P E R F OR M I N G  A R T S  F A C U L T Y

 

Erica Glenn (Director of Performing Arts and Choral Program Director) holds an MM in Music Composition from the Longy School of Music (Boston) and an Ed.M. in The Arts in Education from Harvard.  She has taught music privately for over a decade and has been faculty at Dean College (MA), the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (MA), and the Soul Arts Academy (NYC).  Erica is also a co-founder of various arts organizations, camps for children, and choral groups throughout UT, AZ, Boston, and NYC.  She studied both choral and orchestral conducting at ASU, Longy, and Harvard and has established music programs for underprivileged children in Cambridge, MA and St. Petersburg, Russia.  Erica has performed lead roles in over a dozen musicals (including Maria in The Sound of Music, Mary in Mary Poppins, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast), and she directs, music directs, and produces at the community, professional, and college levels. As a vocalist and pianist, she has given recitals internationally and has sung with the Brighton Festival Chorus and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony Chorus, and others.  In 2013, Ms. Glenn participated on scholarship in the ASCAP Marvin Hamlisch Broadway Conductor’s Program which culminated in a performance with cast and orchestra members from Broadway’s Wicked.  

 

As a composer, arranger, and playwright, Ms. Glenn has worked with Charles Strouse (composer of Annie, Bye-Bye Birdie), Richard Maltby (writer of Miss Saigon, Miss Potter), Jason Robert Brown (composer of The Last 5 Years, Songs for a New World), and the music directors of several Broadway shows (Newsies, Wicked, Cinderella, Annie, Lion King). Her choral compositions have been commissioned by choirs across America, and her first opera won the international Opera-in-a-Month competition sponsored by VocalWorks. Ms. Glenn’s chamber works have won the Chanticleer Student Composer and Longy Graduation Composition Competitions and have been performed under the direction of Sam Pilafin (founder of the Empire Brass Quintet); Steinway Artist, Walter Cosand; Longitude conductor, Paul Brust; and St. Lawrence String Quartet cellist, Christopher Costanza. In 2000, her full-length musical, Dancing Shoes, was awarded “Best Play of the Year” at a Utah theater, and four years later, her children’s musical, Between the Lines, placed first in the VIP Arts Competition. Her most recent musical, The Weaver of Raveloe, received both a developmental reading at the 2012 New York Musical Theater Festival and a 2014 world premiere at the American Repertory Theater’s second stage, OBERON. Ms. Glenn currently publishes with LazyBee Scripts, and her shows have been performed throughout the US, the UK, and as far away as Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong.

 

 

Dr. Christa Saeger Dean (Intrumental Program Director): Dr. Christa Saeger is a world-class chamber and orchestral musician, recitalist, conductor, and educator.  She has performed in the UK, Ireland, Finland, Bulgaria, and China. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts and Masters in Music degrees from the University of Minnesota with Tanya Remenikova.  Christa's 2013 publication on the unknown works for cello by Jean Sibelius has won her numerous awards and travel grants.   She has served as the Director of Orchestral Studies at Morton College and Visiting Professor of Cello at Illinois Wesleyan University as well as a faculty member at The People’s Music School and Youth Orchestras in downtown Chicago.  Christa is currently on faculty at the Illinois Wesleyan University Cello and Chamber Camps and the International Chamber Music Academy in Bulgaria. She is the Instrumental Program Director at the American International School of Utah and a cellist with Duo Monticello based in Salt Lake City.

 

 

Katherine Winder Hunter (Dance Director) received her dance training from Rocky Mountain Dance and Ririe Woodbury. She continued her training at The Boston Conservatory where she graduated, on scholarship, with a BFA in Dance Performance. During her time in Boston Katherine created new works performed at MIT, The Boston Conservatory, and The Commonwealth Ballet.  Katherine was the recipient of the Davis Peace Project Grant, which allowed her to travel to India and establish a dance program for leprosy-affected youth.  Upon her return from India she was honored to perform a solo at the Baryshnikov Performing Arts Center in New York City.  After her time in New York Katherine moved back to Salt Lake City where she danced with Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) for three seasons. Since returning to Salt Lake, Katherine has graced the pages of Dance Magazine, worked as an adjunct professor at Salt Lake Community College, choreographed new works performed at BYU, various Utah High Schools, and dance studios. Most recently, Katherine was found dancing at the Capitol Theatre in the Utah Opera’s production of ‘The Pearl Fishers’.  Katherine is a certified yoga instructor, and is currently the Dance Director at American International School of Utah.

