Days On Campus: Tues/Wed/Thurs

Zane Forshee serves as the Marc C. von May Distinguished Chair of Professional Studies, Director of Peabody LAUNCHPad, and is a guitar faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

Zane’s work as an artist has led to appearances worldwide including: the Palacete de Amezúa (Madrid), the Joseph Joachim Konzertsaal (Berlin), the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), and the Chimei Museum (Taiwan). His wide-ranging collaborative projects include choreographer danah bella, percussionist and composer Gene Koshinski, film composer Christian Biegai, and an upcoming collaboration with artistic polyglot Wendel Patrick.

Zane’s most recent recording, Valenciano: Guitar Works of Asencio, Esplá & Rodrigo, reached Number 1 on Amazon's Classical Music Chart and No. 6 on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart. He is a Fulbright Scholar, Wigmore Hall Charitable Trust recipient, D’Addario Foundation Grant Winner, Maryland State Arts Council: Independent Artist Awardee, and received a Peabody Institute Dean’s Incentive Grant for his collaborative research project with the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins that explored the Impact of Weekly Guitar Lessons on Functional Movement and Well-being in Parkinson’s Disease Patients, among others.

Zane has presented masterclasses, key notes, guest lectures, and workshops at the Royale Conservatoire of Scotland, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College, Staffordshire University (UK), North Carolina School for the Arts, University of Edinburgh, St. Olaf College, Johns Hopkins University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music, among others.

Of him, Baltimore City Paper writes: “As the old adage goes, those who cannot do, teach. Apparently Zane Forshee didn’t get the memo. . . do not miss out on the chance to learn a thing or two from the man who makes music his life in the classroom and on stage.”

Days On Campus: Mon/Tues/Thurs

Khandeya Sheppard serves as the Manager of Community Partnerships working with the Peabody LAUNCHPad team to promote and foster community-based learning opportunities in Baltimore. Khandeya is a steelpan musician, educator and arts administrator with a wide range of solo and ensemble performance experiences in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago.

Khandeya is a solo performer, Pan Masters Steel Orchestra member, music director and leader of NEXUS Band and Dynamic Steel Project, creator and co-founder of the Black Berklee Network, and founding member of the HBCU Jazz Education Initiative. Khandeya has also been a featured speaker and panelist at several events about music, creative youth development, and community engagement through the arts.

Khandeya was the first female steelpan principal to graduate from Berklee College of Music, earning a B.M. in Music Business/Management with a minor in Africana Studies: Music & Society. She also holds a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Entrepreneurship from UMBC. Khandeya has previously served as a Berklee City Music Mentor, Preparatory Academy and Faculty Outreach Teacher as well as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Education Outreach Assistant and OrchKids Senior Program Manager.

Days On Campus: Wed/Thurs/Fri

Christina Manceor is a percussionist, career educator, and entrepreneur who seeks to enhance and innovate experiences for students, audiences, and arts organizations. In addition to her roles in LAUNCHPad and Professional Studies faculty at Peabody, she has extensive experience in performing arts management and actively performs as a freelance musician, pursuing artistic collaborations in chamber music, world music, orchestra, jazz, and improvisation. As a percussionist, Christina is co-founder of the flute and percussion group Duo Sila and also performs with the samba band Bateria Terra Maria and the Kris Johnson Group, a jazz/funk/soul fusion band based in Detroit. Christina holds degrees in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan and the Peabody Conservatory, as well as an Ed.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.

Days On Campus: Mondays

Robin McGinness is an operatic baritone and career coach interested in finding ways to use theater and games to facilitate professional development, self-management for performers, art song house concerts, and modernizing the operatic repertoire. Since 2015, McGinness has been a staff member of LAUNCHPad, Peabody’s career services office and is committed to helping both undergraduate and graduate students prepare for their lives after school.

As a baritone soloist, McGinness performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. Other recent performances include solo performances with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera, and Washington National Opera.

McGinness holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Peabody Institute. Previously, McGinness was a resident artist at Opera Theater St. Louis, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Teatro Nuovo, and Bel Canto at Caramoor and was the Baritone Studio Artist in the Arizona Opera Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio. An award-winning performer, McGinness placed first in the Sylvia Greene Vocal Competition, second in the Piccola Opera Competition, and received the Patricia A. Edwards Award in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.

Available by appointment

Violinist Sarah Thomas is a performer and educator who strives to create an environment for performers and audience members to share the experience of loving music together.

A member of the Bergamot Quartet, Sarah has performed in venues and series including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Tribeca New Music Festival, and MATA Festival. Sarah has collaborated with a variety of ensembles and musicians including Sō Percussion, arx duo, Ensemble Klang, Talking Gong, Claire Chase, Dan Trueman, Samuel Torres, and Terry Sweeney.

An educator as well as a performer, Sarah is on staff at the Peabody Conservatory’s LAUNCHPad Office and is an Adjunct Lecturer in Peabody’s Professional Studies Department. She also regularly coaches chamber music and presents workshops and lectures with the Bergamot Quartet in settings ranging from elementary schools to doctoral programs, including Princeton University, Peabody Conservatory, New York University, Towson University, Shenandoah Conservatory, and University of Texas-El Paso.

Sarah holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Violaine Melançon, and a Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes School of Music, where Bergamot Quartet studied with the JACK Quartet.

