Richard is a critically acclaimed Opera and Broadway performer, voice builder, teacher, and coach.  His career highlights include Jean Valjean (Les Miserables), Old Deuteronomy (CATS) and singing with Pavarotti in Italy as the winner of the 1995 Pavarotti Competition in Los Angeles.  He received his BA in Music/Vocal Performance and Theatre Arts, cum laude, from Adelphi University.  A graduate of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program and Western Opera Theater, he sang the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème, a role he later reprised with West Bay Opera.  He has appeared in regional musicals and plays including Fiorello!, Bachelor of Buttons, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Kiss Me Kate, Inherit the Wind, The Sound of Music, Once Upon a Mattress and The Wizard of Oz.  Richard was a Metropolitan Opera finalist and an N.A.T.S. winner.  Other honors include the Dr. Dean Verhines Award, the Rose Shenson Foundation Award and finalist in the 2003 San Francisco Cabaret Competition. He combines his practical experience with his unique teaching methodology to assist SFAPA students in the pursuit of artistic excellence.

John Florencio, Musical Director

John is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory with a major in Performance and studied with renowned teachers Fr. Manuel Maramba and Peggy Salkind.  A founding member of SFAPA, he is a part-time faculty member at the Notre Dame de Namur University Music and Theatre Department.  He continues to tour with West-End actress Stephanie Reese to venues in Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Taipei and Manila.  After traveling the “musical” world, he has recently returned to make his home in San Francisco. (john.florencio@gmail.com)

Joshua Finkel, SFAPA Consultant

Joshua is an accomplished director, acting coach and actor who easily moves between these three mediums.  He has an MFA in Classical Theater from what is now the University of Delaware Professional Theatre Training Program.  He starred on Broadway and in London as Molina in the original company of Kiss of the Spider Woman opposite Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams.  He recently received rave reviews as Lumiere in Cabrillo Music Theater's production of Beauty and the Beast and directed Maccabeat for the Theater League's Festival of New Musicals.  He has appeared in numerous TV shows and films.  He directed the original SFAPA production, Songs for a New World, at the Plush Room as well as the first SFAPA review, Broadway Babies.  For more information, including classes offered, please go to www.ccactingstudio.com or email him at coach4actors@aol.com.

Paula Leong, Administrative Director

Paula is the Residency Coordinator for the Radiation Oncology program and oversees 13 residents at Stanford University, where she has worked for over 25 years.  For many years, she was the manager for the Divisions of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hand Surgery, and Microsurgery.  She has a diverse work history in management and finance.  She is a music devotee and, as one of the founding members of SFAPA, has been volunteering her management/financial skills since its inception.  An integral part of the Academy, she manages its business and financial activities.

Becky Jones, Director of Youth Programs

Becky is a graduate of the School of Music and Education at Tulsa University in Oklahoma and completed her post-graduate studies in the Bay Area.  Becky is a Music Specialist for the San Mateo/Foster City School and also the Lesson/Class Coordinator for SFAPA.  She has performed with Broadway By The Bay, Solano Theatre and Capuchino Community Theatre as well as many cabaret venues in San Francisco. She is the delightful host of the weekly SFAPA-sponsored open mics at the Octavia Lounge and will release her CD Mama’s Ready to Come Out and Play soon.  (divawhosings712@comcast.net)

JoAna Gray, Communications Director

JoAna manages the marketing and communication functions for SFAPA.  She recently conceived, wrote and performed Shades of Gray, a one woman cabaret show (Larkspur Cafe), which she plans to perform in other venues, including SF.  Musical theatre credits include Anything Goes and The Pied Piper of Hamelin Town.  She also completed her first movie, Moonlight Through Ivy in mid-2007.  A member of TBA, she studies voice with Richard at SFAPA and acting with Bobby Weinapple at Seydways Studios.  She has an MBA from Santa Clara University and has worked as a consultant in marketing communications and technical writing for the past several years.  (jgray@joanagray.com, www.joanagray.com)