Broadway for Arts Education (BAE) is a nonprofit organization that uses arts education to dismantle systemic barriers to success for underserved youth. Partnering with the Broadway community, teaching artists, and schools around the world, BAE brings a culturally-responsive and decolonized approach to arts education.
Photo: Music making outside at the Tomas de Berlanga school in the Galapagos Islands
Our Team
Luis Mora
Program Coordinator, Teaching Artist and Storytelling Director
– Luis Mora has over a decade’s experience working with young people grades K-12. Through his career as a teaching artist, he has worked for a multitude of arts organizations including: Inside Broadway, Broadway Musical Theatre Inc., The Roxy Performing Arts Center, EM Arts, and Casita Maria Center for the Arts. At the latter, he took on the position of arts education doordinator, where he supervised over 25 teaching artists in all disciplines related to the arts. Although he is proud of every young person he has worked with, some stand out, as they have gone on to attend and graduate from prestigious arts programs and pursue successful careers in the arts. In addition to a career in arts education, Luis is a practicing artist as a musical and theatrical performer. He has participated in multiple readings, workshops, cabarets, concerts, regional theatre productions, national tours, and Off-Broadway shows. Luis is bilingual, as he is a proud Colombian-American. His work in both education and performance have the common thread of being focused on representation for people of color and immigrant communities. His thoughts on representation have been published online and in print in the first volume of Musical Theatre Today.
Dr. Christopher Sierra
Teaching Artist | Music | Shanti Bhavan Children's Project
Peruvian-American tenor Christopher Sierra is celebrated for their artistic sensitivity and versatile repertoire, which spans classical, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial music. With performances gracing prestigious stages such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and more, Dr. Sierra has had a diversified singing career and has performed with acclaimed groups like three-time Grammy Award–nominated troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock. They are also a founding member of the Vocalis Consort, an ensemble committed to broadening audiences' exposure to song recitals beyond the conventional Western European canon.
Sought after for their expertise, Dr. Sierra has delivered lectures and vocal masterclasses at esteemed institutions in the United States and internationally, including The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, University of The Bahamas, and Iceland University of the Arts. Their noteworthy research encompasses diverse topics such as crossing genres, performance anxiety, vocal pedagogy for gender expansive singers, and culturally responsive teaching. Recently, their culturally responsive teaching research was showcased at the 2023 CMS National and International Conferences.
Dr. Sierra holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance from Rutgers University, a Master of Education in Music Education from Columbia University, and a Master of Music in Classical Voice Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Additionally, they earned Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College. Dr. Sierra teaches at the Boston Conservatory, Harvard University, Longy School of Music, and Tufts University.
Sravan S.S
Teaching Artist| Music | Shanti Bhavan Children's Project
I'm a passionate music enthusiast who feels that art is for everyone and who hopes that the oppressed will be lifted up and given the opportunity to experience the beauty and benefits of art. I completed my master's degree in psychology and trained in expressive arts therapy, where I hope to apply my background in psychology and music. In addition to providing a safe and secure environment for my clients, I am excited to work in this new environment.
Brittany Stone
International Program Coordinator, Teaching Artist and Storytelling Coordinator
With over 6 years of international teaching experience, Brittany is a passionate advocate for music education, play-based learning, and the intersection of cultures and music education. She holds a degree in music education and a certificate in voice performance. She is a creative and innovative educator who is always looking for new ways to engage and inspire students. She is currently based in Marrakesh, Morocco, where she teaches and performs.
Mackendy Augustin
Teaching Artist | Visual Arts | Wings of Hope, Lekòl Sen Trinite
The Broadway for Arts Education art classes at Lekòl Sen Trinite and Wings of Hope in Haiti are being taught by Mackendy Augustin. Mackendy was born in Port-au-Prince, but started living on the streets at a young age because is family was too poor to take care of him. He eventually moved to Jacmel with the promise of living in a home, but he was not treated well in that home. Eventually Mackendy went to live at Trinity House, a home for boys in Jacmel which was a part of the St. Joseph Family. At Trinity House, Mackendy had the opportunity to live and be cared for with dignity and respect. He went to school and his love of art was fostered and supported. As an adult he has been able to support himself with his art and by teaching art to others.
Betina Georges
Teaching Artist | Dance | Wings of Hope, Lekòl Sen Trinite
Tiffany Rae
Teaching Artist | Dance | New York City
– "Tiffany Rae Brown is Dance Activist, Creator and Choreographer. She attended Wadleigh Performing arts high school for dance.
As a result of her talent and skills showed in her performances; she received a Queens’s borough Evelyn Karlin Award in recognition of an outstanding dancer at queens borough college in 2015.
In March 2016, she was elected from American College Dance Association to perform June 2016 at the Kennedy center in Washington D.C.
She has worked with many artist such as a Beyoncé, lil Kim, lion babe and many more.