Praised for their enviable resonance, crystalline diction, and stylistic prowess, baritone Michael Manganiello focuses their solo and ensemble work on breaking down established preconceptions of identity and artistic expression. In addition to their coursework, they also maintain a voice studio, and work as a Peer Career Coach at Peabody’s LAUNCHPad, working collaboratively with students to reach their professional and artistic goals. Michael graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2012, where they earned concurrent Bachelor's degrees cum laude in Vocal Performance and Dance, with a minor in Visual Art/New Media. Michael founded, directed, and sang with the QED Vocal Ensemble in residence at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, NY. Michael has appeared as soloist and ensemblist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata di Sant' Antonio, Opera Sacra, Buffalo Chamber Players, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, Women of Vivaldi, Vocális Chamber Choir, Buffalo Master Chorale, and Harmonia Chamber Singers. Michael was a participant in the Baroque Opera Workshop through the Institute for 17th Century Music at Queens College, Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, and ARTEK Madrigal Madness.

Caitlin Glastonbury is currently attending Peabody Conservatory in pursuit of a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. They earned a Bachelors in Music, Voice Performance from Ithaca College. Their mission is to create open pockets of community by sharing human experiences through vocal and chamber music and broader performance artistry.

As a recitalist, they are passionate about featuring new music, especially music by Nonbinary and Transgender composers. They explore the intersection between early and contemporary styles, pushing musical boundaries with storytelling. Caitlin has sung with a number of ensembles in the Southern Tier of New York, including Cayuga Vocal Ensemble, the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, Syracuse Schola Cantorum, and Southern Tier Singers Collective, often appearing as a featured soloist.

Beyond performance, Caitlin is passionate about increasing access and equity in the arts through work in education and administration. They have maintained a private voice studio, both as a freelance teacher and at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, New York. This summer, they worked as an Operations Assistant at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Matthew is a percussionist and collaborator who performs in mixed ensemble and chamber music settings, bringing classical works into non-traditional performance spaces. He regularly performs pieces by modernist composers such as Reich, Akiho, and Ortiz alongside ensembles dedicated to 21st century repertoire, and has been featured on Vic Firth performing John Cage's "Third Construction."
In addition to his role at Launchpad, Matthew is passionate about fundraising and development. He currently works as the Development Intern for Community Concerts at Second, a local concert series dedicated to making music accessible to all, and simultaneously as the Development Intern for the icarus Quartet, an internationally acclaimed percussion and piano quartet with a mission to collaborate and perform music at the highest level.
Matthew is currently pursuing his Master's Degree in Percussion Performance at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, studying under the tutelage of Ian Rosenbaum, Jeff Stern, and Ji Su Jung.

Caroline Sykes is a lyric soprano from Columbia, South Carolina. She is currently located in Baltimore, Maryland pursuing her masters degree in Vocal Performance with an Emphasis in Pedagogy at the Peabody Conservatory at the Johns Hopkins University. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Music from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina in May of 2023. She loves to perform for a variety of audiences and loves when she can connect with them on a deeper level through the music. She performs a wide range of music from Claude Debussy to Libby Larsen and everything in between. She has focused on putting on traditional art song recitals and has found a love for this nook of classical music. While mainly focusing on Vocal Performance, Ms. Sykes also has experience in music direction, composition, and arranging. She is so excited to be joining the LAUNCHPad Team!

Cindy Ting-Yu Lu is a dedicated pianist from Taiwan, who is passionate about bringing classical music to audiences through performing and teaching. Growing up in a vibrant musical community, she has received several accolades in competitions and performed locally and internationally. Currently, she serves as a teaching fellow of POPP at the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, teaching piano lessons to young students. Previously, she worked as a piano staff instructor in Weber State University Piano Preparatory in Utah, where she taught students ranging from beginners to college music majors.

As an enthusiastic pianist, Cindy has appeared as a featuring soloist and concerto competition winner performing Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor with Utah Philharmonic Orchestra in “Paris Connections”, as well as performing with Weber State University Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the Concerto Night Competition. Additionally, she has won the Utah Music Teacher Association Concerto Competitions and has been invited to perform in the UMTA State Conference Honors Recitals during her time there. Cindy is currently pursuing her MM degree in Piano Performance with an emphasis in Pedagogy at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with acclaimed pianist Alexander Shtarkman. She earned her BM degree in Keyboard Performance from Weber State University in Utah, where she studied with Dr. Yu-Jane Yang.

Tokoya is a dynamic and passionate dancer whose artistry knows no bounds. Born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, Tokoya discovered a love for dance at a young age. Trained in a wide range of dance styles, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop, Tokoya has developed a unique approach to performance. With a strong foundation in contemporary dance, Tokoya blends technique, graceful movements, and storytelling to create captivating performances. Her contemporary dance style seamlessly fuses fluidity and strength, allowing them to express raw emotion and connect deeply with audiences.

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Nupur Thakkar is currently a percussionist and educator based in Baltimore, Maryland. As a lover of chamber music, Nupur has performed with several contemporary ensembles and has been featured on Vic Firth on Xenakis's "Okho". She has also had the opportunity to premiere pieces by Forrest Pierce and Keeghan Fountain alongside Ji Hye Jung. During her time at Vanderbilt, Nupur formed a strings and percussion collective, The Merge Ensemble. They have collaborated with the multimedia company, Continuous Motion Productions, to put out many recordings of their work. Nupur hopes to help share percussion chamber music and bring it to the forefront of classical performance. Over the last few years she has also taught at several schools in Nashville, Michigan and Baltimore, including Interlochen Arts Camp and the Peabody Preparatory.