 

 

Mindy B. Young (Theater Program Director) is a highly sought-after producer, director, choreographer, teacher, actor and arts advocate. She holds both a Master of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Utah. Mindy has taught at Utah Valley University, Meridian School, Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts, and Southern Utah University where she was a Theater Specialist for artsFUSION and an English as a Second Language adjunct professor. Mindy has directed for The Utah Children's Theater, Provo Theater Company, Tuacahn, SCERA Center for the Arts, Lakeside Entertainment in Alberta Canada and is currently producing events for Equality Utah. You may have seen Mindy in the LDS Film’s Baptists at our BBQ, Church Ball, and Single’s 2nd Ward or in the acting company at the Tony Award Winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. Mindy is the owner of ESL Arts Advantage, a language program devoted to teaching English as a second language utilizing theater, music and movement in the classroom with an arts based, interactive curriculum. Mindy has been featured on All Ears English, The Florida English Teachers Conference, TEDx and at the International TESOL conference in Dallas Texas on T.A.L.L. A Theatrical Approach to Language Learning.

 

 

James Glines (Digital Audio, Advanced Digital Audio, Recording Tech, and Theatre Tech Instructor)  - Bio 

For the last 15 years, James has not only toured as far as Australia and New Zealand, but also shared the stage with artists such as Tegan & Sara, VHS or Beta, Dan Deacon, Shiny Toy Guns, and Har Mar Superstar. James was also nominated three times for Salt Lake City DJ of the Year, and won the honor in 2011. Glines has been a staple in the Salt Lake club scene for nearly a decade, spinning records alongside touring acts like Le Castle Vania, Depressed Buttons, Villains, Eli Smith, and The Toxic Avenger. In 2008, James created the popular club night, Shake N’ Pop at W Lounge, where he gained acclaim for showcasing soon-to-be trending artists. There, he also debuted his own original music, which was quickly praised by local media for its fresh, polished and complex sound. By 2012 Shake N’ Pop had become the longest running Electronic Dance Night in Salt Lake City. James has enjoyed using his creativity to support his community, and served as resident DJ and performer for many non profit organizations and events, such as Art Meets Fashion, SLC Pride, and SLC Fashion Stroll. 

 

James holds a Bachelors Degree in Public Relations from the University of Utah, and an Associates in Music Recording and Technology from Salt Lake Community College. When he is not working on commercial production or original music as Custom Model, James enjoys spending time with his family and teaching Digital Audio Production to High School students in the Salt Lake Valley.

 

 

Geoffrey Dean (General Music Instructor) comes to AISU from Bulgaria, where he was a leading music educator and performer for over twenty years. A founding music faculty member at the American University in Bulgaria, he helped design and implement the school’s music curriculum, and served as fine arts program coordinator, Spring Artfest director, Academic Advising committee chair, and representative to the Bulgarian national board of the Fulbright Commission for educational exchange. As the cellist of the Dimov and Sofia string quartets, he was a concert artist of the Sofia Philharmonic, performing in major European music capitals, for the Queen of Denmark and Council of Europe, and on concert tours of Japan. Geoffrey has pursued his passion for collaborative music-making by bringing together professional and aspiring musicians for innovative international performance projects such as The Banjo Meets the Tamboura (USA/Bulgaria), Balkan Drum Dialogue (Romania/Bulgaria), Cobra Junior Group Improvisation Workshop (Macedonia/Bulgaria), and the Rila Ethno Music Exchange (Belgium/Sweden/Bulgaria).

 

In May of 2015 Geoffrey and AISU Orchestra Director Christa Saeger led AISU’s first international intensive. Featuring daily language sessions, folk music and dance lessons and performances, and excursions to important cultural landmarks throughout the country, the AISU Bulgaria Intensive provided a richly layered cultural immersion for AISU students. 

