Boston Conservatory at Berklee Welcomes 15 New Faculty Members

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Welcomes 15 New Faculty Members The new hires bring expertise in a wide range of subjects, including Indian classical dance, electronic music, breakdancing, Persian setar, and stage combat.

September 3, 2025

From left to right: Dancer Alex Diaz, violinist Julia Glenn, and theater artist Patrick Fretwell

DanceRachel Bertone BFA 07 (associate professor of dance) is an award-winning theater and dance professional who has staged more than 50 musicals and garnered an international following as an educator and career consultant. Since 2022, she has served as artistic director of the Reagle Theatre of Greater Boston, with directorial and choreographic credits including An American in Paris, In the Heights, West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Billy Elliot. Bertone will teach the JazzDance Technique and Musical Theater Audition Skills courses.

Sarah Cerulo (assistant professor of dance) completed the teaching and performing arts course at Bristol College of Dancing in the United Kingdom in 2003, earning a Royal Academy of Dance teaching certificate with associate qualifications in modern and tap from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Prior to teaching, Cerulo worked for over a decade with UK-based musical tours, major cruise lines, corporate events, and television/film. Cerulo will teach Ballet Technique for Second-Year Commercial Dance Majors.

Alex Diaz (assistant professor of dance), also known as B-boy El Ni o, is a world-renowned breakdancer and president of the Boston-based Floor Lords dance crew. He is a Red Bull-sponsored athlete and was an Olympic alternate for the 2024 Paris Games. Diaz is known for his innovative and aggressive breakdancing style and has performed with numerous high-profile artists including Missy Elliott and LL Cool J. He will teach the Breakin' course.

Shefali Jain (assistant professor of dance) has trained in kathak for over 20 years with Gretchen Hayden and the late kathak maestro Pandit Chitresh Das. She has danced in prestigious venues across the US and India as a soloist and company member, including performances with the Chitresh Das Dance Company in its Boston production of Sita Haran. Jain will teach the Classical Indian Dance course.

Mary Ann Mayer (associate professor of dance) was a founding member of Festival Ballet Providence, where she performed roles in many company productions while earning a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She later became Festival Ballet's school director. Mayer recently earned her MFA in Dance and a certificate in arts management and entrepreneurship at the University of Oklahoma. She will teach the Dance Division academic course Exploring Creativity and Collaboration.

MusicApril Lisette Ball MFA 13 (assistant professor of voice) is an award-winning singer and musician who has built a diverse and accomplished career in the performing arts. With over 13 years of teaching experience, she specializes in voice and piano, focusing particularly on musical theater voices. She holds a BA in Music Performance from New Mexico Highlands University and a MFA in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory. Ball taught voice at Berklee College of Music prior to her new role with the Conservatory's Vocal Arts Department.

Julia Glenn (associate professor of violin) recently joined the Naumburg-winning Lydian String Quartet, and has been called remarkable, gripping, and a brilliant soloist by the New York Times. A 2018 graduate of the Juilliard School's C.V. Starr doctoral program, she earned her master's degree at New England Conservatory and a bachelor's in linguistics from Harvard University. Glenn draws on her backgrounds in phonology and Chinese language to open up new avenues in perception and performance.

Michael Goetjen (assistant professor of core studies) is a musicologist whose research focuses on eighteenth-century opera and the music of Mozart, with particular interest in the concert aria. Also a harpsichordist and organist, he works regularly in both classroom and performance environments. Goetjen holds a PhD and MA in Musicology from Rutgers University and a BM with a secondary major in history from The College of William and Mary. He will teach coursework in musicology.

Nima Janmohammadi (assistant professor of core studies) is a multi-instrumentalist, ethnomusicologist, and composer whose musical practice includes research analyses of Helmut Lachenmann's music, composing for both Western and non-Western instruments, and virtuoso performance on the Persian setar. He earned his BM at Tehran School of Music, and his MM, GD, and DMA at New England Conservatory. He will teach coursework in ethnomusicology.

Keith Kirchoff (assistant professor of contemporary music) is a pianist, composer, conductor, concert curator, and teacher, specializing in musical works with electronics. He is the pianist for the Boston-based Hinge Quartet as well as the cofounder and president of SPLICE Music, one of the largest organizations in the US dedicated to creating and advancing music that integrates live performance with new technologies. He holds a BM from the University of Oregon and a MM from New England Conservatory.

Noel Smith BM 86, MM 93 (assistant professor of voice) is an educator, recording artist, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in musical theater, pop, and classical voice. Founder of Noel Voice Studio with locations in Boston and New York City, she has trained performers who now appear on Broadway as well as with national tours, regional theater, and cruise lines. She serves on the National Board of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and was selected as a master teacher for the 2025 NATS Intern Program.

Yonah Zur (assistant professor of violin) has serv

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