Sarah Boxmeyer

French Horn

Sarah is a freelance French Horn player and educator in New York City. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Yale School of Music, she is a musician in orchestral settings and on Broadway. After working with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Sarah was part of the orchestra for King Kong on Broadway. Sarah has gone on to be a member of the orchestra of the 2023 revival of Sweeney Todd and Pirates! The Penzance Musical. She has been a substitute musician in the pit of multiple Broadway productions including Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin, Into the Woods, Flying Over Sunset, and Funny Girl. Her career continued in the American Symphony Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, the Knights, and the New York Pops. Now, Sarah enjoys teaching and feels it is a privilege to pass along her love of music to younger generations and students of all ages.

Rebecca Steinberg

Trumpet

Rebecca is a trumpet player with a career marked by her warm, inviting sound and stylistic versatility. As a theater musician, she has held trumpet chairs in Tony-winning musicals SUFFS and New York, New York. Musical appearances include Ragtime, Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. Rebecca started at D-E in 2015 as a private instructor and now works with the orchestra students as Director of Brass. Rebecca studied at the Manhattan School of Music, and her former students have gone on to Interlochen Arts Camp, Laguardia High School, Frank Sinatra High School, and Interschool Orchestras of NY, among others. Rebecca won the 2018 Liz Swados Inspiration Grant, an award honoring influential female music educators in NYC, on behalf of Calliope Brass, which Rebecca served as their Executive Director for 2020-2023. As an arts administrator, Rebecca serves as a program head of Maestra Music’s First Takes program.

Nancy Ringham Smith

Voice

RobertDeBellis

Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone

Rob DeBellis is a seasoned multi-reed instrumentalist who has been an integral part of the New York City music scene for over 40 years. A longtime member of Broadway’s The Lion King, his command of woodwind instruments has made him a sought-after and versatile performer. Rob has recorded and toured internationally with acclaimed artists such as Don Byron, Muhal Richard Abrams, Holly Cole, Mongo Santamaria, Uri Caine, Jason Robert Brown, Brad Jones, Joe Daley, James Emery, Marty Ehrlich, and Phillip Johnston. His solo album Parallax, released on Vintone Records, showcases his skills as both a composer and improviser, featuring collaborations with some of New York’s most innovative musicians. His woodwind work is also featured in film scores by composers including David Mansfield, Pat Irwin, Phillip Johnston, and Jason Hwang. Beyond the jazz and classical worlds, Rob has collaborated with a wide range of pop and contemporary artists—from Jay-Z to Marianne Faithfull. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he is also a dedicated educator, currently in his 40th year leading ensembles at The Dwight-Englewood School.

John Newlan

Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone

Jared Newlen is a international woodwind musician and educator based in NYC, where he has collaborated with several music directors and composers. Since moving to NYC in 2013, Jared has performed hundreds of shows and concerts in the Carnegie Hall,  Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, and Broadway. He has played with the City Lyric Opera, Chelsea Symphony, Gateway Classical Music Society, Litha Symphony, and the Brooklyn Wind Symphony. He has performed at the Midwest Clinic, CBDNA, The US Navy Saxophone Symposium, and the Carolina Saxophone Symposium. Newlen’s passion for teaching has inspired students to participate in audition based programs such as NY Pops Kids on Stage, Third Street School Summer Chamber Music Camp, and the Summer Arts Institute at Frank Sinatra High School. His students have been accepted into performing arts high schools such as LaGuardia HS and Frank Sinatra HS in New York City for the last several years. In addition to teaching private lessons at the Dwight-Englewood School, Jared directs the Lower School Band and a middle school rock band class.

Rich Peare

Guitar

Rich Peare received his BA from the mannes college of in 1983 and studied classical guitar with Leonid Bolotine, and taught at the American Institute of Guitar (AIG). He performed his NYC debut at CAMI Hall in 1985. Afterwards he studied jazz improvisation  with Peter Prisco for over twenty years. Rich has 4 albums  under his own name, two are  solo guitar. The third is a duo with bassist Bill Crow and the fourth with bassist Don Messina. Rich continues to teach privately at his studio in Snug Harbor Cultural center, Staten Island. He has performed with Jimmy Halperin, Skip Scot, Chris Aiello, Bill Crow, Jon Easton, Ted Brown, Jimmy Knepper, Kenny Washington, Joshua Redman, Neil Minor, Earl Saul’s and others.

