Our Teachers
Renee is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of music in piano, voice (winner of the prestigious Reinhold scholarship), and oboe and the Glenn Gould Professional School in opera.
Renee has had the opportunity to work with such greats as Elaine Overholt, Roxolana Roslak, Claudette Le Blanc, Boyanna Toyich, and James Mason. She is a freelance musician, vocal coach, private music teacher, composer, professional music director, as well as singer-actor in many music theatre and opera performances. Over the past 16 years Renee has worked both on and off stage for Theatre Collingwood, the Sunshine Festival Theatre Co., Talk is Free Theatre Co., Centre in the Square, Theatre by the Bay, the Glenn Gould Recital Hall, Mural Productions, South Simcoe Theatre Co., Kempenfelt Community Players, and the Mariposa Arts Theatre Foundation.
Select favorite performances include: Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Woman 1 in Closer Than Ever, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Angela in The Last Resort. Select favorite music direction credits include: The Last Resort, Jekyll and Hyde, Little Me, Nunsense, Forever Plaid, and Urinetown the Musical for which she won a THEA award for best musical direction.
In addition to theatre, Renee has toured North America with performances at Epcot Centre/Florida, Disneyland/Florida, Hershey Park/Pennsylvania, Princess Cruises/Bermuda, and a guest feature on Norwegian Cruise Lines/Alaska, with concert highlights including The Messiah and Berlioz’ Requiem with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, and The Peer Gynt Suite starring Christopher Plummer.
Renee is the recipient of the 2009 Barrie Arts Award from the City of Barrie and current owner/director of the Cingolani Academy of Music and Performing Arts, a third generation business founded in 1965!
Marj started her dance career at the age of 11, late for a ballet dancer, but her talent quickly careened her into the world of dance. Ballet classes from the local dance studio turned into classes from the masters at the National Ballet School – Betty Oliphant, Lois Smith, Erik Bruhn, Celia Franca. Later, jazz and tap teachers would include Marie Ann Longlade, Jack Lemmon, George Randolph, and Bill Orlowski. She worked with Bill Orlowski at the National Tap Dance Co. of Canada.
She has performed on the O’Keefe stage and with the corps of the Canadian Opera Company. Having achieved honors in all C.D.T.A. and I.S.T.D. examinations, Marj knew her future would be in teaching.
Choreography comes easily to Marj and over the years has created audition routines for Canada’s Wonderland, guested at dance workshops, worked with skaters at the Granite Club, choreographed musicals for Scarborough Theatre, and owned a studio in Toronto, teaching children and adults. Many of Marj’s formor students have careers in dance and theatre. She created the dance division at the North York YMCA, teaching and choreographing hundreds of students. She is also an adjudicator for dance competitions. “The joy of teaching is watching a student become a dancer”.
Trainer – Juli-Ann Kay, CSA/CDC, is one of the most highly regarded people in today’s film and television industry. Her professional experience is impressive on it’s own, yet her knowledge goes beyond just business.
Juli-Ann has been in the industry for over 30 years, starting out as an actor. She is a professional Casting Director, casting for both U.S. and Canadian projects, which include T.V. Series, Films, and Commercials. She has worked on films such as Frankie and Alice (Halle Berry), Xmen (Patrick Stewart/Hugh Jackman), 10,000 Black Men Named George (Robert Townsend), Death to Smoochy (Danny DeVito/Edward Norton/Robin Williams), K19 The Widowmaker (Harrison Ford/Liam Neeson), and Serendipity (John Cusack). Check out her full profile at www.imdb.com or www.kaycasting.com.
Juli-Ann has been teaching now for about 17 years. It could be said that her experience as an actress has contributed to her insight but it goes beyond simple experience. She is gifted with a highly tuned instinct and uses it to bring about results for her clients. Her experience as a Casting Director gives students a unique balance of learning both sides of the business. Juli-Ann will take them inside the industry first hand.
Mairtin O’Carrigan (CAEA/BAEA/AEA/ACTRA) is a professional actor, director and trainer/coach. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England, with sojourns with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Oxford Playhouse and other leading international troupes. Mainly his theatre works in Europe and the U.S.A., appearing in both classical and contemporary productions, with the occasional appearance in Canada.
