Our Faculty & Staff

Dave Schecher returns to Usdan this summer for his 31st season. He is a trombonist, private music instructor and retired public school teacher who has also been the Director of The Long Island Brass Guild for many years.

Flutist Zara Lawler— “an engaging, fluent, mellifluous soloist” (Houston Chronicle)—made her concerto debut with the Houston Symphony and her recital debut at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall. For the past 10 years, she has integrated dance and theater into her performances, with the innovative ensemble Tales & Scales, in collaboration with choreographer C. Neil Parsons, and in large-scale choreographies for flutes including E Pluribus Flutum, a work created for sixty dancing flutists. Recent  career highlights include the U.S. premiere of Il Cerchio Tagliato dei Suoni—Salvatore Sciarrino’s work for 104 flutists— which she directed at the Guggenheim Museum; and a Flute Jamboree—also directed by Zara—at the Kennedy Center.Zara is on faculty at Manhattan School and a member of both the New York Flute Club and National Flute Association.

Born in Ohrid, in the Republic of Macedonia, Vasko Dukovski began playing with sound at age five and started his musical education at the age of eight. His dedication to music and the clarinet earned him a Fine Arts Award from the Interlochen Arts Academy, which he attended before receiving a Bachelors and a Masters Degree from The Juilliard Schools of Music.  Today, he is a New York-based multidisciplinary performing artist ,composer and advocate of  contemporary classical and experimental music.  Vasko has collaborated with some of New York’s most respected ensembles including Argento New Music Ensemble, S.E.M Ensemble, Bang on A Can All Stars, and others. In addition to being a front man of his world music quartet, Tavche Gravche, Vasko, is a member of Either/OR Ensemble, Mise-En Ensemble, Lost Dog Ensemble and Ensemble. He regularly appears in Europe, The Middle East, North Africa, China, and extensively in the U.S. in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, BAM, Roulette, LPR, and Miller Theater at Columbia University, The Met Museum and MOMA.  

Cyndi Feinman has been teaching music in the Roslyn Public Schools for over 12 years. In addition to leading chorus in the district’s Middle School, she directs the Spotlight musical. Currently, Cyndi is the chairperson for Division V All-County Mixed Chorus, and a co-chair for the NY/ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Middle School Division. She also adjudicates NYSSMA Levels One through Six during NYSSMA season. Her greatest goal is to bring the joy of music— particularly vocal skills and choral music— to a new generation. She has received Orff levels from Trevor Day School and Hofstra University and Kodaly levels through the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. Her studies also include “Music and the Brain training” and World Drumming Level I.
 

Why did you choose to work at Usdan? 
I believe in the mission and I believe that students should have a place they feel safe to experiment with things they love. 

Andrew R. Steinberg is a Boston-based saxophonist performing throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. Praised for his “beautiful tone” and “lyric playing,” Andrew has sought to perform neglected works as well as present premiere performances. An advocate of music that is equally gratifying and challenging, his repertoire focuses on works that highlight the “sound-of-sax” in ways never heard before, particularly in terms of tone color, range, and aesthetic approach. In addition to performing, Andrew lectures at venues including Boston University, New England Conservatory, Brookline Adult & Community Education, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Andrew  is currently completing his doctorate at New England Conservatory and is the Founder and Music Director of the Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra.

What will be your focus for the upcoming camp season? 
This summer, Saxophone class will focus on team activities, including saxophone quartets and ensembles, as well as discussions of the saxophone repertoire and its rich history.    
 

Michael Blutman enjoys a diverse career as a trumpeter and music educator. A graduate of Juilliard and the University of Maryland, his teaching, performing, and recording credits include: Ithaca College, Five Towns College, Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts, Sting, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orch, Broadway shows, and many others. Michael also co-founded the music education publishing company Pinnacle Music Press (www.pinmusicpress.com).

Matthew Weissman’s extensive performance career began at age 14, when he made his Carnegie Hall debut as a winner of the AMSA World Piano Competition — nearly five years after taking his first piano lesson. Since earning that title, Matthew has concertized in five countries, performed lecture-recitals in two states and holds eight first place titles in competitions. He has performed at the United Nations and at the Juilliard Evening Division and was lauded Salt Lake City Expositions 2012 Emerging Artist of the Year. He was also selected to represent the United States in the Cervantes Festival in Cuba and the Vladimir Horowitz competition in Ukraine. He is a honorary member of the American Liszt Society and is the recipient of the people's choice travel grant of Indiana University as well as receiving a scholarship from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA). His artistry has been featured in many humanitarian projects raising money and awareness for today’s common causes, including the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. A native Long Islander, Matthew has taught at four colleges including Nassau Community College and has adjudicated for NYSSMA/all-state grand piano showcase consideration.
 