 

Band/Jazz Band/Percussion Instructor  -Donald K. Miller has a wide range of experience in conducting wind bands, orchestras, and chamber ensembles.  He has served as Director of Bands at Adams State University where he conducted the Wind Ensemble, directed the Top of the Nation Marching Band and taught conducting.  His has also worked in public schools and universities in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.  In addition to his teaching positions, Dr. Miller has been Conductor and Music Director of the Starlight Symphony Orchestra of Wimberley, Texas, the San Antonio Symphonic Band and many other community ensembles.  As an advocate of new music, Dr. Miller has been responsible for commissioning over 20 works from composers such as Timothy Mahr, Andrew Boysen, Barry Morse, James Syler and others. He is also an advocate for music education and has served as a clinician for schools and conductor of honor bands
across the US. He has made presentations at a number of professional conferences, including the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the Music Educators Associations of Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Wyoming, and Missouri, as well as the California and Iowa Bandmasters Associations. In addition to presentations, he is an adjudicator for Director's Choice Music Festivals, Festivals of Music and state and national events.  Dr. Miller has music degrees from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Wichita State University and received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The University of Iowa.

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Kimberly Marsden (K-5 Performing Arts Coordinator, AP Music Instructor) grew up in North Salt Lake with a fiddle-playing mom and a singing and guitar-strumming dad.  As a teenager she learned fiddle tunes, entered piano competitions, took composition lessons, and was a State Sterling Scholar in music in 1986.  She received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Utah, and a master’s in the same area at Wichita State University in Kansas.  She occasionally composes music and has choir arrangements published by Jackman Music.  She teaches piano and music theory privately and in a special after-school program that provides music lessons to children that would otherwise not have the opportunity.  Kimberly also accompanies students, choirs, and professional musicians as a pianist.  She and her husband, David, have two daughters, ages thirteen and sixteen, both of whom attend AISU.  Kimberly is a teacher’s assistant at AISU in the upper elementary and she assists in music classes.

 

 

Nick Bloxsom-Carter (Ballroom Instructor)  is a Los Angeles native and has been dancing since he was 8 years old   Nick performs 20 dance and has been competing 10 dance for 7 years  He has also received extensiev training in Modern, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Ballet.  He has performed with the UVU Tour Team for the last four years and has been an officer of 2 as well as a guest artist for the Utah Regional Ballet.  He has lately been seen on So You Think You Can Dance, Season 9, as a Top 20 Contenstant.  He has also performed on Dancing with the Stars numerous times.  He enjoys teaching, choreographing, performing, and directing.

 

 

Megan Sticht (Improv Theatre Club) has loved performing since kindergarten, when she began taking music and acting classes.  She was her high school’s Speech and Drama Sterling Scholar and also took first place at the state Competitive Speech competition with her Humorous Interpretation, as well as third overall in Dramatic Interpretation, which allowed her to compete at the National Forensic League’s National Tournament. In college, Megan continued to perform with both classical choral ensembles and a touring show choir.  She completed her BA in Spanish with a minor in music (emphasis in choral education) from Utah State University. Her involvement with professional improvisational comedy began several years ago when she joined the Improvables Comedy Troupe. At AISU, she teaches Spanish and Improv Comedy Theater intensives. She also sponsors the Improv Club throughout the school year.

 

 

Jade Christiansen (Group Guitar Instructor)  was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. During her freshman year in high school, she took a guitar class, fell in love with it, and has been playing ever since. From age 15, Jade has been writing and composing her own music. She has also contributed to other artists’ works, both with guitar and vocals, in various recording studios. She recently uploaded her first album onto iTunes and other music distributors. Jade is currently attending the University of Utah, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Minor in Music. She hopes to combine both these degrees to teach children through music therapy. In her spare time, Jade enjoys watching movies, traveling, and of course playing the guitar. This is Jade’s second year here at AISU, and she is looking forward to working with students in helping them create music in a way that can help them express themselves.