Our Mission
NSA offers private and class instruction in piano, guitar, voice, strings, woodwinds, brass, jazz, drama, and the visual arts. We are Las Vegas’ premiere Conservatory for the Performing Arts and are proud of our internationally acclaimed faculty that includes graduates of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, and other renowned institutions.
Nevada School of the Arts (NSA) provides world-class music instruction and a life-changing experience to students of all ages and backgrounds. While educating the artists and audiences of tomorrow, we seek to develop responsible and enlightened world citizens by igniting a lifelong passion for the arts.
Objectives
Nurture personal and artistic development.
Provide a dedicated and professional faculty.
Offer curriculum, performances, and exhibits for all ages.
Provide tuition assistance.
Maintain responsiveness to individual and community needs.
Develop and maintain educational partnerships.
Act as an advocate for the arts.
History
Nevada School of the Arts was chartered as an independent non-profit community arts school on July 7, 1977. The school, however, had earlier origins – first, as the Saturday Conservatory which began as an outreach program of the Music Department at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and also a highly successful summer arts camp at Mr. Charleston. The school continued to operate in the University facilities until 1991 when its administrative offices and main teaching center moved to the Paradise Elementary School campus. During the summer of 1994, the administrative offices and teaching staff moved to the campus of Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Las Vegas. In the summer of 2004, due to ever-growing demand for much-needed space at the academy campus, the School was forced to relocate to the Festivals Professional Business Park at 4170 South Decatur Avenue. With the endorsement and support of Mayor Oscar Goodman, current Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Las Vegas City Council, Nevada School of the Arts is one of the resident organizations at the Historic Fifth Street School since 2008. A 501(c)(3) organization, Nevada School of the Arts has been serving the Las Vegas Valley for over forty years and is the first member of the National Guild For Community Arts Education.
NSA continues to expand its programs and services both at its performance home in the Fifth Street School Auditorium and Gallery, and outside the school in venues throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
Nevada School of the Arts students are frequently cited for the excellence of their work, winning local, regional and national recognition. The School serves students from ages zero through senior citizens.
Its dedicated faculty of artist-teachers includes some of the most gifted teachers in Southern Nevada.
Nevada School of the Arts is the recipient of the 30th Annual Governor’s Arts Award in Leadership in Arts Education.
Board of Trustees
DE ANN LETOURNEAU
Vice-Chair
De Ann Letourneau is the Concertmaster of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, one of the few female Concertmasters in the US. She has been invited to virtually teach, conduct masterclasses at various Universities and performance coaching across the US and Abroad.
She is a native of Superior Wisconsin where she began studying at age 14, and very quickly became noted as one of the up and coming Young Artists through several National Young Artists Competitions. She has appeared as guest artist with many orchestras including the Milwaukee Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, National Arts Chamber Orchestra (Chicago), Duluth-Superior Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Contemporary Arts Ensemble of Ohio, St. Martin Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra, the Lake Superior Chamber Symphony and the Henderson Symphony. She has also been heard on several TV and Radio interviews and concerts including: KNPR FM, National Public Radio (Las Vegas and Minneapolis), WQXR FM New York, Wisconsin Public Radio, Fox 5, channel 14 “Morning Blend” and PBS stations.
BENJAMIN BURNS
Secretary
Benjamin is the Director, Creative Strategy at Quillin Advertising Public Relations & Social Media where he develops integrated marketing campaigns for clients across several industries. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Human Rights Campaign Las Vegas and has served on The Golden Apple Gala Committee for the Public Education Foundation.
JEFF BREEDEN
Treasurer
Jeff is a native of Southern Nevada having grown up in Boulder City. He started on piano in elementary school but switched to trumpet in middle school and never looked back. A student at NSA in the early 90’s, he can recall lessons on the second floor of Grant Hall at UNLV including one memorable night when everyone was huddled around the radio listening to the beginning of the First Gulf War. Today Jeff is still making music with the Las Vegas Brass Band and occasionally the UNLV Basketball Pep Band.
Professionally, Jeff is a tax partner with RubinBrown, a top 50 US accounting firm. He serves clients in a variety of industries including construction, retail and professional practices as well as high net worth individuals. He and his wife Jeny like to travel in their free time now that their twin sons are off in college.
GLENN ALAI
Glenn Alai is a Broadway, film and television producer who has guided the careers of Penn Jillette and Teller since 1994.