His film and television work however is predominantly in Canada. Mairtin has just finished filming “If I Were You”, a feature film starring Marcia Gay Harden, Mairtin performs the role of King Lear. He can currently be seen worldwide in the cult feature film “Boondock Saints II, All Saints Day”, Mairtin performs the role of Irish priest Father Sibeal McManus, brother to Billy Connolly and uncle to leads Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus. Mairtin and Billy were reunited on the set after a thirty year absence from when they first met in Edinburgh Scotland.
Other feature films and MOW’s include “Our Fathers” with Christopher Plummer, “Encrypt” with Grant Show, “Child Wild” with Harland Williams, “The House”, “Private Road”, “Home for a Rest” and the multi-award winning “Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Way of the Tosser”. Television appearances include; The Eleventh Hour, Darcy’s Wildlife, Da Kink, Monster Warriors, 72 Hours, Til Death Do Us Part, Eleven Cameras, They Built the Railways, and in the U.K., the long running television series, Z Cars.
Mairtin is an award-winning master of accents and dialects, and when he is not acting, he is director and coach to name actors and whole productions. In May 09’ he was an invited VIP at the Hamilton, Ontario Film Festival. In 2010 he will perform locally in the lead role of Andrew Wyke in Theatre Collingwood’s production of “Sleuth”.
Since 1980, Scott A. Hurst has been earning a living in professional theatre as an actor, director and coach. He is currently enjoying his fifth season as a member of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival acting company where he is appearing in “Peter Pan” and “King of Thieves“.
As a member of both Actors Equity and ACTRA, Scott has appeared on stage in productions at the Elgin Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Charlottetown Festival Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, and Troika Entertainment in Moscow to name a few in addition to on screen performances in various television shows and feature films for CBC, CTV, Showtime, and Disney.
Locally, Scott has directed and staged over 25 musical productions for Talk is Free Theatre, Kempenfelt Community Players, South Simcoe Theatre, Sunshine Festival and Sunshine & Company. In addition to private coaching and audition preparation Scott has offered classes & workshops for actors, directors and producers and hopes to expand his offerings upon his return to Barrie. He has recently been asked to direct the South Simcoe Theatre production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” in 2011.
Scott was the recipient of the 2009 Excellence in the Arts award from the City of Barrie.
Inessa has been teaching piano, voice, theory, and harmony for more than 15 years. She hold a B.A. in Music Performance through the Baranovichi Conservatory of Music in Belarussia.
Inessa is a classically trained pianist but also teaches a wide variety of music styles, including: blues, ragtime, jazz, pop, and other modern genres. She has taught in several different countries around the world that has enriched her teaching with in-depth understanding of the musical diversity of multiple cultures. Her piano repertoire includes Bach, Mozart, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Grieg & more! She has won numerous competitions back in Russia and has extensive experience in accompanying and recording.
Inessa’s number one goal is to help students develop an appreciation and love of music. She also believes that it is her job to nurture a student’s natural talents and abilities while teaching music that the students are interested in learning. Inessa believes that playing a musical instrument takes a combination of talent, acquired skill, and determination.
A graduate of Humber College in Jazz studies, Jordan studied under some greats such as Pat Labarbera, Alex Dean, Mike Downes, Par Kilbride, Lenny Boyd, and John McLeod.
Jordan began playing guitar, bass, clarinet, and saxophone in early high school. Focusing more on bass, he played in concert, jazz, and rock band throughout high school, eventually attending the Canadian Nationals with both concert and jazz bands. Upon high school graduation, Jordan was offered a scholarship for Orillia High School musician of the year.
Since graduating from Humber College, Jordan has been teaching music in the Barrie area for six years. Along with private lessons, he runs student rock bands, and teaches guitar programs in elementary schools. Jordan also performs occasionally in theatre work including such productions as “Jekyll & Hyde”, “Closer Than Ever”, and “Anything Goes”.
He is currently finishing his music degree at Thompson Rivers University.
Natalie was drawn to music at a young age. She studied piano with Derni Cingolani until leaving to attend the music program at the University of Windsor with a major in Music Therapy.
During this time she achieved several scholarships as she continued her study of piano under accomplished performers such as Dr. Gregory Butler, Dr. Vanderkooy and Tad Weed. Natalie completed her Bachelors of Music Therapy with Honours, achieving distinction and graduating on the Dean’s list. She then went on to implement a Music Therapy program at the Children’s Aid Society in Windsor where she proceeded to complete her Internship required for accreditation by the Canadian Association of Music Therapy.
Upon completion of her degree, Natalie has returned to Barrie where she looks forward to bringing her growing love for music to her home town.
