June 2013 PCS Alumni e-Newsletter

Prrofessiona
al Children
n’s Schoo
S
ol
ALU
UMNI NEWSL
LETTER ҉ June
J
2013
PC
CS
is now ap
pproaching our Centennial,
C
markking one hundred
d
years of academic progra
amming for the extraordinary
e
you
ung
people
e filled with dream
ms who have stu
udied here during
g the past centurry.
So mu
uch has changed
d since January 6,
6 1914 when PC
CS welcomed its first
studen
nts to a rented sp
pace in the Rehe
earsal Club. Wha
at has not chang
ged
is our belief that the pa
assions of youth are worthy of afffirmation and
encou
uragement. Pleasse join us as we celebrate our rich history of
suppo
orting the arts and
d celebrating the
e mind.
Ce
entenn
nial Celebra
ations
(Partial Calendar)
20
013
20
014
estivities begin with
w a PICNIC forr the entire PCS
 Fe
nd
co
ommunity on Sep
ptember 22 .
 Ja
ames Dawson, Head
H
of School, and
a Carol Kleban
n,
re
etiring Associate Head of School, will head to
Ca
alifornia for a We
est Coast Reuniion the last weekkend
in October.
CS young alumn
ni are invited to visit their alma ma
ater
 PC
to
o celebrate PCS’ Birthday with sttudents and facu
ulty
in early January.
W
for invitations to the all-sch
hool reunion in New
N
 Watch
Yo
ork City.
 Ce
elebrations will in
nclude the Cente
ennial Gala whicch
wiill mark the begin
nning of a new ce
entury of supporrting
an
nd affirming talen
nted young artists, musicians,
da
ancers and athletes.
 Ass part of the one hundredth annivversary, we are
op
pening up the arc
chives, and sharing stories aboutt
the people, places
s and events thatt have made PCS
S
wh
hat it is today. Like us: www.pcs--nyc.org/PCSNYC
 Pllease welcome th
he Class of 2013
3 to our closed
grroup “Memories of PCS.” With more
m
than 1500
alumni and faculty
y, it’s the perfect site for updates on
ne
ews and events at
a your alma matter.
ww
ww.pcs-nyc.org/g
group/PCSNYC
Coongratuulationss
Cla
lass of 2013
2
Welco
ome to the alumn
ni community!
M 9th reetirementt
May
Ceelebrrationn
PCS celebrated the careers
c
of Carol Kleban, Sherrie
e Hinkle and
th
Juditth Kaplan at a party
p
on Thursday, May 9 in the Peter Glenville
Thea
atre. Associate Head Carol Kleb
ban, Director of Admissions
A
Sherrrie Hinkle and Le
earning Specialisst Judith Kaplan have together
serve
ed over 54 yearss at Professional Children's Schoo
ol. Parents,
stude
ents, alumni and friends joined in
n a festive gatherring to salute
Caro
ol, Sherrie and Ju
udith.
To make
m
a donation
n to The Carol Kleban
K
Tuition Assistance
A
Fund
d visit: www.pc
cs-nyc.orgg/giviing
See page 4 for a messa
age from our retirees
Faculty and staff were delighted to see Sharon Fann ’04, Mayu Ota ‘04 and Rie Imai ’03 who
visited PCS in February. Sharon sent us the collage below after her visit.
Erica Guo ’11 stopped by PCS on March
th
13 to visit her former teachers. Erica just
finished her sophomore year at Manhattan
School of Music. She’s returning to China this
summer. Next year she will be participating in
an exchange program at The Sibelius
Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
Time Out Shanghai interviewed composer
and pianist Peng-Peng Gong '10. PengPeng performed his work with the Shanghai
Philharmonic Orchestra on May 10th. He is
quoted in the article, which was published in
May, “Music expresses everything that my
brain commands, but goes beyond the ability
of words.”
Mariam Dingilian ‘10 attends Mount Holyoke
College where she studies contemporary
dance and Chinese language. In April she
returned from a semester in Beijing, China.