She has performed in PlayStation theatre, Madison square garden, Sony studios and Fenty Beauty Sponsored ball. She has worked with many choreographers and one of many dancers to be spotlighted in Rolling Stones website.
She has over 10 years of experience teaching Dance of all ages. At 15 years old she became a dance Instructor for many After-school programs throughout the five boroughs. Teaching at many professional dance studios such as Penthouse Suites NY, Dancers Dreamzz studio, Cumba dance, and many more."
Rahul Jhunjhunwala
Teaching Artist | Music | Shanti Bhavan Children's Project
Rahul Jhunjhunwala, born in Mumbai, India - The City Of Dreams. He has been playing the piano since a decade, most recently at the NMIMS School of Performing Arts. Here, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Western Contemporary Music in Piano Performance. Here he focused on Jazz Piano Performance & Composition.
He has also had the opportunity to study Western Classical Piano Performance at the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation (founded by the renowned conductor Zubin Mehta). Here, I was studying under a graduate of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory.
Having exposed to Hindustani music from a very early age, he also explored studying Hindustani vocal music for quite some time.
Currently Rahul performs regularly in and around the city and has played with some great Musicians like Louiz Banks, Gino Banks, Sheldon Dsilva etc. He has completed more then 100 plus shows both solo and in band setup at some of the prestigious venues like NCPA, Taj Mahal Palace, JW Marriott etc.
He loves the art of piano pedagogy and always curious to teach students. Rahul has experience in designing and developing course and curriculum for music schools.
Brett Tubbs
Teaching Artist | New York City
- Brett is a native of Indiana who has made NYC home for the past nine years. He trained in musical theatre, acting, and dance at Purdue University, FW. Today, on top of acting, Brett also writes, produces children's podcasts including script writing and song writing, and works as a portrait, headshot, and event photographer. Brett lives in upper Manhattan with his partner Luis and their pup, Bella.
Edy Louis
Teaching Artist | Music | Wings of Hope, Lekòl Sen Trinite
– Edy, a Jacmel native, has been drumming since 2006. He has drummed for several groups and dance companies in Jacmel, including the folkloric dance company Explosion. He has also toured internationally with Explosion. He has been a drumming teacher in Jacmel for several years.
Gethro Jean
Teaching Artist | Music | Wings of Hope, Lekòl Sen Trinite
– Gethro is a Jacmel native who plays the guitar, piano, and saxophone. He is a musician for his church and is in school studying education. Gethro teaches guitar and piano for the Broadway for Arts Education music classes.
Manuela Restrepo
Teaching Artist | Music | Shanti Bhavan Children's Project
Is a musician and therapist. Born and raised in the city of Medellín, Colombia, she has aided in the research and development of musical strategies that advocate for the wellbeing of children and teens displaced by violence and vulnerated in and around the slums and villages of her country. She has worked with Colegio de Música de Medellín for many years, where in addition to teaching she has been an active performer both as a singer and percussionist for a number of their productions and has collaborated in the edition of several of their educational material. In her work as a teacher she strives to help her students find an identity and a community through music.
He loves the art of piano pedagogy and always curious to teach students. Rahul has experience in designing and developing course and curriculum for music schools.
Bridgette Gan
Teaching Artist | Music | Shanti Bhavan Children's Project
Praised by the Washington Post for her “gorgeous singing,” soprano Bridgette Gan is quickly
establishing herself as a vibrant interpreter of opera, concert and crossover works. Most recently,
Ms. Gan had the honor of performing as the guest soloist for Wheeling Symphony’s Music Under
the Stars concert, the nation’s first live concert with orchestra following the general shutdown of
performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other recent highlights include her company debut with Utah Festival Opera as the Soprano
Soloist for Oratorio from the Book of Mormon, Sharon in Terrence McNally’s Master Class, and the
Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, for which Deseret News labeled her “the one to listen to.” She made
her role debut as Norina in Don Pasquale with Opera Orlando, where she has also appeared as
Musetta in La bohème, a guest soloist for their 2018 Gala, and the “vocally and comically sparkling”
(Orlando Sentinel) Bethany Squills in their modernized production of Mozart’s The Impresario, and
debuted her Adina in L’elisir d’amore with St. Petersburg Opera.
Ms. Gan made her mainstage debut with Santa Fe Opera as Lila in the world premiere of
Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain, a recording of which is available on Pentatone Records and was
nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. A former resident artist with Palm
Beach Opera, she has been seen there as Stella in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Zerbinetta in Ariadne
auf Naxos, and Marie in La fille du regiment, with Edge Media Network calling her performance “a
tour de-force…vocally beautiful and consistent with a rich tone and sparkling high notes… a
great star turn for a young singer who has a world of potential in front of her. She has also appeared
with the Pacific Symphony as Papagena in The Magic Flute, the Center for Contemporary Opera
as Jackie Kennedy in a reading of Chandler Carter’s opera Bobby, and Central City Opera as
Frasquita in Carmen, Venus and Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Madeline/Isabel in The
Face on the Barroom Floor, and Celie in Signor Deluso.
