SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Faculty & Staff
Michael Charron
Dean, School of the Arts
Charron earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and English with a secondary education license from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. He continued his education by obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Minnesota. Charron was a faculty member at Concordia University in Saint Paul, MN from 1983 - 2007. During his years at Concordia, he became a tenured professor of theatre arts, as well as Chair and Artistic Director of the Department of Theatre. Charron has extensive experience as a director, playwright, actor, and leader within the arts community. Additionally, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004 – 2006 and is currently the Chair of the Minnesota State Arts Board. While a student at Saint Mary's, Charron was an active participant in Theatre Department productions. Furthermore, he was involved in Winona Community Theatre and The Ballet School [MCA].
Tammy Schmidt
Director of Dance
Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ballet from Texas Christian University and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Oklahoma. As director of dance, Schmidt leads and teaches in the dance division of MCA, as well as the dance minor program at Saint Mary's University. Additionally, she serves as artistic director for MCA's Dance Repertory Company. Schmidt has restaged and choreographed several full-length ballets for the company including: Cinderella, Paquita, The Nutcracker, and Excerpts from Swan Lake, and the Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadère. She has previously taught at Viterbo University, Winona State University, La Crosse Dance Centre, the University of Oklahoma, North Houston Ballet, Backstage Dance Theatre, and a performing arts middle school in Austin, Texas. Her performing career includes work with Ballet Dallas, Houston Ballet, Ballet Austin, Milwaukee Ballet, and Oklahoma Festival Ballet.
Christine Martin
Managing Director & Instructor – Dance
Martin has been a faculty member at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts since 1994 and has been the managing director for the last twelve years. She also teaches dance for Saint Mary's University and has previously taught at Viterbo University and Winona State University. Martin's performing career includes work with the Minneapolis-based tap company, Keane Sense of Rhythm at: The Minneapolis and Thunder Bay, Canada Fringe Festivals, the Minneapolis and Chicago Human Rhythm Projects, and Choreographer's Evening at the Walker Arts Center. She has choreographed a variety of original works for the MCA's Dance Repertory Company and has choreographed several musicals including A Chorus Line, Cabaret, Gypsy, Little Shop of Horrors, Showtune, and The Wizard of Oz for Gilmore Creek Summer Theatre, Home and Community Options, and Saint Mary's University Department of Theatre and Dance. Martin is a graduate of Saint Mary's University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations. E-mail Christine.E-mail Christine.
Lindsy O'Shea
Youth Choir Director & Instructor – Voice
O'Shea holds a Masters of Arts in Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music Performance from Saint Mary's University. She has been involved with choral music, as a singer or director, for 15 years. O'Shea previously taught choral and general music in the Rochester and Faribault Public Schools. Additionally, she worked with the choirs of Blue Lake Fine Arts camp and with the Michigan State University Children's Choir. She is currently adjunct faculty with Saint Mary's University, directing the Women's Choir and teaching private voice lessons. She also sings with the La Crosse Chamber Chorale.
Mandy Moburg
Administrative Assistant & Instructor – Flute and Piano
Moburg holds a Masters of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL and a Bachelor's of Science in Music Education degree from Towson University in Towson, MD. She has extensive experience teaching band and orchestra in the public school system, as well as private flute lessons. Moburg taught in Maryland for six years prior to moving to Minnesota. Moburg was an active woodwind adjudicator for Solo and Ensemble Festivals throughout the state of Maryland and served as a board member for the Maryland Music Educators Association, as well as the Maryland Band Director's Association. In addition to teaching and adjudicating, she has many years of performing experience as a freelance musician in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Some of her most notable performances were at the Washington Flute Society's annual conference and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She has held positions as a flutist with the Annapolis Wind Symphony, Columbia Concert Band, and, most recently, the Winona Municipal Band and Saint Mary's University Concert Band.
Ryan Ballanger
Instructor – Clarinet and Saxophone
Ballanger has been studying clarinet since age nine and saxophone since age twelve. In 2010, he completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music with an emphasis in music education. Since 2006, he has been teaching private clarinet and saxophone lessons. As a student, Ballanger was a member of the Saint Mary's University concert band, jazz combo, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, pit orchestra, and many chamber ensembles. In February 2010, he presented his senior clarinet recital featuring the works of Weber, Shickele, Danzi and Offenbach. In addition to teaching lessons at MCA, Ballanger works full-time at Saint Mary's University in the Information Technology Department. Ballanger is an active performer in the Winona clarinet choir, Saint Mary's University Concert Band and other community groups.
Jarod Boltjes
Instructor – Dance
Boltjes is in his senior year at Saint Mary’s University obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performance Studies of Dance. Dance styles he has studied include ballet, jazz, modern, and ballroom. Prior to his studies at SMU, Boltjes was active in his high school show choir and community theatre, serving as dance captain in both departments. As dance captain he choreographed several show choir numbers and musicals. He has studied under the direction of Kay Williams Prunty and is currently studying with Tammy Schmidt, MCA’s director of dance. Boltjes has previously served as an instructor apprentice at MCA and has performed in Classical and contemporary roles with the Dance Repertory Company. He has attended numerous dance festivals and workshops including the American College Dance Festival, MCA’s Summer Intensive and the American Dance Festival in North Carolina. At the American Dance Festival, Boltjes worked with the co-dean, Gerri Houlihan, and trained with Chen-See on the Paul Taylor Project and Technique.
