I am excited to announce that we have hired Parlando's new Director of Voice, Theatrical and Specialized Programming: Kristel Jelinek Brown.  Kristel has been working at Parlando for two years teaching various classes and lessons including Acting, Music for little Ones, our Julie's Program Classes for people living with developmental and intellectual disabilities, Early Childhood programming and Assistant Directing/Choreographing our musicals.  She has also been overseeing our social networking efforts for the last year.  Kristel has the perfect blend of experience and education and her philosophy toward music, music education and access is tightly aligned with that of Parlando.  I could not be more thrilled to welcome her to our administrative team.

Kristel has strong roots in the Boulder and Colorado communities.  Both she and her husband, Darin, grew up in Colorado and attended CU Boulder for their undergraduate degrees.  They both received their graduate degrees in New York City: Kristel received her Masters Degree in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York while Darin received his Law Degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Kristel and Darin have two children: Charlotte and Bodie.  Kristel is currently on maternity leave having given birth to Bodie in August.  She will continue working behind the scenes before officially beginning her new work at Parlando in January.

We will send out Kristel's contact information at the beginning of January.  If you have any questions about Kristel or our voice, theatrical or specialized programming in the meantime, please send them to me. 

Welcome, Kristel!

BIO:

KRISTEL JELINEK BROWN is an actor, teaching artist and mama who returned to Colorado in 2012 after seven years in New York City. She holds a Masters Degree in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York as well as a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Colorado. Most recently, she was seen in Lysistrata Jones (Cleonice) at the Aurora-Fox, and as principal vocalist both for Norwegian Cruise Lines and Harrah's Showboat Casino in Atlantic City. Additional credits include the first national tour of Urban Cowboy: The Musical (Ensemble); regional productions of Aladdin (Princess Jasmine), Aida (Ensemble), Grease (Frenchy), and Boulder's Dinner Theatre's One Magic Christmas (Mary). While not performing, Kristel's work has become about integrating the arts and community-building, with people of all ages and abilities. Her teaching artist experience extends to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn's Spellbound Theatre Company, the Creative Arts Team's Early Learning Through the Arts, the CAT Youth Theatre, the New Americans Welcome Center of Staten Island, the National Theatre Workshop for the Handicapped, as well as various senior centers and schools in the Denver and NYC-metro areas. Kristel currently resides in Louisville with her husband, Darin, and two children, Charlotte and Bodie.