We heard from Camila L.N. Teixeira ’10: “I
don't dance ballet anymore but I'm studying
business administration in São Paulo, Brazil
at Escola Superior de Propaganda e
Marketing. Hope everything is going well at
PCS!”
20
th
20
10
s
Congratulations Unity Phelan’12 and
Indiana Woodward ‘12. The New York City
Ballet announced in December that Unity has
been named an apprentice with the company
while Indiana has been invited to join the
company.
Rachel de la Torre ‘12 is a freshman at the
Southern Connecticut State University
(SCSU) where she competes on the
gymnastics team.
Congratulations to equestrian Reed Kessler
’12. In January the US Equestrian Team
Foundation announced that she was the
recipient of the 2013 Lionel GuerrandHermes Trophy. “This award is presented to
a young rider in one of the Olympic
disciplines who exemplifies both
sportsmanship and horsemanship. In 2012,
Kessler advanced to the highest levels of the
sport, completing during the Olympic Trials
and winning the USEF Show Jumping
National Championship. After her stellar
performance throughout the Observation
Events, she and her top mount Cylana were
selected to represent the US at the 2012
London Olympic Games.” In May, Reed
share more good new on Facebook: “We did
th
it! New rankings are out and I’m 28 in the
world! So excited to have broken the top 30!”
Jennie Brent ‘11 is at the Bard
Conservatory. Over the summer she
performed in China and participated in the
Colon Music Festival in Venezuela.
Zaire Ko ‘10 attends a Hotel Management
School in Zurich. He contacted us from
Madeira, an island of Portugal, where he is
completing an internship.”I'll be finishing my
internship on July 11 then I'm going back to
Zurich for two weeks for some traveling. Then
in August, if I get my visa, I will be spending
the month in Kazakhstan. Then I will be
returning for school by the end of the month.”
Sherrie Hinkle, PCS
Director of Admissions,
shared the photo (right):
"Me with alumna Estrella
Arias '12 in Havana, Cuba
-- February 2013 -- where
she is studying at the
prestigious Instituto
Superior de Arte."
Caroline Pires ’10: I am
hosting the 2nd Annual
Gabrielle's Angel Millennial
Ball this year! This is an
event to raise money for
cancer research. For more
info visit:
www.gabriellesangels.org
th
00
s
From May 29 to June 16 Michael Rosen
’09 is performing in world premiere of Richard
Nelson’s Nikolai and the Others,
commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater.
The play imagines the relationships between
George Balanchine and Igor Stravinsky and
“explores the controversial ways American art
and artistic institutions were funded at the
outset of the Cold War -- including the subtle
hand of the State Department in the post-war
cultural scene.”
Mary Hoover ’09 was selected to participate
in the Teach for America Program.
Emma Sadler ‘09 is the proud owner of
Emma’s Wonderland which offers “tasty
whimsical treats for any occasion. From ice
cream to mini apple pies and who knows
what else may come along.” For more visit
www.facebook.com/emmaswonder.
I actually established in ‘09 my business
Emma's Designs which is a children's
entertainment business. It all started with
that. Then in 2011 after attending FIT I
decided to change my career from graphic
design to pastry. I enrolled in the Institute of
Culinary Education in their Pastry and Baking
program. I graduated in January 2013 and
started up my newest business endeavor
Emma's Wonderland, specializing in mini
desserts, cake, cupcakes and pop
decorating. My goal is to combine my two
businesses into one and have a store front
eventually. But for now it is online.
Paul Huang ’09: Greetings! It is with great
excitement that I announce the launch of my
new website! You will be able to find out
more about my musical journey through this
website. I will also be posting blogs about my
travels and exciting news here from time to
time! www.paulhuangviolin.com
Ana Patete ’09 graduated from Brown
University with honors this spring. Next year
she is moving to Uruguay to translate a novel
and assist one of her professors; he's
launching a Humanities Department at the
nation's top science university in Montevideo,
ORT Universidad.
