OUR TEAM
ArtSmart is an organization founded by musicians and run by musicians from the top down. Our diverse team provides skill sets from the creative to the technical with professional real world experience so we can lead the charge into the future of arts education.
Michael Fabiano
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Michael Fabiano is one of the world’s most celebrated opera singers, an accomplished entrepreneur and an advocate for arts education. Over the course of his career, he has sung in 76 cities, in 26 countries, and on 89 of the most renowned stages, including The Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Real de Madrid, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, and Sydney Opera. He is the recipient of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including the Richard Tucker Award and the Beverly Sills Artist Award, and is a Grand Prize winner from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In addition to his prolific performance career and commitment to ArtSmart, Michael is also Chief Strategy Officer for Resonance, a BizOps platform which combines powerful software solutions to allow businesses to streamline administration & operations, manage people, and maintain business partnerships. Michael is a native of Montclair, New Jersey and holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Academy of Vocal Arts.
John Viscardi
Co-Founder and Managing Director
John Viscardi is an operatic tenor and non-profit leader. Motivated by a profound belief in the power of music to transform lives and uplift societies, John serves as the Managing Director of ArtSmart and Executive Director of Classic Lyric Arts, a non-profit organization that provides training programs for pre-professional classical singers and pianists. As a tenor, John is sought after globally for his interpretation of classic and modern operatic works, having appeared in both recital and concert at venues that include Carnegie Hall (New York), Geffen Hall (New York), Tokyo Opera City (Tokyo), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia) and Avery Fisher Hall (New York). John serves on the board of directors of the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and is an Artist Fellow with the Philadelphia Center of Psychoanalysis. He holds a BM and MFA from New York University and is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts.
Elizabeth Letak
General counsel Consultant
Liz is a distinguished attorney and has extensive experience working in the healthcare industry. She is also a lifelong pianist with a great passion for music education and the ArtSmart mission.
Lucas DeJesus
Director of National Program Operations
Ldejesus@artsmart.org
Lucas DeJesus is a multidisciplinary vocalist spreading his performance focus across collaborative, operatic, choral, sacred, and new music. Since 2017, he has served as an ArtSmart mentor, Regional Leader, Program Operations Assistant, and currently leads National Program Operations. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
Erin Alcorn
Manager of Individual Giving & Communications; Mentor (Adirondacks)
erin@artsmart.org
Erin has taught as an ArtSmart mentor since 2018 and assists in communications and development with several years of nonprofit work previously at the Philly POPS, Brent Woodall Foundation, and more. As a performer, Erin has sung for the Music Academy of the West, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, and more. She is currently a doctoral candidate in vocal performance and pedagogy at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati and holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and University of North Texas.
Lisa Gwyn Daltirus
IDEA Consultant, Mentor (Philadelphia)
Lisa Gwyn Daltirus is an ArtSmart mentor, who also serves as the consultant on curriculum and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) initiatives. Lisa has performed internationally with major opera houses & symphony orchestras including New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Elektra by Richard Strauss during the 2017-18 season.
Danielle Bavli
Development and Operations Associate
daniellebavli@artsmart.org
Danielle has been a member of the ArtSmart team since 2021. She currently serves as ArtSmart’s Operations Assistant and previously taught as a mentor in New York City. In addition to running her own private voice studio, Singing with Danielle, Danielle has also worked in various administrative capacities at the Boston Conservatory and Metropolitan Opera. As a performer, Danielle has sung with Encompass New Opera Theatre, the Brevard Music Center, Opera NEO, Pacific Northwest Opera, and more. She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Danielle is originally from New York City, where she continues to reside. Danielle is proud to have attended a public performing arts high school in New York City, making ArtSmart’s work towards an accessible music education all the more personal and important to her.
Shelley Mitchell
Curriculum, Training, & Surveying Consultant; Alumni Advisory
Board Liaison; Mentor (NYC)
Shelley Mitchell’s multi-faceted skills have led her into performance in classical and musical theatre genres as well as teaching. During the 2016-2017 season Shelley made debut performances at NYU Steinhardt, in the role of Claire Holmes ( The Secret Garden) and Adriana (The Boys from Syracuse). Shelley holds a dual Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and Music Education from Indiana State University School of Music, in addition to a M.M in Voice Performance, and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from New York University- Steinhardt.
Cortni Loveridge
Development Representative
Cortni Loveridge has worked as a business manager and has assisted companies to organize, create systems and find solutions. As a consultant at ArtSmart she works primarily in development management, as well as team planning and organization. She has a piano pedagogy background from Utah State University, and is passionate about the ArtSmart mission.
