Boston Conservatory Adds a Robust Roster of Artists to Its Faculty

Dance

Dana Arie (associate professor of dance) is a licensed physical therapist who combines her background in rehabilitation with Pilates practice. She specializes in orthopedic and dance medicine as well as Latin dance and will teach Pilates at the Conservatory. 

Nino de los Reyes (associate professor of dance) is a rising star in the contemporary flamenco world who has toured with Eduardo Serrano’s EL GÜITO company, Carmen Cortés, Javier Barón, and Tito Losada, among others. In 2013, he took part in a recording session of flamenco rhythm and footwork for legendary artist Paul Simon. An experienced instructor, de los Reyes will teach the Flamenco course at the Conservatory. 

Anne Higgins (assistant professor of dance) is a dancer, choreographer, and Floor-Barre® instructor who trained in classical ballet with the Boston Ballet and studied Floor-Barre with Zena Rommett. Higgins will teach Floor Barre at the Conservatory. 

Emily Jerant-Hendrickson (assistant professor of dance) is a Boston Conservatory alum (BFA '16, contemporary dance) and a member of Lorraine Chapman the Company who has performed at Ailey Citigroup Theater, APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) at City Center NYC, and the Cape Dance Festival, among others. She will teach Yoga for Dancers at the Conservatory. 

Sarah Konner (associate professor of dance) is dance artist, improviser, and somatic movement educator who has presented dance-theater performances at venues across the country. Konner has served on the faculties of Smith College, Amherst College, and Wesleyan University and will teach courses in modern technique, experiential anatomy, and awareness for dancers at the Conservatory. 

Aline Newton (assistant professor of dance) is a certified advanced Rolfer (a holistic therapy for enhancing body alignment) who serves as chair of the Rolf Movement Integration faculty of the U.S. Rolf Institute. Newton will teach Experiential Anatomy at the Conservatory. 

John Lam (associate professor of dance) joins the Conservatory following a remarkable 20-year performance career at the Boston Ballet, where he was a principal dancer. A Princess Grace Foundation fellowship recipient, Lam has worked with contemporary ballet’s leading choreographers and coaches. He will teach Ballet Technique, Modern Technique, and Stretch and Strengthening at the Conservatory.

Danielle Pastuszak (associate professor of dance) is comprehensively certified in mat and apparatus Pilates with Polestar Pilates and is founder of mvmt·ology, which provides physical therapy and Pilates instruction. She has danced with Mystic Ballet and Urbanity Dance, and was a principal dancer in Greta Gerwig’s film Little Women. Pastuszak will teach Pilates at the Conservatory. 

Liz Roncka (associate professor of dance) combines expertise as a lifelong dancer with more than 10 years of experience as physical therapist. A certified Pilates instructor, Roncka opened her own Pilates studio and was an instructor of dance improvisation and pole dance circuit at Boston University. She will teach Vertical Barre and Conditioning for Dancers at the Conservatory. 

Jacob Skeffington (assistant professor of dance) is a specialist in circus arts and cofounder and head coach at Eastern Acrobatics and Circus, a recreational and professional acrobatics circus school. Having performed with Cirque du Soleil and trained at top schools for circus arts, Skeffington will bring his expertise to teaching Tumbling for the Stage and Juggling and Objects courses as part of the Conservatory’s brand new minor in cirque/circus arts.

Music

Ivana Kujeric Bilić (professor of marimba) is an internationally recognized marimba and percussion artist who regularly appears as soloist with orchestras across Europe and at international music festivals. She regularly presents marimba clinics and master classes and is a frequent guest performer at the Opatija Music Panel. She will teach marimba and percussion courses at the Conservatory in a one-year appointment.

Sandra Piques Eddy (associate professor of music for voice and opera) is an acclaimed American mezzo-soprano and longtime Met performer whose roles have included Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Lola (Cavalleria rusticana), Zulma (L'italiana in Algeri), Rosette (Manon), and Mercedes (Carmen), among many others. A Boston Conservatory alum (BM '94, music education), she will teach private voice lessons at the Conservatory.

Manuel García-Orozco (assistant professor of ethnomusicology) is a Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated music producer, composer, and ethnomusicologist. Under his label, Chaco World Music, he has produced internationally acclaimed albums and collaborations with artists including Petrona Martínez, Angelique Kidjo, Susana Baca, and others. He will teach Music and Culture in Context and other Core Studies courses at the Conservatory.  