We heard from Elicia Silverstein ’08 (right)
in April, “I was recently awarded a Fulbright
grant to the Netherlands. The grant will fund
nine months of study/research/performance.
I will work with Vera Beths and Anner Bylsma
exploring Italian Violin Music Then and Now,
while simultaneously participating in the
Asko-Schoenberg's Ligeti Academy. My
project will focus on works by select Italian
and Italian-influenced composers from the
17th and 20th centuries. I am very excited to
have the opportunity to act as a cultural
ambassador for the United States and to be
able to pursue historical performance with
some of the movement's founders and
forefront artists. I recently returned from
Europe, where I played several recitals with
my duo partner, pianist, harpsichordist and
scholar, Daniel Walden. I am currently
completing my undergraduate studies at the
Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles. On
Saturday April 20th, I perform[ed] Mozart's
Sinfonia Concertante with German violist
Christopher Zack and the Colburn Orchestra
under the baton of Maestro Yehuda Gilad at
the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena,
CA. Warmest greetings to everyone at PCS!
I hope to be able to come back and stop in
for a visit soon. “
Pureum Jo ‘08 stars in the American premier
of the opera Matsukaze which opened the
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC on
th
May 24 . The production will travel to NYC
from July 18-20 for the Lincoln Center
Festival. “Matsukaze, meaning ‘wind in the
pines,’ is based on ancient Japanese Noh
text and tells of two ghost sisters bound to
wander the earth until they can find it in
themselves to let go of the mortal love that
has confined them there.”
Francisco Estévez ’07: “After PCS I
attended Harvard and joined Boston Ballet.
After some time I realized that doing both full
time was overwhelming and took a leave of
absence from Harvard in order to continue
my professional ballet career with Boston
Ballet. In 2010 I left Boston Ballet and joined
Corella Ballet in Spain. This company was
headed by Angel Corella, the famous
American Ballet Theatre principal who started
his company as a project to bring ballet to his
home country of Spain. I toured the world
(and Spain) with Corella Ballet and lived in
Madrid and Barcelona as the company
moved from Madrid to Barcelona in 2012 and
became the Barcelona Ballet. Due to
economic trouble, I had to leave the company
and look for a job with my now fiancée Tracy
Jones. We were lucky to find something
together at the beginning of this year (when
all US companies are full and have no
contracts) at the Colorado Ballet. Due to the
process of getting her visa, we did not move
over until January of 2013. I now work at
Colorado Ballet and am planning on going
back to Harvard next fall. Tracy and I have
since started our own business called "Tulips
by Tracy". It is a dance wear line that makes
customizable ballet skirts for dancers. It has
recently been featured in Pointe Magazine
and is doing quite well. I have also launched
my photography business called Francisco
Estévez Photography. I work with individual
dancers and companies alike doing
performance photography, but I also offer
portraits, wedding, product etc. It is also
doing well and I have had many opportunities
to photograph exciting projects. On a
personal note, I am getting married in the UK
May 17th, 2013 near my fiancées home
there. She is Irish, but her family lives near
London. They moved there when Tracy
decided to go to boarding school at the Royal
Ballet School.”
New York City Ballet recently posted on
Facebook that NYCB soloist Brittany
Pollack ’07 and NYCB principal dancer John
Stafford got engaged while in Copenhagen.
Congratulations to Rhett Lei ‘06 who was
accepted into the doctoral conducting
program at the University of Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music and was offered a full
scholarship. “I will assist with the school's
opera productions and other concerts. I am
very excited about it.”
Jacqui Sandell ‘06 was a
contestant on Season 4 of NBC’s
The Voice! She auditioned and
made it through blind auditions
joining country singer and
Cassadee Pope's (Hey Monday)
former coach Blake Shelton's
team.
Follow her fan page for updates:
www.facebook.com/JacquiSandell
Music
On April 9th Robbie Fairchild ’04 sent this photo of
himself with Tiler Peck ’06 and message via Twitter
“There was no photo shoot in Paris but she wasn’t too
bummed. She said yes :)”
carol kleban:
th
Lauren Fadeley Veyette ’03 was
promoted to principal dancer with
the Pennsylvania ballet and
opened the 2012-2013 season
dancing the title role in Giselle.
