NOTES

Volume 5

Winter 2015

School for Performing Arts

Did you know our dance program is committed to inspiring and developing our students’ talent at both the recreational and competitive level?

We provide a solid foundation for dance as we help every student discover their strengths to reach their highest dance and personal potential.

· We take pride in our small classes which promote individualized attention for all dancers. · Our instructors are dedicated and truly care about their students’ growth in dance & life. · We’ve expanded our classes, offering Modern, Tap, Breakdance & African dance. · All students ages 4 1/2 and up perform in the end of the year dance recital.

· Our facilities feature clean, modern studios with large spaces and lots of mirrors.

We strongly believe in making all types of dance accessible to everyone. Our program is focused on the continuous progress of our students and providing top quality instruction, affordable costs and a fun atmosphere for everyone!

Our hope is to provide each student with an experience that will be looked back upon as an important and special part of their life.

DANCE

WITH

US!!

Event

Calendar Saturday, January 3

Bronx House Winter Open House 11 am — 3 pm

Monday, January 5 Winter Group Music

and Dance classes begin

Select Mondays beginning January Dance for PD, 2:30-3:45

Call office for schedule

Monday, January 19 Martin Luther King Day,

No Classes

Sat—Fri, February 14-20 President’s Week, No Classes

Fri/Sat/Sun, February 20-March 1 Into the Woods Jr. Performances

Sunday, March 15 Trip to see Moscow Festival Ballet 4 pm (see page 4 of newsletter)

Saturday, March 28 Bronx House Spring Open House

11 am—3 pm

Monday, March 30 Spring Group Music

and Dance Classes begin

Mon—Sat, April 4-10 Spring Break, no classes

Sat—Mon, May 23—25 Memorial Day Weekend,

no classes

Sundays, June 7 & 14 Music Recitals, 1:00 & 3:00

Saturday, June 20 Dance Recital, 2:00

Davalois Fearon is a senior member of the Stephen Petronio Company, where she has performed and taught nationally and internationally, developed an education program, staged repertory, and assisted Mr. Petronio in the creation process of Prometheus Bound for the American Repertory Theater. Dava received a BFA from the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance and is a recipient

of the 2014 Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO fellowship and a member of the Joyce Theater’s prestigious Young Leaders Circle Artists’ Committee.

Local Luminaries Join Dance Faculty

Kimberly Vasquez holds degrees in Dance and Arts Education from City College of NY and Marymount College. She has worked extensively as a performer, choreographer, educator and arts administrator for over thirty years for companies including Bronx Dance Theatre, Arts Connection, Bronx Council on the Arts and Mind Builders. Since 2005 Kim has worked as a teaching artist for the Alvin Ailey Foundation and Opus Dance Theatre and Community Services.

NEW DANCE DISCOUNTS!!! MULTI-SESSION DISCOUNT—DON’T MISS THE SPRING RECITAL—REGISTER FOR 20 WEEKS (WINTER/SPRING) AND GET A 20% DISCOUNT!!

MULTI-CLASS DISCOUNT– STUDENT REGISTERS FOR MORE THAN ONE DANCE CLASS - SECOND CLASS IS 50% OFF!!! ALL FEES MUST BE PAID IN FULL/ONE DISCOUNT PER REGISTRATION

TICKETS ON SALE JAN 15! Right on the heels of the theatrical release (with an all star cast including Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp) Bronx House School for Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Riverdale Children’s Theater will present our own stars in a production of INTO THE WOODS, JR. In this Tony Award winning Broadway musical, written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, the Brothers Grimm hit the stage with an epic fairytale about wishes, family and the choices we make.

Join us as all of your favorite characters—Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (and his beanstalk) and the Witch—meet and interact in this whimsical original story.

PERFORMANCES: Fridays, February 20 & 27th, 7:00pm Saturdays, February 21 & 28, 2:00 & 7:00pm Sundays, February 22 & March 1, 2:00pm

All tickets $10 Limited Group Rates Available Purchase tickets online at tix.com!

Amy Carstensen is an accomplished performer and teacher and a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music. She has taught classical, jazz, and contemporary piano and voice lessons over the span of more than 10 years, as well as studying and performing classical and Brazilian jazz flute. Amy has branched out to explore many genres of music, incorporating folk, indie rock, and pop elements into her songwriting and her repertoire. Selected as the featured solo vocalist with the Dave Holland Quintet during Holland’s residency at New England Conservatory, Amy has been heard numerous times as a soloist and with various groups on the popu-lar Ithaca radio show Crossing Borders.

