Are you an Infinity instructor/faculty member who doesn't have a biography or a photo on this page? E-mail us your picture or biography and we'll put it on the website! Send all pictures and bios to info@infinityperformingarts.org.
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AJ Emerling
 Drum/Vibraphone/Latin Percussion Instructor
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Anthony Scott
 Digital Recording Instructor
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Bill Ward
 Infinity Bluegrass Band director
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Cale Hawkins
 Piano/Synth/5:33 instructor Cale Hawkins has been involved with Infinity for seven years; six as a student and one as an instructor. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keys, and sings, and has recorded three original CDs (all done at Infinity. He currently performs with his own R&B/funk trio, solo, and with The Bluesers in Canada.
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Carol Svensen
 Piano Instructor Carol Svensen is a graduate of Thiel College with a Bachelor's degree in English, cum laude. She has been a piano instructor at JCC for over five years, the organist and choir director for many local churches for over twenty-five years, the rehearsal accompanist for JCC musicals since 1997, and a freelance cocktail pianist. She is involved in the Ladies First Big Band (Voted Buffalo's Best Big Band 2004 & 2005) and The Jamestown Municipal Band. Carol is currently the organ/choir director at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. She is also involved in the bans Colla Voce, Lightning Strikes Twice, and Curt & Carol.
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Faith Graham
 Violin Instructor Faith Graham is a graduate of North Parks University, Mercyhurst College, and Walden University. She has obtained a Bachelor's degree in Sports Medicine & Biology, a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership, and she is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Administrative Leadership. Faith has been teaching beginning violin for twelve years, and studied Suzuki method under Nina Karbaka. She is an active musician at her church, and she also plays for weddings and other community activities.
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Gary Peters
Bio Coming Soon
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Howie Feldman
 Steel Drum/Rising Stars instructor Howie is a 30 year veteran music teacher. He was born in Long Island and went to school at SUNY Buffalo, graduating with a Master's Degree in Music Education. He has directed several steel drum bands: the Gustavus Adolphus Learning Center Steel Band, the Jamestown Community Steel Band, the Randolph Academy Steel Band, Infinity's own Steel Pan Alley and Infinity Steel Band, and Howie and the Feltones, a professional steel band. His passion is teaching and his bands have performed throughout Western New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Disney World in Orlando, Florida and Moscow, Russia. The Infinity Steel Band and Steel Pan Alley has been a great opportunity to work with talented local high school and college students. The collaboration of gifted instructor of Infinity is a source of great motivation.
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Jamie Haight
 Guitar Instructor
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Jim Beal
 Vocal instructor James Beal is a native of Jamestown and a graduate of Jamestown High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater from Franklin & Marshall College and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Opera and Voice from Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Beal's teachers have included Beatrice Krebs (Pittsburgh), Thomas Houser (New York) and Ena Thiessen (Munich and Hanover, Germany). He has performed as a soloist in opera, oratorio and concert in the US, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Mr. Beal has been noted for his performances of works by J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten, Rossini, Puccini, Mozart, Schumann and Schubert, as well as music theater stage works such as Man of La Mancha, Oliver, Guys and Dolls, Carousel and Kiss Me Kate. He has also performed jazz, rock, folk and gospel music professionally over the last 35 years. In addition to teaching and coaching singers in Jamestown, Mr. Beal has worked with singers in New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Europe.
James Beal is currently the tenor soloist and Cantor for St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Jamestown. He founded and is lead singer of the St. Luke's Acoustic Band and appears as a soloist in various local concert presentations.
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Jim Torrey
Drum instructor
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Joe Grice
Bio Coming Soon
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John Cross
 Infinity Big Band director
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Julia Ciesla-Hanley
Bio Coming Soon
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Julie Anderson
 Piano instructor Julie
Anderson has taught general music classes, piano, and guitar. A
graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a B.S. in Elementary
Education, she applies heading education ideas to reading music,
looking for patterns in rhythms and sound to teach students to become
musically literate. Julie has graduate credits in music education
studying with Jean Sinor, Grace Nash, and Jane Alexander. Since coming
to Jamestown in 1989, she has studied piano with Mrs. Helga Hulse and
performed in 6 faculty recitals of keyboard instructors.
She currently sings at Zion Convenant Church under the direction of
Brian Bogey, plays with 2 praise bands, and is in the handbell choir.
