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About NoBAC

North of Boston Arts Center (NOBAC) is a multi-media program where children and adults of all ages can explore the world through the arts. We are conveniently located on the North Shore of Massachusetts at the Memorial Building on Cabot Street in Beverly. Please contact us via email or phone at 508-331-2733 if you have any questions about our program.

The North of Boston Arts Center is dedicated to provide knowledge and education of Art, Music, Dance, Photography, Multi Media, and Theatre Culture through stage experience. We aim to provide school age students an after school program with studies and experiences of the Arts through practice, participation and performance. We strive to pave the way for pre-schoolers, as they embark on their educational journey, through a diversified cultural program. We aspire to assemble groups with the purpose of Opera, Jazz, and other performance workshops and language development. We would like to offer the community, of all ages, enrichment, education and participation opportunities in previously unexplored arts venues. This is a chance to work with and learn from renowned local and national artists.

Mission Statement

The North of Boston Arts Center is a Community Arts Center welcoming persons of all ages, novices to professionals, with a desire to explore and experience diverse Arts Genres from classic through modern, providing opportunities for education, participation and performance.

Faculty

Among our staff are some of the most talented people on the North Shore. We are all very committed to the education of anyone willing to learn.

Bonnie Rynkowski – Founding Director

Bonnie Rynkowski grew up in Salem, Massachusetts and graduated from Salem High School. She received a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Lowell and a Master Degree from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Bonnie lived in New York City where she studied with Maestro Carlo Faria and Jane Klaviter of the Metropolitan Opera. Here, she studied acting at the HB Studio and dance with Maurice Hines, Michelle Assaf and Doug Wassell.

Later, she traveled to Europe and trained at the American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria, an intensive opera training program. Following this time, she sang with the Bavarian State Opera and the Alte Peter Choir in Munich. She applied extensive training and experience over a 30-year career as teacher, voice instructor, choral conductor, professional singer, and concert coordinator/producer.

Her advanced degree in Music Education has been instrumental to her various successes with students and in performance. Motivating and communicating is her expertise with students at all levels, ages, and abilities, developing students based on individual learning requirements. She is trained and experienced in contemporary teaching methods and techniques which she recently exercised at St. Mary's School, teaching Grades K -8. In this setting, she conceptualized, directed and produced three concerts each including a one act musical involving entire student body. Bonnie also wrote a new school Music Curriculum as part of requisite for application of new accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Her professional performing career spans stages in Boston, New York City, Munich, Germany and the North Shore. She taught choral vocal workshops and conducted choirs in Munich and the Boston area. Bonnie has also produced the CD "Your Virtual Voice," which is a vocal instruction CD. She studied vocal relaxation therapy from David Blair McCloskey which she incorporates into her present vocal training methods. Bonnie is also bilingual, she speaks both English and German.

Rachel Bergeron – Arts and Culture Coordinator

Rachel Bergeron grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire and graduated from Londonderry High. She was always interested in the arts in High School and went so far as to take a course called “Art Interactive” which worked with Special Education Students in a common goal... a puppet show. She spent a semester learning how to make various kinds of puppets and how to create the final show. She then spent her first year of college at Bradford College in Haverhill, Massachusetts as a Fine Arts Major. She was forced to transfer when the college closed after her freshman year. She then attended Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. She graduated as an Art Therapy Major. During her time there, she grew to love the atmosphere of the North Shore and made it her home for the next seven years.

During her time at Endicott, she was an intern for many different types of children. Her first internship was at Windham Center School in Windham, NH. She was an assistant to the Art Teacher and helped out one particular class in building sets for their History project, which included plays about the Civil War. Her second internship was with Hospice of the North Shore in Danvers, MA. She was the assistant to the Child Life Specialist and aided groups of children of cancer patients in Art Therapy. She designed many activities and helped many children for over a year. Her final internship was at The Children’s Connection in Beverly, MA. She spent an entire semester dedicated to Art Therapy with children with emotional disabilities. She continued her work there for three years in various artistic positions.

Rachel has also had experience with Photography in many different ways. She has worked with Roy Crowley of Crowley Photography as an assistant during his busy Sports Team Photo Shoots. She also worked with the Picture People and learned a lot from the artists in that venue.

