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.
Mission Statement
The North of Boston Arts Center is missioned and 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.
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.
David Testa
David is celebrating his 30th 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 a "very famous" Boston based rock band 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:
- On Clear Day…
- Once Upon a Mattress
- Fiddler…
- Peter Pan
- Oliver!
- The north shore's own New England String Ensemble (Schubert Mass in G)
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! Now, for the past five years, David maintains a lovely home on Beverly's Cove area, with his partner Raul. A place where he was care-taker for his beloved mom, Marcie, for the past five years.
Fresh off of David's hit, Boston based revue of last season;
(featuring five of Mr. Testa's most esteemed female students)
I hasten to add some reviews.
"David Testa's voice students are ALWAYS prepared, ALWAYS intuitively sing the right song, and, most importantly, ALWAYS sound GREAT!"
- Bernard Telsey Casting Inc. NY, NY
"Simply, I would not be the singer I am without David"
- Josh Young - National tour, Les Miserables "Marius" (presently) International Tour, West Side Story "Tony" and David's Student
"He is simply a 'miracle worker' with the human singing voice."
- Richard Itczak, Artistic Director - Turtle Lane Playhouse
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. Always a community minded kind of guy, David anxiously awaits the fully staged 2008 -spring North Shore Premiere. Which brings us to David's genuine interest in "NoBAC" and his long time alliance and friendship with your esteemed founding director, Bonnie Rynkowski!