Welcome New Music Faculty! Page 2

Debra Kreisberg performs, composes, arranges and records with the NYC based Latin jazz groups Los Mas Valientes and Anaisa, as well as award-winning Klezmer bands Metropolitan Klezmer and Isle of Klezbos, with whom she has toured in the U.S., Canada and in Europe. She is the leader of the new jazz trio East Harlem Trio and co-founded the new jazz quintet The Highliners. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music with an MM in Jazz Studies from Manhattan School of Music, Debra has performed with Natalie Merchant and the Rochester Philharmonic with Natalie Cole.

The Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Music School Faculty

Steve Belvilus (Percussion) Amy Carstensen (Voice, Piano, Flute)

Hermira Gjoni (Piano) Debra Kreisberg (Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Piano) Jon LaTona (Bass, Guitar, Piano, Beg. Violin & Cello)

Celine Mogielnicki (Voice, Piano) Frank Murillo (Piano, Guitar, Percussion)

Agnes Nagy (Cello, Violin) Aimée Niemann (Violin, Viola)

Nailah Nombeko (Pre-School Music, Piano) Danijela Popovic (Piano)

Charles Ramsey (Guitar, Piano) Kathleen Scarborough (Violin, Viola, Beg. Piano)

Stephen Schwarz (Piano, Voice, Guitar) Hui Wang (Violin, Viola, Piano)

Menorah Winston (Voice, Piano) Jessica Yeung (Piano, Voice, Violin)

Dance School Faculty Amber Connors-Merino (Creative Movement,

Pre-Ballet w/Tap, Tap) Noora EShams (Belly Dance)

Davalois Fearon (Modern, Pre-Ballet with Tap) Bharati Kemraj (Bollywood Dance)

Kim Johnson (Creative Movement, Ballet, Pre-Ballet w/Tap, Musical Theater )

Eleanor Lopez (Latin Dance) Aimée Neiman (Pre-Ballet with Tap)

Wendy Rivieccio (Pre-Ballet w/Tap, Ballet, Jazz) Veronica Star (Hip Hop)

Kimberly Vasquez (African, Tap)

Jon LaTona has made national television appearances including the TV show House and has appeared on 12 CDs as a sideman. He is currently in the process of recording his 2nd album. A teacher of piano and a wide variety of string instruments, he primarily plays double bass. Originally from Buffalo, Jon took up the electric bass at the age of 12 and started gigging professionally at the age of 15. Jon holds a BM in Jazz Studies from University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Aimée Niemann is a versatile violinist and performs both classical and contemporary music, including jazz, folk, pop, and noise music. She plays with many ensembles in NYC as well as in the Northern Colorado area. Aimée was one of the founding members of the KAZM String Quartet, who recently toured and taught in Thailand. Also classically trained in ballet, Aimee teaches and performs as a dancer in NYC. She believes strongly in the connection between movement and music. Aimée holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music at New York University, where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member of Violin.

Soprano Menorah Winston’s distinguished career in her native Romania included work with the opera companies of Bucharest, Brasov, Iasi and Constanta as well as concerts throughout Israel and the US. She holds a Masters of Music from

Manhattan School of Music. Menorah is also a Jewish Reform Cantor and a public school ESL Teacher, and leads High Holidays services all over the U.S.

Kathleen Scarborough holds a B.A. with Honors in English from St. Louis University and did extensive graduate work in Violin and Viola Performance at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Kathy has played in symphony, ballet, and chamber orchestras, done extensive commercial and studio work, and has been a versatile performer and teacher for over 30 years, with performance experience at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and with Tony Bennett, Julie Andrews, Smokey Robinson, Bernadette Peters in

addition to many others. She has 30 years teaching experience in all styles including lessons in Irish and Bluegrass Fiddle and Mandolin.

Page 3 Staff Spotlight

Davalois Fearon will be dancing with the Stephen Petronio Company at the Joyce Theater April 6-12. Debra Kreisberg’s Klezmer band Isle of

Klezbos is an official selection for the 57th Grammys in the World Music Category. Debra will be performing with Metropolitan Klezmer at City Winery’s Klezmer Brunch on January 11, with singer/songwriter Jill Sobule’s adaptation of Yentl at Lincoln Center on January 15 and on tour in Austin

and San Antonio April 8-15. Their new live album, Mazel Means Good Luck was released in December. Celine Mogielnicki’ s recent performances include Musetta in La Boheme with DC Public Opera, and the world premiere on December 5th of Questa Rosa Novella, a piece

written for her by Brian Hulse. In 2015 she will be performing at Los Angeles Opera in Missy Mazzoli's opera Song from the Uproar. Frank Murillo will be playing with The Last Timers at The Shrine in Harlem on January 15. Wendy Rivieccio received her Masters in Education last April from

Lehman College and is now dual certified by NY State to teach for the Department of Education. She has landed an exciting teaching opportunity at P.S. 7 in the Bronx, and is thrilled to be teaching both academics and dance. Wendy will be reviving her popular summer class Fairytales in

Motion for preschoolers this winter! Stephen Schwarz is singing Handel and Gluck with The Broken Consort at St. Martin in the Fields (London, England) in February.