Erin Gollnik
Instructor – Dance
Gollnik began her dance training at age seven. She has studied a variety of genres including ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. Gollnik has received extensive dance training through participation in programs such as the Great River Festival of the Arts Summer Intensive, the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Summer Intensive, Viterbo University's Dance Program, and the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, where she was awarded a scholarship. In addition to her duties at MCA, Gollnik is a certified Pilates and ballet instructor at the La Crosse Dance Centre and Viterbo University. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts degree at Winona State University.
Aleah Harvey
Instructor – Piano
Harvey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from Saint Mary's University. She has been giving private piano instruction in the Winona area for the past ten years. She is the music director and office manager at the Lutheran Campus Center. Harvey is also the music director and organist at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church. In addition to her church and teaching duties, Harvey accompanies several choirs in the Winona area.
Avin Honecker-Sherman
Instructor – Dance
Honecker-Sherman is a graduate from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Studies: Dance and Movement Studies. She has performed with MCA's Dance Repertory Company, as well as performing for WSU, the University of Minnesota, Ballet Arts City Children's Nutcracker Project, American College Dance Festivals, Sam Costas "10,000 Dances" Company, Sweets of May Irish Dance, Children's Dance Theatre, and many other community performances. She is a graduate of Perpich Center for Arts Education where she has also been a guest artist. Her teaching experience includes ballet, modern, jazz, tap, clogging, improvisation, swing, and Irish dance. Honecker-Sherman is also a certified Pilates instructor and Personal Fitness Trainer, skilled in kickboxing, land and water aerobics and weight training.
Alyson Kriz
Instructor – Dance
Kriz is a sophomore at Saint Mary’s University, majoring in theatre performance and minoring in dance. She started her dance training at the Indiana School of Ballet through the University of Indiana-Bloomington, and then continued at the Omaha Theatre School of Ballet under the direction of Robin Welch. She continues her training in ballet, modern and jazz at Saint Mary’s and MCA under the direction of Tammy Schmidt. Kriz has previously served as an instructor apprentice at MCA and has performed in Classical and contemporary roles with the Dance Repertory Company. She has attended dance festivals and workshops including the American College Dance Festival. Kriz has performed in productions such as Guys and Dolls, The Fantasticks, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and many others.
Cory Meier
Instructor – Voice & Dance
Meier has been studying music for more than ten years in a variety of capacities. He began his musical career as a trumpet and voice student in elementary school and quickly developed a passion for all kinds of music. Throughout his schooling, he competed in multiple musical competitions, as well as participating in musical theatre productions. Meier has studied under renowned Broadway singer and actress, Jen Burleigh-Bentz, and was nominated as a vocal soloist for the Wisconsin Ambassadors of Music for their European tour. Since moving to Winona, Meier has been involved with several community and collegiate programs, including the Winona State University Concert Choir, where he is often a featured soloist, and the Winona Oratorio Chorus. He also serves as director and coordinator of the Winona area pop a cappella vocal ensemble, Hear and Now. Meier’s dance training includes dance technique and dance composition studies at MCA, Rochester Children’s Dance Theatre, and WSU. He has attended the MCA Summer Intensive and has performed in concerts with the Dance Repertory Company and WSU’s Dancescape. In addition to his music and dance endeavors, he is the co-founder and managing director of The Center Stage Theater Project. Meier is in his senior at WSU obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Pedagogy.
Dustin Moburg
Instructor – Chamber Music & Theatre Camps
Dustin Moburg earned his Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Winona State University in 2003. He later went on to complete his Masters of Music Education with an emphasis in Wind Band Conducting and Jazz Improvisation from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL in 2009. Moburg has been a member of the Winona Brass Band since 1999 and has been principal euphonium since 2003. He has been performing in the euphonium section with the Winona Municipal Band since 2001. In addition to performing with the brass band, Moburg is also an avid jazz trombonist. He has performed with the Winona Steam Calliopee band in Winona and surrounding areas, as well as New Orleans, LA and Bridgeport, CT. Moburg is also a classical trombonist with the Dresbach, MN based brass quintet, Top Brass. This brass quintet has been featured on local radio stations since 2007. Moburg can also be heard performing with the funk and soul band, Fillet of Soul. Moburg is currently teaching K-5 general music, 5th and 6th grade band, and guitar and recorder classes at Caledonia Elementary School and coaching varsity soccer at Caledonia Area High School in Caledonia, MN.
