Origin
In 2015, performing arts educators (and real-life couple) Jes and Jacob Sudbrink founded Sudbrink Performance Academy to provide more accelerated and stimulating educational opportunities for young performers. By December 2015, Sudbrink Academy became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and opened its first commercial studio in 2016. SPA has produced several musicals, including Beauty & the Beast Jr., School of Rock, and Footloose. In 2020, the SPA cast of Disney's Descendants put together a phenomenal performance that unfortunately never made it to stage due to theater closures. SPA pivoted to online programs in late 2020 and found unexpected benefits, such as more comfortable learning environments and diverse group classes. SPA continues to connect students with incredible teachers to promote learning and growth at any level.
Mission
The purpose of Sudbrink Performance Academy shall be to provide first class performing arts education and opportunities, with a primary focus on school-aged youth.
Vision
Students of Sudbrink Academy are ambassadors in their community, and uphold a new standard of excellence in the arts, and all aspects of their lives.
At Sudbrink Performance Academy, we take our students under our wings and develop them with the guidance and respect we want to see perpetuated in the world of the performing arts.
In 2015, performing arts educators (and real-life couple) Jes and Jacob Sudbrink founded Sudbrink Performance Academy to provide more accelerated and stimulating educational opportunities for young performers. By December 2015, Sudbrink Academy became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and opened its first commercial studio in 2016. SPA has produced several musicals, including Beauty & the Beast Jr., School of Rock, and Footloose. In 2020, the SPA cast of Disney's Descendants put together a phenomenal performance that unfortunately never made it to stage due to theater closures. SPA pivoted to online programs in late 2020 and found unexpected benefits, such as more comfortable learning environments and diverse group classes. SPA continues to connect students with incredible teachers to promote learning and growth at any level.
Mission
The purpose of Sudbrink Performance Academy shall be to provide first class performing arts education and opportunities, with a primary focus on school-aged youth.
Vision
Students of Sudbrink Academy are ambassadors in their community, and uphold a new standard of excellence in the arts, and all aspects of their lives.
At Sudbrink Performance Academy, we take our students under our wings and develop them with the guidance and respect we want to see perpetuated in the world of the performing arts.
Our teachers are experts in their field and have found the most engaging ways to teach in an online classroom. Some of our teachers have said that learning online has given their students a more comfortable environment to work in, and given them the confidence to grow their skills beyond what was possible in the studio. Whether a group class or private lesson, we are confident you will learn, grow, and love your SPA classes!
Check out some highlights on our teachers - and continue scrolling for in-depth bios for each.
Check out some highlights on our teachers - and continue scrolling for in-depth bios for each.
ACTING & THEATRE SPECIALISTS
MUSIC SPECIALISTS
Founders
Want more info? Read more about each teacher:
Amos Fayette
Violinist, educator, and entrepreneur Amos Fayette began his musical studies at the age of 2 with his mother, made his solo debut at the age of 8, and has since enjoyed a diverse career, seamlessly blending educational, administrative, and performance endeavors. He received his formal education at the Juilliard School's famed Pre-College Division where he studied with the late Shirley Givens, a former assistant to Ivan Galamian, completed his undergraduate studies at the Peabody Conservatory with Pamela Frank, and completed his graduate work at The Juilliard School with Juilliard Quartet violinist Ron Copes. Between degrees, he spent time as a student of Glenn Dicterow at the Manhattan School of Music and as a fellow of the New World Symphony.
In demand as an orchestral performer and leader, Amos has performed as a guest concertmaster with several prominent orchestras, including The Annapolis, Tucson, and Illinois Symphonies, Orchestra Iowa, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and was the founding concertmaster of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra in New York City. He has also performed as a soloist with the New World Symphony, Orquesta Filarmonica de Medellin in Colombia, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Wilmington Community Orchestra, and has been a repeat clinician and soloist with the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra. He plays frequently with many ensembles in Northeast Ohio, including the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Theater, Cleveland Pops, and the opera studies department at Baldwin-Wallace University School of Music.
