New York City

Hailed as a singer possessing a “crystalline timbre and intense acting ability,” Puerto Rican soprano Carmen Elisa Cancél (she/her) uses her classical training to excel in a variety of musical genres including opera, musical theater, cabaret, jazz, and Latin music. Originally from Tampa, Florida, her singing has taken her throughout the US and around the world. Carmen’s holds degrees in Biology and Voice Performance (University of South Florida) which allow her to blend technical aspects of human anatomy with singing instruction while encouraging her students to have fun as they discover their true voice and build their vocal technique. She maintains a thriving vocal studio in NYC and has been a Mentor with ArtSmart for four years. (CarmenElisaSings.com)

Mentoring Philosophy

A good mentor is willing to listen to the students and meet them right where they are both mentally and emotionally on any given day. We are in a unique position to build the students up as they develop their voices and learn life skills that will carry them through adulthood.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou

LaVon (she/her) is super excited to return as a mentor for Artsmarts this year.LaVon has a BFA and NFA in Fine Arts, and was seen in Broadway in The Color Purple, Chicago the Musical, Lysistrata Jones, and Disney’s Newsies! She can also be seen as Big Mana in Disneys Teen Beach Movie!! Lavon is honored to share all of her expertise with her ArtSmart Mentees this year!

Mentoring Philosophy

LaVon believes that to be a good mentor, you must invest time in your students. Also, a good mentor gets to know what type of music their students are interested in and gives them the proper coaching to sound their very best when singing and performing their song.

Gabriel Garcia (he/him/they/them) is an interdisciplinary musician and artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY and originally hailing from Hartford, CT. Gabriel holds a BFA in Classical Music from Carnegie Mellon University. Their collaborations with visual artists, engineers, and composers at CMU inspired them to pursue an MM in Contemporary Performance at Manhattan School of Music.

Since then, Gabriel has performed as a Vocal Fellow with the Grant Park Music Festival, served as a traditional cantor in New York City’s most prominent Catholic churches, and appeared as a soloist in baroque and liturgical concerts throughout New England. Gabriel is an active contributor to the NYC underground and DIY scene, performing and DJing at some of the city’s most notable venues such as Nowadays, TV Eye, Trans-Pecos, Intercomm, and countless others. Alongside violinist and composer Yaz Lancaster, their experimental ambient duo “medium.” has performed and presented at New Ear Festival, Princeton University, NYU, Operator Radio (NL), and most recently Gaudeamus Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Gabriel has had the privilege of learning music through Suzuki, Orff, and Dalcroze pedagogies, and incorporates elements of all three into their own teaching and artistic practice.

Mentoring Philosophy

A good mentor’s impact doesn’t stop at the door to the practice room. They can give support when necessary, instill drive to overcome challenges, provide an outlet for expression, and most importantly give the student the opportunity to believe in themselves.

“When one teaches, two learn.” – Robert Heinlein

Mimi Hilaire (she/her)is a first year teaching artist at ArtSmart. Her BM from Ithaca College as well as her MM from Mannes College have prepared her for a unique and fulfilling career in music. Not only has she sung the title roles of Aida and Tosca in NYC and across the country, she has a deep love for teaching voice and is also the chair of the voice department at Brooklyn Music School. Mimi believes that a voice teacher should see the best in all of their students and push them towards a greater vision of what is possible. The best way to make a great singer is to nurture their confidence.

Mentoring Philosophy

Mimi believes that a good mentor never gives up on their students, but is always a consistent and encouraging voice. It’s important to teach acceptance for what is, and where a student might be in the moment, while pushing them to persevere towards something better.

Adrian Melendez (he/him) is a vocalist and pianist from Las Vegas, Nevada, who has been a mentor with ArtSmart since Fall 2026. He is classically trained in voice and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Opera Performance from the USC Thornton School of Music. His professional opera credits include performances in Los Angeles, Miami, and internationally in Berlin and Italy. Beyond classical music, Adrian has performed professionally in rock, jazz, and pop genres on the Las Vegas Strip.

As a pianist, Adrian has performed with pop and rock bands in Las Vegas and Los Angeles and recorded keyboards on an original album with the R&B group Yello. He received classical piano training and participated in jazz ensembles while attending the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.

Adrian has been teaching voice and piano since 2022. He is passionate about helping students discover their inner artist, develop their musical abilities, and cultivate skills they may never have known they possessed.

Mentoring Philosophy

Adrian believes that a good mentor has awareness of each students’ strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to create a learning process and environment that is best suited for them. A good mentor should believe in and share excitement with the student as they make strides in their music-making journey. When a mentor challenges the student and passes on the tools and skills for music making to them, it empowers the student to be the kind of musician they want to be and instills a sense of self-believe in their artistry and sparks their creative mind.

A native of Sacramento, soprano Christine Moore Vassallo (she/her) is a versatile performer and sought-after teacher, having trained numerous competition winners. She has been a proud ArtSmart mentor in NYC since 2019, working at Brooklyn Tech, East New York Family Academy, and, since 2021, her current assignment at Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music. Christine is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and has trained at Tanglewood, Chautauqua School, Central City Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. She was a Regional Finalist (Pacific) in the Metropolitan Opera Guild Competition and has sung Mimi in La Bohème (with Oper Leipzig, where she performed for several years), Micaëla in Carmen, the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica, and Aida, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro. Her recordings include Christine Moore–Arias and the recently released From Al Andalus to the Americas–An Odyssey of Spanish Song. Christine speaks five languages fluently.

Mentoring Philosophy

“Patience, dedication, skill, and passion are the four most important ingredients for making a good mentor. You have to love the idea of having an effect on a young person that could change their view of themselves, and even their lives.”

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness. For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.” — Kahlil Gibran

Cynthia Wuco (she/her) is the proud Great Grand-niece of the composer of the Philippine National Anthem Julian Felipe. Cynthia has collaborated with many composers such as Philippine National Composer Bayani Mendoza De Leon. Bayani composed the role of Maria Clara in “Mga Sugatang Perlas” especially for her which she sang in the World Premier at Town Hall. (Recording 1994). Garah Landes composed “The Rain” (recording 2000) and “The Tunnel” for her and has performed it with Paquito D’Rivera at Symphony Space. (Both are on Youtube) Cynthia received her Bachelor of Music from Juilliard and Master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. She has been a proud educator for 25 years. Her voice students have been accepted to various prestigious institutions such as Howard University, Rutgers, Metropolitan Opera’s Children’s Chorus, University of Miami, Oberlin, Westminster Choir College, Catholic University, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, Marymount, Tanglewood Music Festival and Juilliard. She has been the soloist and music director for L’Eglise Du St. Esprit (French Church of NYC) for over 33 years. This is her 2nd year with ArtSmart.

Mentoring Philosophy

“Patience! When speaking with young people, remember to listen, hold that space for them. Don’t be afraid to pause and wait. I know I sometimes quickly respond and try to offer advice when I should be listening more.”

Favorite Quote

“Don’t die with your music still in you!” — Dr. Wayne Dyer