BIOS
Tim SChall - Artistic director/producer
“Tim Schall sings with a voice like honey, a heart filled with emotion and a mind that knows how to tell a story. That’s the cabaret triple crown.” — Cabaret legend Amanda McBroom
TIM SCHALL is co-founder of The St. Louis Cabaret Conference and is solely responsible for choosing faculty, curriculum and students. Under Schall’s guidance The St. Louis Cabaret Conference has developed into one of the top song performance training programs in the country with a renowned, award winning guest faculty that attracts more than 20 singers each year from all over the nation. Additionally, he has taught numerous Advanced Performance classes and directed nearly 30 full length cabaret shows and showcases for various singers, including Tony nominee Lara Teeter’s acclaimed New York cabaret debut at 54 Below in 2014.
Tim performed on stage at Jazz at Lincoln Lincoln Center during the 2019 New York Cabaret Convention’s salute to composer Frank Loesser. Tim has been called “a consummate cabaret performer” by Cabaret Scenes Magazine. He is a singer with over a dozen solo shows to his credit. KDHX St. Louis refers to his performances as “madly entertaining”. He has headlined his shows at the prestigious St. Louis venues The Sheldon Concert Hall, The Bistro at Grand Center, Gaslight Cabaret Festival, BlueStrawberry, among many other clubs and performing arts centers. Regionally/nationally he has performed in Colorado, Iowa and at Davenports (Chicago), Geist Cabaret (Santa Fe), in addition to venues in Boston and Washington DC. St. Louis’ Riverfront Times says of his cabaret work, “expect great things”.
Tim has served as adjunct faculty at Webster University teaching their Cabaret Styles Performance class to seniors in the University's Musical Theater Conservatory. Schall is the Executive Director of The Cabaret Project of St. Louis (TCP), a non-profit with a mission to support, develop and sustain the art of cabaret. Under the banner of TCP, Schall serves as has presented such talents as Christine Ebersole, Karen Mason, Robin de Jesus, Jason Robert Brown, Ann Hampton Callaway, Faith Prince, Marilyn Maye, Billy Stritch, Jason Graae, Liz Callaway, Andrea Marcovicci, Norm Lewis, Rachel Bay Jones, Christine Andreas, Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock. The national publication Cabaret Scenes Magazine has twice highlighted his work as a cabaret force in a feature articles in 2009 and 2017. Tim operates a private vocal performance studio in St. Louis.
A veteran actor, he was nominated for a St. Louis Theater Circle Award as Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance in The Normal Heart. He has appeared with multiple theaters in St. Louis and Chicago. He has sung with both the Chicago and St. Louis Symphony Choruses and was a soloist with Webster University’s Opera Scenes evening in 2015. He is a Missouri Arts Council Touring Artist and has performed and taught song performance workshops throughout the state.
FACULTY
ARI AXELROD
“There never was, and there never will be an artist who knows their self and commits that self to the creation of musical storytelling in quite the same way as Ari Axelrod.”– Stephen Moser, BroadwayWorld
ARI AXELROD is an actor, director, singer, and Jewish activist. He recently received the 2022 Bistro Award for Theatrical Performance in Song for his show, “Ari’s Arias." His multi-award-winning show, “A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway,” has seen multiple sold-out performances at the historic Birdland Jazz Club, one of which featured six-time Emmy & Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh, as well as sold-out performances in St. Louis, Chicago, Boca Raton, Ann Arbor, and via Zoom during COVID. In 2020, he received a MAC Award nomination for Best Male Vocalist, and won the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Live Zoom Performance. Ari Axelrod's first solo cabaret, "Taking the Wheel,” was directed by Tony Award winner Faith Prince and music directed by multiple MAC Award winner Alex Rybeck and has been performed in numerous cities around the country. Ari’s work as a director has been seen at Paper Mill Playhouse, Birdland, Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Green Room 42, and Don’t Tell Mama.