Ani Kalayjian

Cello

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “representing the young, up-and-coming generation,” and a “superb cellist with a large, expressive, singing tone, passionate musicianship, and magnificent playing” by the Journal Tribune, Armenian-American cellist Ani Kalayjian leads a multi-faceted career as a musician, artistic director and educator that has taken her worldwide. Artistic Director of Carriage House Concerts at The Woman’s Club of Englewood and Co-Artistic Director of Lyrica Chamber Music in Chatham, she is at home in diverse musical settings and sought-after for her openhearted, passionate and vibrantly detailed approach to music-making. Ani’s passion for chamber music led her to attend various festivals including the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival,  American String Project, Lichfield Festival, and more. Ani is Cello Director at  faculty at D-E and enjoys giving masterclasses to musicians around the country, such as Brandeis University, Wellesley College, snd La Jolla. Ani has given Musician Entrepreneur talks and workshops at the Royal Academy, Royal Northern College of Music, NYU, UC Long Beach, Lebanese American University, and Oberlin. Ani received an M.A. with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in England as a student of Ralph Kirshbaum and a B.A. from the Mannes College of Music as a student of Timothy Eddy.

Kevin Norton

Percussionist

Studies at Hunter College introduced Kevin to Milt Hinton and after a short period, Kevin began to perform with Milt Hinton, eventually recording The Judge’s Decision.  After getting his Masters Degree from Manhattan School of Music, Kevin played in groups including Fred Frith‘s band Keep the Dog and Phillip Johnston and Joel Forrester’s Microscopic Septet. Kevin eventually concentrated on his own compositions, creating For Guy Debord and Change Dance (Troubled Energy). In 2006, he premiered Water and Fire Suite, commissioned by Meet The Composer Commissioning Music/USA. His recording, Time-Space Modulator, integrates intricate, notated composition work with the deep improvisatory skills of Kevin, Tony Malaby, Dave Ballou and John Lindberg. Norton played with many highly esteemed artists, to name a few: Paul Rogers, Joëlle Léandre, John Lindberg, James Emery, Scott Robinson, and poet/activist John Sinclair. For about ten years, Kevin was Anthony Braxton‘s main percussionist in both the “ghost trance” and “standards” phase. In 2002, Kevin was a resident composer at  MacDowell Colony. Norton worked closely with composer Pat Irwin on the animated television show, Roco’s Modern Life for the Nickelodeon network. Norton composed and recorded for the following: Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words, John Zorn’s Nosferatu, Tipple’s No Sugar on Anything, John Lindberg’s BC3 Born in an Urban Ruin, Kevin Norton’s Breakfast of Champignon(s) Staten Island: All that is solid melts into air . He has served on the faculty of several schools including the University of Maryland and is currently on the faculty of William Paterson University (Jazz Studies Program).

Allen Farnham

Piano

Allen Farnham, classical & jazz piano, has been teaching at Dwight-Englewood since 2001.  He received his Bachelor’s degree in Classical Piano and Jazz Studies from Oberlin Conservatory, and his Master’s degree in Jazz Arranging and Composition from William Paterson University.  Mr. Farnham currently freelances as a pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and teacher, as well as being a regular orchestra member of the Lion King on Broadway, playing Keyboard 1.  He has recorded extensively as a sideman and lead performer, as well as being a regular orchestra member of the Lion King on Broadway, playing Keyboard 1. He has recorded extensively as a sideman and lead performer, as well as having produced over 50 recordings for the California-based record label Concord Records for such illustrious artists as Tito Puente, Monty Alexander, Charlie Byrd, Scott Hamilton, Buddy DeFranco, and Mongo Santamaria. Mr. Farnham’s performance credits include work with vocalists such as Susannah McCorkle, Liza Minelli, Mel Tormé, Mark Murphy and Ernestine Anderson.