Timothy Ayres-Kerr

Instructor of Voice and Songwriting

Timothy Ayres-Kerr holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Pedagogy both from New England Conservatory. Tim has performed as a soloist in Opera, Oratorio, and Operetta, often portraying lead tenor roles in the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. Tim founded The Parlour Opera Players to present short operas in non-traditional venues throughout Boston. Tim is also a composer and his second completed work for the stage, A Game of Werewolf, earned him a place in One Ounce Opera’s Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera showcase. Tim was also awarded the grand prize in the Lester Levy “Save Our Songs,” competition. Tim joined the FSPA Music Faculty in 2019.

Dr. Marisa Babb-Wetherell, PT, DPT

Instructor of Progressing Ballet Technique - Guest Faculty

Marisa trained as a young dancer in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. She performed with the Movement Ensemble Dance Company under the direction of Liana Ciaglo, including appearances with the Commonwealth Opera. Marisa also appeared in The Nutcracker with both the Moscow Ballet and Academy of Ballet Arts. Through her college years, Marisa performed with Springfield College’s Singers, Dancers, and Best of Broadway groups on campus. She also completed a minor in dance at Springfield College while pursuing her degrees in Physical Therapy. She has continued to dance as an adult including appearances in FPAC’s The Nutcracker. Marisa holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and currently practices in outpatient physical therapy in North Attleboro, MA. She specializes in dance medicine and is passionate about educating young dancers to use their bodies as effectively, efficiently, and safely as possible.  Marisa achieved her initial certification in Progressing Ballet Technique in 2018 and has continued on to achieve her Level 3 PBT Certification. Marisa enjoys teaching the PBT curriculum and feels it holds great value in training safe and efficient use of the body to advance dance technique and performance while preventing injuries.  

April Lisette Ball

Instructor of Voice

April Lisette is an award-winning singer and musician from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who has built a diverse and accomplished career in the performing arts. She is currently based in Boston where she works as an actor, singer, pianist, and educator. April holds a BA in Music Performance (voice and piano) from New Mexico Highlands University, and an MFA in Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. With over thirteen years of teaching experience, April specializes in piano and voice, focusing particularly on musical theatre voices. She has taught both in one-on-one settings and workshops, showcasing her versatility and commitment to education in the arts. Notably, she has had the opportunity to accompany students at Carnegie Hall for the Young Artist's Concert and internationally at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for the Student Honors Concert.

Ben Cameron

Broadway Faculty - Voice and Acting

Ben Cameron is your Broadway Buddy! Ben is a Broadway veteran having appeared in Footloose (original cast), Aida, and a little show called Wicked (original cast, if you listen to track #2 of the Wicked cast album you can hear Ben drop the plot pivotal line, "Glinda, is it true you were her friend?" He has toured the US and Europe in productions of Footloose, Fame, The Who's Tommy, State Fair, and Sweet Charity (playing opposite Molly Ringwald). He has enjoyed 2 sold out runs of his 1 man show "Different is Good" in 2005 and 2010. He continues to write, direct, and choreograph intimate shows for Broadway and cabaret stars at some of NYC's most notable venues. Ben has served on the faculties of NYU's CAP21 studio and Wagner College and as creative consultant for Mapinspired:The Storytellers' Dance Company. Ben continues to teach dance and theatre workshops and choreograph around the world.   Ben is the creator of Broadway Sessions. Sessions has been running for over 8 years and brings Broadway's brightest together at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Since creating Sessions, Ben has become one of the theatre community’s most beloved hosts and personalities. Ben has also produced web series My Broadway Bar, Dance Captain Dance Attack, and Broadway ObSessions.

Alexandra Cardi

Instructor of Commercial Dance

Alexandra Cardi fell in love with dancing at the age of three. She has experience in a variety of styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and contemporary dance. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Dance from Plymouth State University in 2015 and a Masters in Holistic Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Salve Regina University in 2022. She was an active member of her undergraduate university’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble and Dance Team as a performer, choreographer, and captain. Her senior year, the dance faculty selected Alexandra as the recipient for the Contemporary Dance Ensemble Award. This merit award is given to a senior who has shown a strong commitment to faculty and student choreography within the dance division over four years of study.  Throughout her years at Plymouth, under the direction of Amanda Whitworth, she had the opportunity to work with professional guest artists such as Mziyanda Mancam, Urbanity, Bosoma, and Pantos Project. In 2018, she had the opportunity to perform at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival as a dancer for Alchemy Movement.  Currently, Alexandra is working as a mental health counselor in Providence, R.I. and is a movement artist for Alchemy Movement, a New England based company.  Alexandra  joined the FSPA Dance Faculty in 2017.  

