Simón Gollo

Artistic Director - Snow Pond Music Festival

NEMC Symphony Orchestra & Violin

Simón Gollo is recognized as a multifaceted and charismatic musician who enjoys a successful international career as a chamber musician, pedagogue, soloist, and conductor. He is also a recording artist for the international recording label IBS Classical, and is represented, alongside the Reverón Piano Trio, by HALAC Artists and Meluk Kultur Management.

Camp Co-Director, ext. 104

Born and raised in Maine, Thea Hollman (she/they) has had a connection with NEMC since 2017 when she began working as a counselor. She graduated from Ithaca College with a B.M. in Music Education in 2019 and is the DEI Coordinator of the Snow Pond Music Festival and Associate Camp Director at New England Music Camp. Thea brings experience in music education, nonprofit development, summer camp leadership, and DEI organizing.

They are passionate about creating equitable policies, spaces, and training for the purpose of providing all kids with the opportunity to experience the magic of camp.

Dean of Faculty, ext. 107

Michael McCarthy has spent the last twenty-eight summers teaching at the New England Music Camp. He is a freelance choral conductor, adjudicator, clinician and accompanist in the New England/New York area. Choral groups under his direction have been invited to perform at MENC Eastern Division conferences and ACDA state conferences. 

A church organist for over forty-six years, Mr. McCarthy has just retired after thirty years as Director of Music and Organist at Saint Joseph Church in Willimantic, Connecticut, where he presided over the historic 37-rank Steer & Turner/Maier organ (built in 1874).  He continues to serve as Pontifical Organist for the Diocesan Choir of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich. He is a former Dean of the Northeast Connecticut Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is currently the chapter’s Sub-Dean and Placement Officer. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. He has been inducted into such honorary and professional fraternities as Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Kappa Phi, and Alpha Chi.  Mr. McCarthy holds Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Applied Bassoon from the Hartt School of Music and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from The University of Connecticut. He has spent the last forty years working with numerous school and community choirs and theaters.

Recruitment Coordinator, ext. 106

Marian Murphy Powell is an accomplished singer and theatrical artist who brings a versatile background to her work on stage and into the teaching studio.  A veteran of national Broadway tours and regional theatre productions, her favorite roles include: Cosette in Les Misérables, Christine in Phantom, Mother in Bright Lights, Big City, Marian in The Music Man, Fleur in Esmeralda (world premiere), Mary Jane Wilkes in Big River and Fiona in Brigadoon.

Most recently, she performed the role of Miss Foley to critical acclaim, in the world premiere of Something Wicked This Way Comes. She has been featured with several orchestras around the world, including the Shanghai Symphony and the Concordia Orchestra at New York’s Lincoln Center.   She has three solo recordings: “This Must Be Love”, a jazz CD “Live at the Saturday Club” with renowned jazz pianist Bill Schmearer, and, “Amazed By You” written by pianist/composer Matthew Quayle.  She can also be heard as a guest artist on Gail Levinsky’s recently released “Tipping Point”.  Marian holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Performer’s Certificate of Merit from the School of Music at the State University of New York in Fredonia and earned her Actor’s Equity Association membership with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s Young Artist Program. As a member of NATS, she is a private voice teacher, is an adjunct vocal instructor at The George School and is a freelancing artist in the greater Philadelphia area. Marian is an alumna of NEMC and has been a member of the faculty for twenty-two years.

Registrar, Prelude Strings Coordinator ext. 105

Bethany Niedbala serves as Program Coordinator of Prelude Strings Orchestra Camp and the Registrar for NEMC, where she facilitates student admissions and creates schedules for faculty and campers. Her other roles at NEMC since 2002 have included camper, counselor, and music librarian. 

Currently, Bethany is the Elementary Strings Specialist for the Marlborough Public Schools in Massachusetts. She also performs with Symphony Pro Musica as a section violist. Bethany earned a Bachelor's Degree from Ithaca College, where she studied with Debra Moree, and received a Master's Degree from Boston University. In addition to teaching and performing, Bethany can be seen on the ski slopes in the winter months. She is excited to return to NEMC for her 23rd summer!

Anastasia Christofakis is a Greek-American clarinetist who enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. Passionate about music, travel, and family, she has managed to weave these three topics into her life and career.

