OUR CORE 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 Co-Executive Director
Michael Fabiano is a distinguished international opera singer. His musical artistry is matched by his passionate commitment to arts education. From a family of musicians and music educators, Michael understands the great value and impact that culture and arts have on the potential for success in life for children and young adults.
While opera is his passion, Michael’s large focus is building a better future for Americans seeking greater upward mobility. It is his belief that the arts is one of the great unifiers and a catalyst for success in life. He is an active private pilot, a life long baseball umpire, and writes extensively about the American educative experience in blogs and articles.
John Viscardi
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director
John Viscardi has dedicated his career to a diverse but deeply connected set of objectives: using music to strengthen our understanding of the human condition, empowering individuals to harness their creativity in the pursuit of success, and championing the arts as our most powerful tool for self-expression.
As an opera singer, John has performed on some of the world’s greatest stages and is highly sought after for the power of his dramatic interpretation. Prior to creating ArtSmart, John applied his entrepreneurial capabilities to build Viscardi, a nurse case management company, into a leader in the Worker’s Compensation Industry. This unique cross section of experience in business and the arts gave John the tools to co-found ArtSmart.
Elizabeth Letak
General counsel Consultant
Liz Letak 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.
Tom Mulder
Director of Program Operations
Tom Mulder was a founding Mentor of our pilot program in Newark, NJ. Aside from directing ArtSmart operations, he continues his passion for teaching as a mentor for the program. He leads a budding international career as a soloist and is also currently a member of the Extra Chorus at the Metropolitan Opera.
Heather Phillips
Marketing Coordinator
Heather began her association with ArtSmart as a mentor in Philadelphia and now serves ArtSmart as a consultant in areas of marketing, multi-media content and curriculum development. She holds a BM and MM in music, has over ten years of teaching experience and leads a solo performing career.
Evan Linett
DATA AND STATISTICS ANALYST
Evan Linett is a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill who works for Gallup, an analytics and advisory company in Washington, DC. He is thrilled to combine his passion for arts education and public policy at ArtSmart.
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.
REGIONAL LEADERS
Our regional leaders manage events, scheduling and localized affairs in their designated cities, ensuring an ease of delivery of all lessons and events.
Chad Armstrong
New York & New Jersey
Chad’s singing career has taken him from the Prairies of Saskatchewan to Opera Houses in Europe and the United States. He combines this experience with his passion for teaching when working with his students. This is his second year with ArtSmart.
Lucas DeJesus
Philadelphia & Chicago
Lucas DeJesus is a multidisciplinary vocalist spreading his performance focus across collaborative, operatic, choral, sacred, and new music. He began his ArtSmart journey as a mentor at the Franklin Learning Center as part of Philadephia’s pilot program, where he still mentors today.
Keith Carames
San Francisco
San Francisco based teacher and director, Keith consults nationally for the Leonard Bernstein Center’s Artful Learning and has worked for the Tony Award winning American Conservatory Theater, the historic Curran Theater, San Francisco State University and the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.