THE FACULTY
Click any image to MEET the faculty members.
ART
GUITAR +
PERCUSSION
PIANO
SONGWRITING
THEATRE
VIOLIN
VOICE
WOODWINDS
The STAFF
MICAH BURGESS • executive DIRECTOR
Micah Burgess is a versatile guitarist whose credits include Cirque Du Soleil’s “Banana Shpeel”, the first national tour of “Come Fly Away”, and numerous off-Broadway productions. He has also been a sub on the Broadway productions of “Beautiful”, “Newsies”, “Soul Doctor”, and “Mary Poppins”.
Micah has shared the stage with Matthew Broderick, Bibi Neuwirth, Ian McKellan, Chris Meloni, Stephen Schwartz, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Megan Hiltey, Jeremy Jordan, Chuck Cooper, Richard Kind, Danielle Hope, Charlotte Jaconelli, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Seth Rudetsky, Harriet Harris, Katie Rose Clarke, Tracie Thoms, Shoshana Bean, Constantine Maroulis, Krysta Rodriguez, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Iconis, Tituss Burgess, Brian Lynch, Fabian, Bobby Rydell, and Danny and the Juniors among others. His playing has been heard on television and radio including the 2014 Winter Olympics, ABC Family’s “Becoming Us”, and National Public Radio.
As a composer, Micah co-wrote the score for “In The Magic of the Green Mountains”, a feature length documentary with Rob Cookman featuring Tony Trischka on banjo. Other composing credits include the Off-Broadway production of “The Hat Left Behind” as well as a documentary entitled “I Am Bombay”, a featured selection at the 2006 Indo American Arts Council Film Festival in New York City and the 2007 Stuttgart Film Festival Germany. In 2008, Micah released his first CD as a bandleader, “We Do Know You”.
As an instructor, Micah has over ten years of experience including adjunct positions at New York University, The New School, Duquesne University and the Queens Conservatory. He is a co-founder and guitar instructor at Art House Astoria, a nonprofit conservatory for music and art in Queens, NY.
Micah is also a recipient of the Eubie and Marion Blake Award for jazz performance and holds a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from New York University and a Bachelors Degree in Guitar Performance from Duquesne University
Laura Ware • Director of finance and Human Resources
Laura Ware, originally from Southern California, arrived in Astoria in 2007 with her two suitcases and a laptop after spending two years out on the National Tour of Mamma Mia! where she played the role of Rosie.
Laura is an actress, singer, and director, having recently directed Art House Astoria's The Wizard of Oz Young Performer's Edition! In addition to being the Director of Finance and Human Resources for Art House Astoria, she is also the editor of the theatre website, StageAgent. Since arriving in New York, Laura has appeared on As the World Turns and on the Nickelodeon kids' show The Naked Brothers Band as well as in the World Premiere of Things As They Are in the New York Musical Theater Festival. Some of her favorite stage roles include Miss Hannigan in Annie, Maggie Jones in 42nd Street, and Reverend Mother in Nunsense among others. Laura holds a BFA in Acting and an MFA in Musical Theater and she is a member of Actors Equity Association.
Jane Burgess • Director of marketing
Jane Burgess is a New York City-based singer/actor/instructor.
She has performed throughout the United States and Italy. She received her B.M. and Artist Diploma in vocal performance at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA). Jane has appeared on opera, musical theater, and cabaret stages.
In 2009, Jane and her husband, Micah co-founded Art House Astoria, and Jane has since found herself busy teaching and co-directing for this ever-growing organization. The 2019-2020 season marks Art House Astoria’s 10 year anniversary! Jane is also the mother of two smart, energetic, creative, funny, and loving little boys; Charlie and Pete.
Elizabeth ZOTTO • Receptionist
Elizabeth Zotto is a current college senior who is pursuing a B.M. in Voice Performance at Hunter College. She is a fun-loving individual with a strong passion for the arts. Elizabeth joined the Art House family back in 2011 as a student, and she became a member of the staff in 2018.
Elizabeth's performance credits include iTheatrics' High School Edition workshops (Heathers, Chicago, It's Nice Work If You Can Get It, My Fair Lady), John Kander's 90th Birthday Celebration at the Ambassador Theater, Lolly Lardpop's Radio Playdate, Opera Breve's production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Hunter Opera Theater (HOT)'s productions of Patience and Sarah and Panic Room. She has also performed at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall with the PPAS Choir and the National Chorale.
Rheanna ZOTTO • Receptionist
Rheanna Zotto is a Queens-based vocalist, NYS certified music educator, and master’s degree candidate in music therapy. She has performed in many concerts as well as musical theatre and operatic productions across New York City and abroad in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Salzburg, Austria. She is experienced in teaching private lessons as well as in classroom settings and has worked with students who range in age from 3 to 18 using a teaching philosophy that centers around creating hands-on, tactical learning experiences infused with social-emotional development in a culturally responsive environment. She is beginning her clinical internship in music therapy in the fall of 2022 at the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel.
Joni Michelle Grommesh • receptionist
Joni Michelle Grommesh is a NY based actress/artist, originally from Houston, TX, although she has lived all over (Kansas, Ecuador, Peru, Boston, and Los Angeles). Joni is an avid lover of comedy, writing, drawing, and collecting stuffed sharks and whales! She got her undergraduate degree in Entrepreneurship and Literary & Visual Arts from Babson College in 2016 and is a 2022 graduate from the Atlantic Acting School. Joni has been performing since she was in kindergarten, her first role being the iconic Humpty Dumpty. At Babson, Joni was a member of the Empty Space Theater where she performed in Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Jean), Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park (Bev/Kathy), Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Love of the Nightingale (Narrator), and Rolin Jones’ The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Adele). During her time at Babson, Joni also wrote and starred in an original one act production called A Name Other Than My Own, a story about finding yourself through the arts, and was a part of Babson’s improv troupe, Student’s Against Gravity. Recently, Joni has performed at the off-broadway Atlantic Stage 2 theater in Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses (Woman by the Water, Alcyone, Ceres, Atalanta, Narrator in Baucis and Philemon), co-founded the Root 22 Collective, a theater collective started by her graduating class at AAS, led the set design team for their very first production of Kate Hamill’s Little Women, and is now assistant directing, stage managing, and understudying in an original play written by Rachel Collignon, Earth to Venus.
Tayloe Schinz-Devico • Office Assistant
Tayloe Annalisa Schinz-Devico's personality is bigger than her name. Tayloe is a resident artist at Pure Vision Arts in Manhattan. She takes great pride in her art work and her work at Art House Astoria. Tayloe is thrilled to be back to work. She enjoys being part of the team and keeping everything clean and healthy for all of the Art House staff and participants.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jason Cianciotto • President
Bronwyn Burke • Vice President
Lynda Kennedy • Treasurer
Vivien Schwietzer • Secretary
Anastasios Manessis • Board Member
SPONSORS
