Faculty & Staff
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Jay Anderson - Video Arts
Jay Anderson is teaching all levels of AQ Video Arts and brings a wealth of teaching and video experience to the position. He began his education in video/film right after high school at SRJC with the one and only Jim Helmer, our just-retired AQ Video teacher! He then continued his education at San Francisco State University in Film-making and upon graduation, pursued a career in video production working at length for Sonoma Video Productions, one of the earliest premiere video production companies in the area. Anderson later taught at the elementary and middle school levels in Forestville schools, introducing several popular courses, including “Maker”, Alternative Physical Education and Video Production, as well as teaching Social Studies. Anderson is an avid surfer and his wife, Wendy Anderson, is also involved in the Arts, teaching Visual Art at Slater Middle School. Mr. Anderson is thrilled to be teaching at ArtQuest and his energetic approach to learning, his warmth and community orientation seem a perfect fit for AQ Video Arts! |
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Jereme Anglin - AQ Theatre Arts, Intermediate, Advanced
Jereme holds a MFA in Acting and works professionally as an actor, director and teacher. For eight years he served as Director of Theatre Arts of an award-winning training program at one of the top ten private high schools in Connecticut. Jereme's own acting training was accomplished at schools such as the Sorbonne in Paris, The Moscow Art Theatre at Harvard, and the University of Connecticut. He has acted in many theaters on the east and west coasts as a member of Actors' Equity Association. In addition to acting and directing, he has served as fight choreographer for several productions, holds a black belt in Aikido, and is a practitioner of physical theater and the Suzuki Method of actor training. |
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Kira Bombace - Music
Mrs. Kira Bombace was a student at Santa Rosa High School when the ArtQuest program began! Inspired by her high school choral experience with long-time SRHS director Dan Earl, she continued her musical pursuits at Santa Rosa Junior College with Dr. Curtis Sprenger, and then at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, where she majored in Choral Music Education under the direction of Drs. Edith A. Copley and Alan J. Rieck. She began her teaching career here in Santa Rosa, at Rincon Valley Middle School, where she taught 7th-8th grade performing arts classes for one year with Jennifer Brown, another Santa Rosa High alumnus! Before taking the reins of the Choral Program at SRHS, she taught choir, band and guitar at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park. Mrs. Bombace currently directs four outstanding SRHS choral ensembles: ACappella, Las Choralistas, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers. Over the past 30 or so years, these choirs have received many awards from the Western Division of the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA) and the California Music Educators’ Association (CMEA). The Concert Choir has also performed multiple times locally with the Santa Rosa Symphony, and last year toured to Mexico City, Taxco… and Disneyland (yes, in the same week!). |
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Danielle Cain - AQ Theatre Arts, Beginning
Danielle Cain has been a working theatre artist in the North Bay for over 20 years. She is on the theatre faculties at Sonoma State University and Napa Valley College, and works as a voice, text and dialect coach. She's coached for productions at SSU, Shakespeare Napa Valley, Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival, NVC, Actors Theatre and 6th Street Playhouse. Danielle has done private speech, text analysis and audition coaching since graduating from college, and was an Associate Artistic Director at Actors Theatre and Managing/Casting Director at 6th Street Playhouse. As an actor, favorite shows include Angels in America, Arcadia, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Skylight, The Real Thing, Enchanted April, Boston Marriage, Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest and most recently Top Girls at Shotgun Players. She trained at the British American Drama Academy, American Conservatory Theatre and received her BFA in acting from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Danielle recently led a Shakespeare in London tour for SSU theatre students. |
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Lauren Frost - AQ Digital Arts, Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
Biographic information coming soon! |
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Brooke Delello - Visual Fine Arts
Brooke graduated from Sonoma State University, she did her student teaching right here at Santa Rosa High School/ArtQuest! Her early emphasis was Photography, she is one of our Visual Fine Arts Teachers. She was hired the following year, in her current position 13 years ago! Brooke lives in the Calistoga area, and is helping raise her twin nieces, while residing with her sister. The household stays active with two cats, two rabbits, two chickens, two dogs! We are so happy to have Brooke as part of our AQ staff! |
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Casey Elsa - English Language Arts
Biographical Information Coming Soon! |
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Cindi Ewert- Office Assistant
Comes to us from Bend OR. Graduated from ASU in Tempe AZ, involved in a performing dance group, traveling throughout States with the Sun Devil teams. Competitive runner throughout college. Former teacher from Mesa AZ, Jr High level, as well as Salem OR, Elementary level. Areas of instruction, Jazz Dance, Ballet/Pointe, Lyrical, Productions with Beg-Adv. students. P.E./Coaching 7th-12thgr. has always been in the mix. Cindi had a small dance studio in the historic downtown of Salem OR. Once their third child was born, studio was put aside temporarily to tend to family, devote time to personal training/leading fitness classes, yoga/pilates with a large Athletic Club for 12+ yrs. Cindi has three adult children that she thinks have much more talent than she ever will! Her family continues to enjoy Mt. climbing, snow camping, hiking, backpacking, and Art! She has grandchildren kinder through 8th grade. Hobbies are kayaking, hiking, cross country skiing/snowshoeing, jogging, climbing, culinary endeavors, horticulture, viticulture, teaching children's Tennis, and creating lots of Art! She is excited to be a part of the Arts with a terrific group of teachers, in supporting them throughout the school year! |