Danielle Goldstein ’03 is an
award-winning Grand Prix show
jumper and the first female show
jumper to ride for Israel. She
manages Starwyn Farms, a jumper facility
located in Wellington, FL, and runs several
innovative programs. Danielle hopes to
recruit a full team to compete on Israel’s
behalf for the 2014 World Equestrian Games
and 2016 Olympic Games. In January she
launched her International Equestrian
Education program, the first of two identical
five-week courses that run during the Winter
Equestrian Festival and “provide valuable
knowledge, understanding and insight for
young riders, adult amateur equestrians,
professionals, and anyone interested in
horses, regardless of experience.” This
month Danielle traveled to Israel to headline
a clinic for young adults interested in horse
riding, care and management at the Israel
National Therapeutic Riding Association
(INTRA).
Barett Vance Widell ’02 announced the
launch her new business, Widell Weddings
(www.widellweddings.com) this April.
“Planning Weddings and Parties has always
been a passion of mine outside of dance so I
am thrilled to make it now my full time job. I
also will be blogging for Topweddings.com
which should go live soon.”
Solange Merdinian ’02: “I have had some
really fun and exciting trips, concerts,
reviews. In February I did my debut as Maria
in Maria de Buenos Aires with the Lexington
Phil in Kentucky. It was a magical week of
collaboration with a fabulous cast and
director. Then went off to Hong Kong (first
time in Asia, and loved it) to do some Philip
Glass, Einstein on the Beach, with the
fabulous company and great success. Came
back to NY, right after, to do my second
Maria de Buenos Aires with a different
company, this time the first staged production
for Opera Hispanica, an amazing new
company; we'll hear lots about them.
a message from our
retirees
With them I got my first review in The New
York Times ‘smoldering stage presence’; and
then crossed the ocean again, this time to go
to the Aldeburgh Music Festival BrittenPears Program in the UK; to sing first Witch
in Dido and Aeneas where the BBC Music
Magazine mentioned me as a ‘richly-hued
mezzo.’ More projects and concerts are in
store." Visit www.solangemerdinian.com
We also discovered from a LinkedIn update
that both Solange and her older brother
Sami Merdinian ’00 are Co-Executive and
Artistic Directors of New Docta International
Music Festival. “We aim to use classical
music and its power of expression to nourish
the souls and open the minds of people of all
ages and backgrounds. Our music will break
down existing barriers and contribute to a
universal humanity and better tomorrow.”
Anne Kelly ’00, along with composer
Mitchell McCarthy, is co-artistic director of
Kelly/McCarthy•Dance/Music, a ballet
company they formed in 2012. K/M•D/M is a
collaboration of Kelly’s choreography and
McCarthy’s compositions and arrangements,
performed live by chamber musicians and
dancers. Their premier performance took
place in August 2012 at the Ailey Studios
and they presented a second season in
March 2013. “K/M•D/M is an artistic vehicle
for dancers and musicians alike through the
creation of vibrant, engaging new works
which pay homage to the form, style, and
beauty of classical ballet. By combining live
music with intimate performance spaces,
K/M•D/M seeks to illuminate the bonds
between sound and movement, introducing
audiences to exciting new music and
choreography, as well as striking
arrangements of existing works.” To learn
more about Anne Kelly’s work please visit
www.KMDanceMusic.com.
The party on May 9 was the most
wonderful event and all of you really made it
so very special. There was a huge amount
of work and much thoughtfulness went into
planning every detail.
To have so many alumni, alumni
parents, current and past faculty/staff
members and current students in one room
was exciting and fun and very moving.
Clearly, you all brought your positive
feelings about your days at PCS with you
and the room was bursting with energy.
