Bruce Earnest
Since 2006, Bruce has served as Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of the International Performing Arts Institute with an internationally renowned collaborative piano, voice, acting, dance, and opera faculty in Germany. Bruce, and his wife Darla, started IPAI to build a more student-centric professional training experience.
Dr. Earnest has stage directed, music directed, or produced over 120 musical theatre and opera productions at universities and professionally and has appeared as a soloist in concert, opera and musical theatre in the United States, Germany, and Austria. Bruce has studied with or done masterclasses with Barbara Daniels, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Helen Donath, Barbara Bonney, Jason Robert Brown, Scott Allen, Stephen Sondheim, Richard Maltby, David Shire, Sherril Milnes, Robert Westenberg, Thomas Hampson, Robert Evans, Russel Young, Franklin Summers, Richard Owens, Kenneth Manzer, Oresta Cybriwsky, Michael Vale, Robin Jensen, Michael Strauss, and others.
Bruce is an early pioneer in the development of vocal technique designed to provide safe pedagogical approaches for singing musical theatre styles called Belting. He has presented master classes and workshops on the voice, opera, German, casting, career development, auditioning, song interpretation, entrepreneurship, arts administration, educational leadership, global engagement, strategic planning, and program development at universities, theatres, conferences, and professional programs throughout the United States, Thailand, and Europe.
From 2001 to 2005 he was Guest Associate Professor of Voice at the Hochschule for Music in Munich, Germany and a production consultant for Stage Entertainment in Hamburg and Essen, Germany. He also served as founder and Director of Musical Theatre and Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida from 1995 to 2000, and as Director of Musical Theatre and Associate Professor at The University of South Dakota from 2006 to 2009. Since 2010, Dr. Earnest has been a professor, department chair, graduate dean, and vice president for advancement. Currently, he leads the Moravian Music Foundation in Winston Salem, North Carolina and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Earnest is the Co-Author of A Beginner's Acting Companion with the late Lani Harris. His favorite composers are Richard Strauss and Jason Robert Brown and his favorite hobbies are making Italian food and sitting in the Kieferbach in Kiefersfelden, Germany."
Carol McAmis
Carol McAmis, IC Professor Emerita, is the creator of The MultiDimensional Voice(tm) - a holistic approach for singers, speakers and performers who want embody their authentic voice. She has spent decades developing her unique multi-modality approach to training singers and professional voice users of all kinds which includes traditional voice pedagogy and voice science, the Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education, ARTbundance Creativity Coaching, and many other modalities. Whether she's helping someone prepare for their debut at the Metropolitan Opera or to present themselves confidently at an audition or in a choral rehearsal - Carol's passion is helping people discover what they never knew their voice could do!
Catherine Weidner
Catherine Weidner is a professor in the Center for Theatre. She completed The Second City Training Center in Chicago, studied with Wes Balk at the University of Minnesota/Minnesota Opera, and trained with Complicite in London.
Cynthia Henderson
Cynthia Henderson is a Professor of Acting in Ithaca College's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, and the Chair of the Department of Theatre, and Dance Performance. A professional actor, director, and the author of The Actor's Landscape, Cynthia's artistic and educational work has been experienced in the U.S., Europe, South America, Asia, and on the African continent. She is the founder of Performing Arts for Social Change. Her work in the area of social justice has earned her the CSPA of New York State's award for "Outstanding Contribution to Social Justice." She was also cited at the NYS Women's Expo as one the "20 Outstanding Women You Should Know" in Central NY. Her directing credits for Ithaca College include: Everybody, Plumfield Iraq, The Exonerated, Burn This, The Colored Museum, and other explorations. She has also directed for the professional arm of the Roy Park School of Communications, Park Productions. Cynthia is a member of Actors' Equity, the National Alliance of Acting Teachers, an IC Dana Fellow, and a Fulbright Scholar.
Dann Coakwell
Dann Coakwell, tenor, can be heard as a soloist on Grammy-winning and otherwise critically acclaimed albums on major record labels. Having performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, he has also appeared across the world with many symphonies, baroque orchestras, and other organizations. With degrees from Yale, Texas Tech University, and the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Coakwell feels privileged to serve on the voice faculty at Ithaca College, and enjoys serving as a masterclass teaching artist at institutions across the U.S. and abroad. www.danncoakwell.com
Deborah Montgomery
Deborah Montgomery, soprano, is a widely experienced recital, oratorio, and opera artist. She has performed with a variety of orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. She recently retired from Ithaca College after a long teaching career in the performance area. During her tenure at Ithaca College she taught studio voice, vocal pedagogy, and German Art Song. Her interest in Brain Gym started over 15 years ago with explorations into various learning styles.
Diana Dimitrova
Diana Dimitrova is the Director of International Student Services at Ithaca College and also the coordinator of Mindful IC, a program which offers mindfulness and meditation opportunities to Ithaca College students, faculty and staff. A certified meditation teacher, Diana is passionate about teaching meditation and supporting everyone who is interested in taking the path to greater presence. As a busy full-time working mother, she is also dedicated to practicing mindfulness off the cushion and bringing mindfulness techniques to all aspects of her life.
