The demand for arts programming in the North End / Waterfront community has never been greater. The North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC) is blossoming with an increase of arts programming and many new students this year. NEMPAC is happy to welcome new music faculty members to their team to help us sustain this growth! Jaime Castellanos, Rhaea D’Aliesio, Stefano Marchese and Manda Shepherd were selected through a competitive application process where they demonstrated excellence in teaching, prestigious musicianship and a passion for music education, especially in a community setting. We hope the North End / Waterfront community will join us in giving them all a very warm welcome!
Jaime Cast
ellanos, NEMPAC Piano and Voice Faculty: Originally from New Jersey, Jaime Kathleen has musically directed, taught, and performed both nationally and internationally; she is thrilled to be joining the faculty at NEMPAC and looks forward to sharing her experiences with the students here! Jaime is currently on staff at the Boston Conservatory where she works with the musical theatre voice students, the art song repertory classes, and as rehearsal pianist / musical director for various theatre productions. During the summer, Jaime Kathleen is on faculty at the International Performing Arts Institute in Germany, a pre-professional experience for musical theatre performers from the US and Europe. She is also on faculty the Boston Patio Playhouse musical theatre camp.
Before coming to Boston, she received her Master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln; while there, she received the prestigious ‘Best Overall Pianist’ award at the Regional NATS competition. Jaime recently completed her Graduate Performance Diploma in Collaborative Piano with a vocal concentration at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.
Jaime has extensive experience working throughout the country with young aspiring pianists and singers. Previous teaching and coaching positions include the Bridgewater School of Music (NJ), Fusion School of Performing Arts (NJ), the Theatre Opportunity for Youth (Scottsbluff, NE), Broadway Bound Intensive (NYC), and the Longy School of Education Teaching Artistry and Outreach programs (Cambridge, MA).
Most recent theatre credits include ‘Carrie: the Musical’ (Stoneham), ‘Flat Stanley’ (Boston Children’s Theatre), ‘Little Women’ (Community House), ‘Avenue Q’ (Boston Conservatory). Other theatres where she has musically directed include the Arundel Barn Playhouse (Maine), Theatre West (Nebraska), Villagers Theatre (New Jersey).
Rhaea D’Aliesio, NEMPAC Piano and Voice Faculty: Rhaea D’Aliesio is a celebrated soloist and chamber music artist on the east and west coasts, as well as abroad. This Boston-based soprano received her Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Master of Music degree from the Longy School of Music, where she cultivated her expertise in opera, art song, lieder, and oratorio. She is currently a roster artist with Boston Opera Collaborative. Recent opera roles include Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), Clara (Signor Deluso), and the Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) at The Longy School of Music, Nella (Gianni Schicchi) and Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) at the Amalfi Music Festival in Vietri sul Mare, Italy, as well as Monica (The Medium), and Lucy (The Telephone). She has been honored to appear in master classes with Dawn Upshaw, Ann Baltz, Warren Jones, and Ben Zander.
Rhaea regularly performs concert and oratorio repertoire as well as frequent recitals. Recent solo performances with orchestra include Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man (west coast premiere), and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Saddleback Symphony Orchestra in Orange County, California. She has premiered several new art songs by Longy composers and performs song recitals frequently. She is also a lover of musical theatre and has most recently appeared as Maria (West Side Story) in Durban, South Africa, as well as a tribute to the beloved music of Stephen Sondheim in Mission Viejo, California.
Rhaea has taught Kindergarten through eighth grade classroom music at St. Edward the Confessor Parish School, private voice and piano lessons with California Music Studios in Dana Point, California, and in addition to teaching with NEMPAC, she is currently on the faculty of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and the Starline Academy in Stoughton, Massachusetts. As a teaching artist, Rhaea strives to connect music to the daily lives of audiences and students alike. She believes deeply that music, regardless of genre or instrument, is an endless opportunity for exploration, and works to help each student achieve his/her highest potential in every lesson, while steadily deepening their own self-worth. It is her most fervent passion to use music to broaden students’ perceptions and imaginations, empowering them to make things a bit more beautiful.
Stefano Marchese, NEMPAC Voice Faculty & Eliot Innovation School Music Teacher: is an acclaimed Vocalist, Composer, Producer, Music Instructor. Graduating from CWP (Berklee College of Music), Stefano had the chance to collaborate with musicians like Matthew Nicholl, Joey Blake, Bob Stoloff, Norma Winstone, Jetro Da Silva, and many others. He has served as a music instructor for private and public schools in Italy and in the US, and has collaborated in the writing of Cinzia Spata’s book “Jazz Vocal”. Stefano has also arranged for Luis Enrique among others. His debut album “Radici” has had a great success. Stefano is the producer and Artistic Director of “Sounds of Italy Festival” and “L’Italia Chiamò Radio-TV Show”. He is excited to join the NEMPAC team as both a private voice instructor and a NEMPAC teaching artist at the Eliot K-8 Innovation School where he currently teaches Grades K1 to Grade 4.
Manda Shepherd, NEMPAC Clarinet and Piano Faculty: As a graduate of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and Boston University Metropolitan College, Manda has obtained a diverse education in performance and performing arts management. As a clarinetist, Manda has performed in Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, and Massachusetts as a soloist, chamber musician, and in large ensembles. Her performances have been well received for their diverse programming and superior musicianship and technique.
Manda began teaching clarinet and piano in 2008 while she was still in high school. She began with beginning and intermediate musicians and quickly received the opportunity to coach advanced players at one of Illinois’ top high school band programs. While studying in Ohio, she began teaching clarinet and piano at the Joyful Noise Neighborhood Music School. Currently, Manda continues teaching in Boston, MA through Takelessons and Musika as well as through her own personal network.
Outside of her performances and teaching, Manda has held positions as a fundraiser and administrator at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Massachusetts, the Brooke Charter Schools, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
NEMPAC involves Music Faculty Members in Instrument Petting Zoo’s, Community Events, and Special Performances and Concerts. Please stay tuned to our website or facebook page for updates on these programs! If you’re interested in taking group or private lessons with any of our new instructors, please contact Rebecca Rapoport-Cole, NEMPAC Private Music Instruction Coordinator, at rrc@nempacboston.org. NEMPAC offers lessons every day of the week at both our studio building off the Prado (Paul Revere Mall) and at the St. John School – After-School Program.
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www.nempacboston.org
617-227-2270
P.O. Bo 130255
Boston, MA 02113
Building Our Community Through Music
