Daniel Marshall Daniel Marshall began his dance career in California at the San Diego Creative School of Performing Arts. Soon after Graduation, he went to New York to accept a scholarship at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.While Mr. Marshall may have thought he would be spending a lot more time as a student, Cleo Parker Robinson had other plans for him. She brought Daniel back to Denver, Colo. to become a member of her company. During his four years in Denver Mr. Marshall was able to develop his style and travel across the globe to places including Germany, Kenya, Poland, and Russia. By 1997, as an accomplished dancer, Mr. Marshall had made his way back to California to dance and choreograph. He did guest performances with Lula Washington Dance Theatre in Los Angeles and became Artistic Director of the San Diego Contemporary Dance Ensemble. Mr. Marshall acted not only as Director but also the company’s only choreographer. Under his direction the company grew from eight members to twelve members and performed throughout the city regularly. During this time he set several pieces including Lover’s Lament and Blessed Assurance. Mr. Marshall received the 1997 Tommy Award for Best Male Performer/Choreographer. In 1999, Mr. Marshall found himself Departing for Dayton, Ohio to become a member of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and become one of its the premiere dancers. In 2001 Dance Magazine named Mr. Marshall one of its “25 to Watch.” He also found several choreographic homes in the Dayton area. He has set ballets for Gem City Ballet and South Dayton Ballet. Both are members of Regional Dance America. Mr. Marshall Received National Choreography Award NE in 2002. In addition he has set two ballets on Dayton’s Contemporary Second Dance Company which also tours regionally. Mr. Marshall has also served as Artistic Director for San Diego Civic Youth Ballet from 2005-2006. In 2006, Mr. Marshall set work on San Diego Dance Theater and danced with California Ballet. Mr. Marshall directed and choreographed “Cats” the musical for San Diego Junior Theater. He has become a recognized Choreographer and is now Artistic Director/Founder of LaDiego Dance Theater. Recently, Mr. Marshall has set new choreography for LaDiego, Vineland Regional Dance, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and Ballet Yuma. He contributes to the Celebrate Dance Festival and in San Diego, Bravo San Diego, the Palm Desert Choreography Festival, and the New York Summer-Stage Series, as well as continued involvement with the Regional Dance of America Ballet Festivals. James Maslow Maslow was raied in La Jolla, California, after being born in New York City on July 16, 1990. Maslow joined the San Diego Children's Choir, igniting un undying passion for singing and performing. Determined to be an entertainer, he transferred to the San Diego School of Creative Performing Arts, approximately thirty miles from his home. He then attended the Coronado School for the Arts. Recently Maslow guest starred on iCarly as the cute boy who causes a rift between best friends Carly and Sam when they fight over who saw him first. He is best known for his role as James on the Nickelodeon series, Big Time Rush. He has a scar on his eblow, which received while performing on a hockey-related stunt for the first episode of Big Time Rush.As a singer/songwriter who plays the piano and guitar, Maslow feels this project "is a dream come true" and he is ready for "the big challenge to do it well and to do it right." You can find out more about James at http://jamesmaslowfan.com/. Erin Blakemore Erin is a writer, entrepreneur, and a native Californian turned Boulder, Colorado transplant. Her debut book, The Heroine's Bookshelf, was released by HarperCollins on October 19, 2010 and received great reviews from the Washington Post (article).To learn more about Erin Blakemore visit her fab website at: http://www.erinblakemore.com/. Clark Thorell When SCPA students went on their annual Washington trip they had the opportunity to meet former SCPA graduate (Class of 1986), Clarke Thorell. Clarke was starring as Corny Collins in Hairspray on Broadway. Clarke has been in a number of Broadway plays and made many TV appearances including appearances on "Law and Order: SVU," "Ed," "Rescue Me," and "The Sopranoes." Playing Andy Williams, Clarke recently toured Europe, South America and the U.S. with Liza Minnelli, recreating the nightclub act made famous in 1948 by her godmother, Kay Thompson, and the Williams Bros.Sara Ramirez After graduating from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego, California, she graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, where she refined her skills as an actress. She went on to win the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as The Lady of the Lake in Monty Python's Spamalot, and is a member of the cast of Grey's Anatomy.Christian Hoff Christian Hoff graduated in 1986 from the School of Creative and Performing Arts. He currently stars in the original cast