ACTING / IMPROV

SUSAN ROME
Actor / Educator

Susan Rome is currently the Performing Arts Department Head for the Baltimore City Lab School, an arts-based school for students with learning differences in Baltimore City. She writes, directs, and teaches at the School.

An actress for over 30 years, she as appeared on television in HBO's acclaimed series set in Baltimore The Wire, NYPD Blue, and the recently released My One and Only to name a few.

In the theatre, just a few of her dozens of roles have included Mama in A Shayna Maidel, Lady Macbeth, Leah in ride down Mt Morgan, and Julia in The Last Seder (the last two at Theater J in Washington, DC).

CREATIVE WRITING/JOURNALISM

PHIL JACOBS
Executive Editor / Investigative Reporter

Phil Jacobs started his career as a high school sports writer. When looking toward college, he headed to the University of Maryland, College Park with the goal of becoming a reporter for the campus daily, The Diamondback.

His first paid position came as a writer for the Eastern Shore Times, a weekly in Ocean City, Md. He moved on to become sports editor of the Prince Georges Journal, before landing his dream job as assistant editor on the Baltimore Jewish Times. Phil has been with the Jewish Times since 1982. He left for seven years to work on the JTs sister paper, the Detroit Jewish News. He returned, however, in 1997 as editor and is now the Executive Editor. He is a multi-time American Jewish Press Association award winner for feature writing and investigative reporting. Phil is a former competitive ice hockey goalie, a sport he played for almost 30 years in Baltimore and Detroit. He is also a self-admitted Civil War history geek and will bore anyone he can with Civil War trivia.

DANCE

DEBRA ROBINSON DECKELBAUM
Dancer / Choreographer

Debra Robinson Deckelbaum began studying dance in Baltimore with Ellen Gniazdowski and Wally Saunders. Following high school, she studied at the Joffrey Ballet School with Joyce Trisler and at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Returning to Baltimore, she danced with the Maryland Ballet and subsequently attended Goucher College, majoring in Dance. Post graduation, she danced with local modern dance companies, Naked Feet and Path as well as teaching at Goucher, ECC, UMBC, Baltimore Ballet, and Western Maryland College. She began to study pedagogy with Wendy Robinson and teach alongside her at Baltimore Ballet and Peabody Preparatory. Principally, she has been on the faculty at The Baltimore School for the Arts since 1988. In addition to BSA, Ms. Robinson-Deckelbaum teaches at Peabody Preparatory, Goucher Summer Dance Institute, and at Towson University Childrens Dance Division.

FILM/TELEVISION

NAN D. ROSENTHAL
Liaison to Maryland Public Television

Maryland Public Television will be conducting this specialty. Acting as a liaison between MPT and the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest will be Nan Rosenthal. After attending University of Maryland undergrad, Nan went on to Graduate Studies in Theater at UCLA and Graduate Studies in Dance at UMBC. She has been Director of Community Affairs at WJHU 88.1 FM National Public Radio, was the Creator / Producer and Host of Hocus Pocus, a performing arts weekly program on WBAL-TV in Baltimore, and had a cable show Three for the Show.

Visit the Maryland Public Television website:

JAZZ/WORLD MUSIC

MATTAN KLEIN
Jazz flutist / renowned touring musician

Mattan Klein is returning for his fifth year as an Artist-in-Residence for the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest. He performs extensively on stages across North America, most recently at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and is often touring the world as a leader and as a sideman. He regularly plays with Israeli legends such as Yoni Rechter and Miki Gavrielov. Mattans awards include the 2000 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Jazz Composition category and the 2003 USA Songwriting Contest. Since September 2007, Mattan has been a faculty member at the New York School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College.

MUSICAL THEATER

BECKY MOSSING
Actor/ Educator / Director

Becky Mossing is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she currently teaches Musical Theatre as a member of the schools Theatre Faculty. Becky received her BFA from NYUs Tisch School of the Arts where she received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Musical Theatre. She also holds a dual Masters degree in general and special education from Goucher College. Becky has performed Off-Broadway, in National Tours, and in Regional Theatres. Her credits include Sherlock Holmes the Musical, By Jupiter, Cinderella Waltz, Richard II, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, and Beauty and the Beast. Currently, Becky can be seen in her own cabaret entitled A to Z and Back Again.

ROCK

JOSH NELSON
Musician / Songwriter / Music Director

Josh Nelson is one of the most popular performers and producers in modern Jewish music. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Joshs music is celebrated and integrated into the repertoire of congregations, camps and communities around the world.

Delivering high-octane Jewish rock, the Josh Nelson Project is five of the most talented performers in the United States. With a high-energy and captivating performance style, Josh consistently leaves audiences with strong feelings of community.

Josh has performed over one thousand shows in a variety of venues. Highlights include: International conventions for each of the major youth movements in the USA, (NFTY, USY, BBYO, etc.), URJ Biennial Conventions, JCCA National Conventions, JCC Maccabi Games, CAJE Conferences and JCCs across the country.