Mallory Cash

Instructor of Ballet

Mallory is a professional dancer and dance teacher based in New England. She
graduated from the University of Arizona with her B.G.S in Arts, Media, and Entertainment in 2022. Through her career she has danced with Ballet Tucson, Providence Ballet Theatre, Metamorphosis Dance Company and Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project. She has also been a guest artist with AMA Dance Theatre and New England Ballet Theatre. She has taught at New Bedford Ballet, Synergy Dance Studios, Providence Ballet Theatre, Premier Dance Academy, Metamorphosis Dance Company, and Abilities Dance Boston. Her primary goal in teaching is to create a welcoming supportive environment where everyone can thrive. She believes that dance is for everyone and is very grateful for opportunities to connect with others through dance.

Victoria Collins

Instructor of Ballet/Pointe and Children's Program

Victoria Collins, a former FSPA Ballet Conservatory student, has been featured in the Franklin Performing Arts Company's production of The Nutcracker as Clara. Other ballet credits include Cinderella, Coppelia, and other repertoire concerts. After her time at FSPA, she continued her studies at Dean College in Franklin. At Dean, she had the opportunity to continue learning from Cheryl Madeux and other credentialed faculty such as Marc Arensten (Dean of the Joan Phelps Palladino School of Dance), Jill Silverman, Roshni Pecora, Kimberly Calore-Sedlak, Dina Ternullo Melly, and Todd Shanks. Her knowledge of dance expanded after newly receiving her ABT certification in pre-primary-Level 3 and she plans to continue her certification in the other levels in the future. Victoria is glad to be a new addition to FSPA faculty that she has long admired.   

Jeffrey DiIorio

Instructor of Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, and Songwriting

Jeffrey DiIorio holds Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Music Performance and Philosophy from Providence College and a Masters in Music Performance with a focus in jazz guitar from the University of Rhode Island. While at PC, Jeffrey performed with their Pep Band, Jazz Band, Funk Ensemble, and Jazz Combo. He has studied with Jay Azzolina, Lyle Brewer, David Riley, Phil Sargent, Julian Lage, Adam Smirnoff, and Bruce Bartlett. Professionally, he has performed with ensembles led by Alex Lee-Clark, John Allmark, and Mark Burney as well as with The Mac Odom Band, The Phunky Autokratz, and Nightshift Entertainment. Jeffrey was the recipient of the Reverend Leo S. Cannon, O.P. Award for Excellent Musicianship as well as Judges’ Choice at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival. Jeffrey joined FSPA's Music Faculty in 2019. 

John DiSanto

Instructor of Percussion

John DiSanto holds a Bachelor of Music from Boston’s Berklee College of Music and is a FSPA percussion faculty member. John has over 45 years of drum performance and teaching experience in the greater New England area and touring abroad. John’s early career included owning a music academy and instrument center in Easton, Massachusetts for 25 years, where he provided music education to thousands of students and a creative teaching environment for dozens of instructors. Now, the school has evolved into a piano and antiques center; where John, also a piano technician, restores vintage pianos and offers tuning and repairs together with his wife, Anne, an established singer/songwriter. John's extensive and diverse experience includes performances with Dick Johnson, Mokoto Ozone, Moksha, The Drifters, Coasters, Tom LaMark cabarets and he currently is the drummer for "The Rat Pack is Back", a Las Vegas national touring group and percussionist for the Cape Cod Art Ensemble. As a drummer and recording engineer, he also has multiple recording credits and discography as both a player and producer for projects serving Boston area musicians.

Irina Fainkichen

Instructor of Violin

Irina Fainkichen studied at Rachmaninoff Music College and St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. She also got her degree from Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, Israel. She is a busy freelance violinist in the Greater Boston area. Irina performed with Broadway on Tour’s “Phantom of the Opera”, and “Hello Dolly” at Boston Opera House, “An American in Paris” at Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. She performed many shows with an amazing legends such as Marni Nixon, Sarah Brightman, Johnny Mathis and “The Who”. Irina is a former longstanding member of Cape Symphony and has an extensive experience playing with many symphony orchestras including New Hampshire, Plymouth, Lexington Symphonies and also Pro-Arte Chamber Orchestra. Irina has been on FSPA Music Faculty since 2009 and has played in the orchestra of many Franklin Performing Arts Company productions including Annie, Sound of Music, Charlie Brown, Peter Pan, Music Man, Spamalot, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, and most recently Legally Blonde, Humbug!, and Sweeney Todd. Irina is a concertmaster for the annual FPAC holiday production of the Nutcracker and a coordinator of THE BLACK BOX Classical Series,