Teaching Artists
2022 TEACHING ARTISTS
MEGAN LUI
Based in the Hudson Valley, Megan Lui is a Berklee College of Music graduate with a focus in songwriting and composing. She has worked in children’s programs over the past 8 years running songwriting clinics, private lessons, and theater camps in California, Boston, upstate New York, and Long Island. This will be her fourth summer working with the In Kind Project. She is thrilled to be a part of such a creative team of artists and back in the beautiful community of Orient!
NAOMI CLARK
Naomi Clark was born in Boulder Colorado in 1982. She started studying industrial design at Arizona State University, but after a botched box making assignment she packed up her X-acto knifes and transferred to UC Boulder to study painting. She continued her studies at Pratt Institute, receiving her MFA in painting in 2008. Upon graduating she started teaching and founded a collaborative design group called Fort Makers. Clark paints and builds her surroundings though an abstracted filter. She does this using bold coloration, fragmented forms and gestural brushstrokes. Color is central to her work. She currently resides in Santa Rosa California.
ETHAN COHEN
Ethan Cohen, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator from Nyack, New York. Ethan has been teaching music for over 10 years, with extensive experience teaching drums and percussion, piano, ukulele, and guitar. Ethan has performed with countless artists as a drummer and percussionist, including grammy winners Steven Bernstein, Errick Lewis, Gregoire Maret, and Conal Fowkes, as well as Metropolitan Opera principal cellist Jerry Grossman, and Tony award winner Hal Linden. Ethan is a world-class musician who's passion for music shines through in his teaching. He believes that the most crucial aspect of teaching young students is engagement: by inspiring a students' excitement in the music, he is able to teach the fundamentals in a fun and creative way.
PAST TEACHING ARTISTS
ELIJAH FOX
Elijah Fox is a pianist, producer, and singer currently based in Los Angeles known for his collaborations with Denzel Curry, ScHoolboy Q, Tom Misch, Masego, Yussef Dayes and many other artists. Fox grew up in Durham, NC and developed a passion for jazz early on and was mentored by Yusuf Salim and began performing in local jazz clubs at age 13. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory where he studied with Sullivan Fortner, Billy Hart, and Dan Wall. After graduating in 2017, Fox moved to New York City where he began performing and recording with artists such as Pink Sweat$ and Tate McCrae, as well as writing and releasing original music and touring internationally. Fox's original music received support from Elton John who included it on his radio show and he became established as an in demand pianist in the NYC scene. Fox is heavily inspired by French impressionism, Art Tatum, Stevie Wonder, and J Dilla. In 2021 Fox moved to Los Angeles where he has been working with BJ the Chicago Kid, Earl Sweatshirt, and many other artists as well as continuing to release original music and perform throughout the world.
KALON HAYWARD
Kalon Hayward is a multifaceted and multidisciplinary performance Artist. His practice includes acting, singing, and movement. He is a graduate of Duke Ellington school of the arts. He earned his B.A. in theater performance from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. Kalon has been a working artist since the age of twelve.
He regularly collaborates with renowned theatre artists in the New York City area. He has performed throughout the United States, Africa, and Europe. His performance pieces have been presented at The Brooklyn Arts Exchange, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Flux Factory, and The Brooklyn Museum. Recently he has been exploring movement, music, and theater to create musical theater experiences and music videos. His work often explores themes of sexuality, spirituality, and love.
He is an artist in Residence at Flux Factory in Long island City, NY. Most recently, He acted in a production of Dreamgirls the Musical at the Titusville Playhouse. He also completed Artist Residency at Aros Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Denmark, where he premiered a new solo performance work, Love Spell. He serves as a teaching artist and company member of F.U.S.H.A Dance Company (west and Congolese dance). He is a teaching artist and company manager at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He is excited to release his soul music later this year. Please follow his journey @uni_versek
NINA WHITE
Nina White is so excited to be a part of In Kind! She hails from Grosse Pointe, Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Nina will be making her Broadway debut this fall in KIMBERLY AKIMBO in a role she originated off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company. She has performed and taught all over the U.S. and is so excited to continue this Summer in Orient!