Teaching Artists/Specialists

Eric Sager is a 30–year veteran Dixieland and ragtime performer. After completing a stretch as the leader of the City Lights Jazz Band, Eric currently travels and plays clarinet locally with the St. Louis Ragtimers. Eric is also performs as a featured tenor saxophonist with two local dance bands.

As journalist and writer, Inda Schaenen is a contributor to the St. Louis Post–Dispatch and the on–line magazine, Salon. The author of “The 7 O’clock Bedtime” (HarperCollins 2001), she is currently under contract to Silvermoon Press in New York City to write a middle school writing workbook and teachers’ guide. Inda received a bachelor¹s degree in English from Amherst College in 1983, and continues her studies at Washington University, where she is enrolled in the teacher certification program.

Annie Scheumbauer has been interested in traditional American music and dance for many years. She has studied Irish dancing and performed with the Crossroads School of Irish Dance. Her interest in tap dancing has led to classes at the Minnesota Dance Theatre and workshops with the Copasetics and other master tap dancers at the St. Louis Tap Festival. She has studied clogging with the Green Grass Cloggers and the Fiddle Puppets and attended Dance Week at the Augusta School of Traditional Arts (W. VA) and Southern Music & Dance Week at Ashokan (NY). She founded and choreographed dances for The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers (MN) and The Shoe Fly Cloggers (St. Louis). She plays guitar, sings and calls traditional square dances with the Young Audiences Folk Trio. She is also a painter and high school art teacher. Her husband is also a clogger and square dance caller.

Nancy Schick plays the French horn for The Opus Ensemble. She has completed studies at the University of Kansas, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and The University of Missouri, St. Louis. She has ’been principal horn with the Muny Opera Orchestra since 1975 and currently performs with the Fox Theatre Orchestra and. with the St. Louis Symphony, as an extra player and a substitute. She is an officer of the Musicians’ Union in St. Louis, holding the elected position of Secretary/Treasurer. She also has a full private teaching and free–lance playing schedule.

Holly Seitz spent two years performing with the Montana Transport Dance Company. She was a guest artist for the Montana Dance Arts Association 2002 Dance Festival. Holly taught dance at the University of Montana and traveled to rural schools throughout Montana to teach and perform dance for school children. She has also taught modern dance, ballet, improvisation, and creative movement at the University of Arizona, Montana State University, The Accelerated Learning Laboratory, and Tucson Unified School District. She has performed with Earth Moon Skin Improvisational Dance Theater, Pauline Oliveros Deep Listening Group, and Dellas Dance Theater. Her choreography has been performed at the 1997 and 2000 Bozman Sweet Pea Festival, the 2001 University of Arizona School of Fine Arts Convocations, and by the Montana Transport Company during their 2003–2004 season. She earned her MFA in Modern Dance and Choreography from the University of Arizona and her bachelor of arts in English Literature from Montana State University.

Stellie Siteman has been a professional actress for more than 20 years, appearing in plays, TV, movies, and commercials. She is an active member of Actors’ Equity, The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists. Stellie has a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Webster University.

Born in Iran in 1966, Farshid Soltanshahi started playing guitar at the age of 16. He developed a passion for improvisation and soon began composing and performing music. Later, Farshid turned to his native Persian music, especially the setar (a Persian lute) and under the tutelage of Kourosh Yekrangi, he learned the concepts of traditional Persian music and techniques of setar performance. In 1996, in collaboration with jazz guitarist Pascal Scheaffer and bassist Bruno Barge, he formed the Latin jazz band, Internote, which toured Germany, France, and Luxembourg, where they recorded their debut CD.

In the U.S., Farshid’s new band, Acoustic Internote was nominated “Best new band” in St. Louis, MO, by the RiverFront Times for the Slammies Festival 2000. They also opened for Carlos Santana (Riverport Amphitheater) in October 2000, played at the Whitaker Jazz Festival (Missouri Botanical Gardens) in June 2000 and opened for Shahin and Sepehr (Sheldon Concert Hall) in May 1999. Farshid’s current band Farshid Etniko plays a fusion of Jazz, Latin, and Persian music.

JP Somersaulter (and his partner Lillian Somersaulter Moats) have produced and directed 27 short films and videos, 19 of which are geared towards children and adolescents. Their children’s productions have won over 40 national and international film festival awards and have been exhibited around the world at schools, libraries, theaters, festivals, and on television. Receiving a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival in New York City, a Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival, and six Golden Eagle awards at the CINE Festival in Washington D.C. are just a few of his many honors. JP participates in every aspect of production: directing, writing, producing, acting, drawing, painting, cinematography, editing, and creating sound tracks.

Al Stricker has been playing banjo since 1959. Not only has he played with various Dixieland and jazz groups over the years, but Al has also been a member of the St. Louis Ragtimers since its founding in 1961. Although recently retired, he taught in the St. Louis Public Schools for 32 years.

As a volunteer at the Missouri Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Becky Sweeney first realized her fascination with animals. Becky attended Veterinary School at the University of Missouri–Columbia, where her studies concentrated on the areas of large animal medicine and surgery.

Mary Sweetin creates vivid characters with her violin with the Storybook Quartet. She received her bachelor’s degree and master of music degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Mary has a strong background in music education and assisted SIUE Suzuki program. She taught band, choir, and orchestra at Hazelwood West Junior and Senior High Schools, where her orchestra students won the highest ratings at the state–wide level competition. Mary has taught hundreds of students in her 20–year private teaching career. One of her proudest moments was conducting the Symphonic Orchestra and Concert Choir in Handel’s “Messiah,” at which internationally known soprano Christine Brewer sang as soloist. Mary is the arranger for the Landolfi Quartet, writing over 50 quartet settings of classical pieces and popular favorites. She has served as Concertmaster of the Kirkwood Symphony, and has been a member of and soloist for the Gateway Festival Orchestra for 10 years. She has also performed with the St. Louis Ballet and Bach Society Orchestras and plays for many local shows at the Fox and Riverport Theaters.