AACPS Apex Arts (formerly PVA) Magnet Program since 2013 and is currently the Creative Writing teacher at Annapolis High School. She has a deep love for poetry, and enjoys exploring the world of poetry and the excitement of spoken word poetry performances with her students.

Margaret received her Reading Specialist Certification through Goucher College in 2018, and is currently working towards her Masters of Education.

In 2021, Margaret was named Poet Laureate for the City of Annapolis.

Athena Hiotis 

Athena Hiotis is a musician, producer, and songwriter from Baltimore, MD. With a penchant for a wide range of music, she studied music throughout high school at the Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts magnet program, and at the University of Maryland at College Park, diving into a wide range of music eras and genres, sparking her professional career in songwriting, composition, and production.

Since 2012, Hiotis has owned and operated PopRiot Music Group, a boutique label and songwriting/production house dedicated to providing songs and compositions to artists and TV/Film projects. The mission is to make sure that artists pursue their dreams with high quality work that not only supports them but distinguishes them from other artists.

Athena is a member of RÊVE (cinematic art-rock band); Steep Steps (dark, electronic production duo); and Circuit Villains (raw, provoking rock band).

Emily Karol

Emily Karol is an actor, director, combatant, and teaching artist in the DC/Baltimore metro area. After graduating in 2001 from South River High School, Emily attended West Virginia Wesleyan College where she obtained a BFA in Musical Theater. She spent many years performing in different parts of the US. However, in 2009 her love of musicals started to wane and she decided to jump into the world of classical theater. She attended the Conservatory at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA and instantly fell in love with the works of William Shakespeare. From that moment her career path would shift and she would become a company member/lead teaching artist with Maryland Shakespeare Festival, a resident teaching artist/actor for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, a company member/director for the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and work with numerous other companies along the way. Emily has been teaching acting and the classics since 2014 and has worked with every age from Kindergarten to young professionals.

At Studio 39, Emily directed the main stage production of Peter and the Starcatcher, co-directed the devised pieces of Six Clowns Walked Into The Bard, Theatre for Sleepy People, and SAD Clown Cabaret, and was the producer/ director of the successful Theatre Immersion Project with Oakwood Elementary School. She can be seen around the studio directing "Sleepy Hollow" and teaching Improv, Voice & Movement, Film Study, Directing, Musical Theater Performance, Monologues, etc.

Elizabeth Kendall

Elizabeth Kendall lives and works in Maryland on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Her vessels, sculptures and installations have been exhibited in national and international venues and are in the permanent collections of the Yixing Ceramics Museum in China, the International Ceramic Center in Denmark, the MGM corporation, and the Petroleum Club in Midland, TX among others. Additional private and corporate installation commissions can be found in Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

In 2007 Elizabeth was selected as an Emerging Artist by the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts. In 2008 she received a Strauss Fellowship Grant from the Fairfax County Arts Council of Northern Virginia. From 2016-2020 she was a Resident Artist at Maryland Hall in Annapolis.

She has been a featured artist and contributing author for a variety of publications including: Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Clay Times, and Studio Potter. Her work has also been featured in Lark Publications 500 Cups and 500 Pitchers.

In addition to teaching at the wheel, Elizabeth conducts workshops, focusing on porcelain, paper clay and monoprinting techniques. She is a co-founder and currently President of SoCo Arts Lab in Tracys Landing, MD.

Lukas MacKinney

Lukas is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in experimental digital collage, film sound, and music. They seek to transform movie sets, editing rooms, and online spaces into classrooms, finding opportunities to teach wherever possible. With their BFA from Johns Hopkins in Film & Media Studies, as well as French, Lukas hopes to apply their artistic and pedological skills to making more equitable educational experiences, and to spread their love of personal & everyday cinema to all. Above all else, they hope to never stop making films, and to never stop finding new and creative ways to share their passions.

Emily McCort

Emily McCort has been a Guest Artist for PVA since 2016. In addition to managing the costume shop and wardrobe storage, she has taught Applied Arts classes like Intro to Sewing, and has mentored student costume designers on multiple Apex Arts (formerly PVA) productions. Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Production from Towson University, where she focused on costume design. Her past credits include working wardrobe for Baltimore Centerstage, Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre.

Jamie O'Connor

Vocal Music

jboconnor@aacps.org   

Mezzo-soprano Jamie O'Connor recently joined Apex Arts in 2021. She most recently received recognition by both The American Prize in Voice and New York Lyric Opera Theatre Competition for her performance of works by Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner. 

A native of Baltimore, Mrs. O'Connor earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Houghtaling. 

