Monique Mead

Violinist Monique Mead is a passionate ambassador of classical music, known for her innovative programs that engage audiences and expand access to the arts. Mentored by Leonard Bernstein, she has performed with major orchestras throughout Germany, earning acclaim for her interactive youth and family concerts. At Carnegie Mellon University, she serves as Professor and Director of Music Entrepreneurship, guiding students to create meaningful careers in music.  A pioneer at the intersection of music and wellness, Mead founded a sound healing studio at Pittsburgh’s Awareness & Wellness Center and has established sound bath programs at major universities. She is actively training and partnering with medical professionals to integrate sound healing into mind/body healthcare practices. She is Artistic Director of the Rancho La Puerta Music Lover’s Festival and also hosts a porch concert series with her talented children, Isabel (harp) and Tino (piano). Her work bridges performance, innovation, education, and well-being.

More at moniquemead.com

Adam Kantor

Adam Kantor won an Emmy and a Grammy in THE BAND’S VISIT on Broadway, as well as an Outer Critics Circle honor in DARLING GRENADINE at the Roundabout. He was nominated for an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for THE INHERITANCE at The Geffen Playhouse. Previously, on Broadway, Adam starred in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, NEXT TO NORMAL, and RENT (final cast, filmed live for Sony Pictures). Off-Broadway, he starred in THE LAST FIVE YEARS and AVENUE Q. Most recently, he played Jonathan in Larson’s TICK, TICK…BOOM! at Actor’s Playhouse in Miami. On TV he was a guest star in High Potential, Billions and The Good Wife.  Adam is a graduate of Northwestern University and the British American Dramatic Academy.  He is a coach for The National High School Music Theatre Awards (“The Jimmy Awards”) since 2014.  Adam has headlined concerts at Carnegie Hall as well Princeton Symphony Orchestra, among others.

@AdamJKantor on social.

Michele de la Reza

Michele de la Reza is a celebrated choreographer, performer, and educator, best known as the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Attack Theatre, a nationally recognized dance company known for its bold and physical storytelling. Attack Theatre collaborates with opera, symphonies, museums and theater companies, sharing new interdisciplinary works throughout the US, Europe and Asia.  A Juilliard-trained dancer with a Master’s in Developmental Movement, Michele has performed and created work across the U.S., Europe and Asia with New York’s Perks DanceMusicTheatre and Pittsburgh’s Dance Alloy and Attack Theatre. With her partner Peter Kope, she has received numerous accolades, including three Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowships and the Hardie Educator of the Year award; and choreographed the Broadway production of “Squonk” at the Helen Hayes Theater.. As a Teaching Professor of Dance at Carnegie Mellon University, Michele brings a playful, inclusive approach to movement that welcomes performers of all backgrounds. Her passion for dance and joy in expression makes her Broadway dance classes a true highlight—inviting participants to experience the thrill of iconic choreography in a relaxed, fun, and empowering environment.

Stephen Neely

Stephen Neely, PhD, is a dynamic educator, conductor, and performer who brings a lifetime of musical and theatrical experience to his teaching. He is the Milton and Cynthia Friedman Associate Professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon University, where he directs the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center and teaches Dalcroze Eurhythmics—a method that uses movement to deepen musical understanding. With over two decades directing opera workshops and choirs, including 23 years at Pittsburgh’s High School for the Creative and Performing Arts and 11 years as Chorusmaster for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Stephen has a passion for helping people of all levels connect with music through voice and movement. His lively, embodied approach to singing invites participants to feel the joy of Broadway classics from the inside out. A TEDx speaker and author, he shares his work around the world in music, theater, and design education.

Van Kaplan

Van Kaplan has produced or co-produced more than 40 shows on Broadway. In 2015, he was a lead producer of An American in Paris (4 Tony Award Awards.) More recently, he co-produced Purlie Victorious with Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young; The Piano Lesson with Samuel L. Jackson, and Mr. Saturday Night starring Billy Crystal. He co-founded the National High School Musical Awards/Jimmy Awards, which celebrates emerging talent in a showcase he directs annually on Broadway. In 2012, he co-produced a documentary series about the program for PBS. He has directed original shows for Caesars Entertainment at the Rio, Paris and Bally’s hotels in Las Vegas. He is Executive Producer Emeritus of the non-profit theatre Pittsburgh CLO; has consulted for the National Endowment for the Arts; is a former Theatre Panel chair for the Texas Commission on the Arts and adjunct professor for Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Arts Management Program. He is past president of The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), is a member of the Board of Governors of the Broadway League and a lifetime Tony Awards® voter.

