FRIDAY FACULTY

  • Samantha Joy Pearlman is a multi-hyphenate performing artist based in NYC. She recently made her Off-Broadway debut as Deb in The Art Tour. A chameleon with a passion for new work, she originated roles such as Mary Jane Gumm in Chasing Rainbows (Paper Mill) and Louise in Devotedly, Sincerely Yours, a show she also wrote and starred in. She made her television debut as Mandy Patinkin’s mother in a flashback in The Artist. With her band Joy and the Wildfire, she toured the Northeast USA and performed as the pre-show party for Heart at Bethel Woods. Check out their debut record "Aftershocks" or her solo record "Flight" on all streaming platforms. Proud owner of SJP Voice Studio, associate teacher of Mike Ruckles Voice Studio and certified in Level Three of The Singing Athlete. BA: Wesleyan University. www.samanthajoypearlman.com. @samanthajoyprl @joyandthewildfire

  • From a Blue-Chip college football scholarship to the Broadway stage, Green’s three-decade career has taken him all over the world, from performing at The White House to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He has performed on Broadway in the original casts of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock, Sister Act, and Play On!,  Original cast recordings: Broadway shows and The Jerusalem Syndrome, 17 Again, Freaky Friday, and Broadway Bounty Hunter. His TV work includes 30 Rock, Murphy Brown, Almost Family, Law and Order SVU, Unforgettable, The Guiding Light and Peter Pan Live! on NBC. He has been involved in several Pre-Broadway productions including The Preachers Wife, The Griswold's Broadway Vacation, The Karate Kid, and A.D. 16 and most recently Bat Boy at City Center Encores. He was Awarded The Berkie for Lead Actor in a Musical and a Broadway World Award for Best Actor in a Streamed Musical.

    He is a proud graduate of Rice University, an Associate Artist and Board Member at Barrington Stage, a Board Member of Clinton Housing Development Company and a Deacon at Metro Baptist Church in Hell’s Kitchen. And original member of the Westminster Thrust Ensemble with Jimmy Fallon. 

    IG: @alanhgreen

  • Jacob Thomas Carr is a voice teacher and the founder of Howl, a NYC based vocal studio and contemporary singing training platform. He is currently on the voice faculty at NYU Tisch New Studio on Broadway and a vocal director for Celebrity Cruise Lines.

    The approach he has engineered at Howl works to unlock the singer's instincts from their first session. It is grounded in evidence-based teaching practices as well as inspired by the methods of the original Italian teachers of Bel Canto as researched by Cornelius Reid.

    With a background as a music director who has MD’d over 50 productions, he's been coaching singers for over 15 years.  Originally from Dallas, Texas, he was on the voice faculty at Sam Houston State University Department of Theatre and Dance before moving to New York City.

    His educational background is multi-faceted: He is a classically trained pianist, schooled in the Suzuki method, with a B.M. in Music Theory and Composition from SHSU. He also trained in the Meisner technique at The Esper Studio under Bill Esper. Additionally, he has several years of experience with the Alexander Technique, studying under Judith Grodowitz. These areas of focus, combined with numerous certifications in CCM vocal pedagogy, give him a rich background from which to inform his teaching.

    Jacob’s first passion in life was training horses using natural horsemanship techniques like those pioneered by Monty Roberts & John Lyons, and this continues to be a strong influence on his teaching practices. Current vocal projects include country/folk duo Guipago Dreams. Joined on vocals by Shannon Barnes, their singles are available for streaming on Spotify. Learn more about his NYC studio by finding Howl on IG @howlvoicemethod. 

  • Jill Gittleman is a performer, teacher and choreographer based in NYC. As a performer, she has been seen in West Side Story on the International Tour (dance captain), Elf the Musical, My Fair Lady and three seasons of The Gilded Age on HBO. She served as the Associate Choreographer to Connor Gallagher on Ogunquit Playhouse's production of Elf The Musical and is currently on faculty with the Steps on Broadway Academy and a guest teacher at Steps on Broadway. Jill is from Chappaqua, NY and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Communications.

    @gittlegram

  • Suzi is an OCU alum (Dance Management, 2008). Currently Stage Manager at & Juliet on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include The Lehman Trilogy, Angels in America, Groundhog Day, and Old Times. Other NYC and regional credits include City Center Encores! (The Tap Dance Kid), Cherry Lane Theatre, Target Margin Theater, The Drama League, NYMF, Classical Theatre of Harlem, White Plains PAC, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Hippodrome Theatre, and six summers at The Muny. 

  • Chris Russell is an NYC-based actor, filmmaker, and on-camera teacher. Recent television credits include American Sports Story, FBI, Blue Bloods, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Law and Order: SVU, and The Deuce. Chris has been coaching actors since 2016. His students have gone onto book roles in American Horror Story, East New York, Gossip Girl, Law and Order, all three FBI's, and many more. A lifelong cinephile, Chris spends his free time writing, amatuer cheffing, and volunteering as a 988 crisis counselor. 

  • Mackenzie Bykowski is a singer and vocal technician located in New York City, with a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. His method to the development of one’s vocal instrument utilizes the art of storytelling combined with evidence-based approaches in voice science that are modified to ensure the sustainable and free use of a performer’s voice.

    Mackenzie specializes in working with singers that are recovering from vocal injuries. His personal experience in rehabilitating from a vocal surgery has given him a deep understanding of the physical and emotional impact of such injuries and how it affects a performer’s ability to rely on their instrument. Mackenzie works closely with Laryngologists and Speech Language Pathologists to ensure that his clients feel supported by a comprehensive vocal team.

