ACAM Director, Theatre and Chorus

Ellen holds a M.A. in Theatre Arts from CSULA and has studied  at USC, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford.  She has performed with the Florentine Opera Company of  Milwaukee, LA Camarata Chamber Chorus, Cambridge Singers-LA and the William Hall Chorale.  Her awards include the Multicultural Award, Outstanding Theatre Educator Award and the Medallion Theatre Educator Award from the California Educational Theatre Association.  She served many years as coordinator for the Performing Arts Academy as well as instructor at Garfield High School in LA in Theatre and Choral Arts.

Accompanist

Dora Ballard, Accompanist, is pianist who has accompanied the Cathedral Choir and Children’s Choir at Trinity Baptist Church in Los Angeles for 20 years and for six with the United Methodist Male Chorus.  She served as pianist for the choral music class at Griffith Middle School and has accompanied various other groups.   She is a retired educator from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Cello

Clavis Ballard, Cello, has served as Principal Cellist with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra as well as a being a member of various community orchestras.  He taught orchestra and instrumental music at Griffith Middle School and Garfield High School and is now retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District.  He holds both a BA and MA in Music from California State University, Los Angeles

Dance

Julianna Bulgarelli fell in love with ballet and tap dance at just three years old. Following training at The Colburn School's "Professional Training Program," she graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance from Ailey/Fordham University and with Honors in Spanish Studies. As a full-time member of JUNTOS Collective, she taught modern dance in dance schools and communities in Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. As an assistant teacher for the Junior Division of The Ailey School, she taught ballet and tap classes and also led outreach workshops in NYC at the Hearthstone Alzheimer Center.RichText.

Flute

Juli Emmel, Flute, Bachelor of Music–USC and Masters in Arts Administration candidate – Claremont Graduate School, is a multi-instrumentalist and arts educator.  She works for LA’s BEST as After School Arts Programs Coordinator overseeing after-school art residencies for LAUSD.  She has worked with Art Share L A as Managing Director and The Broad Stage as a Development and Production Associate.  Julie taught and coordinated the music departments at A Place Called Home, worked with the California Traditional Music Society and the USC Division of Performance Venues.

She was a participant in the Los Angeles County Arts Commission - Leadership in Arts Management Program, and was honored as Center for Cultural Innovation - NextGen Professional Development Grantee.

Violin

LaVette Allen, Violin, is a free-lance violist and violinist.  She is Principal Violist with the Peninsula Symphony and also teaches with iMusic United Foundation.  She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Iowa.

Drums

Josued has volunteered to be the main drummer in his church, Rios de Agua Viva, ever since he was a young child. He is currently a Music major at Los Angeles City College.  Also, he studies rudimental snare drumming with Professor Joseph Mitchell and drum instructor Gerson Reyes.

Recorder

Stephen “Nick” Sui, Recorder, UCLA, has performed in the Olancha Recorder Trio, Southern California Recorder Society and the L A Recorder Orchestra, and is an active member and treasurer of the So. CA Recorder Society.

Guitar

Carlos Bolivar, Guitar, completed his Bachelor of Music at CSU-Dominguez Hills and is currently working on his Masters Degree at CSU-Los Angeles where he is a member of the CSULA Classical Guitar Ensemble and will be touring with it this spring.

Trombone

A UCLA grad, Bill has performed with Pasadena Pops Orchestra, California Philharmonic, and at Disneyland. He has taught with the L A Archdioceses, The L A Area Youth Band Council, and Pepperdine U. He is a founding member and the artistic director of the Great American Yankee Freedom Band.

Baile Folklorico

Elizabeth Alcazar, Baile Folklorico, has studied at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes de Mexico. She has taught with LAUSD and has taught and danced extensively in Southern California.

Piano

Mercedes Ulloa, Chilean born, studied piano from age five.  She received her BA in Music Education/Piano and was on the Facultad de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Chile. She studied and taught in the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica-Santiago,  taught in Tocopilla, Chile, taught and performed piano in Paraguay and presently teaches piano at Angelica Church.

Theatre

Natali Micciche, Theatre, BA UC Riverside, has studied many forms of dance and acting in New York, London, France, and Los Angeles. She strives to keep passion, love and emotion in the arts by harmoniously delivering energy and inspiration through her work as a dancer, actress, choreographer, and performance coach.