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Faculty 
Pictured from left: Catherine, Jeff, Gretchen, Elizabeth, Tim, Tracy, Juliet, Melissa, Katie. Not pictured: Alice, Clay, Cristi, Kristen, Suzi.  Gretchen Kemp, Proprietor/Show Choir Director/Voice and Piano InstructorGretchen Kemp has a dream of making a difference through the Arts. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and was blessed to have amazing musical experiences there. Gretchen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education through Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, and promptly moved down to Florida to begin teaching (and continue working in the Entertainment Department at Disney). She had the opportunity to open East Ridge High School in Clermont and start the choral program there. She continues to learn more about her own voice weekly through studies with her voice teacher, Manny Lujan. Gretchen helps to foster Arts Education to even more students through Four Corners Academy of the Arts. Thanks for joining us!
Katie Brown, Drama Instructor/Ballroom Basics Instructor  Katie Brown is an award-winning vocalist and actor with credits as far as Honolulu, Hawaii, and in the central Florida and coastal Georgia area. With a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Stetson University, she is trained in classical and contemporary vocal performance and in theatrical performance. She also led ballroom and etiquette courses for four years in her native coastal Georgia town. Her repertoire of roles has included leads in The Fantasticks; Songs for a New World; Bye Bye, Birdie; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; The Music Man; Vagina Monologues; and Americansaint. Katie currently has a contract with the Orlando Chamber Singers and performs as a vocalist at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel.
Alice Duey, Dance Instructor  Alice Duey grew up in Akron, Ohio, where she studied dance, voice, and acting until she graduated from her performing arts high school with both an honors and dance degree. She then ventured out on Holland America Cruise ships as the second lead singer traveling around the entire world visiting every continent. In between cruises, Alice performed for several theatres, commercial venues, and casinos across the nation. Miss Duey was initially welcomed to Orlando dancing in Celebrate The Season at Disney's Magic Kingdom, where she now serves as their dance captain. Currently, you can catch Alice dancing in Dream Along With Mickey, hosting Playhouse Disney Live, singing in Universal's Rockin' Beetlejuice Revue show, or starring as Bunny June at Capone's Dinner Theatre. She is very happy to be a part of this amazing academy and hopes to share her love of expanding our bodies capabilities with you!
Kristen Hill, Voice/Piano Instructor  Kristen Hill grew up in Flemington, New Jersey where her passion for music, dance and theater began. She attended West Chester University in Pennsylvania, where she studied music education and music business. During her time in college, Kristen was trained vocally in classical, operatic and choral music, as well as musical theater. She graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Music and recently relocated to Orlando. She has been featured in shows including Bye-Bye Birdie, Briagdoon, Oklahoma! and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and is currently a member of the National Thespian Society. Kristen is currently employed by the Walt Disney Company as a character entertainer and is excited to share her passion for music with Four Corners Academy of the Arts! Juliet Machado, Dance Instructor  Originally from California, Juliet has studied dance since she could walk. Her intense study of rhythm tap began in college in Santa Barbara, when she became a member of Tap's, Ltd., a rhythm tap production company. During her seven years performing with Tap's Ltd., she worked with multiple tap masters including Mark Mendonca, Fred Strickler, Sam Weber, and Christy Wyant-Hernandez. Since her move to Florida in 2000, she has continued her love of dance and is so excited to be teaching again. Clay Price, Voice/Piano Instructor
Elizabeth Ward, Dance Instructor Elizabeth A. Ward originates from Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Florida in 2002. While in Ohio, she studied dance at the Cleveland Dance Academy and was a cheerleader throughout her junior high and high school years. She attended college at Ohio Northern University where she was featured in such shows as Sweeney Todd, Jesus Christ Superstar, The King and I, Peter Pan, and The World Goes Round. While attending ONU, she also danced as part of the ONU Dance Company with guest artists such as the Tom Evert Dance Company and the River North Jazz Company. She also performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. She graduated in 2000 with a BFA in Musical Theatre and Theatre, and the three summers following her graduation she performed at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH as a singer/dancer. She was also featured in several Ohio regional theatre productions including Into the Woods at the Actor's Repertory Theatre. During 2001, she became a member of the NBA's Cleveland Chavalier Dance Team and performed with them for their 2001-2002 season. Since moving to Florida, she has had the privilege of being part of several productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell, and Once Upon a Mattress. Currently, she works as a performer for Walt Disney World Entertainment. Elizabeth's training includes jazz, tap, ballet and cheerleading. She is excited to be a part of the brand new Four Corners Academy of the Arts!
Melissa Wolfenden, Dance Instructor
Seasonal Faculty Tracy Fisher, Dance/Piano Instructor Jeff Höh, Guitar Instructor Catherine Striplin, Piano Instructor |
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