A.T. Moffett
Instructor – Dance
Moffett joins MCA as an instructor in Modern and Jazz. She comes to Minnesota from Eugene, Oregon where she completed a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and a three year teaching fellowship at the University of Oregon’s Dance Department. In addition to MCA, Moffett teaches at Winona State University and the Cowles Center in Minneapolis. Moffett is a member of TRANSForm Dance Collective, (transformdancecollective.blogspot.com) a group of artists invested in cross-country collaboration. Her choreography has been seen in PA, NJ, CA, and OR and in 2012 her research “Higher Order Thinking in the Dance Studio” will be published in the Journal of Dance Education. Moffett danced professionally in New York and Philadelphia, working with choreographers Myra Bazell, Tania Isaac, Stephan Koplowitz, Mary Anthony, Donald McKayle, and the Sokolow Dance Foundation.
Rachael Moore
Instructor – Dance
Moore has been studying ballet since she was four years old. Moore has studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia with the Mussorgsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet as well as the Rimsky-Korsakov School. Moore was a member of a pre-professional company for 12 years prior to graduation from Butler University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Pedagogy. Some of her roles have included the Rat Queen in The Nutcracker, Berthe in Giselle, Queen Mother in Sleeping Beauty, all with the Butler Ballet; and Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland with Alexandra Ballet Company. Moore has taught for the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and Saint Mary's University Department of Theatre and Dance for three years. Her work with the Dance Repertory Company includes choreography for the Battle Scene from The Nutcracker (2008), Angels from The Nutcracker (2008), an original ballet, Comptine d'un autre ete: L'apres-midi, for the DRC II (2009), and Chinese and marzipan from The Nutcracker (2010). She plans to further her education by obtaining her Masters in Dance.
Jacqueline K M Paulsen
Instructor – Nia (Dance Division)
Paulsen is Nia Green Belt and Nia 5 Stages Certified. She has trained with Winalee Zeeb in Lansing, MI, Nia Co-founder Debbie Rosas in Boston, MA and at Studio Nia in Portland, OR. Paulsen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre with an emphasis in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is Montessori certified from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies and is currently continuing her education at Winona State University in the Educational Leadership program and as a graduate assistant at the WSU Performing Arts Center. Paulsen has danced with Midwest Movement, based out of Rockford, IL and with Slice out of Detroit, MI. Her choreography has been performed at the American College Dance Festival and the National Council for Undergraduate Research.
Tyler Ringesein
Instructor – Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba
Ringeisen has been playing trumpet for over 10 years. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Saint Mary's University, where he is a member of concert band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, and brass ensemble. Ringeisen is also a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, and plays trumpet and harmonica in the Oldie Moldie All Stars, an oldies cover band.
Augusta Rodgers
Instructor – Dance & Theatre Camps
Rodgers began dancing at the age of four at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. She began training in classical ballet and slowly began to take other styles of dance including tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, and flamenco. She also studied Irish step dancing with the Flanagan Irish Dancers. She has danced in numerous productions with the Dance Repertory Company, including The Nutcracker (Young Clara 2005), Paquita Paella, Tappin’ to Connick, and Time to Move. She participated in the MCA Summer Intensive for three years, choreographed for the Young Choreographer’s Showcase, and served as an instructor apprentice at MCA. Rodgers attended Cotter High School, where she was a member of the band and dance team for four years until her graduation in 2009. Rodgers is a junior at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts with a double major in Sociology and Dance. Rodgers is a member of Celebrations Dance Company at Smith, performing in many productions at the college, including annual spring dance concerts and senior thesis concerts and is a member of the Two Lakes Dance Project in Winona.
Rachael Ryan
Instructor – Cello & Dance
Biography coming soon.
Marie Stier
Instructor – Violin and Mandolin
Stier has been studying Classical violin since the age of twelve. Coming from a family of folk musicians, she quickly picked up various ethnic fiddle styles and expanded her musical skills by learning the mandolin at age 14. During her high school career, Stier was a member of the South Eastern Youth Orchestra. She is founding member of the Irish/Bluegrass/Folk music group, Smash the Windows. Stier has been teaching private Classical violin and fiddle lessons at Magpie Studios in Wykoff, MN since 2007. Stier is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Saint Mary's University where she is a member of the chamber music ensemble and orchestra.
Nicole Volner
Instructor – Dance
Volner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Winona State University in Human Resources Management and Business Administration with a minor in Dance and recently completed graduate certification in training and development. She has been involved in dance for more than 20 year as a performer, choreographer, coach, director, teacher, or student. Volner began her career as a student at the Royal Dance Studio where she studied a variety of genres including tap, ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, and swing. She later extended her training to competitive dance at the Metro Dance Center in Shoreview, MN. During her competitive career, she performed on the national stage in Los Angeles and studied with professionals Tina Anderson and Tyeesha. Recent performances include Winona State's production of Dancescape, as well as MCA's Nutcracker and Benny Goodman Suite. In addition to dance, Volner has experience in theatre production. She was a sound designer, assistant stage manager and fly rail operator in Winona State's productions of Man in the Moon Marigolds and James and the Giant Peach.