Jennifer Allen is thrilled to be returning to the Cingolani Academy of Music and Performing Arts for another great year of teaching! She has a passion for assisting students to express themselves and boost their self confidence through the arts.
Jenn is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in piano, voice and theory. She has enjoyed working with students of all ages, especially young children, for almost 10 years.
Jennifer enjoys performing mainly in recital and has performed at music festivals at the local and provincial levels. She has also had the opportunity to work with talented musicians such as Leslie Fagan, Elaine Overholt, and Mark Cassius.
Jennifer currently lives in Barrie with her husband and two young daughters. Between parenting, playing, singing, and her busy teaching shedule, she likes to take time to enjoy the outdoors.
Lineen Doung’s stage name is BLaZe. He began dancing during high school after entering Grade 12 where he studied a variety of styles such as ballroom, modern, ballet, jazz and hip hop.Lineen began to break into hip hop completely summer of 2004. He has danced with many companies, such as VyBE, OIP, and DLM. Lineen has trained in Hip Hop with Lenny Dela Pena, Mark Samuels, Mariano Abarka, Miles Faber (So You Think You Can Dance Top 4), Luther Brown (So You Think You Can Dance Judge), Tre Armstrong (So You Think You Can Dance Judge), and many more.Lineen is so excited to bring Barrie’s Hip Hop Company to he next level!!!
Jeannine received most of her formal dance training from Darlene Ceglia and the faculty at the University of Buffalo, where she graduated with honors, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in History. Recently moving to Barrie, Jeannine has spent the last seven years dancing professionally in Chicago, Illinois.Performing with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, the Willingham Project and Thodos Dance Chicago, Jeannine has worked with renowned choreographers such as Randy Duncan, Lar Lubovitch and Ann Reinking. She has also had the honor of dancing for Maurice Hines, and perform works by both Mia Michaels and Gus Giordano.Jeannine travels extensively throughout the United States and Canada, teaching master classes, setting choreographic works, and adjudicating for various dance conventions and festivals. She has choreographed in the Young Choreographer’s Showcase, New Dances and has recently set new works on several Youth Companies. Her latest work, entitled “Enchanted” is currently in the repertoire of Thodus Dance Chicago.
Monica started dancing at the age of 3 and has not stopped, now a member with the Canadian Dance Teachers Association and Dance Educators of America. She has trained with the National Ballet of Canada, “Steps” on Broadway, Broadway Dance Centre, and is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Monica is also Canada’s only certified Hayward Methodology for Pilates body conditioning.
Monica helped create and establish St. Lawrence College Music Theatre Program and held the position of the head of the Dance Department for 5 years. She has owned and operated the MBS Performing Arts Institute and Ten Talent Management for 15 years, training and managing some of Canada’s leading singers, dancers, and actors.
Monica is a certified Pilates Instructor, now offering her own certification program through Tranter Pilates. Monica would like to thank her mentor and Pilates specialist Lawrence Hayward who taught her Joseph Pilates authentic Pilates regime which she now shares with you!
Jessica is a recent graduate of Nipissing University with a Bachelor of Education. She has been singing and performing since a very young age in and around the Simcoe County area.
Recent theatre credits include: Young Evita (Evita), Fairy (The Land of Make Believe), Gymnasia (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), and Josie Pye (Anne of Green Gables). She has also studied voice and theory with Edwina Douglas and Renee Cingolani and currently holds her grade 8 in vocals.
When Jessica is not performing, she is either teaching drama and musical theatre in the Barrie and Alliston area or can be found working at her favorite restaurant, At the Five!
Kristen is a senior student at Cingolani Academy and has completed her Grade 8 Voice and Grade 2 Theory through the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
She has been seen in many productions in and around the Simcoe area. Select favorites include Sleeping Beauty’s Summer Adventure (Theatre by the Bay), Stars Come Out (TBTB), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Sunshine & Co.), Little Women and Bye Bye Birdie for which she received a THEA nomination for outstanding children’s chorus member, and the 2009 THEA award winning musical for Best Musical Production, Urinetown (South Simcoe Theatre).
Kristen has been a winner of numerous local and provincial level competitions and you can often find her performing on stage for multiple outdoor festivals, special events, and concerts at any time throughout the year!
Renee is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of music in piano, voice (winner of the prestigious Reinhold scholarship), and oboe and the Glenn Gould Professional School in opera.