Equally dedicated to education, Amos has taught in nearly every imaginable setting, ranging from the public school classroom to the collegiate private studio. He has held teaching posts at the New World School of the Arts, Cecil College, Queens College Center for Preparatory Studies in Music, The Music Settlement, and has been a guest clinician with the Academia Filarmonica de Medellin, The Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, and more. His students have gone on to study at such famed institutions as Oberlin Conservatory, Lynn University, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and more.
Amos' most recent pursuit has been the assembly and publication of a collection of practice methods titled Practice 101: Work Smarter, Not Harder, available exclusively via Kindle Direct Publishing. In his spare time, Amos enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the culinary landscape of Cleveland, OH, and reading up on motorsports and automotive history. His violin was made in 2012 by master luthier Edward Maday.
Angela Klawiter
Angela Klawiter is a recent graduate of Marywood University holding degrees in Theatre and Early Childhood Education. She is an actor and singer at heart, but she has also had the opportunity to direct and costume design numerous productions. Additionally, she is also a playwright and producer, having had the opportunity to professionally produce her original one woman show at the Scranton Fringe Festival. Some of her other favorite productions include When We Dead Awaken (Irene), Dancing at Lughnasa (Kate), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Christopher), Sound of Music (Maria), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). Angela is thrilled to be joining the Sudbrink Performance Academy to help the next generation of performers develop skills and gain confidence in acting and singing.
Caitlin Arndt
Caitlin Arndt has worked for many years as a theatre educator, actor and director. She is the Summer Camp Director for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company as well as a member of their educational tour for six years. She has a BA in performing arts from Saint Mary's College of California and an MFA in International Theatre Practice and Performance from Rose Bruford College, London UK. Her artistic passions include improv, new works, classical works, clowning, writing, voiceover and any sort of collaborative art making! For the last 12 years, Caitlin has enjoyed encouraging her students to explore, play, challenge themselves, fail boldly and feel confident in their abilities. Currently, she is co-directing an equity production Two Gentlemen of Verona for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival and creating programming for a children's acting camp.
Chris Clavelli
Chris Clavelli is an ensemble member and resident director of The Florida Repertory Theatre His work has received national acclaim in The Wall Street Journal and Broadway World. He’s performed Off Broadway, regionally, Film, TV, voice overs and commercials. He is a recipient of the Carbonell for Best Actor and a Barrymore Award. He co-founded The Neighborhood Theatre for Kids in Brooklyn. He has taught acting, voice, classical acting skills, audition technique, solo performance and on-camera classes at New York University, CAP 21, Molloy College, The Actors Studio Drama School/Pace University/MFA program, AMDA, The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Florida Gulf Coast University and The New World School of the Arts. His book on acting, Notes From the Room, Your Guide to the Art of Acting and Show Business will be published in the summer of 23. He makes his home in Pittsburgh, is a very good friend and cat lover. In particular, his beloved Mr. Bingley.
Coltyn VonDeylen
Coltyn has an extensive professional music background. He has worked professionally as a singer in a variety of genres, including opera, theatre, and even fronts a rock band. He has been teaching voice since 2016. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal and General Music and Bachelor of Arts in Wide Range Education. Coltyn has experience instructing students of all ages, ranging from preschoolers to adults, across musical theatre, pop, and classical styles. Coltyn is phenomenal with helping learners understand how their body and instrument (voice) work together, digging deeper into breathing, technique, healthy and effective warmups, making them a stronger singer through education and physical practice.
Emma Young
After graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Music and Minor in Acting, Emma Young took her career back home to the east coast and began working as a creative professional in NYC. As a film/tv actor, she has appeared in several national, regional, and digital commercials, worked on HBO’s The Gilded Age, and written and produced her own short films. She continues to train at well known acting studios such as Stella Adler, and The Barrow Group. As a pianist and music producer, Emma received additional training at Germany’s PopAkademie Mannheim and worked at MobileMic Studios as an assistant producer. She now arranges and produces music for artists in the city and loves sharing her skills as a pianist with the musical theater community.