What other departments are you most excited to collaborate with? 
Quidditch, Archery, Lego Design, Video Game Art & Design — the ones least associated with music.

Annie is a teaching artist and adjunct instructor of painting. She has participated in solo and group shows at spaces including Elijah Wheat Showroom, GP Presents, AIR Gallery, and Temporary Agency (New York), Zolla/Lieberman (Chicago), Current Space, Metro Gallery (Baltimore), The Institute Library (New Haven), Miami University (Oxford), Texas Christian University (Fort Worth), and Moncton University (Canada). Her work has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The Brooklyn Rail, and New American Paintings. She is a recipient of the William and Dorothy Yeck award from Miami University, and was awarded grants from the Kossak Painting Program and the Jerome Foundation. She was a resident with the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and The Arctic Circle residency. She has an MFA from Hunter College, and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

A multidisciplinary artist and organizer, Courtney Surmanek creates installation artworks,performance-poetry, and community-based initiatives exploring law, trauma, public space, gender, and sexuality. They are currently a Fellow of the Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics’ EMERGENYC program and The Performance Project at University Settlement. They received a BFA in Studio Art and Arts Politics from New York University, focusing on the arts as a tool for social change, and have participated in art residencies with The Art & Law Program at Cornell University, the Center for Artistic Activism, and Gibney Dance’s Institute for Community Action. In addition to having a robust teaching background they have exhibited work, performed, and organized events in venues across New York, including the Bowery Poetry Club, Islip Art Museum, Judson Memorial Church, The Knockdown Arts Center, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the Living Gallery BK, the Lowline Lab, and Theaterlab. 

Why did you choose to work at Usdan? 
I am excited to work with youth at Usdan to continue my work closing the opportunity gap, instilling creative exploration and risk-taking in the youth I work with. 

Reuben Lorch-Miller is a multi-disciplinary artist with an MFA in New Genres from San Francisco State University. He approaches his work from a perspective of curiosity and experimentation, understanding that meaning is often found within the process of doing. For the past five years, he has been an active teaching artist with the Guggenheim Museum’s ‘Learning Through Art“ program; The Studio Museum in Harlem; the New York City Public Schools though “Studio in a School”; Eckford Street Studio; and Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. He has also been a visiting artist and lecturer at Illinois State University (Normal); Rhode Island School of Design; Stanford University; San Francisco Art Institute; and Pratt Institute. Reuben has participated in multiple artist residencies and exhibited widely both nationally and internationally.    

What’s your most vivid/favorite memory of Usdan? 
Walking from the parking lot to the studio in the morning: The environment and the quiet...the birds and trees...also parading around the art area with our 10-foot tall collaborative puppet. 

Chris Vivas returns to Usdan for the ninth year this summer. He was selected for artist residencies throughout the world, including The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan; the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, AIR Vallauris in France, and Babayan Culture House in Turkey. And, his ceramic sculptures have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. In addition to Usdan, Chris teaches at St. Joseph’s College and Suffolk County Community College.

What will be your focus for the upcoming camp season? 
Working with students to develop their own creations; spark their creativity; and offer challenging projects and puzzles tengage their minds as well as bolster their skill sets.    

Dana Neger-Lagos is a Master Model Maker, Jeweler, and Sculptor who has been teaching at Usdan for the past six years. For the first 14 years of her career, she designed and manufactured for the commercial jewelry industry. Designing and creating jewelry, belt buckles and accessories for companies such as Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Calvin Klein, Wathne Ltd., QVC, Susan Lucci, Jeffery Stevens, and many more. She is a working artist in Smithtown, New York and, for the past five years she has been teaching at the Art League of Long Island; Plainview Old Bethpage School District; and Long Island Libraries Adult Education Program. Her artwork can be seen at East End Arts Council, South Hampton Cultural Center, West Hampton Beach, South Hampton Beach, Gallery North, Art League of L.I.,Sachem Public Library, Sweetbriar Nature Center and the Johnny Coltrane Jazz Festival.  She has a BFA in Jewelry Design and Silversmithing from Parsons School of Design in New York City.

What’s the most unusual or interesting part of the teaching process? 
The most interesting part of the teaching process are the children and their interpretation of a project. I can teach 15 students the same technique and get 15 different and wonderful versions of that technique.

Tom Brydelsky in an artist living and working in New York. His mixed-media encaustic pieces have appeared in numerous publications and televised features on art and home décor, as well as in group and solo exhibitions and many prominent public and private collections. Tom is also a seasoned museum educator and has served at many notable New York intuitions including The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; The Queens Museum of Art; The Hecksher Museum of Art; and the Parrish Art Museum. 

