Philip Hosford
Philip Hosford, along with Hayuru Taima, is the cofounder of the Academy of Fine Arts. Having just left a teaching position on the piano faculty at Michigan State University, he wanted to pursue his longtime goal of establishing a high quality, community music school for the arts. The school ran its first classes in private and group piano in September of 1995 with 18 students in a back room of a piano store. Nearly 15 years later, Hosford is proud of the hundreds, into the thousands of students the school has trained.
Stephanie Bonte-Lebair
Executive Director - B.M., M.M. (Vocal Performance) from Illinois State University, Masters Certificate in Arts Management from American University. In charge of program growth and development as well as streamlining operations, she works to ensure that the Academy of Fine Arts continues to offer quality fine arts programs to students of all ages. In addition, Stephanie is the Co-Conductor of the Kentlands Children’s Choir in Gaithersburg and is an active performer in the DC metropolitan area. Performance credits include several leading roles with Damascus Theatre Company and Rockville Musical Theatre, member of DC area vocal quartet “MetroCabaret,” and former principal singer in several world premier operas with Golden Fleece Opera in New York City. She also teaches Musical Theatre Singing classes at the Academy.
Rita Norton Mazza
Office Administrator; Education Speech & Theatre BS LSU; Drama Teacher Seton Academy and James Hart Middle School, Illinois; Storybook Theatre Instructor Munster Parks, Indiana; Kids on Stage Teacher/Director, Southshore Arts Association, Munster, IN; Founder and Director Professional Children's Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Munster, IN; Winner of the Midsouth Playwrights Award; Professional Storyteller for over 20 years; Indiana Convention & Tourism Bureau Curator of Art Exhibit; and Lake County Solid Waste Environmental Educator.