Josh serves as the music director for the URJ Biennial Convention, faculty for the Hava Nashira Music Institute, and a musical artist-in-residence for the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest.

SPORTS BROADCASTING

STEVE DAVIS
Sports Anchor / Sports Interviewer

Steve Davis has been a fixture on the Baltimore media scene for 15 years working at FOX-45, WBAL Radio, and Channel 11, where he anchors sports on occasion. His show Sportsline with Steve Davis on WBAL radio was the highest rated sports talk show in Baltimore for 5 consecutive years. He has recently started his own company, Steve Davis Media Group.

Steves access to the biggest names has always been a talking point for Baltimore viewers and listeners. He has interviewed Baltimore legends like Johnny Unitas, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripkin and Ray Lewis, as well as national icons such as Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Hank Aaron and Tiger Woods. He has won dozens of prestigious awards in his broadcasting career, including the National Story of the Year by National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He has been recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award, multiple National Headliners Club Awards, and has been honored by several other awards organizations, including the Emmys and Society of Professional Journalists.

VISUAL ARTS

JAY WOLF SCHLOSSBERG-COHEN
Artist/ Broadway Producer/ Film production

Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen began his professional painting career in 1973. From the Clinton White House to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, from the streets of Baltimore to private collections in China, his works are worldwide. Jay has maintained a successful studio in Baltimore for nineteen years, focusing on community-based public art, landscapes, dancers, musicians, youth projects, and sacred works. He has served for years in local governments and non-profit groups fighting for the arts and social justice institutions.

Mr. Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen produced the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Actors Studio in New York and continued with the Tony award winning show on Broadway. Jay was appointed by then Governor William Donald Schaefer as Director of the Maryland Film Commission from 1987 to 1993 where he worked on more than 35 Hollywood productions, including John Waters Hairspray and Barry Levinsons television series Homicide.

VOCAL MUSIC

STACY BEYER
Singer / Songwriter

Stacy Beyer grew up in New York and attended college at the State University of Stony Brook, as a Music Composition Major at the age of 13. After touring the US and abroad, she settled in NYC to write music for film and TV. Stacy met country music legend Merle Haggard who invited her to attend a Grand Ole Opry show at Carnegie Hall. Artists like Roy Acuff and Tammy Wynnette encouraged her to move to Nashville. Stacy began to commute to Nashville on a regular basis, writing and recording.

Stacy was asked to write two songs for the Warner Brothers recording A Childrens Chanukah. One of these songs, The Hand That Lights the Candle was subsequently performed by the Nashville Symphony and Metro Schools Childrens Choir. Stacy was asked continually to create songs with Jewish content. It wasnt long before Judaism became the focus for Stacys musical expression. In 2006, Stacy was invited to create the title track for a double CD set for the Voices For Israel organization, which donates the money from the sales of its CDs to victims of terrorism in Israel. Her song, Keeping The Faith was sung by over 50 female international Jewish recording artists. Stacy is proud that her music is now a part of countless services around the country.

PRODUCTION

NANCY GOLDBERG
Artistic Director & Director of the
Gordon Center for Performing Arts

Nancy Goldberg has been the Director of the Gordon Center For Performing Arts since its inception in 1995. She was the JCC of Greater Baltimores Director of Arts and Culture for 17 years and still supervises some of those areas.

Nancy was the Director of the first-ever JCC Maccabi ArtsFest in 2006, and is now both the over-all Director and the Artistic Director of the ArtsFest portion of the JCC Maccabi Experience, the first-ever combined Games and ArtsFest.

Nancy served on the Board of Directors of the Maryland State Arts Council for 6 years as an appointee by the Governor of Maryland. She also helped to establish and served on the original steering committee for AEMS (Arts Education in Maryland Schools).

ADAM BUSCH
Arts Educator/ Performer/Composer/ Director

Adam Busch has spent many years working on stages across the country, this award-winning performer landed in Chicago where hes worked with such groups as Lookingglass, Second City, Ravinia, Marriott Lincolnshire, and Apple Tree theatres. His original works have been performed in NY, NJ, MD, MI, CA, and IL.

Currently, Mr. Busch runs the Theatre X, and Stage and Screen programs in Deerfield, IL, where he also directs their community theatre (DFT). He is also involved in other educational endeavors in and around the city of Chicago, such as Our American Voice, a program exploring the ideals of citizenship (for which he penned the programs theme song), and various Integrated Arts programs with partner schools.

DAVE ESKE
Technical Director

Dave Eske has served as Lighting Director and Technical Director at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts since 2001. He has created many set and lighting designs for a number of professional theatres and schools in the Baltimore/Washington area over the past 15 years. His expertise includes scenic carpentry and wood turning. A trained musician, composer and recording artist, Dave holds a B.A. in Music from Washington College. Dave has been a delegation head for JCC of Greater Baltimore at the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest in Deale and Minneapolis.