Jacob Sudbrink
Jacob Sudbrink began working as a music director in 2002, and has taught voice students throughout his musical career. He has experience teaching high school choirs, high school band, and K-8 general music in schools, as well as an extensive experience directing musical theatre productions for a variety of schools and theatres. He is also vocal director for a performance troupe of elite performers grade 7-12. Jacob is an accomplished violinist and has a passion for conducting. Jacob and his wife Jes founded Sudbrink Performance Academy in 2015.
Jess Phillips
Jess Phillips is a theatre educator and artist from Las Vegas, Nevada with her Theatre Education Degree from Southern Utah University. Jess fell in love with the performing arts at the age of 5 and never stopped! She believes access to the arts is vital for students of all ages in order to develop confidence, self-expression, empathy, collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving. Jess has professional theatre experience in performing, directing, designing, and stage management. Over the past 7 years Jess has been teaching students ages 3-18. Teaching credits include: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Belvoir Terrace, The Alden, and Cedar City Arts Council. Directing Credits include: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Southern Utah University, Riverstage Theatre, Belvoir Terrace, The Alden, The Welders, and DC Fringe Festival.
Jes Sudbrink
Jes is an experienced director and choreographer, having worked on a variety of musicals with schools and theatre organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Jes has experience working as an on-camera talent for commercials and print advertisements, as well as live promotional modeling. Jes proudly served as Artistic Director/Choreographer for Main Street Song & Dance Troupe from 2018-2021. She and her husband Jacob founded Sudbrink Performance Academy in 2015.
Molly Bader
Molly Bader is an actor, director, and multidisciplinary artist based in New York City. She holds an MFA in Acting from Purdue University and a BA in Theatre from Buffalo State College. Molly instructed undergraduate college courses while pursuing her MFA (Intro Acting, Voice for the Actor, Vocal/Physical Preparation) and has worked with students of all ages as a teaching artist with organizations such as Springville Center for the Arts and The Anne Frank Project. She is passionate about tailoring her approach to the needs of each individual student and loves to give her students the tools they need to shine. Molly can help students of all levels with monologue/audition prep, script analysis, character development, Shakespeare/classical text, and more.
Pete Marten
From the early age of nine years old, Pete knew he wanted to make guitar his life. He started taking private lessons and went on to earn a Guitar Performance degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. He then came home to Kansas to earn a Jazz Studies degree from the University of Kansas. Pete has been teaching for 12 years, working with students of all ages and musical interests. Pete’s approach puts the students' goals first. Students learn songs they like while still learning essential skills, techniques, and music theory.
Wendy Valentic
Learn the tools needed to be a real musician! Hi...my name is Wendy Valentic and I am a working, professional musician. I am also a certified music teacher of 25 years. I am a serious teacher with a fun, informal and interactive style. My number one goal is for my students to be lifelong learners and lovers of music. I combine solid technique and reading with the following tools I have discovered are essential to being a successful musician: movement, listening, drumming, audiation, improv and more! Let’s make music from day 1!
Violinist, educator, and entrepreneur Amos Fayette began his musical studies at the age of 2 with his mother, made his solo debut at the age of 8, and has since enjoyed a diverse career, seamlessly blending educational, administrative, and performance endeavors. He received his formal education at the Juilliard School's famed Pre-College Division where he studied with the late Shirley Givens, a former assistant to Ivan Galamian, completed his undergraduate studies at the Peabody Conservatory with Pamela Frank, and completed his graduate work at The Juilliard School with Juilliard Quartet violinist Ron Copes. Between degrees, he spent time as a student of Glenn Dicterow at the Manhattan School of Music and as a fellow of the New World Symphony.