I feel so fortunate that when I
responded to an ad in the NY Times 34
years ago, that I was hired as a social
studies teacher at PCS. Little did I know or
imagine that I would spend the next 33
years, surrounded by such an extraordinary
group of students, parents, faculty and staff.
I cherish the connections I have made and
continue to have with our alumni and look
forward to seeing all of you again soon.
Sherrie Hinkle:
What a night! Our retirement party was
spectacular and I am sure that Carol and
Judith will echo this thought -- even in a
school known for warmth, graciousness and
great parties, the evening of May 9th
exceeded all expectations.
It was a thrill to be surrounded and
congratulated by current students and
families, by present and past PCS
colleagues, by friends, and by alumni from
many decades.
All of us who work or have worked at
PCS are touched on a daily basis by what a
special place this is. I've been blessed in
my life to work for many organizations I felt
to be the absolute best at what they do -and PCS is no exception. Spending 15
years here has been a wonderful way to end
a wonderful streak.
Judith Kaplan:
I would like to echo Carol and Sherrie's
comments. How wonderful of you all to stay
and celebrate with us after a long work or
school day. And thank you to everyone who
worked on planning and executing this
beautiful party. PCS will always be in my
heart. The special community of PCS,
including students old and new, faculty and
staff, parents and board members make it
very hard to leave, but I will be back to visit!
19
90
s
In April, Peggy Meertins and John Tucker
caught up with Hillary Hawkins ‘99 (right)
after a performance of Futurology the
Musical at St. Clements Theatre on West
46th street. Hillary starred in the offBroadway production along with Khalil Kain
(Girlfriends) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (original
cast of Dreamgirls, Moesha).
Mei-Ting Sun ’97 is in Europe taking
photographs to create a pictorial biography of
Brahms. Visit www.meiting.com for links to
support his kickstarter projects “After doing
two similar projects in 2010 and 2011,
documenting the lives and travels of Chopin
and Beethoven respectively, I will be doing
the same for Brahms in celebration of his
180th birth year… Many musicians and
musicologists can tell us about these
composers’ music and works, and even a
great deal about their lives, but a true
understanding of them as human beings can
only come by experiencing and seeing what
they saw on an every-day basis. I want to
give viewers the ability and opportunity to see
all of the places and things that influenced
these great men and their works, through my
perspective as a musician and
photographer…The trip will take place
between April and June of this year. The first
photo exhibition is scheduled for September,
when I will be performing the complete solo
piano works of Brahms in Nyack, NY. It will
be repeated in Shanghai, China, during
November. Small scale prints will be
available and delivered by September at the
latest, large prints by November and photo
books by February of 2014.
Carrie Lee Riggins ‘98 (below) competed on
Chef Bobby Flay’s team (Season four) of
Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America.
Sarah Ripp Barragan ’96 came to visit PCS
on May 31st. She and her husband (who is a
ballet dancer and Associate Professor at the
University of Iowa) trained Alex Ko ‘14
before he came to New York. Miriam Miller
’15, now at SAB, was also one of her
students in Iowa.
Eva Natanya Rolf ‘96 is a doctoral candidate
in Tibetan Buddhism at the University of
Virginia. Her research focuses on the
development of philosophical tenets and
Vajrayana practice in both India and Tibet,
and she is especially interested in the
possibilities of debate and interplay between
Christian mystical theology and Buddhist
contemplative systems.
Dash Mihok ’92 and fellow PCSer Julia
Stiles ’99 can be seen in the movie Silver
Linings Playbook.
Jerry O’Connell ’91 sent us news in
January. He was in New Orleans filming the
movie The Look Alike and doing a pilot for
CBS (not named yet). “Took Dolly and
Charlie (twins) to Disneyworld for their 4th
birthday.”
We heard from Wil McKnight ’91 after he
reconnected via the FB “Memories of PCS”
group: “It's so exciting to be remembering
PCS. That was such a wonderful and special
time in my life. After PCS I danced for
several years and started a company called
Texas Dance Theatre:
www.texasdancetheatre.com.
I'm finishing a psychology
degree at Texas Christian
University this semester and
starting law school in the fall.
