Stephen Shiman attended Yale University and has B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Juilliard School where he majored in oboe. He has maintained private teaching and free-lance performing to this day. In 1975, he became Executive Director of the Newark School of the Arts where he remained until 1983, when he became Executive Director of the Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City. For a 10-year period he was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Guild of the Community Schools of the Arts. In February 1997, he was reappointed Executive Director of the Newark School of the Arts.

Nadine Herman, Music Director, Newark School of the Arts Soprano, Nadine Herman, received her M.M from the Juilliard School and her B.M. from Temple University. Some of her solo appearances have included performances with the Festival of Contemporary Music of the N.Y. Philharmonic (Richard Dufallo,Conductor) under the auspices of Pierre Boulez; the Orchestre de Bordeaux-acquitaime with the legendary Pierre Dervaux and Orchestre de I'le de France. She has been heard in concert in such festivals as the B.K.A. in Berlin, Germany (one woman show); Festival de I'le de France, Festivale of Trieste, Italy. Ms. Herman has won critical acclaim from the NY Times for her performances of contemporary music ranging from the German composer, Aribert Reimann to the U.S. premiere of "Harawi," the brilliant song cycle of Oliver Messiaen, one of the great composers of the 20th century. She has been a teaching fellow at the Juilliard School, given master classes at the College of William and Mary and the C.I. F. M. of the Nice Conservatory in France with Lorraine Nubar and Dalton Baldwin. Voice teachers and coaches have included Beverly Johnson, Lorraine Nubar, Dalton Baldwin and Gérard Souzay. Latin singing sensation Frankie Negron studied with Nadine Herman at Newark School of the Arts.

Kenneth Franks (Kyne), Dance Director, received his early training in dance in Cincinnati. His ballet training was at the Annaliese Von Oettingen School of Ballet and his modern dance training at the Contemporary Dance Theatre School. In 1975, he received an invitation from the Dance Theatre of Harlem to be an apprentice to the company. After three year of apprenticeship, Mr. Franks left to receive a more diverse dance vocabulary in modern, jazz dances and theater.

Mr. Franks' professional performance experience was at Garden State Ballet in Newark, New Jersey as a dancer. Upon retiring from performing, he became Assistant Faculty Chair for Garden State Ballet School and Director of Education for Princeton Ballet School in New Jersey. Before returning to Cincinnati, he was Principal Ballet Instructor for Creative Expression Dance Academy in New Jersey. Mr. Franks has trained many young dancers who have gone on to national companies such as, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey's Dance Company, Dance Theater of Harlem and Philadanco. Mr. Franks also taught ballet in Cincinnati at Cincinnati Ballet and Contemporary Dance Theater in Cincinnati Ohio. He loves the art of dance and enjoys educating students who he has trained.

He is presently a teaching artist and develops education program for students and teachers in arts integration and interdisciplinary learning. His focus is on African and African American history and culture. Past member of the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati Board of Trustees and serve as Program Chairperson for the board and Board of Trustees for Ballet tech of Cincinnati as serve Program Chairperson.

Mr. Franks has over thirty years of teaching experience in Ballet, Modern Dance (Horton) and Jazz.