Federico Sacchi
After graduating in piano, Federico Sacchi debuted at age 23 the title role in Massenet's Don Quichotte in several Italian theaters (As.Li.Co circuit).
Recent engagements include Lodovico in Verdi's Otello with the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Zubin Mehta, Filippo II in Verdi's Don Carlos at the National Theater in Brno, the title role in Rossini's Mosè at the Verdi Theater in Pisa, Polidoro in Rossini's Zelmira under the baton of Gianluigi Gelmetti, Plutone in Orfeo and Giove in Il ritorno di Ulisse in Patria by Monteverdi, with Accademia Bizantina and Ottavio Dantone.
His vaste repertoire includes performances of Maria Stuarda (Talbot) under the direction of Rudolf Weichert and Stiffelio (Jorg) with Stefano Ranzani in Zurich, La Sonnambula (Count Rodolfo) and Turandot (Timur) at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Semiramide by Rossini (Oroe) with Evelino Pidò at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées and at the San Carlo in Naples, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Basilio) directed by Michele Mariotti in Liege, Falstaff (Pistola) at the Lucerne Festival and at the Teatro Regio in Turin directed by G. Noseda, La Bohème (Colline) in Liège, La gazza ladra (Fabrizio) and Adriana Lecouvreur (Principe) at the Oper Frankfurt, Tancredi (Orbazzano) at the Santa Cecilia Foundation in Rome under the direction of René Jakobs, Iolanta (Bertran) for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Don Giovanni (Leporello) and Samson et Dalila (Abimelech) with Ono Kazushi in Brussels and at the Konzertgebouw in Amsterdam, Werther (Burgmeister) in Munich with Marco Armiliato.
His vocal flexibility and musical finesse allowed him to sing operas and oratorios of the baroque repertoire in very prestigious contexts, such as La Stellidaura Vendicante by Provenzale with Alessandro de Marchi at the Potsdamer Festspiele, Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona, Sartorio's Giulio Cesare in Egitto with Attilio Cremonesi, the title role of Don Trastullo by Jommelli conducted by Alessandro De Marchi and recently Cesti's La Dori with Ottavio Dantone for the Ancient Music Festival in Innsbruck.
Concerning concerts, it's worth mentioning Verdi's Requiem for the Spanish National Television conducted by Adrian Leaper, Mozart's Requiem with the Orchestra of Teatro La Fenice conducted by Gabor Ötvös, The Prologue of Mefistofele by Boito with the La Verdi Orchestra in Milan as well as Monteverdi's Ballo delle Ingrate with the Accademia Bizantina at the Philarmonie in Koeln.
Passionate interpreter of lieder, he has performed Schumann's Dichterliebe, Beethoven's An die Ferne Geliebte, Iber's Chansons de Don Quichotte, Ravel's Don Quichotte as well as many chamber romances by Tosti, Finzi and Respighi in a series of recitals with the winner of the ""Van Cliburn"" competition Simone Pedroni.
His discography includes the world premiere of Salieri's opera ""La scuola dei gelosi"" (SONY) and two prizes of the critique: the Diapason d'Or for Giulio Cesare in Egitto by Sartorio (ORF) and the prize of the German critique for Cesti's La Dori (NAXOS)."
Gavin Mayer
Gavin served as the Director of Theatre and theatre teacher at Pomona High School in Arvada, Colorado for 11 years where he also co-founded and led the Pomona Arts and Humanities program - an arts integration cohort within the traditional school. He has earned his Master of Arts in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from the School of Theatre at Florida State University.
Gavin has worked extensively as a director at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, a regional LORT B theatre in suburban Denver, where he has directed the world premiere and regional premieres of numerous musicals and plays. Some of his directing credits include: Elf, the Musical, I'll be Home for Christmas (Henry Nomination for Best New Musical) The Mountaintop (Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Play), White Christmas (Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Musical), Disney's Tarzan, She Loves Me, Curtains (Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical), Miracle on 34th Street and Legally Blonde (True West Award winner for Best Musical.)
Gavin currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre and Directing at Ithaca College.
Ivy Walz
Ivy Walz is an Associate Dean for the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, primarily overseeing the Center for Music, and leading collaboratively with the MTD Leadership Team. She asserts the importance of the arts and their ability to transform lives and is committed to uncovering structural barriers inherent in traditional conservatory type institutions which have held up exclusionary practices. She is buoyed by guiding principles of building consensus, ensuring transparent and process-based decision making, and engaging in active listening. She strives to articulate interconnectedness and shared commonality across disciplines.
