Carol de Cárdenas
Executive Director
With a passion for education and giving back, Carol de Cárdenas founded ASPVA, where she works as executive director, and has served over 2,900 students from all socio-economic backgrounds in the greater Austin community. Carol is the recipient of the 2017 Austin Woman’s Way Award presented by Austin Woman magazine for Business of the Year. She has 33 years of teaching and administrative experience in elementary and secondary education, undergraduate and graduate studies. From 1999–2001, Carol served as board director and public relations chair for the Lake Travis Education Foundation. She continues to be involved in planning fundraising events for student scholarships and other charitable organizations. Carol earned a B.S. in elementary education with a specialization in reading from Texas A&M University and received an M.Ed. and Certification in mid-management from the University of Houston. She has also received ESL (English As A Second Language) and GT (Gifted and Talented) certifications.
CLIFF MILLER
THEATRE
Cliff Miller is an actor and educator based in Austin, TX. He works in theatre, film, and voiceover. Some of his most rewarding acting work has been with Only Make Believe, Inc. in New York City where he performed interactive theatre for children in hospitals. As a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), he has published research on speech and performance of dramatic text. He received his B.A. in Theatre from Southwestern University and his M.F.A. in Acting from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. Additional training includes the People’s Improv Theatre, Competitive Edge Voice Training, and Knight-Thompson Speech Work. Cliff is a part-time Assistant Professor at Southwestern University and faculty member of The Actor’s School. His weekends are spent playing music in the Hill Country.
ANN CICCOLELLA
SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRE
As Artistic Director of Austin Shakespeare, Ann Ciccolella has led the company to stage free Shakespeare in Zilker Park annually, as well as a Young Shakespeare teen company that performs at Richard Garriott Replica of Shakespeare’s Curtain theater. At the Long Center’s intimate Rollins Theatre, Ciccolella has directed more Shakespeare, plus Tennessee Williams, Oscar Wilde, Tom Stoppard, and Jane Austen. As an acting coach, she has taught online for teen students all over the U.S. She also has led Theater classes at UT Austin and St Edward’s University.
Ciccolella returned to New York in 2013 to direct and produce a half-million dollar production of a new adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Anthem off-Broadway at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. She is often found in Central Texas classrooms, bringing professional actors to work with students in 5th grade and up.
With an interdepartmental degree in Dramatic Literature, History of Theater and Cinema from New York University, Ciccolella also has served as Managing Director for Zach Theatre where she directed: Cabaret, The Vagina Monologues, Closer, Master Class, and Misery.
NICOLAS LEON
MUSIC
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Nick Leon began playing music at the age of six, and began composing in his teenage years. Leon received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music for bass, and proceeded to receive his degree in performance and songwriting. During his time at Berklee, he studied under renowned musicians such as Victor Wooten, James Genus, Livingston Taylor, Steve Bailey, Kenwood Dennard, Danny Morris, David Buda, and many more. Leon also formed his own project during his time in college called Lick Neon, a group of musicians from all over the world that released a full length LP, with all of the songs written by Leon, which now has a total of 1.7 million streams. The band toured in 2019 to play SXSW. Upon graduating from Berklee, he toured the country with popular Texas rock combo Acid Carousel, nominated for multiple Dallas-area music awards. Leon enjoys teaching music and is proficient in guitar, piano, bass, drums/percussion, saxophone, and vocals. He also is well-versed in jazz music theory, ear training, tonal harmony, counterpoint, arranging, and conducting.
CHARLIE MAGNONE
MUSIC
Dr. Charlie Magnone is a musician based in Austin, TX. Primarily a keyboardist, he performs often in solo, collaborative, and interdisciplinary capacities. He also works as a songwriter, producer, engineer, arranger, and teacher. Charlie studied piano performance at Syracuse University, where he received his B.A., and The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees. In addition to his work at ASPVA, Charlie maintains a small private teaching studio, co-directs Fast Forward Austin, a non-profit dedicated to the presentation of contemporary music, and tours regularly with PARKER MCCOLLUM.
Arnold Yzaguirre
Guitar
Arnold Yzaguirre is a classical guitarist performer and teacher. He is an active solo and ensemble performer from small to large concerts with audiences of 1,000+. Arnold is the founder of classical guitar duo, Duo Cantabile. He has performed in several master classes with Philip Hii, Douglas Rubio, Adam Holzman, and Pasquale Rucco. One of the highlights of his career thus far is being a part of Austin Classical Guitar as the current event manager, where he works with 30,000 classical guitar patrons annually. He is also an artist for Austin Lullaby Project, a professional collaboration with Austin Classical Guitar and Carnegie Hall Weill Institute. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, biking, building furniture with reclaimed wood, watching movies and lots of live music. He currently teaches classical and flamenco guitar styles and techniques in Austin at ArnoldYzaguirre.com.