As a member of the University of Alabama Opera Theatre, Mrs. O'Connor sang the role of The Nurse in Philip Seward's Juliet and the Quiltlover in the world premiere of Michael Ching's RSBE - Remove Shoes Before Entering in the 2019/20 season. In the 2018/19 season, Mrs. O'Connor sang the roles of Consuelo in West Side Story and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus. During the 2017/18 season, Mrs. O'Connor appeared as a guest artist in "Visions of Dreams," where she performed selections by Duparc, Schubert, Mozart, and Lehár. In July 2017, she made her role debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy. During the 2015/16 season, Mrs. O'Connor returned to the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, where she also covered Countess Almaviva under the baton of Maestro James Richman. In addition, she appeared as La Chatte/L’Écureuil in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. 

Previously, Mrs. O'Connor joined the roster of Russian Opera Workshop, where she covered Zemfira in Rachmaninoff’s Aleko and the title role in an abridged version of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Balter began the 2016 season as a guest artist in "From Heidelberg to Hanover," where she performed Strauss’ Four Last Songs in addition to selections from Lohengrin, Der Freischütz, and Tannhäuser with pianist James Harp. Highlights of the 2014/15 season included Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Alice (cover) in Verdi’s Falstaff with Harrower Opera Workshop, and "An Evening of Opera & Song" with the McDonogh Guest Artist Series.

Mrs. O'Connor maintains a private voice studio in Ellicott City, Maryland, previously having studios in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Springfield, Illinois and Miami and Tallahassee, Florida. She is the owner of Sunshine Music Studios and is currently an Adjunct Voice Instructor at Carroll County Community College and a Voice and Piano Instructor at the International School of Music. Mrs. O'Connor has previously served as the head of the voice program at The Music Factory in Springfield, Illinois and served on the faculty at The Stubbs' Music Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

https://www.jamiebaltermezzosoprano.com  

Jean Orzech

Jean Orzech has a B.F.A from San Diego State University and a Master's Degree in Education from Loyola University.

Her work experience includes working as the PVA (now Apex Arts) department chairperson at Wiley H. Bates Middle School, and at Southern Middle School, and as a teaching artist at Studio 39.

Jean’s students' artwork has been exhibited and have received numerous awards throughout the county and state as well as internationally at the Bowes Museum in London England. Student / Teacher outdoor installations include : “Happy Shiny Trees” with Baltimore professional artist Bob Benson (AVAM), Ceramic collages at Bates /MD Hall with TA Amanda Pellerin, Self portraiture fence installation (Bates) created along with Annapolis artist Sally Comport, Artwalk painted on West Street 2018 Annapolis Crosswalk and planters with Apex Arts Studio 39 Students and Art at Large.

Jean's personal exhibition venues have included University Gallery at San Diego State University, The Cade Art Gallery at AACC, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Bowie State University, MSTA Building, AACPS Board of Education, MD Federation of Art Gallery, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Nest Gallery in Richmond, England.

Jennifer Marie Rivera

Jennifer Marie has a Bachelor of Arts in classical vocal performance and had an early career singing classical music. After a hiatus to raise her family, Jennifer returned to the local music scene teaching commercial voice and coaching youth rock bands.

Mary Rosoff

Mary Rosoff, an art teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools for over thirty years, has collaborated with numerous community arts programs including Creating Communities, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and Future History Now. Besides working with youth, Mary has shared her artistic and instructional skills with seniors in Crofton and is on the board of directors of the Annapolis Arts Alliance. Mary holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master's Degree of Education and taught at the Performing and Visual Arts program of AACPS for ten years. She currently teaches at Art Farm in Annapolis.

Tobias Russell

Tobias Russell is a composer, pianist, and guitarist from Annapolis, MD. He has a diverse teaching background, with multiple years of experience both in individual lessons and the classroom. Mr. Russell has taught in the Anne Arundel County Apex Arts (formerly PVA) program since 2015, and currently works with the piano majors. Additionally, he is a member of Music Educators of Greater Annapolis, and maintains a private piano teaching studio in Annapolis, MD.

His past experience includes teaching piano, guitar, and directing numerous onstage productions at School of Rock Annapolis (SOR) from 2013–2018, where he also served as Music Director and General Manager. After departing SOR, Mr. Russell spent the fall semester of 2018 teaching music theory at Anne Arundel Community College.