    Mackenzie Bykowski is the Co-Founder and Co-Host of On The Voice (2025–present), an interdisciplinary podcast dedicated to advancing public scholarship and advocacy in vocal health. Created to help destigmatize vocal injury within performing arts and professional voice communities, the podcast brings together laryngologists, voice scientists, speech-language pathologists, pedagogues, and award-winning performers in thoughtful, research-informed conversation. Through dialogue that integrates clinical expertise, pedagogy, and lived artistic experience, On The Voice explores the intersection of voice science, performance sustainability, and professional practice. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

    Prior to teaching voice, Mackenzie participated in and coached competitive gymnastics. With more than ten years of experience as an athletic coach, Mackenzie leverages the core values of physical strength, flexibility, and mental resilience that is found in gymnastics to the practice of vocal development. Like singing, gymnastics marries precise physical coordination with artistic expression to display a mastery of performance. It is through intentional and conscious practice of this physical coordination that allows for a free and released instrument for storytelling through song that is both consistent and reliable.

    Outside his private studio, Mackenzie is a proud associate teacher at Mike Ruckles Voice Studio. Mackenzie also serves as the Vocal Tech Department Head for Musical Theatre College Auditions.

  • Nicholas Palmquist is an internationally recognized teacher and choreographer based in New York City.

    As a freelance dancer, his eclectic career spans film, television, and live performance, including In the Heights, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and the Netflix original series The Get Down. His stage work includes performances with American Dance Machine at The Joyce Theater and the Guggenheim’s Works & Process series. He has appeared at Radio City Music Hall in The Radio City Summer Spectacular starring the Rockettes and returned to Radio City to perform in The Tony Awards, directed by Rob Ashford.

    Nicholas’s experience with American Dance Machine—alongside Wayne Cilento, Margo Sappington, and Donna McKechnie—immersed him in the archival lineage of Broadway and jazz dance, cultivating a deep respect for process and history. This grounding both contrasts with and informs his work in contemporary commercial spaces and reflects his American Midwest upbringing. His movement and artistry have been featured in Vogue, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Tanz Magazine, Vogue México, Numéro China, Nordstrom, the CFDA x Vogue Gala, and New York Fashion Week for Jean Paul Gaultier/Kenzo and Hermès, among others. He partnered Diana Vishneva in Edward Clug’s original work Sleeping Beauty Dreams and has taught for her festival Context in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

    As a choreographer and educator, Nicholas has created world premieres for Semperoper Ballett and Ballet Schwerin in Germany and has led workshops with Staatsballett Berlin and its educational outreach program TANZ IST KLASSE!. While working abroad, he formalized his genre-bending movement language into a method, expanding his pedagogical approach across diverse ages, cultures, and levels of experience.

    Nicholas has taught masterclasses and workshops at The Juilliard School, Yale University, New York University, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Mozarteum University Salzburg, Universität der Künste Berlin, Palucca University Dresden, The Joffrey Ballet School, Henny Jurriens Foundation (Amsterdam), Jazz Congress Brazil, Monterrey International Ballet Gala, and annually at Orsolina28 in Italy.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, through his Instagram platform @napalmquist, Nicholas raised and coordinated thousands of dollars to support relationships between dance spaces, artists, and patrons. Teaching online and alone from the studios of Broadway Dance Center in Times Square—challenged and reaffirmed his commitment to accessible, high-quality dance education. His focus on artistry, education, and access continues to be supported by social media, and he remains grateful and curious to be creating as an artist of his generation.

    His work and teaching can also be experienced through the online platform Dance Masterclass.

    @napalmquist 

  • Dan Pardo is a NYC-based music director, pianist, arranger, and educator. He made his Broadway debut in 2015 with Amazing Grace at the Nederlander and has worked off-Broadway at St. Clement's, the York, MCC, Lucille Lortel, New Ohio, and St. Luke's. Workshop highlights include Come From Away at NAMT and Found at the Atlantic Theatre Company. Some regional favorites are Company (starring Aaron Tveit) at Barrington Stage, Fun Home at the Weston Playhouse, How to Succeed at the 5th Avenue Theatre, and The Fantasticks at the Cape Playhouse. Dan recently conducted the acclaimed production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Ogunquit Playhouse, starring RuPaul's Drag Race legend Latrice Royale. He was on staff for three years at Goodspeed Musicals; also, John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch and Documentary Now! Presents Co-op: Original Cast Recording, for Netflix. 

    In between theatrical projects, he teaches at Harlem School of the Arts, entertains at the top NYC piano bars, and has a weekly residency at the Edison Hotel in Times Square with his wife, Chrissy. 

  • Julian Hornik is a composer, lyricist, and librettist based in Brooklyn, NY.

    Shows include Assisted with Adam Chanler-Berat (developed with MCC, The Civilians, Berkeley Rep, and Rhinebeck Writers Retreat), Weekend with Mark Sonnenblick and Khiyon Hursey (Stanford, Vineyard Arts), The Painter and The Thief (New York Stage and Film), Deathbed Edition (Ars Nova, Bedlam), Tenn (Yale), and @QueerZ, commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. He is a songwriter for animated musical series Helluva Boss (soundtrack available on Atlantic Records).

    Recipient of the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing, the Lucille and Jack Yellen Award and the Sammy Cahn Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and the Bryan Gallace Fellowship from SPACE on Ryder Farm. An alum of the Joe’s Pub Working Group, the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, and Yale’s Shen Curriculum for Musical Theater, he has performed his songs at, amongst others, The Kennedy Center (before it’s current incarnation), New York City Center, 92NY, Stanford Live and Carnegie Hall.