Gustavo Manzur Jr.
Music Production
Gustavo Manzur Jr. is a multi-talented artist known for his exceptional skills as a virtuoso pianist, guitarist, songwriter, and award-winning musician. His innovative contributions to various artistic projects have solidified his reputation in the industry. Having collaborated with legendary figures like Morrissey, Alain Whyte, and Ira Antelis, Gustavo’s name is synonymous with musical excellence and versatility.
Born and raised in a musically rich environment, Gustavo inherited a deep passion for music from his South American family. From a young age, he showed remarkable aptitude for music, mastering multiple instruments and displaying an innate gift for composition. His eclectic style draws inspiration from diverse genres, blending elements of rock, Latino, classical, and world music to create a unique and captivating sound.
Gustavo’s journey in the music industry has been marked by collaboration and experimentation. He has lent his talents to numerous bands and projects, showcasing his versatility as a musician. Whether performing on stage or in the studio, Gustavo brings a dynamic energy and creativity to his craft, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in music. With his boundless creativity and unwavering dedication to his art, Gustavo Manzur Jr. continues to inspire audiences around the globe, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry and beyond.
WILLIAM F. REED
CINEMATIC ARTS
William F. Reed is an independent filmmaker living in Austin. He began his career in Los Angeles, working on studio film projects including Star Trek and Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, and with live network TV presentations including the Emmys, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards.
In 2010, Reed helped establish the Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he serves as Technical Director and Film Programmer. He has also programmed the Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth, and the international Victoria Film Festival in British Columbia, Canada. He teaches high school summer film camps at Hill Country Film Festival’s Film Society and at the Lone Star Film Society, and is a faculty member at the Austin School of Film. He maintains an award-winning boutique production company, producing short films, music videos, and commercials, and recently wrapped his first feature film.
shelly tharp
visual arts
Shelly Tharp is an art educator and Austin-based ceramicist. Originally from Colorado, she has spent most of her life in Central and South Texas. Tharp graduated from Baylor University, and is a potter and self-taught multi-media artist who has worked with students of all ages. The majority of her education career has been spent in high school art. She was a leader within her school district and helped to implement their choice-based curriculum to serve students with a wide variety of backgrounds. Additionally, Tharp introduced the AP College Board Studio Art program to the district, and successfully worked with students in Drawing, 2D design, 3D design and Art History to achieve college-ready scores on their portfolios and tests. Tharp has been an active regional director and juror with the TAEA Visual Art Scholastic Event for over 10 years. Her personal art practice involves her own pottery business, where she incorporates her love of nature and her interest in encaustic painting, watercolor and mixed media-collage with her first love, clay.
Betsy Hudson
Choreography
Betsy Hudson is a former member of the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company’s “Met Too,” award-winning member and captain of the Houston Texans Cheerleaders, choreographer for NFL dancers, and music video and live performance choreographer for up and coming artist ZAYRA. She has studied under choreographers such as Liz Imperio, Steven Boyd, and Dorrell Martin, and danced for Jazz Dance World Congress. Betsy graduated from Sam Houston State University, where she served as captain of the dance team, which was presented with the College Dance Team National Championship in 2005. Betsy continues to dance and serves numerous charitable organizations including ASPVA, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She also established a successful dance program for the Catholic Charities After-School Program for Refugee Children.
Kelley Glover
World Music Drumming
Dr. Kelley Glover earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Howard University, a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and her doctorate in School Improvement from Texas State University. She has over 25 years of teaching experience and was teacher of the year at Round Rock ISD’s Ridgeview Middle School in 2006. Her children’s choirs have performed for the Kennedy Center Honors television awards show and have recorded with the group Sweet Honey In the Rock. She is the creator of a children’s music literacy cartoon and sight singing game app called “U BETTER Sing!” which were rated as the #1 Best Selling New Release for DVDs/Games on Amazon from their premiere date of December 2015 to February 2016. She has appeared as a featured speaker on the PBS show “Blackademics.” As a vocalist, dancer, and actress, Kelley has performed onstage with Denzel Washington, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Bonnie Rait, Kris Kristofferson, and has opened for Pat Benatar with the Omar Lopez Band. Kelley also does voiceover work and can be heard on local and regional radio commercials. Her original reggae music is played regularly on KAZI 88.7 FM.