School of Fine Arts - St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77042

Faculty

Mandy Kung (Director, Piano Instructor, Group Piano Class)
Mandy began playing the piano at the age of 4, and has always enjoyed sharing her love of music with children and adults alike. She is the founder and current director of St. Andrew’s SOFA and feels blessed to be a part of the St. Andrew’s church family. She received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, and a Masters of Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Houston under the instruction of Nancy Weems and Betty Shaw. Mandy is a much sought after chamber musician, accompanist, and pedagogue in the Houston area. Prior to starting the program at St. Andrew’s, she taught for many years at West University Methodist and the Preparatory and Continuing Studies Program at the University of Houston. For the past two summers, Mandy has served as the co-director and instructor of a prestigious high school piano institute at the Texas Music Festival, where the most promising young musicians across the nation get an opportunity to experience life as a music major. Mandy teaches part-time at Houston’s High School for Performing and Visual Arts, and is grateful to have the 6th period web-mastering class design the SOFA website! Professional affiliations include membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society, and Forum Music Teacher's Association, the local chapter of the Music Teacher's National Association.

Vera Fulmer (Piano Instructor, Theory and Ear-Training Instructor)
Vera Fulmer started studying piano at the age of four at the Okhtinsky Lyceum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. At the age of fifteen, she entered Rimsky-Korsakov Music College. While a student there, Vera started teaching piano and music theory, which she really enjoys and has been doing ever since. After moving to the United States in 2000, she earned a bachelor¹s degree in piano performance from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee and a master's degree with a double major in piano performance and instrumental conducting at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. Vera is currently working on a doctoral degree in piano performance at the University of Houston, where she also teaches various Theory and Aural Skills classes and does a lot of accompanying. Mrs. Fulmer has over ten years of experience teaching piano, theory, aural skills and composition to students of all levels and ages, and has performed in various concert halls in Finland, Germany, Russia, Estonia, and the United States. When time allows she also enjoys playing the flute and composing.

Stephanie Chan (Piano Instructor, Theory and Ear-Training Instructor)
Stephanie Chan began studying piano at the age of 6. She has studied under John Weems of Sugar Land, Texas, and is currently working on her Bachelors of Musc at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, where she is pursuing a degree in piano performance under Nancy Weems. Stephanie has won numerous competitions, ranging from the local level to the international. In 2006, she was one of seven national finalists in the MTNA Senior Piano Competition, and in May 2007 she appeared on the national radio show From The Top, which showcases young musicians from across the country. Stephanie has performed with the HSPVA Symphony, Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, Clear Lake Symphony, and Symphony North of Houston as winner of their young artists competitions. She has worked with such renowned pianists as Olga Kern, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Nelita True, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and Peter Frankl and was featured on Houston's local radio station KUHF. In addition to performing, Stephanie enjoys teaching piano and theory at St. Andrew's.

Abby Seible (Voice Instructor)
Abby Seible, soprano, voice teacher, and native Houstonian, is thrilled to call Houston home again after having lived in New York City for the past five years. Abby has a wide variety of performance experience from opera to musical theater, cabaret to folk music. Some of her favorite roles include Marianne in Kirke Meachem's operatic setting of Tartuffe, Heloise in Robert Ward's Abelard and Heloise, Marian the Librarian in The Music Man, and Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes! Also having a great love for the art song literature, Abby enjoys presenting recitals of various composers, classic and contemporary, in hopes to preserve that literature and the art of the recital itself. Abby is a graduate of Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she now conducts master classes for current vocal majors. She received her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY in 2001. Abby has been teaching private voice lessons since 2001 and looks forward to joining the faculty at St. Andrew's School of Fine Arts.

Tracy Gelbaugh (Guitar Instructor)

Tracy Taylor Gelbaugh has been playing the guitar since she was about ten years old. Tracy developed a relationship with her guitar by playing hits by Peter, Paul and Mary, The Mamas and The Pappas, and The Everly Bros. Later, Tracy studied music theory and classical guitar at Memorial Music and has studied under several outstanding instructors throughout most of her life. Four years ago, Tracy started teaching private lessons. She is known for her witty original lyrics, spontaneous concerts in the middle of science class, and adherence to her belief that all kids can learn. In addition to a Master's of Education, Mrs. Gelbaugh has 11 years of teaching experience in HISD. Tracy is a member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, is married to the love of her life, and has two handsome sons.

Maxine Kuo (Violin Instructor)
Maxine, violinist, hails as "one of Texas’ finest talents" (Plano News). Grand Prize Winner of the 2004 Kingsville International Competition, she most recently appeared with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, presenting a “sweeping and poignant” (Corpus Caller Times) performance of Prokofiev’s Second Concerto. Ms. Kuo leads an active solo career, appearing in recitals and with ensembles such as the Plano Chamber Orchestra, Texas Music Festival Orchestra and the Southern Methodist University Meadows Symphony. Also a committed chamber musician, Maxine is currently a member of the Sybarite Quintet, a group in residence year-round at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. As a four-time full scholarship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School, she has held the concertmaster position of both their Sinfonia and Academy of Conducting Orchestras. Maxine received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied with Cho-Liang Lin and Naoko Tanaka. She currently serves as teaching assistant to Ms. Tanaka, at both the Juilliard School and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Previous teachers include Fredell Lack and Michele Auclair. Her strongest musical influences these days are the band Radiohead and Waylon Jennings. In her spare time, she loves to watch football and cook.

Doris Sing
Doris was born and grew up in Houston and has been a member of St Andrew’s, where she has sung in the choir and been a frequent soloist for 30 years. She and her husband have two grown daughters. She enjoys gardening, walking, and playing with her four young grandchildren. Doris has a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, a Bachelor of Music, and a Masters of Music in Music Literature. She has extensive training in Early Childhood Music and has taught Kindermusik, Music Together, and Musikgarten curriculums for the past 15 years. From 1993 to 2003 she was a Director of Arts a la Carte, which she co-founded with Judy Meier Farley. Together they taught music from Prenatal to age 8 and supervised art and drama classes for young children. She loves teaching at SOFA because it gives her a chance to combine her love of children with her love of serving God through St Andrew’s ministries.

School of Fine Arts Board of Directors
Martha Bergin
Mandy Kung
Lindsey Fifer
Doris Sing
Michele McGlothlin
Mike McGlothlin
Dr. Jim Smith