Workshops

Breath for Belters
Ages 8–18 | Saturday, March 14th 3:30 am–5:30 pm

Breathing for Belters
Love to belt? Want power and control — without wrecking your voice?  In this high-energy, hands-on class, you’ll learn how to use your body to sing bigger, stronger, and freer. No squeezing, no pushing, just smart technique that works. We’ll focus on three game-changing skills:

1.  Breathing Like a Singer
Use your whole body — not your throat — to power your sound.

2.  Controlling your Airflow
Manage your breath so high notes feel supported, not stressful.

3. Blending Your Registers
Learn to use the breath to shift gears from head to chest seamlessly.

By the end of class, you’ll know exactly how to get that big sound safely — and keep your voice healthy.

Come ready to move.
Come ready to sing.
Come ready to belt smarter, not harder.

  • Cost: $40

  • Location: CTSS Paoli, 35 W. Lancaster Ave, Paoli, PA 19301

Workshop led by Dr. Victoria Hart

Vicky is a highly experienced teacher and performer with an extensive background in both opera and musical theater. She has served on the faculty of several respected institutions, including the American Music and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and the Colburn School for Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Her students have gone on to perform professionally with companies such as Los Angeles Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Santa Barbara, and Opera San José, among others.

Registration

For Workshops

Youth Program Instructors

  • A woman with curly red hair, wearing a denim jacket and a striped dress, looking directly at the camera against a light blue background.

    Emi Aungst

    ACTING COACH, PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

    Education
    B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, Long Island University Post

    About Emi Aungst
    Emi is a theatre educator, director, choreographer, and creative jack-of-all-trades who believes in the magic of storytelling and student growth. A 2020 graduate of LIU Post with a BFA in Musical Theatre, Emi has been directing and choreographing since 2019 and hasn’t stopped moving since. As a resident teaching artist with Community Through Song and Stage, Emi does it all—guiding students onstage while also building sets, designing lights, and sewing costumes behind the scenes. She still performs when she can, staying connected to the artist’s experience and bringing that empathy into the rehearsal space. Outside the arts, Emi teaches CPR, Medication Administration, and de-escalation in healthcare—because even offstage, helping people feel safe and seen is at the heart of what they do. She believes theatre builds more than shows—it builds community, confidence, and creative humans ready to take on the world.

  • Brigitte Rottman

    MAIN LINE MUSIC THEATER WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR, STUDIO ACCOMPANIST

    Brigitte Rottman is a Philadelphia-based theatre music director and vocal coach residing in Chester County. She has performed professionally since her teenage years, beginning her career as a stage show pianist for Prince of Fundy Cruise Lines. She studied piano and voice at West Chester University and Westminster Choir College and has since built a distinguished career as a music director, accompanist, and educator.

    She has been an integral part of the Musical Theatre program for more than a decade at The Center for Performing and Fine Arts (PALCS), serving as classroom accompanist, middle school play director, and music director for every musical production at the school.

    Brigitte has music directed for People’s Light Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon, Gretna Theatre, Power Street Theatre, and productions at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her credits include Into the Woods, Gypsy, Pippin, Head Over Heels, Mamma Mia, Little Women, City of Angels, Tick, Tick, Boom!, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sweeney Todd.

    Brigitte has also been part of two world premieres of new musicals in 2024 and 2025 (Siluetas and Wishing to Grow Up Brightly).

  • Malik Victorian

    ACTING COACH, VOICE TEACHER, MAIN LINE MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR

    𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
    𝗕.𝗠 Musical Theatre, Baldwin Wallace

    𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀
    Mean Girls
    Aladdin
    Holiday Inn

    𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸 𝗔𝗸𝗶𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻
    Malik Akil Kimani Victorian is a versatile vocalist and passionate voice coach whose musical journey began in the church and has flourished across Broadway stages and concert halls. With professional credits including Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, Disney's Aladdin, and Tina Fey's Mean Girls on Broadway, plus performances at renowned regional theaters like the Arden Theatre Company and Signature Theatre, Malik brings real-world experience and authentic artistry to every lesson. A proud graduate of Baldwin Wallace University's Conservatory of Music Musical Theatre program, he specializes in helping students navigate multiple vocal styles—from R&B and Pop to Musical Theatre and classical repertoire—with technical precision and emotional depth. His teaching experience includes roles as an adjunct instructor at the North Texas Performing Arts Academy and with Broadway Workshop, Inc. in New York, where he's guided everyone from aspiring young artists to adult learners through their vocal journeys. Malik creates a supportive, empowering environment where students of all levels feel comfortable exploring their unique voice and musical potential, whether they're preparing for auditions, expanding their repertoire, or simply discovering the joy of singing.

  • Drew Kalkiewicz

    MUSIC DIRECTOR, SONG AND STAGE COLLECTIVE INSTRUCTOR

  • Maryn Phillips

    SONG AND STAGE COLLECTIVE INSTRUCTOR

    Maryn is a choreographer, actor, singer, and artist.  Maryn has been dancing since she was 3 years old and has trained at numerous dance studios in the area such as Touch of Class Dance Studio, Kick's Dance Academy, and Paul Klocke School of Dance, and more recently Steps on Broadway and Berklee Summer Musical Theater Dance Intensive.  Maryn also has been performing in musical theater since the second grade. Most of those years were at Garnet Valley Performing Arts Association, where she worked as an actor, choreographer, and set artist.  Maryn has performed at SALT Performing Arts, Wilmington Drama League, and currently she is preparing for her role as Nigel/Dormouse in Alice by Heart at Footlighters Theater.  And still pursuing her passion for art, Maryn is currently attending college with an interest in art education and art history.  When not performing, teaching, or going to school, you can catch Maryn slinging hoagies at Wawa in Glen Mills.  Maryn is super excited to be teaching at CTSS and is looking forward to meeting and creating with her new students.