She joined the voice faculty at Ithaca College School of Music in 2011. Her expertise is in vocal pedagogy, voice science, diction, oratorio, opera, art song, and contemporary singing styles and techniques. Her students have gone on to top graduate programs, are currently teaching in k-12 and community arts programs and are actively engaged in a variety of meaningful careers in music and the arts. She upholds student centered teaching based in healthy technique and integrative pedagogies. She believes that diverse and inclusive learning environments are essential, and is committed to creating and contributing to equitable and welcoming spaces for all individuals. She created and teaches a course called Basics of Vocal Mechanics that covers the anatomy and physiology of the vocal instrument, explored through a variety of learning modalities.
Mezzo soprano Ivy Walz has been awarded numerous roles, solo performances and featured artist positions with opera companies such as Spoleto Festival, Cincinnati Opera, Syracuse Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Tri-Cities Opera. She is an active soloist with orchestras and chamber music groups, featured recently with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, Akron Symphony, Symphoria, the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. She is dedicated to the performance of Art Song by underrepresented composers, and has been an invited performer at festivals such as SongFest, Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Denver Art Song Project, Civic Morning Musicals, and Middlebury Song Fest. She was a finalist for the American Prize in Art Song in 2019. Currently she is engaged to perform art song recitals featuring women composers and will be a featured performer at the International Women in Music Festival in Columbus, MS in 2023.
An active and engaged clinician, she gives master classes on integrating healthy singing techniques with dynamic performance practice. She has been a guest clinician for Higher Voice Studio, TCO Teens, College Audition Advantage, Affiliated Choruses of Ithaca, Denver Art Song Project High School Competition and other schools, colleges and universities.
Lara Supan
Lara started her path in live music at Ithaca College, where she did one year as a Musical Theatre major and then transferred to the Vocal Jazz track in the music school, graduating with a Bachelor's of Music in 2007. She then proceeded to perform in and manage her own Americana band, South Rail, through many successful regional and national tours. She went on to co-found and launch the crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platform, RoadNation, a site that allows bands to work directly with their fans to pre-fund and plan tours. She moved on from actively working with RoadNation to co-found a boutique booking agency, Mile One, with music industry veteran Fawn Goodman in 2015. In 2019, she joined forces with Jim Fleming at Fleming Artists and currently represents artists such as Carsie Blanton, Kat Wright, Crys Matthews, Seth Walker, Jaimee Harris, Ordinary Elephant and others.
Mary Ann Erickson
Mary Ann Erickson is Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education and has a PhD in Human Development. She also has a graduate certificate in Mindfulness Studies and is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher.
Michael Costello
Michael Costello PT, DSc, OCS, MTC is an Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy Department at Ithaca College, where he teaches courses addressing psychosocial aspects of patient care and the management of orthopedic conditions. He was the founding Director/Coordinator of the Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency Program and Spine Fellowship Program at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY, where he continues to mentor and teach courses related to the management of spinal conditions, clinical application of pain sciences, and manual therapy. His clinical practice focuses on the management of persistent neuromusculoskeletal pain conditions and helping performing artists with pain in all stages.
Michael Samuel Kaplan
As an actor, Michael's west coast stage credits include Sight Unseen, The Unvarnished Truth, The Substance of Fire, Castaway, Dylan, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. His Chicago credits include Unfinished Business, The Radio Play, Pie: New Plays in Your Face, and Breaking the Code.
Michael's Off-Broadway and regional credits include Driving Miss Daisy, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Night Alive, Red, Miss Julie, Intimate Apparel, Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music, The Government Inspector, Our Town, A Christmas Carol, It's A Wonderful Life Radio Play, Those Learned Ladies; the New York City premiere of A Splintered Soul; First Maria's Italian and American production of Hamlet at Teatro Circulo in New York City; Kansas Repertory Theatre's 2016 summer rep of Harvey and Angel Street; as well as the American regional premieres of The History Boys, Oblomov, Ants, and God's Ear. His television credits include Law & Order, Seinfeld, Saved by the Bell, and Unsolved Mysteries.
He received his formal training as an actor at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale Drama School, American Conservatory Theatre and UCLA. He holds an MFA in Theatre Voice Pedagogy from the University of Alberta in Canada, and in 2018 was a recipient of a master's scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. Privately, he has studied with master instructors Milton Katselas, Jeffrey Tambor, Nina Foch, Nikolai Guzov and Patsy Rodenburg.
In the summer of 2010, he and Professor Melanie Dreyer-Lude led a group of undergraduates from Cornell on a service-learning trip to Africa. There, they conducted theatre workshops for students and refugees throughout Uganda, and initiated a collaboration with Ndere, a professional performing arts company in Kampala.
As an instructor, coach, and director, Michael has served as an Assistant Professor of Acting and Voice here at Ithaca College, as a Resident Artist at Cornell University, and as an Artist-in-Residence for Voice at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. For ten summers he served, variously, as Directing of Acting Programs and Creative Director for the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA) at their campuses in Manhattan and Vermont.
He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and the Voice and Speech Trainers' Association.