Lindsay Cummings - Owner, Co-Founder, Head of Music

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Lindsay Cummings is a sought-after voice instructor, teaching artist and musician.  She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and a Master of Musical Theatre and Opera Performance from Arizona State University.  She’s worked in theatre and television throughout the country, but teaching young artists has always been her passion. Lindsay has been seen on stages from L.A. to New York City working in musical theatre and television, and as a vocal coach for "The Voice." She is currently a professor of Musical Theatre Voice at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts, and Loyola University, Chicago. She is one of the founders of Downstage Arts, and is also the President-Elect of The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Chicago Chapter.

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Tanner Bradshaw - Co-Founder

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Tanner Bradshaw is a Chicago based actor, director, and teaching artist. He owns a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting with a minor in Directing from Oklahoma City University. Tanner has acted as the artistic director for Oklahoma City University’s ‘Acting for the Stage and Screen’ high school camp in 2016, and has been the main teaching artist and director for the teen company at Windy City Performs for their 2018-19 season. Having grown up being parented by two school teachers, education holds a warm and important place in his heart. He hopes that this conservatory acts as a place for young artists to explore their talents, develop their skills, and provide a safe space for anyone who wants to come play and learn about theatre. He hopes to teach his students how to see the beauty in this world, how to know their own worth, how to embrace their imperfections and see them as assets, and how to be vulnerable and honest not only as an actor but as a person.

 

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Isabella Coelho - Head of Education and Curriculum Development

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Isabella Coelho has proudly worked as a theatre teaching artist since 2012 all over Chicago creating original programming and directing student performed work with organizations including Raven Theatre, Windy City Performs, Emerald City Theatre, Act Two at St. Paul’s and more. Isabella has served as a resident teaching artist at Free Street Theater since 2013 where she helms the Park Kids program as well as created capsule programming with the Chicago Park District and The Boys and Girls Club of West Pullman. As a performer, she has worked with Nashville Children’s Theatre, Broadway in Chicago, Lifeline Theatre, Raven Theatre, Commission Theatre, Cock and Bull Theatre, Filament Theatre, and Birch House Immersive.  Isabella is graduate of the Theatre School at DePaul University.

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Kara Leman - Studio Manager, Teaching Artist

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Kara Leman's passion for storytelling led her to Millikin University where she earned a BFA Musical Theatre degree. While living in New York City, she continued to hone her theatre skills with various directors and began working professionally. Kara is thrilled to have landed back in Chicago and loves teaching students both the art and importance of storytelling.

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Kyle Cortés - Guitar, Piano & Voice Instructor

 

Countertenor, composer, and music director Kyle Anthony Cortés happily serves the CMAA community as a private lessons instructor teaching in voice, guitar, electric bass, piano, and ukulele.

In line with his artistic endeavors he teaches across Chicagoland at institutions like, the Chicago High School for the Arts, Citadel Theater Education, Forevermore Dance and Theater, and Chicago Music and Acting Academy. On top of teaching private lessons, he is engaged in teaching courses like “Treble Choir”, “Music Theory”, and “Voice Performance Foundations”. 

 

Cortés’ most recent artistic endeavors include music directing for the Wagner Summer Theater Intensive Masterclass Series, Citadel Theater Education’s Matilda Jr., and Forevermore’s summer production of Matilda Jr.

Trained primarily in classical voice, Cortés has sung operatic roles such as Lucio Silla in Handel’s Silla, the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel, Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Mayor Upfold in Britten’s Albert Herring. Cortés completed his masters degree with honors in vocal performance at DePaul School of Music in Chicago studying under Dr. Viktoria Vizin. He relocated to Chicago after having graduated cum laude with two Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Florida in vocal performance and composition, respectively

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Andrew Baldwin - Guest Instructor

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Andrew Baldwin is a classically trained percussionist hailing from Wisconsin who decided to take up sketch and improv comedy. Since moving to the Windy City, he has trained at the Second City Conservatory, The Annoyance, and Comedy Sportz. He can be seen all over Chicago performing sketch and improv, as well as behind various percussion instruments. 

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Rylie Ann Taylor - Guest Instructor

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Rylie Ann Taylor is a Chicago-based actor, dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Musical Theatre and Theatre Performance from North Central College. She currently trains in various dance styles as a work study at Visceral Dance Center. She grew up in Indianapolis, IN with her dad, two younger sisters, and their little mutt named Max. In her spare time you can catch her at a local coffee shop with a cold brew in hand, attempting to do yoga from home, or huddled away at home with the latest true crime podcast. Her goal as a performer and teaching artist is to create art that reminds our younger selves of the original spark of passion we had to join this crazy wonderful profession in the first place. She is so thrilled to be joining the CMAA team! 

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Amy Gadd - Voice and Piano Instructor

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Amy Gadd (she/her) is an Ohio native and is a 2015 graduate of Otterbein University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree concentrating in Music Composition and Theory studying composition with Dr. Jennifer Merkowitz. She studied voice with Elizabeth Barrett, Maggie Green, and Dr. Keyona Willis. She performed in the Opera Scenes Workshop that allowed her to receive roles such as Clorinda from La Cenerentola and Magda from La Rondine. She sang with Otterbein’s top choir and had the experience of touring to Chicago as well as Ireland. After graduating, she was involved in the music community as a member of Women in Music Columbus from 2017-2019.

She moved to Chicago in 2019 and she obtained a Master of Music student in Vocal Performance at Roosevelt University College of Performing Arts in 2021 studying voice with Cynthia Clarey and Elizabeth Byrne. As a student at Roosevelt University, she was in the ensemble for Roosevelt University’s productions of The Tales of Hoffman and of King Arthur. In the Fall of 2020, she was The Fairy Godmother in Cendrillon. In February of 2020, she premiered the chamber work Movement by Austin Gray Williams as Soprano 3.

Amy has worked on seven productions with Opera Project Columbus as well as The Columbus Italian Festival performance of “Alla bella Despinetta” from Cosi fan Tutte as Despinetta and was Maria in their production of I Due Timidi. Amy has also sung for the Chicago Thirsty Ears Festival two years in a row with her own set (2022) and as a vocalist for Austin Gray William’s modular synthesizer performance (2023). Amy has also performed at Shrekfest in Milwaukee, WI as a solo act to start the festival (2022) and with her Ska band (2023).

In the summer of 2019, Amy debuted her first album Finally Something which is available on all streaming sites.

Amy Gadd is currently taking voice lessons with Rebecca Schorsch and has been actively teaching ukulele, beginner piano, and voice since 2012. Her favorite part of teaching is having her students find “the light bulb moment.” Amy is a lyric coloratura soprano and enjoys singing anywhere from a grand opera, chamber music, to coffee shops. She loves contemporary new music as well as 80’s pop and the Shrek Soundtrack. Amy loves to share her knowledge of music with her students!

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