Anastasia is a co-founder of the chamber ensemble Meraki, dedicated to awakening cultural compassion through music. Meraki’s recurring focus is the music of “Essence” that evokes the culture and history of people through their folk sound and musical language. The ensemble plays music heavily rooted in the traditional musical idioms of the composers’ native countries, allowing the musicians to introduce new cultures and histories to audiences through music. They are recipients of Chamber Music America’s 2018 Classical Commissioning Grant for their current collaboration with award-winning composer, Jerod Tate.

Dr. Christofakis is an advocate for new music, believing strongly in the commissioning of new works, and is a member of new music ensemble What is Noise. Their debut album “Equivocal Duration” was released in 2019 through Centaur Records. What Is Noise is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is passionate about building community through music by performing culturally relevant concerts that connect audiences with musicians and composers of their time. The sextet remains a strong advocate for new music and educational outreach.

In addition, she was the winner of the Presser Music Award for her project relating to Armenian music. She has studied and conducted research in Armenia on their folk and contemporary music. Most recently she has been awarded an artist residency through the National Park Arts Foundation, hosted by Gettysburg National Military Park.

Dr. Christofakis is currently on faculty at Furman University and the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Acqui Terme, Piedmont, Italy.

3-time GRAMMY-nominated trombonist-composer-arranger Alan Ferber has been called “one of the jazz world’s premier composers and arrangers for larger groups” by All About Jazz NY. Jazz Times magazine describes Ferber’s compositions as “inspired and meticulous” and the L.A. Weekly deems him “one of the premier modern jazz arrangers of our time.” For the last seven years, he has been recognized as one of the leading trombonists of his generation in Down Beat magazine’s International Critics’ Poll and Readers’ Poll.

The compositions of Venezuelan-born Ricardo Lorenz have garnered praise for their fiery orchestrations, and rhythmic vitality as well as for raising awareness about global societal challenges that concern the composer. These impressions have earned him two Latin Grammy Award nominations, multiple commissions, including a recent one by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their 2021-22 season, and performances of his works at prestigious international festivals such as Carnegie Hall’s Sonidos de las Américas, Ravinia Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, France’s Berlioz Festival, Spain’s Festival Internacional de Música Contemporanea de Alicante, the Festival Cervantino in Mexico, Turkey’s Uluslararasi Summer Festival and South Korea’s PAN Music Festival, among others.

Kaitlin Hopkins is an award-winning actress, director, producer, and educator and has
performed on and off Broadway, on national and international tours, and in film and
television for more than 30 years. In 2009, she created the BFA musical theatre program at
Texas State University. Hopkins is the proud creator and CEO of Fontus Dry Mouth
Lozenges. In addition, she is the Co-Founder of Living Mental Wellness, a holistic,
evidence-based company that offers educational programs to enhance mental wellness for
performing artists through an integrated scientific life skills model.

Office Manager, ext 101

Co-Head Counselor

David Morris will join us as the head counselor after four years as an NEMC counselor, having worked is each of the bowl end cabins during that time! During the unusual summer of 2020, David was responsible for the social and recreational activities for the NEMC virtual camp, and was the acting head counselor for the Chamber Music Intensive resident camp. David will also begin the transition to be the NEMC administrator for the BYSO camps in August each year. David graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in music education, and moved back to his hometown of Hallowell, Maine and started teaching at his alma mater. He currently is the High School music teacher at Hall Dale High School in Farmingdale, where he teaches chorus, jazz choir, band, jazz band, and modern band. He cannot wait to return to camp and is excited to continue his counseling work at NEMC.

Snow Pond Director of Development, ext. 203

Christa brings a wealth of experience in the areas of marketing, public relations and event planning. She has worked for over 25 years in the field, including 9 years as the Vice President of Marketing for Sotheby’s Chicago. Christa is a visible and active participant in the events and culture of NEMC and Snow Pond and her responsibilities include: implementing annual campaigns; assisting with the cultivation of new prospective donors; overseeing marketing/communication efforts including website/social media; managing special events/fundraisers, and supervising the submission of grant request. She currently sits on the Board of the Reed Trust Fund and was recently nominated to the Board of the Viles Arboretum, in Augusta, Maine.