In demand as an orchestral performer and leader, Amos has performed as a guest concertmaster with several prominent orchestras, including The Annapolis, Tucson, and Illinois Symphonies, Orchestra Iowa, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and was the founding concertmaster of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra in New York City. He has also performed as a soloist with the New World Symphony, Orquesta Filarmonica de Medellin in Colombia, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Wilmington Community Orchestra, and has been a repeat clinician and soloist with the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra. He plays frequently with many ensembles in Northeast Ohio, including the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Theater, Cleveland Pops, and the opera studies department at Baldwin-Wallace University School of Music.
Equally dedicated to education, Amos has taught in nearly every imaginable setting, ranging from the public school classroom to the collegiate private studio. He has held teaching posts at the New World School of the Arts, Cecil College, Queens College Center for Preparatory Studies in Music, The Music Settlement, and has been a guest clinician with the Academia Filarmonica de Medellin, The Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, and more. His students have gone on to study at such famed institutions as Oberlin Conservatory, Lynn University, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and more.
Amos' most recent pursuit has been the assembly and publication of a collection of practice methods titled Practice 101: Work Smarter, Not Harder, available exclusively via Kindle Direct Publishing. In his spare time, Amos enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the culinary landscape of Cleveland, OH, and reading up on motorsports and automotive history. His violin was made in 2012 by master luthier Edward Maday.
Angela Klawiter
Angela Klawiter is a recent graduate of Marywood University holding degrees in Theatre and Early Childhood Education. She is an actor and singer at heart, but she has also had the opportunity to direct and costume design numerous productions. Additionally, she is also a playwright and producer, having had the opportunity to professionally produce her original one woman show at the Scranton Fringe Festival. Some of her other favorite productions include When We Dead Awaken (Irene), Dancing at Lughnasa (Kate), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Christopher), Sound of Music (Maria), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). Angela is thrilled to be joining the Sudbrink Performance Academy to help the next generation of performers develop skills and gain confidence in acting and singing.
Caitlin Arndt
Caitlin Arndt has worked for many years as a theatre educator, actor and director. She is the Summer Camp Director for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company as well as a member of their educational tour for six years. She has a BA in performing arts from Saint Mary's College of California and an MFA in International Theatre Practice and Performance from Rose Bruford College, London UK. Her artistic passions include improv, new works, classical works, clowning, writing, voiceover and any sort of collaborative art making! For the last 12 years, Caitlin has enjoyed encouraging her students to explore, play, challenge themselves, fail boldly and feel confident in their abilities. Currently, she is co-directing an equity production Two Gentlemen of Verona for the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival and creating programming for a children's acting camp.
Chris Clavelli
Chris Clavelli is an ensemble member and resident director of The Florida Repertory Theatre His work has received national acclaim in The Wall Street Journal and Broadway World. He’s performed Off Broadway, regionally, Film, TV, voice overs and commercials. He is a recipient of the Carbonell for Best Actor and a Barrymore Award. He co-founded The Neighborhood Theatre for Kids in Brooklyn. He has taught acting, voice, classical acting skills, audition technique, solo performance and on-camera classes at New York University, CAP 21, Molloy College, The Actors Studio Drama School/Pace University/MFA program, AMDA, The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Florida Gulf Coast University and The New World School of the Arts. His book on acting, Notes From the Room, Your Guide to the Art of Acting and Show Business will be published in the summer of 23. He makes his home in Pittsburgh, is a very good friend and cat lover. In particular, his beloved Mr. Bingley.
Coltyn VonDeylen
Coltyn has an extensive professional music background. He has worked professionally as a singer in a variety of genres, including opera, theatre, and even fronts a rock band. He has been teaching voice since 2016. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal and General Music and Bachelor of Arts in Wide Range Education. Coltyn has experience instructing students of all ages, ranging from preschoolers to adults, across musical theatre, pop, and classical styles. Coltyn is phenomenal with helping learners understand how their body and instrument (voice) work together, digging deeper into breathing, technique, healthy and effective warmups, making them a stronger singer through education and physical practice.