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Julie Cotter
 Vocal instructor
Julie Cotter attended SUNY Fredonia where she recieved a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. She received her Master's of Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Julie has been the choir director at Maple Grove for 2 years. She is currently their Voices select choir director, as well as the music director for youth musicals at Springville Center for the Arts. |
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Ken Larsen
 Guitar instructor/Infinite Groove director Ken Larsen attended Hunter College in New York City. He has thirty years experience as a performing musician, and has been instructing for 10 years. Ken is a member of four local bands and plays often throughout the community.
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Mark Alpaugh
 Milestones director Mark Alpaugh is theGeneral Music and Vocal instructor for George Washington Middle
School . He graduated from Jamestown Community College with an Associates Degree in Applied Arts, Berklee College of Music with a Bachelors in Music Education, and SUNY Fredonia with a Masters in Music Education. Mark has also been an adjuct Ensemble Instructor for Jamestown Community College in the past. He formerly served as the pianist at Emmanual Baptist church, and has been involved in many local bands including Rhythm Express, the Babalu Band & the Bill Ward Band. In 2005 Mark won the Carol Penniman Faison Award for Educator of the Year. He has been teaching with Infinity for 11 years and instructs the band Milestones.
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Michelle Buhite
 Vocal Instructor Michelle is a Jamestown native and currently holds degrees in the following areas:AA Humanities - JCCBA Theatre - SUNY BinghamtonBS, MS, PhD - Holistic Nutrition, Clayton College of Natural Health, Birmingham, AL andMDiv - in progress, Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago, IL. She has taught private voice since 1988 and alsoteachs communications and music at JCC. Michelle has studied with the following voice teachers:Roberta Schlosser, SUNY Binghamton opera dept Mike Kelly, JCC Coordinator for Music James Beal (currently studying with him)and she is passionate about helping folks find their voices - and then giving them the tools to hone their skills and find delight in singing and speaking well.
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Nate Mahaffey
Guitar instructor
Nate has been an active musician, sound engineer, and recording engineer in the local music community for over 5 years. He has been playing with the metal band UTE for over 4 years and hs played over 100 regional shows in that time. UTE'S most recent accomplishment is signing to the Norwegian metal label, Ovis Records, in January of 2010.
Nate graduated from JCC in May of 2009 with an Associat's Degreee in Individual Studies with a focus in music, as well as a degree in Digital Audio Production.
Since January of 2010, Nate has been employed at the Infinity Performing Arts Program teaching guitar, business of music, and ESL audio project classes. |
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Nicole TenEyck
Bio Coming Soon
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Spencer Drake
Bass instructor
Spencer Drake has been a private guitar and bass teacher in Jamestown since 2003. He has played in bands since age 13. Spencer studied music at JCC (AS in Fine Arts Music) SUNY Fredonia and Berklee College of Music in Boston (Basslines 2004). He has played profesionally and semi-professionally in Seattle, Colorado and Western, NY., and performs regularly with the JCC jazz band, Jamestown Municipal band, Jamestown Community Orchestra as well as pit band for local high school musicals. Spencer has also performed as a solo guitarist, and as a bassist with his band the Blues Power Trio. He lives in Jamestown with his wife Carol and his stepson Ellis. |
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Steve Davis
Bio Coming Soon
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TR McKotch
 Drum instructor T.R. McKotch is best known for his work with the Steve Johnson Band, the GAHU Drum Ensemble, and Jim Donovan (Rusted Root). Most recently, T.R. has joined fellow musicians in Last Stop Willoughby featuring Steve Gustafson (10,000 Maniacs), Jeff Erickson (10,000 Maniacs), Rhonda Harp (GAHU Drum Ensemble) and John Merino. He has shared stages with Rusted Roots Michael Glabicki, Jenn Wertz and Jim Donovan. T.R. is a founding member of GAHU Performing Arts with the development of his Universal Hand Drum workshops, and most recently Universal Drum & Dance workshops with the collaboration of dancer/choreographer Nicole Ten Eyck and vocalsit Rhonda Harp. Recording credits include: T.R. McKotch "Hand Drum Instructional Vol.1" GAHU Drum Ensemble "Live" Steve Johnson Band "New Beginnings" McKotch is the Director of Drums & Percussion for Infinity's GAHU Drum & Dance Ensemble.
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Willie Rosas
Latin Drumming instructor
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