Look forward to the PCS
news!”
Josh Charles ’90 stars in
The Good Wife which airs on
Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on
CBS.
19
80
s
Gloria (Sirgado) Stitt ’86 wrote to us: “Some
say, everything happens for a reason. I for
one believe that to be true. I know that while I
never pursued my career in the arts, I was
meant to attend PCS and make the friends
that I made. 27 years later, thanks to
Facebook and good memories, I have been
very happily reunited with a very dear friend.
A friend, who never knew until recently how
much his friendship meant to me. So here
we are now, those 27 years later, which
seem to have passed in a blink, working
together side by side. Piers Mathieson ’89
began working at my company in a full time
position back in April and the rest as they say
is history. Now we are building a new
division together in the company and the sky
appears to be the limit. So if you don't
believe that things happen for a reason, nor
that people come into our lives at certain
points to make an impact; Piers and I can
attest that it's all true. Thanks PCS for
planting the seed of friendship and Facebook
nd
for bringing us together.” On May 2 The
Wall Street Journal reported “WorldNow, the
leading online technology, content and
revenue-solutions company for local media,
announced today that it is expanding its
professional services to include Social Media
services. The company recently hired Piers
Mathieson, who brings over 15 years of
marketing experience with 6 years focused
on social media. He has a track record of
success building communities and brand
strategies for numerous clients in the music
and entertainment industry.”
Kenny Seymour ‘89: “I just reconnected
with another alum and found out about the
fan page [www.facebook.com/PCSNYC]. I
am still in the arts. My latest is the Tony
Award winning Musical "Memphis" (Shubert
Theatre, NYC); [I’m the] Music Director and
Conductor for the Show. Currently I am
working in film and theatre as a composer,
orchestrator and music director.”
www.kennyseymour.com
Congratulations to Amy McFarland ‘89: “I
joined Food Bank For New York City as Chief
Marketing Officer …I'm very excited to be a
part of this wonderful organization that works
to end hunger throughout New York City.
Each year Food Bank helps to put food on
the table for 1 in 5 struggling New Yorkers.”
Amanda Sorvino ‘88 (below) posted this
photo herself and Dick van Patten '48. When
asked for an explanation she wrote: "I was at
the Turf Club and met Dick... lovely man! And
I may have some news to report soon on
Dick and me and an upcoming TV project!!"
Congratulations to Shari Honig ’88, who
st
beginning July 1 , will be PCS’ Director of
Admissions. In an announcement to faculty,
James Dawson wrote “[Shari] brings her own
experience as a PCS student (who came to
PCS to pursue her interest as a dancer), her
insight as an alumna, and her eleven years of
service to the School as our ESL teacher, our
International Student Advisor, and her
excellent work as the Interim Head of Middle
School from May to November 2005, as well
as her administrative experience including
her role as the Associate Director of
Operations for On Location Education (OLE)
with her to her new position as Director of
Admissions. In addition, she is the co-founder
and Program Coordinator for Song and Beat,
a 503(c)(3) music and movement program for
children. Her teaching outside PCS includes
her role as a private tutor at the Ivy Prep
Learning Center, her work as an on-set
teacher for OLE as well as her experience as
an Adult Basic Education and GED Instructor
at the Stanley Isaacs Center. Her earliest
experience in schools included time as a
paraprofessional at two public schools in
District 3. Shari has a broad range of
experience and a noteworthy breadth of
talents and interests. Shari has her BA in
Cross-Cultural Literature and her MA in
Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) from Hunter College.”
Congratulations to Katie Wright Boon ‘88 on
her recent nuptials to Robert Boon. The
wedding announcement was in The Times
News.com: “The bride graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
She is director of resource development with
United Way, Burlington.”
Siena Cherson Siegel ’85 is the author of
TO DANCE: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel .
The autobiographical novel, which mentions
Professional Children’s School, received the
2007 Robert F. Silbert Honor
Book award and received
multiple four star reviews.
