Center for Development of Arts Leaders: Meet the Mentors

Kassie Eberle comes from Kentucky and is a musician and educator. She studied music performance (orchestral trumpet and voice) at Butler University before joining the Peace Corps and moving to Togo, West Africa, for two years. As a Girls' Education and Empowerment Volunteer she initiated and taught creativity classes that introduced various forms of fine arts to students, helping them form ideas about how to use the arts to strengthen individual lives and develop the community. Kassie is very interested in working with marginalized populations using the arts as a therapeutic and educational tool. As a current Master's student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Kassie spends her time studying Arts in Education and has an internship with VSA (Very Special Arts Massachusetts).

Michael Dahlberg is an accomplished cellist. In an effort to share his enthusiasm and promote music's capacity for community building, Philadelphia native Michael Dahlberg has joined and developed projects such as Discovery Ensemble, the Panama Jazz Festival, and From the Top's Center for Arts Leadership Mentorship program. A senior at New England Conservatory, Michael maintains a performing career that has taken him to venues including Jordan Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Vatican. Visit his website for updates on his activities at www.michaeldahlberg.com.

Eric Ortiz is a student at Quincy College and a lifelong resident of Boston. Eric has been playing trumpet for a decade, and has been immersed in many different styles of music. Eric has a passion for sharing his love and energy for music to everyone around him.

Brian Kaufman is a musician, teacher and entrepreneur passionate about sharing music with communities in a way that makes an impact. He's the co-founder and artistic director of The Sounding Board, an organization that produces innovative music events and engages audiences in dialogue on social, cultural, and political topics. Additionally,Brian works as a Resident Artist at El Sistema Boston, a program that aims to instigate social change and transform students’ lives through music. There he has served in multiple roles including conductor, teacher, curriculum developer and videographer. He is ecstatic to be a part of the inaugural year of From the Top's Center for Arts Leadership.