In concert she has appeared with the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra for Barber’s
Knoxville: Summer of 1915, the South Florida Symphony for their ”And the Tony Goes to…”
concert tour, Toledo Symphony for their Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration concert tour, and
was featured at the Newport Music Festival.
Bridgette has won prizes from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Central City Opera, the
Licia Albanese Puccini Competition, the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Opera
Index Vocal Competition, the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition, the Philadelphia Orchestra
Albert M. Greenfield Competition, the National Opera Association Voice Competition, the
National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts, and was a Grant Nominee for the Sara
Tucker Award. She has been an apprentice with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis,
Central City Opera, and Ash Lawn Opera.
Having made her start in musical theater, Ms. Gan has been seen crossing genres to
perform Luisa in The Fantasticks (Mount Gretna Playhouse) Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin
Drood, Rapunzel in Into the Woods and Lily in The Secret Garden (The Whitaker Center), and Julie
Jordan in Carousel (Ash Lawn/Charlottesville Opera), among many others. Bridgette maintains a
thriving private voice studio, working with students all over the USA and internationally as a music
fellow with Shanti Bhavan Project in India. She is also an accomplished Fitness Instructor and
Presenter, holding certifications in Zumba and Strong Nation.
Kellyann Coyle
Storytelling Coordinator
Kelly is a multi-hyphenate performing artist based in NYC. Select credits include: Pippin (Broadway nat'l tour), The Wizard of Oz (nat'l tour), PCLO, The Fireside, The Palace (NH), Prather Productions, TMMM S4. Kelly loves to stay fulfilled and busy with projects including directing/ choreographing short films, associate choreographing musicals and hosting professional dance classes around the city. Kelly is also a faculty member at the Steps Academy in NYC. She recently produced her own cabaret, Building a Bridge Cabaret, which was created to highlight performers from countries all over the world. Follow her journey @kellyanncoyle.
Our Founders
Katy Pfaffl
Cofounder/Artistic Director
Katy Pfaffl, voice/music teacher, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, attended the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM) for musical theater. Upon moving to NYC, she toured the US while releasing six albums of original music as multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Mighty Kate (and with her duo, Daughter & Son), in addition to performing on Broadway, where she originated the role of Song Woman in the celebrated production of War Horse at Lincoln Center. Katy has also been a private voice teacher/vocal coach to the Broadway community for the past 15 years, with students appearing in over 30 Broadway shows.
Benjamin Houghton
Cofounder/Executive Director
As an actor, singer, dancer, and pianist, Ben Houghton has performed around the world in venues including The Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Opera Bastille de Paris, the Emirates Palace, the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, the Guggenheim Museum, and many more. Formerly a company pianist for American Ballet Theater and staff accompanist for the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, he quit his job in 2015 and moved to India for four months to teach music at the Shanti Bhavan Children's Project, where he met Katy and BAE was born! He holds degrees in musical theater and piano pedagogy from Westminster Choir College.
Our Story
In 2015, cofounders Katy Pfaffl and Ben Houghton met teaching music at the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. Both accomplished musicians, teachers, and performers themselves, they were inspired by the school's philosphy that "one underserved child, given the same opportunities as other children, can break the cycle of systemic, generational poverty for themselves and many others." In response, they began developing a new approach to their pedogogical philosophy: one that departed from the traditions of technical excellence they had been taught, and instead focused on the therapeutic, holistic, and transformative benefits of an arts education. Katy and Ben returned to New York with a mission to ensure that the Shanti Bhavan community would have consistent access to an arts education year-round, so they called up a few of their Broadway friends, put on a benefit concert, and created the Shanti Bhavan Music Fellowship! They quickly learned that the need for arts education was not just something happening on the otherside of the world, but was also in their backyards. New York City, the "cultural capital of the world," was filled with schools with little to no arts education programming. With the generous support of the Dionne Foundation, BAE expanded into the NYC DOE and has kept growing year over year to serve hundreds of children each week in India, Haiti, the United States, and the Galapagos Islands with dance, music, theater, poetry, visual arts, and production classes.
Photo: Scenes from the music program at Shanti Bhavan - Tamil, Nadu India
Supporters in New York City dancing together at Lincoln Center Plaza to advocate for arts education!
Photo: Steve, a resident of Wings of Hope - Jacmel, Haiti
Meet Our Youth
Our Process
LEADERSHIP
We believe that there are three ways to live your life: you could play it safe, push too hard, or you could challenge yourself to explore and grow outside of your comfort zone and #LiveInTheOrange! We invite everyone in our community, from board memmbers to teachers to students to donors, to embrace this philosophy.
