INSTRUCTORS
KATHRYN GUENTHER (Owner, Classical Piano, and Musical Theatre) - originally from Mt. Holly, New Jersey, graduated from Lebanon Valley College with B.S. in Music Education and B.A. in Music with Piano Performance Concentration. Kathryn was accepted to study music at Anglia Ruskin Polytechnic in Cambridge, England. She studied for 15 years with Mrs. Judith Walter and Dr. Dennis Sweigart. She completed her first master's degree in December 2011 in Special Education from Saint Joseph's University. She has a particular interest in the benefits of music education for students with special needs.
Kathryn has worked as a soloist and accompanist, playing everything from Bach to Broadway. In 2004, she made her orchestral debut performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto Op. 102 No. 1. Locally, she has worked as a music director and performer with numerous organizations such as Music Mountain Theatre, Maple Shade Arts Council, The Road Company, and Circle of Friends. She actively works as an accompanist for numerous school districts for annual choral concerts and is the part time music director at Epworth United Methodist in Palmyra, NJ, directing the choir and praise team as well as playing bi-weekly Sunday services.
Kathryn has worked for the past 18 years for the Pennsauken School District as Vocal Director for the middle school and now high school program. She has directed numerous productions for the district including Pippin, Godspell, In The Heights, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She regularly attends workshops including the Broadway Teacher's Workshop in NYC to expand her knowledge of past and current theatrical training.
She completed her MA Theatre with the Guildford School of Acting within the University of Surrey, UK in September 2022.
DAVID NIKOLAS (Guitar and Piano) - David is a Philadelphia-based artist who made his off-Broadway debut in a 2018 revival of Gemini in the lead role of Fran at the venerable Theatre Row in Hell's Kitchen. On screen, David co-produced, wrote, and directed In His Pocket in 2021, which took home several laurels on the film festival circuit. He has also worked with billion-dollar director Zack Snyder on the Netflix feature Army Of The Dead, as well as in supporting roles for independent features such as The Finders in 2016; you’ve also seen him on television in AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere, as a two-day champion on Jeopardy! in 2006, and in various local commercials. David has also directed several stage productions, including The Sunken Living Room in 2018, The Last Five Years in 2020, and American Idiot in 2021, and worked with Sean Gilligan Performing Arts in Dublin, Ireland on their production of Footloose in 2022. Educated at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, David is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and of Actors’ Equity and is the resident teaching artist with Pennsauken High School's musical theatre program.
David brings an approach to teaching the guitar that focuses on using the music students enjoy to strengthen technique, help teach basic music theory, and understand song structure while having fun learning favorite songs!
DAVID CHARRIS (Voice, Guitar, and Piano) - David received his Bachelor of Music Education from Rutgers University with voice concentration in 2023 and now teaches music for Trenton public schools. Throughout his time at Rutgers, David studied with Judith Nicosia and performed the roles of Bottom/Wall in Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream and David in Honegger's oratorio King David. As a member of the renowned Kirkpatrick Choir, he was a soloist for Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla. David's musical theatre experience includes Godspell (Jesus *Best Lead Actor), Pippin (Pippin), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), and Newsies (Race *Julie Nomination).
David is fluent in Spanish and enjoys working on cars and admiring expensive guitars.
JESSICA KOLODY (Voice, Flute) - Jessica earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Cedarville University in 2011. She has since continued learning through graduate music courses at The University of the Arts and various professional workshops in the field of music education. She is the Director of Vocal Music at Highland Regional High School, where she developed an active co-curricular a cappella program that participates in the International Competition for High School A Cappella. In the summers, she works as a Vocal Coach with the RockNRoll Chorus and an instructor at various youth camps. She also teaches private flute and voice lessons and occasionally performs as a freelance musician.
With experience as an assistant marching band director, vocal director for musical theatre productions, worship band team member, and summer camp instructor, in addition to her primary teaching position at Highland, Jessica has a developed a wide variety of teaching methods for diverse ages, musical genres, and learning styles.
Jessica is passionate about music and youth ministry, and she strives to spread joy to others through kindness and great music. Jessica is deeply grateful for the many music teachers, mentors and colleagues that have (and continue) to shape her into the musician and educator that she is today. She hopes to pass on the same love for music and pursuit of excellence to her students. soli*DEO*gloria