production of Jersey Boys which opened at the August Wilson theater on Broadway in 2005. His dynamic portrayal of Tommy DeVito, one of the founding members of Four Seasons musical group, won him the "Best Featured Actor in a Musical" Tony award in 2006. The hit show continues to sell out for months in advance.Kimberly King Emmy award winning host of lifestyle programs such as "Streetside San Diego," "Life Moments," "The Olympic Ozone," "Holidays on Horton Square," and "NBC 7/39's International Auto Show," Kimberly King was named 2006 San Diego Magazine's "50 People to Watch." Watching her is exactly what San Diegans have been doing for over 10 years when they tuned into NBC 7/39. An upbeat, positive addition to the news team, Kimberly worked as feature, entertainment, news and traffic reporter. She's covered some ground, both on the air and in the air, aboard Newschopper 7/39. "Streetside San Diego" and "Behind the Scenes With Kimberly King" gave Kimberly the opportunity to interview such well-known celebrities as LaDanian Tomlinson, Trevor Hoffman, Steve Finley, Ellen DeGeneres, Suzanne Somers the cast of "Scrubs," "ER," "My Name Is Earl," "Las Vegas," and many others. A San Diego native, Kimberly studied music, dance, voice, and theatre at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts before attending USIU's School of Performing and Visual Arts College on a Musical Theatre scholarship. She ultimately graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication. Her volunteerism is well known throughout San Diego, where she headlined fundraising efforts for a variety of worthy causes including United Cerebral Palsy, Children's Dental Health Association, the Old Globe Theatre, Kids' Korp, YMCA, SDSU, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego Fire Rescue among others. Danielle SmithDanielle began to attend the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts when she was 10 years old. It was here that she spent her only stint in art school, learning basic drawing concepts while independently experimenting with more advanced techniques at home. It was also at SCPA that she became the very first recipient of the Golden Easel Award for Artist of the Year, and began completing her first commission requests in her mid teens. Her work has since been exhibited in a number of public and juried exhibitions, and continues to gain new admirers. You can purchase her work from the District 117 Gallery online. Carey Scott Carey Scott is a 1993 graduate of SCPA. He went on to be trained under legendary master teacher Stella Adler. Carey has been a professional actor for over 25 years. He has appeared in over 75 films and tv shows as well as dozens of plays in New York and Los Angeles. Some of his co-stars include Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp, Whoopi Goldberg, Madonna, Tom Hanks, Alan Alda, Haley Joel Osment, Jennifer Aniston, Martin Lawrence, Alec Baldwin, James Spader and many others.
Carey has been teaching at his own acting school, The Rehearsal Room, in Los Angeles and San Diego for over 25 years.He recently directed his second full length feature film, To the Wall, for SONY Pictures. To the Wall will open theatrically nationwide, September 2009. Carey has been a member of SAG, AFTRA and Equity for over 25 years. Kenneth Froelich Described as "energetic, exciting, and rhythmically dynamic," composer Kenneth D. Froelich’s music has recently emerged as a vibrant new voice in the world of contemporary chamber and orchestral literature.His music has been performed by many world renowned performing ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra, Duo46, Earplay, the Empyrean Ensemble, the California EAR Unit, the Jolles Duo, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Conundrum, the University of New Mexico Percussion Ensemble, the University of Southern California Symphony Orchestra, the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, and the Orpheus Ensemble of Fresno. Additionally, Kenneth has received several national awards and recognitions for his compositions from ASCAP, the National Association of Composers/USA, Meet the Composer, the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (in conjunction with MTNA), the Percussive Arts Society, the New York Youth Symphony, the Society of Composers, Inc., IDEAS (Interactive Digital Environments Arts and Storytelling), and others. Works of his have been performed internationally in Germany, Italy, England, China, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Finland. His work “Clockwork Automata” is available on saxophonist Alan Durst’s CD “Tangos y Serenatas”, published by Centaur Records. Kenneth D. Froelich was born in Chester, PA and raised in San Diego, CA. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California, and both his Master of Music degree Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University. His principal composition teachers include Claude Baker, Don Freund, Sven-David Sandström, Eugene O'Brien, Donald Crocket, Frederick Lesemann, Morten Lauridsen, and Erica Muhl. Kenneth currently lives in Fresno, CA with his wife Jennifer and daughter Katerina, where he is appointed as Assistant Professor in Music Composition at California State University, Fresno. Prior to his appointment at Fresno State, Kenneth taught at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Sewanee, TN. Kenneth’s percussion ensemble work “Accidental Migration” is available through C. Alan Publications. Additional music is available through JOMAR Press, or by contacting Kenneth directly at kfroelich@csufresno.edu. You can also visit his website at http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~kfroelich Jeffrey GerodiasJeffrey Gerodias enrolled in fifth grade at SCPA (at that time located at O'Farrell School) because he was studying violin. When told he had to choose between P.E. or dance, he chose dance, "I'm not exactly sure why." He excelled in classes taught by our own Sandra Foster-King and others, and eventually danced with the Isaacs/McCaleb Youth Company. He would go on to dance with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, one of the largest modern-dance troupes in the world - and the best-funded with a $15 million budget. C Anthony Cole C. Anthony Cole has been a dance artist for over 20 years from childhood classes at Our Lady of Grace, through high school at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SDSCPA), to his studies at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Dance, and Theater. He has served as the Principle Teaching Artist for TranscenDance Youth Arts Project, produced and directed “Collaborations" dance projects in San Diego and served as the founding Executive Director of LaDiego Dance Theater. He was the Co-Director and Choreographer of the Gospel Messiah, 2006, 2007 & 2009.Mr. Cole has worked as a consultant for start-up dance companies and has produced, stage managed and artistically directed for Unity Dance Ensemble, LaDiego Dance Theater and The Garage Project. Mr. Cole is a popular and recurrent Guest Artist at SDSCPA where he has choreographed and taught for the advanced level classes. In addition, to being the "protégé" of Sandra Foster King, he has been invited to restage her repertoire throughout San Diego. Inspired by Debbie Allen, Alvin Ailey, Talley Beaty, and many other black dance notables, Mr. Cole founded the CAC Repertory Dance Theatre which is the one and only nonprofit Black Dance Company in San Diego. Joshlyn TurnerA 2003 graduate of SCPA, Joshlyn Turner went on to attend Hampton University and graduated in 2007 with a technical theatre major. She is an experienced stage manager, producer, director, and screen/playwright. Giovonnie SamuelsGiovonnie Lavette Samuels is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That. She began appearing on All That during 2001, quickly becoming one of the most regularly featured actresses on the show, alongside Jamie Lynn Spears and others. Samuels also appeared in episodes of That's So Raven as Raven's cousin, Betty Jane. She also appeared on Boston Public. Samuels does voiceover work for Bill Cosby's animated show, Fatherhood, on Nick at Nite. In 2006, she appeared in the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing, the third Bring It On movie. She has also appeared an as extra in Raven-Symoné's "Backflip" video and in the 2007 film Freedom Writers. In July 2007, she began appearing as a recurring character on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as Nia Moseby, niece of Marion Moseby. Jeremy McQueen Jeremy McQueen graduated from SCPA in 2004 and then went on to attend the Ailey School/Fordham University. During his time in college he took on the task of choreographing and producing “'EVOLVING: Beyond the Essence,' An Evening of Works by Jeremy McQueen" at The Ailey School. The evening was used as a platform to make his formal debut as an up and coming choreographer and also to raise social awareness of HIV/AIDS within the world. McQueen went on to graduate in May of 2008 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.
After graduation, McQueen made his Carnegie Hall debut and worked on an off-Broadway revival of Susan Stroman's, Tony Award-winning musical, CONTACT. He then traveled to Houston, Texas to work as a guest artist with the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater performing the lead part in an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. Back in New York he made his professional choreographic debut with a piece entitled 'Incandescent Paths'. The piece closed the American Dance Guild's annual performance festival in the city at Dance New Amsterdam. In late September he also had the privilege of traveling to Germany for two weeks where he danced for Panasonic electronics, unveiling their new line of digital cameras at the international photography trade-show, Photokina.