Recently, Ari was the recipient of The Jewish Week’s prestigious 36 Under 36 Award, which “honors 36 noteworthy New Yorkers, all 36 years old or younger, who make New York — and its many Jewish communities — better. These entrepreneurs, young leaders, and change makers bring remarkable energy and new ideas to religion, philanthropy, the arts, Jewish learning, campus life, social action, inclusion, and justice.” AXELROD is an actor, director, singer, and Jewish activist. His multi-award-winning show, “A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway,” has seen multiple sold-out performances at the historic Birdland Jazz Club, one of which featured six-time Emmy & Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh, as well as sold-out performances in St. Louis, Chicago, Boca Raton, Ann Arbor, and via Zoom during COVID. In 2020, he received a MAC Award nomination for Best Male Vocalist, and won the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Live Zoom Performance. Ari Axelrod's first solo cabaret, "Taking the Wheel,” was directed by Tony Award winner Faith Prince and music directed by multiple MAC Award winner Alex Rybeck and has been performed in numerous cities around the country. Ari’s work as a director has been seen at Paper Mill Playhouse, Birdland, Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Green Room 42, and Don’t Tell Mama. www.ariaxelrod.com
Tedd Firth
“Prodigiously gifted and versatile pianist” — Stephen Holden, New York Times
Tedd is a New York City based musical director, jazz pianist and arranger. Recent highlights include being the musical director for the reunion of the original Broadway cast of "Into The Woods" at the Segerstrom Center For The Arts in Costa Mesa, CA as well as serving as musical director for Michael Feinstein's “Jazz and Popular Song” concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center and for Marilyn Maye’s triumphant solo Carnegie Hall appearance. .As musical director and accompanist he has worked with Barbara Cook, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maureen McGovern, Tom Wopat, Marilyn Maye, Michael Feinstein, Joshua Bell, Liza Minnelli, Elaine Paige, Tony DeSare, Linda Lavin, Christine Ebersole, Lucie Arnaz, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Prince, John Schneider, Melissa Errico, Karen Akers, Mary Cleere Haran, Margaret Whiting, Carol Sloane and many others. As an arranger and orchestrator, Tedd's work has been performed by all major American symphony orchestras. In 2013, Tedd was commissioned by the New York Pops to create new orchestrations for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” which has had numerous performances across the country in subsequent years.
Among the jazz musicians he has performed or recorded with are John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Frank Wess, Mark Whitfield, Red Holloway, Benny Golson and Joe Morello.
New York appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, the Algonquin, the Cafe Carlyle and Feinstein's at the Regency. Numerous national appearances include a performance at the White House. As an arranger/orchestrator, Tedd's work has been performed by most major American symphony orchestras as well as Bernadette Peters and Liza Minnelli. Television appearances include "The Today Show," "Live From Lincoln Center", "All My Children" and PBS’ "Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room." www.teddfirth.com
MARILYN MAYE
“She’s the real deal, the surviving artist of the American popular singer” — Rex Reed, The New York Observer
MARILYN MAYE is a cultural and musical treasure. Her entire life has been committed to the art of song performance. After working as a professional singer since she was a child , she was “discovered” by Steve Allen who heard her during her eleven-year engagement at the Colony in Kansas City. He presented her various times on his national television show. From those appearances came an RCA recording contract. Perhaps the simplest Marilyn Maye accolade came in a single line as she finished one of her record setting 76 appearances on The Tonight Show. Turning to his nightly audience of millions, Johnny Carson said, “And that, young singers, is the way it’s done.”
Marilyn’s great career includes multiple recordings. including a new 2026 release The Magic of Marilyn Maye, Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center. Maye has played countless club/concert appearances and leading theatrical roles. Ella Fitzgerald called her one of the greatest singers she knew. The Houston Chronicle says Marilyn is “A national treasure” and her recording of Too Late Now is enshrined alongside recordings by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland in the Smithsonian Museum’s collection of the Best Performers of the Best Compositions of the 20th Century. After appearing in the 2006 New York Cabaret Convention, Marilyn’s career exploded all over again and she is currently enjoying bookings and rave reviews throughout the country. She is currently the toast of the New York nightclub, concert and cabaret world with regular appearances at venues including Birdland, 54 Below and a 2023 sold out solo triumph at Carnegie Hall. Additionally in New York, Marilyn has played the the late great The Metropolitan Room and Iridium Jazz Club. Her ongoing performances across the country are filled with adoring fans and seasoned performers who are there to see “how it’s done”. Marilyn’s master classes in New York have waiting lists and she regularly guides singers through the creation of their solo shows. www.marilynmaye.com
Sidney Myer
"A beloved, latter-day vaudevillian. An engagingly mischievous dispenser of musical repartee.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
"Sidney Myer can make you laugh and he can make you cry, and he does it all with the combination of a wicked sense of humor and miles and miles of heart” - Will Friedwald, New York Sun
Sidney Myer is a long-established and highly respected figure in the New York City cabaret scene, known for his witty, expressive vocal style, theatrical presence, and deep knowledge of the Great American Songbook. He has made New York his base while performing nationally and internationally, blending music, humor, and storytelling to create performances that range from comedic to deeply moving.
A multi-award-winning performer, Myer has been recognized by major cabaret and performance organizations including: MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) Awards — Myer has received multiple MAC Awards, a central honor in the NYC cabaret and live performance community, Backstage Bistro Awards — He has won Bistro Awards, including recognition for Unique Artistry, celebrating his distinctive contribution to the cabaret genre, Provincetown CabaretFest Lifetime Achievement Award — In 2020, Myer was honored with this Lifetime Achievement Award at the Provincetown CabaretFest, recognizing his decades of influence and support for the art form anbd the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret Classic & Paula Laurence Awards .Myer’s artistic presence has been widely covered by the press. He was featured in an arts cover story in The New York Times under the headline “Saviors of the American Songbook,” reflecting his role as both performer and champion of classic repertoire.
For nearly four decades he served as Cabaret Booking Manager at influential New York venues such as Don’t Tell Mama, Rose’s Turn, and Panache, helping launch and support the careers of numerous artists who went on to Broadway, television, and major awards.