Faculty News & Happenings

Jenée Brown is the force behind our school’s newly energized Dance Program. Hailing from Mount Vernon, Jenée is a Martin Luther King Essay winner and NY State

Advance Regents Recipient, currently completing her Bachelors degree in Arts and Entertainment

Management from Pace University. Despite her young age, Jenée brings years of sales and customer service experience to our school, as well as eighteen years of dance training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop.

She has participated as a student and performer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre,

Ballet Atlantic Academy and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Jenée began her duties as our new

full-time Program Assistant last April, and we are so happy to have her aboard!!!

American Ballet Theatre summer intern Jenée Brown with soloist Misty Copeland

A collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson Group, Dance for PD (Parkinson’s Disease) is part of a network of classes offered in over 100

communities and 9 countries around the world. The program is free and open to anyone with Parkinson's and their caregivers.

CALL OUR OFFICE FOR THE UPCOMING CLASS SCHEDULE!

Special Needs RHYTHM CONNECTS

Last July our school launched a pilot program for children on the autism spectrum and their families. Led by David Azarch, the

workshop offered the opportunity for parents to have a meaningful bonding experience and

to explore new ways of personal expression and communication

through drumming. Call our office if you are interested in finding out

more!

New Classes for Younger Students Saturdays beginning Jan 10

Fairytales in Motion Ages 4 & 5, 12-1pm

Playfully using music, stories, and games preschoolers will develop

musicality and physical coordination. Movement exercises are inspired by nursery rhymes and fairy tales, with

props to nurture creativity and interaction.

Voice for Young People Ages 5 & 6, 3:30-4:15pm

This class is for kids who love to sing and provides a gentle approach to the

fundamentals for young voices. Students work on proper posture, breathing

technique, diction, phrasing and ear training while learning unison and

simple part songs including Broadway favorites.

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID BRONX, N.Y.

PERMIT NO. 341

Phone: 718-792-1800 ext. 235 Fax: 718-792-6802 www.bronxhouse.org

Deborah Nitzberg, Director deborah@bronxhouse.org Jenée Brown, Program Assistant jenee@bronxhouse.org

Founded in 1912 as Bronx House Music School, Bronx House School for Performing Arts offers instrumental music instruction, dance and theater classes and programs for all levels of experience. We welcome students of all ages, from preschoolers to senior citizens. Classes are offered year-round on both weekdays and weekends, designed to meet individual needs and schedules.

School for Performing Arts 990 Pelham Parkway South Bronx, NY 10461

Established in the fall of 2009, the Bronx House Music Brigade is a touring company of talented and dedicated students who perform in local hospitals and

nursing homes providing entertainment to residents and staff. All Music Brigade members are currently enrolled in the Bronx House Heilbrunn Music School and

range in age from seven to seventy. In addition to providing a needed community service the Brigade offers performance opportunities for Music School students.

Bronx House Music Brigade

Sunday, March 15 1:30 pm James J. Peters VA Medical Ctr. 130 West Kingsbridge Road

Sunday, May 17 2:00 pm Morris Park Nursing Home 1235 Pelham Parkway North

Sunday, April 12 2:00 pm Workman’s Circle Multi-Care Ctr. 3155 Grace Avenue

Sunday, April 26 2:00 pm Pelham Parkway Nursing Home 2401 Laconia Avenue

2015 PERFORMANCES:

Students take their final bow at the VA Medical Center performance in March 2014. From left, back row:

Eugene Park, Maya Merced, Brandon Torres, Sabrina Vargas, Brianna Vargas, Lashanique Mourning,

Thalia Baez. Front row: Hana Belegu, Eunbin Heo, Athena Wagner, Noah Quides-Perez, Derrick Zhang,

Serena Caneva.

Join us on Sunday, March 15th for a 4:00pm performance of

Romeo & Juliet by the renown

Moscow Festival Ballet at Lehman College.

Tickets are $10 and include round trip transportation from Bronx

House. Limited ticket availability, call now to reserve your spot!