McQueen ecently was commissioned by the organization, The Group Theater Too in New York City for their annual Choreographer's Canvas festival for whom he will be creating a new work for their performance festival that will be presented off-broadway at the end of April 2009. In addition, he was a finalist for the annual E-Moves Choreographic Series at Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall presented in the spring of 2009.Monica MancillasMonica Mancillas was accepted to the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts at age eleven where she spent the next six hears honing her skills, performing, and touring as a singer, pianist, and dancer. Excelling in both the arts and her academic studies, Monica chose to study at the esteemed University of California at Berkeley, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with the highest of honors. It was during this time of study and introspection that Monica awoke one day to a new calling. Having enrolled in a jazz improvisation class, she found herself inspired to write a jazz ballad for her grandparents fiftieth anniversary. Unable to sleep from the sheer excitement of this newfound talent, she spent the next several months writing and recording her first collection of songs. In 2000, decided upon a career in the recording arts, Monica moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles where she promptly secured a position as Manager of a hip West Hollywood recording studio. Able at last to put her budding skills as an engineer and producer to work in a commercial facility, Monica spent the next few years writing, recording, producing and advancing herself within the industry. In 2003, she was offered a position at the esteemed Musicians Institute in Hollywood, where she now works as the first-ever female Director of the audio engineering department (RIT)Director of Audio Engineering at Musicians Institute in Hollywood/Recording Artist Amy Obenski"With inspiration stemming from an array of genres including jazz, classical, rock and R&B, Obenski’s music lends itself to an eclecticism that is surprisingly organic and natural. Her newest album, From The Deep, features grand piano, cello, viola, bass, drums, mandolin and even accordion. And the instruments are perfectly balanced beneath her sweet and sultry vocals. The lyrics, refreshingly honest and insightful, have been coined as “gripping” by critics. In 2007 her song, “Carousel”, was heard on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, taking the song to number twenty-three on the iTunes Folk Chart. Before that, her second album had been receiving play on MTV’s program, MADE, which is still using her music today. Both successes have come to her by surprise. The first album, What We Tell, was discovered by an MTV executive who randomly heard her music on someone’s iPod. A few years later, and on a whim, an editor placed the song from her second album onto Grey’s Anatomy. Being based out of Santa Cruz, California, Obenski tours mostly through the West Coast of the United States and plays steadily in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s performed in notable venues such as Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco, Don Quixote’s in Santa Cruz, and has opened for the John Butler Trio in Los Angeles. Her musical history stretches back to age five, when she began singing in her school choir. She spent her childhood in arts related public schools and started private piano lessons at age seven. While attending UC Santa Cruz she minored in music while acquiring a degree in Environmental Studies. She currently uses both of these skills by creating a series of benefit concerts called Take Back Your Forest. The concerts raise money for The Sempervirens Fund, an organization that protects redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains." Marcia WallMarcia Wall studied photography and drama during her 6 years at SCPA. After moving to New Orleans in 1999, her careers in photography and stand-up comedy blossomed. In addition to shooting graduations, family portraits, and Mardi Gras special events, Marcia is affiliated with several area art markets and is a member of the Dutch Alley Art Co-op in the historic French Quarter. Her fine art photos are sold all over New Orleans and to private collectors around the country. You can view samples of her work at www.seeitmywayphoto.com. In 2002, she launched her career in stand-up comedy, performing at Le Chat Noir, the premier cabaret theater in New Orleans. She has since performed all over New Orleans, in New York City, and at The Comedy Store in La Jolla. Currently, she produces her own shows. A former college English instructor, Marcia is also a published writer many times over. Her book Malaria Shots Not Available: A Guide to Surviving Life after College was published in 2000. Her essays and poems have won both regional and national awards. Her latest venture is a travel website for New Orleans visitors. 