A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Alai began his career in 1991 in the entertainment and public relations office at Caesars Tahoe, eventually moving into a similar position at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
An avid admirer of classic Las Vegas entertainment, he has produced sold out concerts starring Lainie Kazan, Connie Stevens, John Davidson, Florence Henderson, Leslie Jordan, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. and Carol Lawrence. He also conceived and produces the annual Aid for AIDS Nevada (AFAN) event “An Evening of Cabaret Benefitting AFAN.”
Alai was awarded an ADDY in 2017, along with Caesars Entertainment, for outstanding integrated brand identity campaign for the Penn & Teller Las Vegas ad campaign. He served as president of the AFAN Board of Directors for four years.
MICHAEL CAPRIO
Michael Caprio, founder and owner of Caprio Media Design, has been a successful, working professional in the entertainment industry for more than three decades. At the age of 19 he was already working on Broadway as an associate publicist on Tony Award- winning shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Cats, among others. Following Broadway, Caprio set his sights on Europe where he continued his association with Andrew Lloyd Webber working for two years on productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Cats in Hamburg, Germany. In 1998 Caprio launched his own agency, Caprio Media Design. In addition to publicity and marketing, his company became a much sought after graphic design firm. Caprio’s creativity and management abilities led to additional producing opportunities including Executive Producer and Associate Producer for two PBS concert specials starring Grammy-nominee Jim Brickman.
TERENCE DAVIS
Terence Davis is currently Vice President of Lexicon Bank and specializes in loans for shopping centers, office buildings, and businesses in general. Terence has an extensive background in finance and music and spent many years in the toy business. After numerous entertainment and consumer product innovations, Terence Davis opened Great Music Studio in Malibu, California in 1998. Terence became a composer of music scores and songs for movies, television and commercial jingles. He is the owner of Great Music and Media recording studios, a full service media corporation. He was the founder of the Malibu Music Awards and the Malibu Symphony Orchestra.
JOE GANLEY
Joseph R. Ganley is a Senior Litigation Partner at the Firm of Hutchison & Steffen. He practices in virtually every aspect of business and commercial litigation, including intellectual property (e.g., copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, etc.), real estate, construction, employment, insurance, corporate governance, corporate divorces, securities, healthcare, transactional, administrative, fiduciary duties, and contract disputes. A firm believer in building strong local communities, Ganley implemented an annual Blood Drive at his law firm, which welcomes donors not only from the firm’s employees but the entire legal community benefiting the Las Vegas chapter of the American Red Cross. He also spearheaded the firm’s perpetual clothing drive that provides needed donations for the Safe Nest domestic violence shelter, he volunteers at a local charter school that is relatively new to the Las Vegas Valley, andsupports school gardens STEM program through the local non-profit Green Our Planet. Originally from historic Weymouth, Massachusetts (founded in 1622), Ganley is a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and the Boston University School of Law, and he still holds season tickets to the Boston Bruins and New England Patriots.
JUDAH ZAKALIK
Judah is a Founding Partner of PandA Law Firm, a Nevada law firm helping consumers in Las Vegas and Henderson find debt relief through a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy or debt settlement, and helping homeowners avoid foreclosure through loan modifications and workouts, short sales, and deeds in lieu of foreclosure. Mr. Zakalik’s legal background includes experience in personal injury, corporate litigation, real estate transactions, corporate bankruptcies, and intellectual property rights.
As a courtroom litigator, Mr. Zakalik represented financial institutions in lawsuits brought by homeowners for violations of federal statutes. This experience has proved invaluable in Mr. Zakalik’s current practice, helping homeowners and businesses keep their residential and commercial property through the loan modification process and consumer bankruptcies. As a Founding Member of the Diversity Committee within the State Bar of Nevada, Mr. Zakalik actively volunteers his time to increase diversity within the legal profession in the State of Nevada.
When not practicing law, Mr. Zakalik enjoys riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the Las Vegas arts and music scene, traveling, bicycling, and engaging in snow sports.
KIM COOPER
Kim counsels clients on strategies to acquire, maintain, and enforce their domestic and foreign intellectual property assets. She prosecutes federal trademark applications including appeals, oppositions, and cancellations, before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Kim represents clients in intellectual property disputes including drafting and responding to cease-and-desist letters and DMCA takedown notices, drafting initial complaints, and negotiating settlement and coexistence agreements. She drafts and negotiates various agreements and develops and implements procedures for DMCA registration compliance and registered agent services. Her clients include e-commerce, entertainment, and construction companies, as well as manufacturers and restaurateurs.
