Meet Our Instructors

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Kate DeSisto
​Private Instructor: Voice

Kate DeSisto is an enthusiastic music educator offering lessons in voice to students of all ages. With classical training and a rock and roll heart, she firmly believes in establishing the knowledge, good habits, and passion for musical exploration that will help her students find lifelong joy in music-making. With over a decade of teaching experience, she loves getting to know her students and helping them develop not only as musicians, but as human beings. 

Kate was born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Her love for all music, particularly musical theater, has been evident since she could stand on her toy box and belt out a tune. After receiving her Bachelor of Music in Music Education  from Syracuse University, she began her music teaching career in the North Andover and Marblehead school districts, while owning and operating her own music studio. She then moved to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania in 2012, where she taught music at Seven Generations Charter School and the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, and was President of the Concord Chamber Singers. 
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Currently, you can find Kate on the road touring nationally and internationally with the Talking Heads tribute band, Start Making Sense.  When not making music, Kate is most likely teaching yoga and/or paddle boarding, or hiking with her daughter, dog, and partner.

Devin DiBernardo
Private Instructor: Brass & Woodwinds

Devin DiBernardo is a graduate of UNH, with a degree is Music Education, and has taught brass and woodwind lessons for many years. He currently teaches band and chorus at Somersworth Middle School, and is the Somersworth High School band director. He has previously worked with beginning and intermediate students in Concord, Londonderry, North Hampton, Rye, and beyond.

​Originally a saxophone player who moved to French horn, Devin has a wide knowledge of working with developing musicians. He is always happy to work with any student to develop their musical abilities, from those just starting out to those who have been playing for years. 

Patrick Dorow
​Jr. and Sr. Conservatory

Patrick Dorow has spent the past 20 years producing Musical Theatre. He grew up in Portsmouth, NH, studied Musical Theatre at Chicago College for Performing Arts, and has served as Producer, Director, Music Director, Performer, Designer, Teacher and accomplished musician at theatres across the country. As a producer and director, Patrick has been awarded Seacoast Spotlight Awards for his productions of ‘Summer of ‘42’, ‘Green Day’s American Idiot’, ‘Cats’, ‘The Full Monty’, ‘Songs for a New World’, and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. He music directed the National Tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was recognized as one of the “Top Ten To Watch - Young Business Professionals” by Catapult Seacoast, received a Moss Hart Award for his teen production of ‘Les Miserables’, and was awarded “Outstanding Achievement in American Theatre” by the New England Theatre Conference.

Katie Gall
Private Instructor: Voice

​Voice teacher and performer, Katie Gall, moved back to the seacoast area after performing and teaching in NYC for the last 10 years. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Steinhardt School at New York University in Vocal Performance as well as a post-Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy. Most notably, Katie has taught at NYU, Mayo Performing Arts Center, and Highbridge Voices in NYC, and through the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth.  Additionally, Katie is a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and believes in a whole body approach to healthy performance. Most recently Katie has been seen in The Hunchback of Norte Dame at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre and at the Rochester Opera House in Happy Days: The Musical!

Scot Gelzinis

​​​Scot Gelzinis is a veteran guitar instructor with over 17 years of experience.  He utilizes a hands-on, practical approach to teaching music that builds fundamentals and advanced techniques.  Scot encourages his students to establish their own musical interests and identity by illustrating how their favorite music is structured and performed.  This method has been proven to produce great results with guitarists of all ages and skill levels.  Scot specializes in current and classic genres, from Hard Rock to Country.

Maggie O'Neill
​Private Instructor: Voice

Maggie O’Neill is a music educator and lifelong singer with a passion for fostering the joy, love, and power of singing in others. With extensive training and experience in vocal arts, as both a singer and conductor of all ages, she offers a variety of pedagogic practices to cater to students, while keeping lessons fun, positive, and productive. Whether you’re a beginner looking to build confidence, or you’re looking for in-depth training, Maggie’s goal as a teacher is to empower each singer to use their unique tools as effectively as possible. Maggie also works as a singer and theatre artist across New England, and grows food at Stout Oak Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Brentwood, NH. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and Master of Arts in Teaching at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. ​

Alex Rentumis
​Private Instructor: Guitar

Alex (Alexander) Rentumis is a New Hampshire native with over 23 years experience teaching music to people ages 5 and up. He began his musical journey at Manchester's Ted Herbert's Music Mart and School, studying drums with John McDonnell and guitar/bass with George Westbay, both graduates of Berklee College of Music in Boston. Alex also graduated from Berklee with a B.A. in Guitar Performance, continuing his studies with professors Dave Newsam, Jon Finn, Norman Zocher, David (fuZe) Fiuczynski and David Tronzo. He then began his professional career in Los Angeles performing in groups in the area and also touring nationally. While in LA, he gained studio and live sound engineering experience working on The Cherry Bluestorms' recordings and as an employee of The Knitting Factory Hollywood.

​Alex specializes in music theory, guitar and bass instruction in most styles, and can teach fundamentals of blues, jazz, and classical. Students looking to lead or participate in a contemporary band, from singer/songwriter, power trio, prog/metal, to big band, or simply play for fun would be a great fit to study with him.

Laura Smith
​Private Instructor: Piano

Laura Smith is a Colorado native who has taught in Asia for the past eleven years. She holds a degree in Music Education from Colorado Christian University where she focused on general music with an emphasis in piano. Currently, she is working on her master’s degree in School Counseling as she is passionate about using music to help students with social and emotional health. Laura’s early piano training at a private academy focused on healthy hand techniques and being a well-rounded musician, both of these practices she has carried into her private piano instruction for the past fourteen years. Laura strives to meet the goals of each individual she teaches while also giving foundational instruction in music theory and introducing students to new genres.

Jen Solomon
​Classes: Showstoppers!

Jennifer Solomon is a graduate of UNH, with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre. She has worked in the education field for over 18 years and taught musical theater classes for 15 years at the Leddy Center for the Performing Arts in Epping. In her classes, Jen focuses on acting games and performance opportunities designed to build the confidence of each student, as well as teach them valuable theater skills. Jen has performed in numerous musicals throughout NH for the last 30 years, taking a slight break to focus on raising her two girls…one of which is now performing herself on stage at the Rochester Opera House! Jen’s favorite roles have been Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Jenry Towle
Private Instructor: Voice, Audition Prep

Jenry Towle (she/they) is a theatermaker based in Kittery, ME. Holding degrees in Music, Theater Performance, & Technical Theater & Design, she has taught voice and acting to students of every age in 46 of the 50 states!

​Jenry believes in a full-body, comprehensive approach to finding your strongest voice - body, voice, and imagination need to work simultaneously together to build confidence and projection.

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