411 NOLA, as the site is known, combines her love of photography, writing, and traveling. It can be found at www.411nola.com. Marcia remains in touch with many SCPA alums and is happy to be part of the school's legacy. She can be reached via email at mwall1000@gmail.com. Michael Blanco "Michael Blanco is a bassist and composer living in New York City. He is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award (2005, 2006) and presented those winning compositions on In The Morning, his debut release for the esteemed Fresh Sound/New Talent jazz label out of Barcelona, Spain.Since moving to New York City in January 2000, Michael has frequently performed with saxophonists Rich Perry and John Ellis, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, pianists David Cook and Adam Birnbaum, and drummers Mark Ferber and Bill Campbell, among many others. He has been involved in a wide variety of musical projects, including bands led by Doug Wamble (Marsalis Music), Bob Reynolds (John Mayer), John Chin (Fresh Sound/New Talent), Alan Ferber (Brooklyn Jazz Underground), Frank LoCrasto (MAXJAZZ), Shayna Steele, Sarah Tolar, and Frank Basile (Village Vanguard Orchestra). Michael has twice been selected by the U.S. Department of State to be an artistic representative for the United States abroad. First, in 2001, he toured South America, Central America, and the Caribbean as part of the Kennedy Center's Jazz Ambassador program. Then, in 2008, he toured the Middle East as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center program The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad. Michael is also in high demand outside of the world of jazz. He is currently the bassist for the new Broadway musical Next to Normal and has performed in the orchestras of more than a dozen other Broadway shows, including Billy Elliot, Wicked, Spring Awakening, Grease, and Avenue Q. A frequent accompanist to singers, he has performed in concert with such notable artists as Carole King, Norah Jones, Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth, and Maureen McGovern. Michael currently leads a jazz trio dedicated to performing his original compositions and has performed at major New York City venues including Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Birdland, Iridium and Blue Note and smaller important laboratories for jazz like Makor, Tonic, Smalls, Barbes and La Lanterna. Always seeking to expand his playing and develop new avenues of expression, Michael is currently studying classical bass with Timothy Cobb; principle bassist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and chair of the Juilliard School double bass department. Although he spends most of his time in New York City, Michael has also had the pleasure of performing in Bahrain, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yemen. Matt SmithMatt Smith, Class of 2006, will graduate on May 15, 2010, from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. This summer he has been accepted at the Aspen Music Festival Individual Studies Program to study with George Tsontakis, Composer-in-Residence. In the fall, he will begin graduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He also was just awarded CIM's 2010 Donald Erb prize in Composition. Lou RomanoSCPA Alumni, Lou Romano (class of 1990) is an American voice actor, artist, and production desigern. He was also a member of the Art Department at Pixar Animation Studios from (2000-2008). He took an interest in drawing at an early age and studied theater arts, performing in plays throughout his time at SCPA. After graduating in 1990 he studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts (90-92). Since then he has worked as an art director and designer on various projects, including The Powerpuff Girls and The Iron Giant. In 2000, Lou Romano joined Pixar, as the production designer of The Incredibles for which he won an Annie Award in 2005. His artwork has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Gallery at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City and has been published on the cover of The New Yorker. He has provided voice work on three Pixar films, including the character of Linguini in Ratatouille in 2007. Most recently, Romano worked as an art director on Pixar's 10th feature film, Up. Romano left Pixar in 2008 and currently works at LAIKA. He is currently working with Jan Pinkava in an upcoming CG project for LAIKA. Albert Jones  SCPA Alumni (1995), Albert Jones, went on to graduate from the University of California Irvine. He currently held the starring role in Red Tails.Other Notable GraduatesGraduates Who Now TeachJohn Ross - Class of 1986 - Vice Principal at Lincoln High School Cassandra Lawson - Class of 2000 - English Teacher - Currently teaching at CPMA Bridget Persons - Class of 1986 - Currently teaching at SCPA Cherie McKinney Douma - Class of 1988 - Valhalla High School Brett McKinney - Class of 1996 - Helix Charter High School Sara Spafford - Class of 2000 - Choir, Piano, and Composition Teacher at CPMA Middle School Shannen Wilcken McKinney - Class of 1995 - Program Specialist, Autism Coordinated Education at Chula Vista Elementary Schools Michelle Wilcken Yepiz - Class of 1997 - Zamorano Elementary School Marjorie Treger - Drama Teacher - San Diego School of Creative & Performing Arts |