Laurann Gilley (associate professor of music) is a respected pianist, conductor, and vocal coach who has coached for every major American opera company. Most recently, she served as head of music with the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee and has been a pianist and coach with the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the past 16 years. Gilley will serve as a vocal coach at the Conservatory.

Michael Gilbertson (associate professor of composition) joins Boston Conservatory after serving on the composition faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He was one of three finalists for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize and was composer in residence with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. His works have been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Washington National Opera, and many others.

Nicolas Giusti (professor of music) is a seasoned vocal coach, pianist, conductor, and director. His expertise in Italian opera is unparalleled, having taught for 23 years at Italian Ministero dell’Università in Matera, Fermo/Pesaro, and Pescara, Italy, and presented master classes in Italian opera at universities across the globe. Giusti will serve as a vocal coach at the Conservatory. 

Shawn Marie Jeffrey (associate professor of music) is an award-winning mezzo-soprano and one of the most influential artist managers in the world. She recently joined UIA Talent Agency as vice president of classical and creatives, following a longstanding role with the ADA Artist Management team. She will teach courses on the business of the profession at the Conservatory.

Laura Kaminsky (professor of composition) is a highly sought-after composer whose work As One has become the most performed contemporary opera of the 21st century since its debut in 2014. After collaborating with Boston Conservatory’s Voice Department in the 2023–2024 performance season, Kaminsky will continue her collaborations in voice and opera as a faculty member. 

Krysten Keches (assistant professor of harp) is a harpist and solo, chamber, and orchestral musician who has performed at venues throughout the United States and overseas, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Royal Albert Hall. Keches also performs regularly as a guest harpist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. 

Allison Lacasse (assistant professor of woodwind pedagogy) joins Boston Conservatory after serving as band director at Belmont High School in Belmont, Massachusetts. She is honor band chairperson for the Western International Band Clinic (WIBC) in Seattle, Washington, and is on the operational staff for the American Band College (ABC) in Ashland, Oregon. Lacasse will teach Woodwind Pedagogy at the Conservatory.

Michi Wiancko (associate professor of chamber music) is a composer, violinist, and a passionate interpreter of contemporary music who has worked closely with an array of living composers, including Gabriela Lena Frank, Missy Mazzoli, and Vijay Iyer. Her current commissions include a new opera called Arkana Aquarium, produced by Experiments in Opera, and new works for Boston Chamber Music Society, among others. She will teach chamber music at the Conservatory.

Gregory Zavracky (assistant professor of music) is an accomplished tenor, teacher, and composer who has performed with major opera companies across the United States and whose scholarly articles appear regularly in the Journal of Singing. He will teach private voice lessons at the Conservatory.

Theater

Holly Bourdon (assistant professor of theater) is an actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer who has trained in both modern dance and musical theater. A Boston Conservatory alum who received her MFA in musical theater in 2022, Bourdon will teach jazz in the musical theater program at the Conservatory. 

De’Lon Grant (assistant professor of theater) is an actor, singer, and writer acclaimed for his roles on Broadway, national tours, and regional theater. He made his Broadway debut as Bob in the Tony-nominated hit musical Come From Away and played Barry Belson in the Broadway national tour of Jersey Boys. He received the award for Best Leading Actor at the 2017 IRNE Awards and an Elliot Norton Award nomination for his portrayal of Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys. Grant is a Boston Conservatory alum (MFA '09, musical theater) and will teach acting in the Conservatory’s musical theater program.

Kelly Kaleta (assistant professor of theater) is a tap teacher and founding member of the company Off Beat. She and her choreography have appeared in the film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, directed by Damien Chazelle, and she was a cast member of Imagine Tap!, a musical revue created and choreographed by Derick K. Grant and Aaron Tolson. She has been a faculty member and judge for Tap 2 You, Dance Masters of America, American Dance Awards, and Tapademics. Kaleta will teach tap in the Conservatory’s musical theater program.

Brett Leigh (assistant professor of theater) is an actor and dancer who has appeared in a number of feature and independent films including The Social Network (2010) and Gone Girl (2014) and played Riff in the international Broadway tour of West Side Story. A former ballet dancer who has performed across the U.S., Leigh will teach ballet in the Conservatory’s musical theater program. 

Hadley Mays (assistant professor of theater) is an actress, interdisciplinary performer, theater deviser, and teacher. Performing nationally and internationally, she has devised work across many genres, including classical theater, Butoh, Afro-diasporic dance, object theater, performance installations, and ritual performance. She will teach the Ensemble Performance Lab in the Conservatory’s contemporary theater program.