A graduate of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Mr. Russell holds a Master’s degree in composition from Catholic University. He has had several original works premiered over the past few years, the most recent being Nobiscum Deus, a composition for chorus and orchestra. The piece was performed at the National Basilica in Washington D.C. in December 2019 as part of the annual Christmas Concert for Charity. Other works performed include Drive, which was premiered in May of 2019 by the CUA wind ensemble; his choral setting of Haec dies, which received its premiere in April of 2019; and Centers, a three–movement composition for cello and piano which was selected for the inaugural New Music D.C. conference at Georgetown University in September of 2018.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Russell has been writing, recording, and performing his solo work around the Annapolis/ Baltimore/ Washington area since 2007. He is also the music director of Greater Annapolis Ballet (GAB), and works on arranging music for youth ballet performances while accompanying occasional classes. GAB is a non–profit ballet school founded in 2020 by his wife, Margaret Russell, who teaches on the dance faculty at Anne Arundel Community College. They live in Annapolis with their two children.

Robert Schumacher

Robert Schumacher is an actor and freelance artist, specializing in portraiture, in the DC area.  He studied drama and philosophy at the Catholic University of America, as well as previously studying acting and studio design at Concord University in WV.  Professionally Robert taught art classes for Synetic Theater, and has performed with several local theaters in the DC area.  Robert found his joy for teaching while at Synetic Theater, interacting and educating students there for several summers.  He brings his experience in acting, painting, drawing, and writing here to encourage students to create and bring their imagination and stories to form.

Shoshana Schlauderaff

Shoshana is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and educator. They value cross-disciplinary art making, integrative learning spaces, and accessible classroom content. Shoshana centers their remote learning approach around the wellbeing of students in their classroom, and offering opportunities for students to make meaningful transformations in their own lives. Outside of teaching at PVA, Shoshana teaches meditation, does freelance animation, and works with disability/trans justice projects.

Some fun facts: They're an Aquarius, ENFJ, and Enneagram Type 2w3. When they're not working, they enjoy playing guitar, gardening, hiking, cooking, and swing dancing. 

Lynn Schwartz

Lynn Auld Schwartz is a writer, story development editor, and has ghostwritten three books. Schwartz’s plays and staged readings have been performed in Atlanta and New York City, including the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. She founded the Temple Bar Literary Reading Series in New York City, which The Village Voice reviewed as “Lively lineups … always smart, never predictable.” Schwartz has received two Individual Artist Awards in Fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council and a Literary Arts Annie Award from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. Her stories have appeared in literary journals and she has published numerous nonfiction lifestyle articles. She produces and directs the ongoing Page To Stage series in Annapolis, which offers adult and teen writers the opportunity to share their stories on stage.

A graduate of The City College of New York (MA, Writing/Literature), Columbia University (BA, Writing/Literature), and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre (a two-year acting conservatory where she studied the Meisner technique with William Esper and Sanford Meisner), Schwartz has taught writing at St. John’s College, The Writer’s Center, Maryland Hall, and is often a guest speaker at writer’s conferences and literary events. Her business, Writer’s Wordhouse, provides individual coaching and story development for fiction and memoir. She is the co-founder and co-organizer of the Writing Intensive at St. John’s College. As a guest artist (and parent of a PVA graduate), she has had the great privilege to work with Apex Arts students for nearly 10 years.

Johnny Weissgerber

Johnny Weissgerber is an professional actor and union theatrical scenic artist and muralist, who works in the DC area. 

He studied acting and musical theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. 

His professional experience includes, theatrical artist for Signature Theatre, FX make-up artist, puppeteer, screenwriter, and carpenter. 

He brings this experience to classes on painting, make-up, acting, and design and production. 

Johnny is a big believer in the artistic collaborative process and encourages his students to explore their art forms together.

Emily Zinski

Emily Zinski is a professional actress, singer, recording artist, and teacher with international experience.

Emily earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University, and went on to study and perform with Broadway artists in New York City. A dynamic vocalist, Emily has mastered pop, rock, acoustic, musical theatre, and classical singing styles. Her versatile voice can be heard in major theatrical shows, cabarets, cruise line productions, bands, and original albums.

Emily studied Film & Television in Los Angeles with the SU in LA program. There, she learned acting technique as well as casting & production knowledge from leaders in the industry. Emily can be seen in feature films, commercials, indie shorts, and web-series produced around the country.

Emily’s acting and vocal experience led her to Edge Studio, where she studied voiceover technique. She works as professional voiceover artist, and can be heard in radio commercials, audiobooks, and eLearning courses.

Finally, Emily has a passion for teaching. She has worked as a professional ESL teacher since 2017, helping students around the world learn to express themselves in English. Additionally, Emily teaches voice, acting, and audition technique. She coaches privately and in groups. With young students, Emily’s main goal is to develop confidence, not only in their skills, but in their value as artists. She feels so fortunate to share her hard-earned knowledge with the next generation of performers.

This is Emily's second season with Apex Arts.