Publisher’s Weekly wrote:
“Siena Cherson Siegel's
autobiographical story will be
as inviting to balletomanes
as to aspiring ballet dancers.
In a credible, youthful voice
that conveys both confidence
and innocence, she recalls
her earliest inspirations to
pursue dance, including
watching Maya Plisetskaya
perform with the Bolshoi
Ballet… The graphic novel
format allows the Siegel's to
fluidly balance biographical
events with onstage action,
capturing both the dancers'
movements and their
passion.” www.todance.info
Odin Rathnam ’84 sent an update: “I was
invited to give master classes at Juilliard for
the Starling/DeLay Seminar, coming up in a
week here, and am giving master classes in
Portugal and Scandinavia this summer, as
well as chamber music and concerto
performances at four different programs over
there. [I] Recently performed Tchaikovsky
Concerto with Hershey Symphony and
Beethoven Concerto with the West Shore
Symphony. Playing Bruch Concerto with
Durango Symphony in October and
Beethoven with Cleveland Philharmonic, later
in the season of 13-14.”
Kim Weild ’83: “Just directed the world
premiere of Charles Mee's Soot and Spit
about the deaf outsider artist James Castle. I
also just directed Harold Pinter's A Kind of
Alaska as part of the inaugural festival NY
Live Arts/Live Ideas celebrating the worlds of
Oliver Sacks.”
Richarda Abrams ’82 performed a V-Day
benefit production of Eve Ensler’s award
winning play The Vagina Monologues in
February. The performance took place at at
HERE in New York City, where The Vagina
Monologues was first produced in 1996 and
marked the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the
global activist movement to end violence
against women and girls. Proceeds benefited
viBe Theater Experience an organization that
produces original, free theater, music and
videos about real-life issues written and
performed by teen girls.
Amy Baron Brourman ‘81 is the founder
and owner of the Pittsburgh based company
Samual Baron Clothiers which “provides fully
Custom canvassed suits, sports jackets,
tuxedos and beautifully made shirts with the
finest fabrics available at an unprecedented
value and quality.”
www.samuelbaronclothiers.com
Andrea Bolinder Matchick ’80: “My
students from Staples High School in
Westport CT were invited by Teri Hamlisch to
perform portions of A Chorus Line in a tribute
for Marvin Hamlisch's (PCS ’62) birthday at
the Hudson Theater also a fund raiser for
American Cancer Society. Many Broadway
stars will be performing. I am currently the
choreographer for all of the musicals at
Staples High School. This is so exciting for
my students and myself.”
’86 new talk show. Anastasia is the
Guinness World Record balloon popping
champion. In 2008, she popped 100 balloons
in 44.49 seconds, breaking her own record
on Live with Regis and Kelly.
www.balloonpoppingdog.com
Nancy Davis ‘70 co-founded The Portland
Ballet (TPB) with her husband Jim Lane. She
is the Artistic Director of TPB.
19
70
s
Cortes Alexander ’78: “Here's a picture
(above) from my club act "The Swell Show"
that I did last week at Birdland. Left to right:
Madelyn Baker ‘77, Lisa Lucas ‘78, me,
Dominique Stavropolis-Williams ‘77, and
Bambi Jones’79. I was also last on
Broadway opposite Liza Minnelli in the Tony
Award winning special event, "Liza's At The
Palace". My debut CD, "Swell" is available on
iTunes, cdbaby.com and all online retail
outlets.”
Tony Battelle ’75 visited PCS for a nostalgic
tour in February. Last year Tony and his
band, The BlueCats (Formerly The Venice
BlueCats) released their second album
“Earthquake Mama” which is currently
available on most digital outlets including
iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.
www.bluecatsmusic.com
www.facebook.com/BlueCatsMusic
Ellen S. Gordon
’74: “I'm busy and
happy pursuing an
infinite variety of
crafty interests, the
latest of which is my
upcycled clothing
creations. For
anyone who wants
to take a look the
FB page is
www.facebook.com/
ExuberantUpcycler.”