Henry Allen – Director

Henry Allen was steeped in world culture from an early age. The son of a US diplomat, his experiences living in Europe and Latin America have had a profound impact on his life and work as an artist, educator and parent. Surviving cancer, overcoming obesity, and losing his 13 year old son to brain cancer have taught many lessons in courage, empowerment and integrity.

Henry's career as a director, performer, visual artist, writer and arts educator has spanned more than 25 years. He is a graduate of the National Theatre Conservatory MFA program, studied at the Art Institute of Boston, and has served on the boards of Expressive Arts Collaborative, Outward Spiral Theatre, as well as on the Parent Advisory Board of the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital.

He was a grant recipient of Allied Arts, Inc., and has performed extensively with renowned theatre companies in Colorado and Minnesota, including two Tony Award winning regional theatres. Henry was also a co-founding director of an annual Latin American Political Theatre Festival in Minneapolis, and has enjoyed longtime relationships with Steppingstone Theatre for Youth Development and Wells Fargo Bank, MN, as an arts educator and theatrical director. Henry has written a collection of short plays for children to perform, based on Jewish folktales from around the world, and is also a jazz vocalist and Master of Ceremonies, having performed regularly at venues throughout the Twin Cities.

In addition to his theatrical career, he has worked for many years in private and public education as a educator (Theater Arts, Life Skills, Phy Ed, Early Childhood, Spanish, and Latin American Studies), a creative education consultant, and has also served as a teacher and administrator in two Waldorf schools.

After his son became ill, Henry founded The Brain Candy Project (www.braincandyproject.org), a non-profit organization that serves parents who are living in the hospital with critically ill children. In August, 2009, Henry moved himself, his two dogs, and his charitable foundation to Manchester-By-The-Sea to begin a new life. The creative education of children, parents and teachers is an area of deep concern and commitment in Henry's life.

David Testa

David is celebrating his 33rd year as one of Boston’s most respected pop, jazz and musical theater vocal coaches and technicians. Maintaining a studio on Boston common, Mr. Testa has had the good fortune to be represented, as a coach, teacher and mentor, by many Broadway performers and recent American Idol Finalists (most notably Constantine Maroulis.) David was also a preliminary judge for American Idol in NYC, where he maintained a thriving practice for many years. For many years he had also enjoyed an alliance with “Aerosmith” as a vocal specialist.

An accomplished performer, David has appeared in many varied roles from Jesus in “Superstar", Danny in “Grease", Fredric in “Pirates of Penzance" and as Nick in the New England premiere of the musical “Baby” among many others.

A guest musical director/conductor, again, Mr. Testa proved his unique versatility as musical director/composer from the “Boy’s Club Telethon” to the first (and flop!) production of The Who approved “Tommy – The Musical", in addition to the many regional pit orchestras he has conducted. Also, he has conducted the likes of:

David has also musically directed and sung back–up for many locally produced CD’s recorded in the Boston area (most notably, the talented Leah Langefeld). An accomplished accompanist, Mr. Testa has served as accompanist/Musical Director for Saturday Night Live’s Terry Sweeney and his hit off-Broadway show "It's Still My Turn", a one “woman” show featuring Terry as Mrs. Nancy Reagan! As a result, David had a turn touring as the inimitable and infamous “Kandy Kane’s” musical director/concubine as well as accompanying many of Boston’s jazz greats.

More locally, a sought after adjudicator at both Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, he was a vocal judge for the New England Finalists at the North Shore Music Theater's Karaoke contest.

For the past five years, David has maintained a lovely home in Beverly's Cove area, where he was care-taker for his beloved mom, Marcie.

Fresh off of David's hit, Boston based revue of last season;

Presently, Mr. Testa is preparing the premiere of "Fatso!" a musical adapted from Anne Bancroft's cult film "Fatso". He had the privilege of scoring and adapting this new production with Ms. Bancroft several years ago. David anxiously awaits the fully staged 2010-spring North Shore Premiere. He is also rehearsing a female trio "the Beverly Jills".

Which brings us to David's genuine interest in "NoBAC" and his long time alliance and friendship with your esteemed founding director, Bonnie Rynkowski!