Musicians, Entertainers, Producers, Directors

Musicians

Judy Alpert and her family escaped from Hungary in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. They settled in California where Judy lived until she attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her Ph.D. She studies the effect of music on emotions. She's also a performer, performing jazz vocals and Hungarian songs which she has translated into English.

Stephanie Sant Ambrogio violinist, concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony, founder of the Cactus Pear Music Festival , knew she wanted to be a professional musician at age fourteen, but it has taken hours of practice daily and a determined effort to overcome stage fright to develop the poise and polish she exhibits today.  

 Entertainers

Mary Denman jounalist, anchor woman, tv host, actress, radio producer, and a million other things is indomnitable.  A pioneer in television in Corpus Christi, and the first female news anchor in San Antonio, she is currently the host of, Prime Plus, a weekly radio show for and about mature adults.  

Trisha McConnell, animal behaviorist Zoologist and talk show host, spent much of her life helping people and their pets communicate with one another.  In pursuit of understanding human/animal communication better, Trisha McConnell earned a Ph.D. in zoology with an emphasis on animal-human interaction; her consulting firm, Dog’s Best Friend, specializes in behavioral problem-solving and companion animal training for cats and dogs.  

 Producers

Elizabeth Fernea, author, teacher, documentary filmmaker, and authority on Muslim Women and children will speak with us about her life living in Egypt and the Middle East and her perceptions of the culture and how she, a midwesterner, and now Texan developed her ideas and her career.

Glenn Holsten organizes armies of talented people as the producer of documentaries for WHYY and other channels. He works with cameramen, writers, composers, historians, among others, to craft a work that both informs and entertains viewers. His most recent work is a documentary about  the painter Thomas Eakins.

 Directors 

Seth Rozin knows where his talents lie, and he has many. He is a playwright, a director, co-founder of InterAct Theater Company, and Producing Artistic Director of InterAct Theater Company, Seth Rozin takes advantage of the opportunities that present themselves and creates opportunities for himself and the people who work with him.

Phil Soltanoff had a background directing classical plays before he became the founder and director of mad dog theater company and five myles. The Obie Award Winner taught acting and directing at Skidmore College, but he became dissatisfied with the careerism of the students and struck out to create an experimental theater troupe.