ADVOCACY
All around the world, our youth are learning how to develop their creative voices to speak out and speak up against injustices in their communities through #artivism. Click on the photo above to check out our student gallery of artistic responses created by our youth over the years.
COMMUNITY
#bettertogether
Creating and connecting communities from all walks of life is one of the superpowers of the arts. That's why we strive to build a community of mentors for our youth that not only includes artists, but also mentors and role models from all industries and professions. We are #bettertogether!
Broadway for Arts Education provides more than 40 hours of dance, music, and visual art classes per week in Haiti.
Our Board
Amodhi Weeresinghe
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Amodhi brings a decade of dynamic leadership in marketing, brand strategy, and technology development, wielding a distinctive blend of expertise from the startup sector and non-profit fundraising. With 7 years shaping brand identities and marketing campaigns for startups, and a further 3 years innovatively bolstering non-profit fundraising, she has demonstrated a tangible impact across diverse organizational landscapes. Now at HCL Designs, LLC, a female and minority-owned firm based in Boston, she leads her team in sculpting powerful brand strategies and crafting conversion-focused digital assets, including websites and apps, to strategically navigate organizations toward their revenue goals. The impact of HCL Design's work has permeated high-profile media, with features in The New York Times, Forbes, and Vogue, among others.
Amodhi attended Williams College where she received a B.A in English literature.
James Herring Jr.
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Bio coming soon
Ariana Sarfarazi
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Ariana (she/her) is a transactional entertainment attorney specializing in theater and the Executive Director of Noor Theatre, a NYC-based non-profit theatre with the mission of supporting, developing, and producing the work of artists of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian descent. As a theatrical attorney, Ariana represents producers and investors in the development, production, and financing of live stage productions; counsels not-for-profit theater companies; and advises a wide range of creative talent including Tony Award-winning bookwriters, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and actors. As an Executive Director, Ariana leads overall operations at Noor, including programming, fundraising, and financial planning, in addition to overseeing the theatre company's strategic planning, developing institutional partnerships, and managing Board relations. Once a proud “theatre kid” herself, Ariana is passionate about marrying her legal education with her deep-rooted love of the arts and social justice to support an evolving industry. In addition to serving on the board of Broadway for Arts Education, Ariana is a member of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) and is proud to serve as a volunteer pro bono attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and The George Washington University Law School.
Larry Rogowsky
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Bio coming soon
Brooke Emery
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Bio coming soon
Lina Drinkard
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Lina is married to Stephen J. Drinkard, and they have resided in Salisbury, NC for over 40 years and have two adult children, Sarah (and Don Holub) of Akron, OH and Mark Drinkard of Huntersville, NC.
A native of Kingsport, TN, Lina is a graduate of Emory and Henry College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees. She is retired from an extensive career in Education. She taught in public schools for 14 years and worked for NCAE, an affiliate of the National Education Association for more than 16 years. Additionally, she worked 3+ years for the Foundation for Hospice of Rowan County.
Lina is an elder in the Presbyterian Church and has served as President of Women of the Church, chaired Witness Committee and served on multiple other committees, small group leader, Middle School and High School youth leader, Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School Director and participated and led mission trips both nationally and internationally.
Lina is active in her community as a volunteer currently serving on the board of the Historic Salisbury Foundation, a volunteer for the Rowan Literacy Council and Treasurer for the West Square Historic Neighborhood Association. Previously she has volunteered for Meals-on- Wheels, Lee Street Theater, Rowan Helping Ministries and served on the Board of Directors for Salisbury Pride.
Catherine Cantrell
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Catherine is a novelist and playwright. She is passionate about bringing arts education to underserved communities in New York City, where she proudly serves as president of the board of Broadway for Arts Education. She is a graduate of Duke University and a longtime patron of the arts.
Skie Ocasio
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COO, Four Hundred
A true leader in service and hospitality, Skie has been instrumental in developing, growing, and maintaining successful business operations for both B-to-C and B-to-B luxury lifestyle service providers, including Four Hundred, Luxury Attaché, and Quintessentially, in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and overseas in Buenos Aires, São Paolo, Panama City, Mexico City, Vancouver, and Toronto.
In addition, Skie has a strong track record of success in launching numerous corporate affiliations with financial institutions and luxury brands. His years of experience have allowed him to build a strong network and develop excellent interpersonal skills. Skie is a strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit and has an expansive background in management, contract negotiation, business development, budgeting, hospitality and service, entertainment, and food and beverage.
Skie entered the world of hospitality at the Marriott Corporation, working as a hospitality trainer and facilitator for hotel brands such as the SLS Beverly Hills, The Water and Beach Club in Puerto Rico, The Betsy in Miami, and The Gansevoort in New York City. At sea, Skie trained staff for international cruise line companies such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Princess.