TORREY RUSSELL
Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Torrey was destined for “Show Business”. Torrey served as Stage Manager for the 2004 World Music Awards and has worked behind the scenes for The Billboard Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, American Idol & most recently the Academy Awards, the 2008 Grammy Awards and many, many other shows. In 2002 Torrey took a leap of faith into entrepreneurship when he started his own Entertainment Concierge Service, “A Source of Joy Promotions” catering to companies and entertainers looking to access the wonders of Las Vegas. Torrey’s list of clients includes Bill Cosby, Tyler Perry aka “Madea”, Johnny Gill, Patti Labelle, Jet Blue Airlines, Stephanie Mills, David E. Talbert, and Oprah Winfrey just to name a few. In 2004 Torrey launched his latest baby “Torrey Russell & Associates” a production management company that specializes in “Getting Your Show On The Road." Torrey has enjoyed touring the country for the past 5 years as Executive Tour Director for poet, playwright, producer, director, actor, best-selling author, social activist, educator, and 3 time Grammy award winner Dr. Maya Angelou. 2008 marked a very historical year for Torrey, after almost 8 years of working for Tyler Perry, Torrey moved to Atlanta to work at the FIRST African American owned film & television studio, the Tyler Perry Studios! Still continuing his work with Dr. Angelou, Black Entertainment Television, The Virginia Arts Council, producing, directing & teaching performing art in 3 different states, Torrey continues to push for youth arts education & outreach on a daily basis!
MICHAEL SEIFF
Dr. Seiff is a practicing neurosurgeon in Las Vegas. Originally from NY, he moved to Las Vegas in 2001 after practicing in Houston for a few years. He helped raise two kids here who are now in their early 20s. He has several interests outside of medicine, including music, cooking, food and travel. He’s been playing piano since a young age, has performed in bands, recorded, and writes music. He’s thrilled to exercise his passion for music as a Board member for Nevada School of the Arts.
DAVID TAPPER
With a unique background in Event Management, Theatrical Design and Performance, Convention and Hospitality Management, and Sales, David has achieved a reputation for creating exceptionalevent experiences which has propelled him to be a national leader in the Food and Beverage, Conventionand Event industries.
David recently joined Las Vegas’ newest mega-resort, Resorts World Las Vegas as the Executive Director of Catering & Conference Services, after spending the last two decades with MGM Resorts International and The Venetian | Palazzo Resorts.
David is an active member of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives), ILEA(International Live Event Association), LVHA (Las Vegas Hospitality Association), MPI (Meeting Planners International) and LVWCC (Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce) and has served on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Communication & Education for ILEA Las Vegas. David has achieved his Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and Certified Professional in Catering & Events (CPCE) designations which demonstrate expertise in event and catering management.
David Doto
David is a Partner with the Firm and has had a distinguished legal career spanning four decades as a civil litigator representing clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 100 companies in the state and federal trial and appellate courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. David was nominated in 2012 as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, co-founded the LCA’s American Academy of Alternative Dispute Resolution, and is a former Chair of the organization.
Since 2008, David has devoted much of his career to the practice, teaching, and promotion of ADR. From 2011-2015, David co-founded and served as the Director of the Conflict Transformation Institute of CoralBridge Partners, LLC, where he provided mediation and conflict-related training and consulting services to organizations and law firms nationwide. Since 2013, David has been an adjunct professor of law at both the Saltman Center for Dispute Resolution in UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in the Pepperdine University School of Law, where he teaches negotiation, mediation, mediation advocacy, and conflict management systems design.
In addition to providing a full spectrum of litigation services in personal injury, business, commercial, and employment matters, David is a skilled mediator able to employ facilitative, evaluative, and transformative techniques to litigated and non-litigated matters.
David is a 1986 graduate of Villanova University with dual B.A. degrees in Philosophy and Psychology, and earned a J.D. degree from the Villanova University School of Law in 1991. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution with a concentration in Mediation, together with Certificates in Dynamic Group Facilitation, Conflict Management Systems Design, Mindfulness in Legal Practice, Settlement Decision Making, and Advanced Mediation Skills from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution of the Pepperdine University School of Law.