Have you won any accolades/awards in your creative profession?  
I’m recently received the Pollock-Krasner Award grant  -- a great honor.

A practicing artist and educator, Krista Biedenback’s passion has always been drawing and painting. She currently teaches drawing, sculpture and studio art courses at Hicksville High School and produces large-scale mixed media drawings and paintings out of her studio in Port Jefferson, NY. Krista’s past experience includes coordinating exhibitions for galleries in Manhattan and on Long Island, as well as serving as the Assistant to the Director of the Pollock-Krasner house in East Hampton. She is thrilled to be returning to Usdan this season for another summer of art exploration and growth with her students.    

Why did you choose to work at Usdan? 
Usdan is a magical place. From the beautiful surroundings to the enthusiastic students, it is a place for all to grow and learn from each other in the arts.

A native of Long Island, Artist/educator Jacqueline Selesky was introduced to dance at Diversity School of Dance at the tender age of seven. Jacqueline is now with the elite Bloc Agency and has performed with Rita Ora on Live with Kelly; Good Morning America with Demi Lovato, and The Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show with Cardi B and G-Easy. She has also performed choreographed pieces by Bill T. Jones, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, and Frederick Earl Mosley, and was the lead soloist in Martha Graham's Daughters of the Night, Night Journey (Joyce Theatre, NYC). Jacqueline is in her third season with Asha Dance Company. She was privileged to travel to Steamboat, Colorado for a residency with the Antonio Brown Dance Company at the exclusive Perry Mansfield. She was the lead actress in The Truth Urban Theatre Group’s production of VIVA AFRICA, and has appeared in an Ultimate Ears Speakers commercial, Nutrafol Hair Care commercial, and Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It Netflix series. She was also a model and dancer with Mac Cosmetics. Immediately following graduation from Montclair University, Jacqueline was afforded the opportunity to teach in the Orange Public School District in New Jersey as a K-12 Dance Teacher. 
 
Who inspires you/who do you admire in the industry? 
I admire all of the choreographers I have worked with and aspire to work with in the industry as well as all the struggling artists that are grinding right along side me to be the best version of themselves.

Carol Prisamt has been directing regional theater on Long Island for over 25 years.  She has worked with local theaters such as Broadhollow Theatre, Studio Theatre and Bayway Arts Center, directing shows including Other People's Money, Steel Magnolias, Breaking Legs, Sylvia, Veronica's Room and The Odd Couple, among many others. In addition, she spent several summers supervising a performing arts program for children and teenagers in the Hudson Valley where she produced and directed multiple musical productions and taught various acting classes. Carol earned her M.A. In English literature and teaches English languages arts.

What’s your most vivid memory of Usdan? 
My most vivid memory of working at Usdan was during the curtain call my Theatre Adventure students took after their performance of Junie B. Jones. The look of pride on their faces brought me to tears and is a moment I will always hold dear.

Jim Invorvaia is a high school AP English and Theater teacher returning to Usdan for his 27th year.  A Long Island native, Jim lives in Westbury and leads the charge for Usdan’s Theater Department, planning, scheduling, and producing the Camp’s annual 35-day, 11-show season for 300-plus theater students.

What are you most excited about for this coming summer season?  
The whole season.

Actor/instructor Rob hails from St. Louis, MO, and first studied music and theater at the renowned Indiana University School of Music. After moving to New York in 1995, he starred as Javert in the Broadway production of Les Miserables, and also appeared in the role of Emile Debeque in the Broadway revival of South Pacific. He is currently adjunct professor of voice at Long Island University and Five Towns College.

What will be your focus for the upcoming camp season? 
Creating a fun and rewarding performance experience for the students.    
 

Christina Pawl is a dancer, singer, and actor whose credits include performing in the Tony Award-winning production of CABARET, Meet Me In St. Louis, and the revival of South Pacific. As well, she has taught jazz dance at Broadway Dance Center, “Beginnings” workshops; Main Street Theatre; and Dance Alliance Roosevelt Island.

What's the most unusual or interesting part of the teaching process? 
That the students teach me as much as I teach them/being open to that. I love the discoveries that happen along the way.

A member of Actors’ Equity Association, James is a freelance actor and also serves as the vocal director of Beyond the Stage Studio in Plainview, NY. Previously, James worked as an actor at Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, Shakespeare Theater Company, Pioneer Theater Company, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, Prospect Theatre Company, and on the national tour of Peter and the Starcatcher. As a child, he studied Musical Theatre, Jr. Chorus, and Tap at Usdan and credits the camp for introducing him to the many musicals and plays he now cherishes as an adult.

Is this in keeping with your current work outside of camp?
 Yes, my entire life is devoted to the theater and the arts.