Emma Young
After graduating from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Music and Minor in Acting, Emma Young took her career back home to the east coast and began working as a creative professional in NYC. As a film/tv actor, she has appeared in several national, regional, and digital commercials, worked on HBO’s The Gilded Age, and written and produced her own short films. She continues to train at well known acting studios such as Stella Adler, and The Barrow Group. As a pianist and music producer, Emma received additional training at Germany’s PopAkademie Mannheim and worked at MobileMic Studios as an assistant producer. She now arranges and produces music for artists in the city and loves sharing her skills as a pianist with the musical theater community.
Jacob Sudbrink
Jacob Sudbrink began working as a music director in 2002, and has taught voice students throughout his musical career. He has experience teaching high school choirs, high school band, and K-8 general music in schools, as well as an extensive experience directing musical theatre productions for a variety of schools and theatres. He is also vocal director for a performance troupe of elite performers grade 7-12. Jacob is an accomplished violinist and has a passion for conducting. Jacob and his wife Jes founded Sudbrink Performance Academy in 2015.
Jess Phillips
Jess Phillips is a theatre educator and artist from Las Vegas, Nevada with her Theatre Education Degree from Southern Utah University. Jess fell in love with the performing arts at the age of 5 and never stopped! She believes access to the arts is vital for students of all ages in order to develop confidence, self-expression, empathy, collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving. Jess has professional theatre experience in performing, directing, designing, and stage management. Over the past 7 years Jess has been teaching students ages 3-18. Teaching credits include: Shakespeare Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Belvoir Terrace, The Alden, and Cedar City Arts Council. Directing Credits include: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Southern Utah University, Riverstage Theatre, Belvoir Terrace, The Alden, The Welders, and DC Fringe Festival.
Jes Sudbrink
Jes is an experienced director and choreographer, having worked on a variety of musicals with schools and theatre organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Jes has experience working as an on-camera talent for commercials and print advertisements, as well as live promotional modeling. Jes proudly served as Artistic Director/Choreographer for Main Street Song & Dance Troupe from 2018-2021. She and her husband Jacob founded Sudbrink Performance Academy in 2015.
Molly Bader
Molly Bader is an actor, director, and multidisciplinary artist based in New York City. She holds an MFA in Acting from Purdue University and a BA in Theatre from Buffalo State College. Molly instructed undergraduate college courses while pursuing her MFA (Intro Acting, Voice for the Actor, Vocal/Physical Preparation) and has worked with students of all ages as a teaching artist with organizations such as Springville Center for the Arts and The Anne Frank Project. She is passionate about tailoring her approach to the needs of each individual student and loves to give her students the tools they need to shine. Molly can help students of all levels with monologue/audition prep, script analysis, character development, Shakespeare/classical text, and more.
Pete Marten
From the early age of nine years old, Pete knew he wanted to make guitar his life. He started taking private lessons and went on to earn a Guitar Performance degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. He then came home to Kansas to earn a Jazz Studies degree from the University of Kansas. Pete has been teaching for 12 years, working with students of all ages and musical interests. Pete’s approach puts the students' goals first. Students learn songs they like while still learning essential skills, techniques, and music theory.
Wendy Valentic
Learn the tools needed to be a real musician! Hi...my name is Wendy Valentic and I am a working, professional musician. I am also a certified music teacher of 25 years. I am a serious teacher with a fun, informal and interactive style. My number one goal is for my students to be lifelong learners and lovers of music. I combine solid technique and reading with the following tools I have discovered are essential to being a successful musician: movement, listening, drumming, audiation, improv and more! Let’s make music from day 1!
How to say Sudbrink:Sud, like the suds in a tub.
Brink, like on the brink of something great! Hi! We are The Sudbrinks. Together, along with our fantastic teaching staff, we offer education, training, and experience in the performing arts realm. No matter what programs fit you best, our goal is the same. We are here to help you or your child be fierce and fearless - to motivate, challenge, and prepare - for all that life has to offer. The Academyis a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Charitable Organization. We are always seeking supporters who believe in our mission. Make a tax-deductible donation to support our programs.
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