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Hollis Fennen - English Language Arts
Hollis Fennen has been teaching English Language Arts for nine years. She teaches sophomore ArtQuest and Honors English. For the past three years, she and fellow English instructor Darlene Pullen have edited the ArtQuest Anthology, a published collection of student artwork and poetry, and coordinated the ArtQuest Poetry Slam. She graduated with Honors from Pacific Union College and received her teaching credential from Sonoma State University. In addition to teaching, Hollis is a professional harpist and enjoys playing for events in the North Bay. She lives with her husband and two sons in the Napa Valley. |
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Janet Fisher - Visual Fine Arts
Janet comes to us from England, the U.K. She graduated from Manchester University with an emphasis in History of Art and Ceramics. She lived in Hong Kong while working in Management of an Art Gallery, also managing Front of House Theater. Janet moved to America in the 1990's, working for the British Gov't. while here in the States. She recently became credentialed as a Visual Fine Arts Teacher. Their two daughters are alumnus of ArtQuest! We feel honored to have Janet share her background, and vast knowledge of the arts as a teacher here at ArtQuest! |
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Jonathan Gregory- English Language Arts
Jonathan Gregory teaches AQ English classes. He received his Master of Arts in English Literature from San Francisco State University, his Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law (where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Entertainment Law Review), his English teaching credential from Sonoma State University, and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (with high distinction) from Indiana University-Bloomington, with minors in Psychology and Economics. Because of his avid interest in the Arts, Mr. Gregory interned at California Lawyers for the Arts in Santa Monica during law school. Before becoming an English teacher, Jonathan worked for twelve years as a civil litigation attorney in San Francisco and Santa Rosa. He is an enthusiastic songwriter, singer and guitarist with recording and (local) performing experience. He has also been involved in the visual arts since very young and now enjoys painting (oils and acrylics), reading and writing about art, and studying art law. Relatively new to teaching, Mr. Gregory describes himself as a “recovering attorney” and said at his first AQ meeting, “I feel like I have found my place here at ArtQuest.” |
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Jan Sofie - Director of ArtQuest
Degrees: Sonoma State University—BA in Studio Art with a Minor in Art History, Single Subject Teaching Credential in Visual Arts. Supplementary Credentials: Dance and Literature, Administrative Credential. Studied Journalism and Creative Writing at Michigan State University and Humanities at University of London, England with graduate work at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.
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Tanya Tolmasoff - Dance
Tanya Tolmasoff teaches AQ Beginning Dance. She received her Bachelor of Arts from California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo, in Theatre Arts with Dance and Costume Design emphases. Her MA, with Honors Distinction, was from the University of London, in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy – Performing Arts. She taught dance in the United Kingdom at Sadler’s Wells and was a coordinator, choreography assistant and performer in BIG DANCE and a leader for BIG Street Dance 2012 on Trafalger Square in London. Tolmasoff has choreographed and performed for Interweave Dance Theatre in Boulder, Colorado and toured California and Russia as a soloist in the original cast of Deyo Dances. She currently teaches modern and other dance at Santa Rosa Junior College and is the co-founder and artistic director of the professional contemporary dance company “UPside Dance” in Healdsburg. She teaches classes at UPside and also choreographs and co-directs the company’s performances. |
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Mark Wardlaw - Instrumental Music
Mark Wardlaw has performed as a clarinetist in the Santa Rosa Symphony since 1984. He also is active as a chamber musician, jazz saxophonist, and flutist and has taught at Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College. His education includes a Master of Music Degree in clarinet performance and literature from the University of Washington in Seattle and private clarinet study with clarinetist David Glazer in New York City. He has performed with musicians and entertainers such as Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Andre Watts, Jeffrey Kahane, The Turtle Island String Quartet, Fred Hersch, Judy Collins, David Benoit, the rock group Yes, Mel Torme, Steve Allen, Joan Rivers, Olivia Newton John, Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Lou Christie. He is the Director of Instrumental Music in the ArtQuest Program at Santa Rosa High School where his award-winning ensembles have received great acclaim in performances throughout the U.S. and British Columbia. His long tenure at SRHS has enabled him to postpone getting a real job. |
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Megan Whyte - English Language Arts
Biographical Information Coming Soon! |
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Nzinga Woods - Dance
Nzinga Woods is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, performer, and explorer of movement and embodied knowledge. Nzinga's dance and performance training includes: Jazz, Modern, Dunham, Afro-Cuban, Hip Hop, and Afro-Haitian dance, as well as multimedia, theatre and somatic techniques. A native of Sacramento, she has danced with and choreographed for many dance companies and organizations in Northern California. She has traveled around the world from the Caribbean, Europe and Asia dancing and also working with school aged youth. Nzinga received her BA at CSU Sacramento, and completed her MFA in Performance and Choreography at Mills College. She has performed in the works of Ronald K Brown, Sonya Delwaide, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Nicholas Leichter, Brenda Way, Jacinta Vlach, Yvonne Rainer, Linda Goodrich, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Halifu Osumare and Keith Washington. In addition to performance and choreography, Nzinga is also passionate about youth empowerment through the arts and also received her MA in Educational Leadership and her Administrative Credential. Nzinga remains an active arts educator in her community. |
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