Nick Adams

Nick Adams is a Broadway, film and television actor. He most recently starred as Alexis Gillmore in the smash Off-Broadway hit Drag: The Musical for which he won the 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in an Off-Broadway Musical. He starred as Cooper in the Emmy® nominated feature film Fire Island for which he received a Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast. The film also won a GLAAD Award, Dorian Award, and garnered Hollywood Critics Association and People’s Choice Award nominations among others.

Notably, Adams originated the role of Adam/Felicia in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which earned him an honor from the American Theater Hall of Fame, two Broadway Audience Choice Awards, and an Astaire Award nomination for Best Dancer on Broadway. He received national critical acclaim for his portrayal of Whizzer in the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of Falsettos, directed by James Lapine. Adams was the final actor to star as Fiyero in the first national touring production of Wicked. He originated the role of Alexis Gilmore in the Queerty and Broadway World Award-winning world premiere of Drag: The Musical in Hollywood, California, and can be heard on the both the Live and studio cast recordings.

Other Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, La Cage Aux Folles and The Pirate Queen.  TV/Film highlights include FBI Most Wanted (ABC), The Holiday Exchange(Peacock/Amazon), Dallas Drake on The Other Two (Max), Sex and the City 2, An Englishman in New York, Still Waiting In The Wings, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Go-Go Boy Interrupted, and It Could Be Worse (Hulu).

Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Papermill Playhouse, Kansas City Starlight, The Muny, Pittsburgh CLO, Gateway Playhouse, Lyric of Oklahoma, Bucks County Playhouse among others. Concerts: NY Pops (Carnegie Hall), Boston Pops, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, The National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada. Nick holds a BFA from the prestigious Boston Conservatory of Music. @thenickadams

Eden Espinosa

Eden Espinosa was nominated for both the Tony and Drama League awards for her stunning performance as Tamara De Lempicka in the Broadway production of Lempicka. Variety raved “Espinosa, starring in the title role, brings both luminosity and strength to her powerful performance…”.

Eden’s career as an actress, singer, and voice over artist has spanned two decades on stage and screen. Espinosa is warmly recognized for her critically acclaimed and iconic portrayals of Elphaba in “Wicked” (Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), and Maureen Johnson in the closing Broadway company of “Rent”.

Eden’s passions also have extended to the development of new works, stemming from her early years originating the title role of the now cult favorite Brooklyn the Musical on Broadway to more recently starring in Michael John LaChuisa’s The Gardens of Anuncia at Lincoln Center.

On Television, Eden can currently be seen Guest Starring on Brilliant Minds (NBC), The Equalizer (CBS), and FBI: Most Wanted (CBS). Eden, an in-demand Voice Over artist, was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work as The Queen of Hearts in Disney’s Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. She is also known for her voice work as Cassandra in Tangled The Series, Robot Chicken, MAD TV, Elena of Avalor, and Titan Maximum.

Eden’s albums Look Around and Revelation, her album of original music, can be found on all streaming platforms and available at www.edenespinosa.com. Instagram @edenespinosa

Joel Waggoner

Joel Waggoner is a New York and Iowa-based writer, musician, and actor. Broadway credits include Be More Chill, School of Rock. Off-Broadway credits include Southern Comfort (The Public Theater), A Man of No Importance (Classic Stage Company), and Titanique (Ruth). On screen, Waggoner can be seen as the pianist opposite Meryl Streep in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building Season 3.

He originated the role of Ralph in the world premiere of Knoxville by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and performs violin and vocals on the original cast recording. As a composer, Waggoner wrote the score for Presto Change-O(Barrington Stage Company) and original music for two RuPaul’s Drag Race commercials featuring Jinkx Monsoon and Monét X Change.

With Julia Mattison, he co-created the viral holiday Instagram series Joel & Julia’s Advent Carolndar @adventcarolndar, featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and NPR for its witty and joyful musical satire and “unhinged” original carols for everyday of advent. Their live Christmas show received a two-week run at the Public Theater in December of 2025. A graduate of NYU’s MFA Program in Musical Theatre Writing, Waggoner continues to bridge heartfelt storytelling, virtuosity, and comedy across stage, screen, and song.