FACULTY
Pamela Simpson
MS & HS Chorus, 5th Grade Chorus
Pamela Simpson has been teaching middle and high school chorus in Bronxville since 1999. She holds a M.M. in Music Education/Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College and a B.S. in Music Education/Music Therapy from Duquesne University. In addition, she is certified in both Orff and Kodaly Methodolgies, and received an advanced diploma from the Orff Institute, Salzburg, Austria, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar. For five summers, Pam was the associate conductor for the Umbrian Serenades summer choral program (Spoleto, Italy). Prior to her involvement with Umbrian Serenades, Ms. Simpson sang with the Spoleto Festival Choir/Bridge Ensemble in Spoleto, Italy (Gian Carlo Menotti, artistic director; Donald Nally, conductor) where she performed in opera and choral productions.
Rob Cross
HS Drama & English
Rob Cross is a graduate of Princeton University (BA - English), Hunter College (MSEd - Adolescent Education, English), and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Acting - two year post-graduate conservatory). A proud member of Actors Equity, he has performed widely in both straight plays and musicals with Artspower National Touring Theater, Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, and Brave New World Rep, among others. Rob is incredibly excited to direct his first Bronxville production this fall - “Almost, Maine.” His proudest production however, is the family he has built with his wife, Candi, and his two sons, Beckett and Eliot.
Email: rcross@bronxvilleschool.org
Uma Karkala
MS/HS Band
Uma Karkala attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and graduated with a BFA in Jazz Performance in Flute Studies and then attended Lehman College for her M.A.T in Education. She has worked with numerous musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Frank Wess, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In addition to her performance experience, she has taught K-12, and college level graduate courses for the past 10 years. She is also a jazz instructor and director for Jazz at Lincoln Center and has taught master classes at Juilliard. She continues to perform with numerous groups in the area. She is also an arranger and a composer, and recently published in the NYSSMA manual. She loves to share her experiences with her students, and grow their love and passion for music.
Wyeth Tvenge
MS Orchestra
Raised a Suzuki violinist, Wyeth Tvenge discovered the double bass as a teen and quickly found himself a part of musical ensembles beyond his classical upbringing. This provided the impetus to pursue professional studies in music. Wyeth received his bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music and his M.A.T. from Lehman College. Wyeth has played with luminaries such as Norma Jean Wright, Linda Clifford, Martha Wash, Jaki Byard, and many others. When not teaching, Wyeth can be found performing in pit orchestras for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regional theaters. His greatest wish is to instill a lifelong love of music in the children he teaches.
Email: wtvenge@bronxvilleschool.org
Sharon Slote
ES Band & General Music
A band teacher in public and private schools since 1995., Ms. Slote joined the Bronxville School community in the fall of 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Education and Trumpet Performance from the Crane School of Music, and a Masters of Music in both Performance and Wind Band Conducting from Illinois State University. In addition to teaching, Ms. Slote is a member of the trumpet sections of the New York Wind Symphony and the Newburgh Symphony Orchestra and actively freelances around the New York metropolitan area.
Email: sslote@bronxvilleschool.org
Marina Brown
ES General Music
Marina Brown joined the faculty in 2013. She teaches first through fifth grade general/vocal music classes. Marina earned an undergraduate degree in Music Education with an emphasis in vocal music and a Masters degree in Music Education from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. She holds a certification in the Kodaly philosophy and is currently working on her certification in the Orff Schulwerk approach. Outside of school hours, Marina enjoys singing in choral groups and attending music performances in New York City.
Email: mbrown@bronxvilleschool.org
Adele Hoffman
ES Orchestra & General Music
Mrs. Hoffman is the elementary orchestra teacher for grades four and five. She also teaches general music to children in kindergarten, grade one and grade three. Previously, Mrs. Hoffman taught both elementary and middle school orchestra in the Public Schools in Greenwich and Stamford Connecticut. She holds a Masters of Music in performance from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Music in music education from Hartt School of Music. Mrs. Hoffman also served as the director of the Norwalk Youth Symphony Chamber Orchestra. She has been a member of the Greenwich Symphony and currently performs as a first violinist with the Symphony of Westchester.