Ellen Wood Azaria
‘73 recently started
a fashion blog
(nylonista.com) with
another fashionista
(Gigi) who is based
in London.
Doree Sitterly ‘73 (right) is a studio animal
trainer in Los Angeles. Her Jack Russell
Terriers have appeared in ads, commercials
and sitcoms. She also trains and works with
many other animals for film and television. In
February Doree’s Jack Russell Terrier
(Anastasia) predicted the super bowl on
Leno’s The Tonight Show and popped 70
balloons in just 30 seconds on Ricki Lake’s
Patricia Machette Tuzer ‘70 and her
husband Tanju are Artistic Director of the
Tuzer Dance School in Dallas. Patricia and
Tanju opened school in 1977. They staged
their first Nutcracker in 1982. The Tuzer
Ballet performs the Nutcracker each
December and sponsors the Richardson
Dance Festivals each Fall and Spring.
19
60
19
s
Carol Kane ‘69 stars the movie Clutter which
premiers at the Seattle International Film
Festival in June. Carol plays a mild
mannered hoarder whose family is forced to
face the situation. www.clutterthemovie.com
Barry Pearl ’69 is co-directing the play Night
th
Hawks which runs through to July 28 at the
Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood, CA.
www.crowncitytheatre.com
Andrew Bolotowsky ’67: “My daughter
Anastasia (Agell) asked me if I believe in
Santa Claus. 'Some of my classmates say
that he's a myth. But I say that
he's a legend... There's a
difference you know!' Kind
regards to all PCS people past
and present.”
Laura Gurdus Dolid ‘67, who
has taught dance at Goucher
College in Baltimore since 1981,
is also on the faculty of Peabody
Preparatory. In 2011, she was
awarded a grant from the
National Endowment of the Arts
to start a boys training program
at the Sudbrook Arts Centre.
Eugenie Adamec Malek ’66
has been teaching at Mount
Holyoke College since 1995.
Previously she was on the
piano faculty of Smith College
for ten years, and also taught at the
University of Massachusetts and the
Williston Northampton School. She has
continuously run her own private-teaching
studio since 1972, from which several of her
students have won competitions, prizes, and
honorary performances. Her teaching at
Mount Holyoke encompasses solo piano
performance, piano ensembles (four-hands
at one piano, and two-piano works), and
chamber music with piano.
Dale Dennard-Sims ’65: “I am now in a
South African Singing group called Thokoza.
th
We started on December 18 of last year and
are recuperating from our 15-performance
th
engagement at the Playroom Theater on 46
Street. All engagements were during Black
History month, except for March 1-3... We will
be performing at the Engleman Performing
Arts Theater at Baruch College Monday
th
nights at 7:00 pm from July 17 to August
th
th
19 . (25 Street and Lexington Avenue in
NYC).”
50
s
Lilyan Andrashy Barbour '59 is entering her
20th year as a volunteer presenting her
performance videos to various organizations
throughout New York City. The June 2012
presentation of "Swan Lake Gala" marked
her 25th presentation at the Goddard
Riverside Senior Center. On May 8th, her
presentation of Balanchine Bouquet for
Lenox Hill Neighborhood Senior Center at
Saint Peter's Church commemorated the
30th anniversary of the death of George
Balanchine.
19
40
s
Joan Shepard Thompson ’49: I will be
going to London in July to do my show
Confessions of Old Lady #2 at the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art (my other alma
mater) and the St James Theatre. Then it's
up to Edinburgh where I'll be giving 19
performances of it at Fingers Piano Bar in
August. Before I go, I will be doing it at Don't
th
Tell Mama, 343 West 46 Street (between 8
th
& 9 ) on Sunday June 23 at 2pm and on
th
Monday June 24 at 7pm. For reservations
call (212)757-0788. Please come! Other
news, I just filmed an episode of the HBO
show Girls.
Carol Petersen Oakes ’48 wrote to us: "I am
so impressed by the achievements of PCS
graduates. They have much to be proud of."
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