Myer’s recorded legacy includes Sidney Myer: Live at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, a DVD capturing his stage artistry and range, from comedic numbers to heartfelt ballads.
FAITH PRINCE
“[Prince] reminds us how musicals can kidnap an audience’s empathy to the point that nothing exists but the song being sung.” — Ben Brantley, New York Times
For the past four decades, FAITH PRINCE has dazzled audiences on both stage and screen in a variety of memorable comedic and dramatic roles. She quickly rose to Broadway fame after winning a Tony Award, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls directed by Jerry Zaks, and has remained one of the most prolific leading ladies working in the American musical theater. For her Broadway debut in Jerome Robbins Broadway, Ms. Prince was nominated for her first Tony Award and Drama Desk Award, and has since starred in over a dozen Broadway shows: Nick & Nora (Outer Critics Circle nomination), Guys and Dolls, What’s Wrong With This Picture, The King and I, Little Me, James Joyce’s The Dead, Bells Are Ringing (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics nominations), Noises Off, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, A Catered Affair (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics nominations), Annie, and Disaster. Also in New York, she originated the role of Trina in William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettoland and can be heard on the cast recording. Most recently, she returned to Broadway originating the role of Valentina in BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical.
Equally present on screen, Ms. Prince made her television debut guest starring opposite Pierce Brosnan on the hit series “Remington Steele” followed by playing Angela Virago in the 1985 film The Last Dragon. She has appeared in numerous films including: Dave with Kevin Kline, My Father the Hero with Gerard Depardieu, Picture Perfect with Jennifer Aniston, Our Very Own, It Had to Be You, Material Girls, and Disney’s TinkerBell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Faith is perhaps more widely recognized for the many colorful characters she has created on television including recently: Nellie Cantrell on the 2022 Fox series “Monarch” and Judith Robertson in “Emily in Paris”, as well as Kristy Swenson in “Scream Queens”, Elaine Bingum in “Drop Dead Diva”, Claudia in “Spin City”, Kelly Knippers in “Huff”, “Modern Family”, “CSI", “Ugly Betty”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Monk”, “House”, “Now and Again” and television movies including most recently “Dear Christmas” for Lifetime.
Audiences can now stream her many live appearances, including performances from The Tony Awards, “My Favorite Broadway” at Carnegie Hall, and An Evening At The Pops: A Tribute to Jerry Herman” (PBS). In addition to the original cast recordings, she has two solo albums “A Leap of Faith” (DRG, 2000) and “Total Faith” (Broadway Records, 2013). Faith can frequently be seen in concert and her symphony appearances include Boston Pops, Utah Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Cincinnati Pops, and Philly Pops, and Sydney Opera House and the Adelaide Music Festival with Anthony Warlow.
Born in Georgia and raised in Virginia, Faith received a BFA in musical theater from University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before moving to New York and making her professional debut in Scrambled Feet. a revue at The Village Gate Theater. She then succeeded Ellen Greene as Audrey in the original New York and Los Angeles productions of Little Shop of Horrors. In 2009, Ms. Prince was honored by her alma mater with an Honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts. www.faith-prince.com
mike Stapelton
Mike Stapelton is a New York City–based pianist, music director, arranger, and Broadway musician whose career encompasses Broadway productions, cabaret, and concert performance. He is widely recognized for his musical versatility, stylistic fluency, and his ability to support storytelling with clarity and emotional depth.
Mike has worked on several Broadway productoins including Assistant Conducting on the recent Lincoln Center Production of Adam Guettel’s FLOYD COLLINS, as well as serving as pianist and keyboardist on the currently running production of THE GREAT GATSBY with Jeremy Jordan.
A significant aspect of Stapelton’s career has been his ongoing work with composer Adam Guettel. He has been closely involved in performances, workshops, and productions of Guettel’s music, engaging deeply with the composer’s complex harmonic language and lyric-driven storytelling.
In addition to his Broadway career, Stapelton is an in-demand cabaret and concert pianist, performing regularly with multiple singers in New York including the award winning Ari Axelrod.
Larry Yurman
Larry Yurman is a pianist, arranger and conductor with 35+ years of experience on Broadway and beyond. Selected Broadway credits include WAR PAINT starring Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, the revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER starring Jesse Mueller and Harry Connick, Jr., IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, the original Broadway production of GREY GARDENS with Christine Ebersole, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, SIDE SHOW (1998 orig. pro d.), A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM with Nathan Lane, the 1992 Tony winning revival of GUYS AND DOLLS starring Faith Prince and Nathan Lane, and the original Broadway production of the iconic LES MISERABLES. He was also the onstage pianist for the most recent revival of THE ICEMAN COMETH starring Denzel Washington.
In the Cabaret and concert world, Larry has collaborated with Christine Ebersole, T Oliver Reid, Ari Axelrod and just recently completed a 4 month tour with Lea Salonga across North America. He recently provided the arrangements and Musical Direction for a brand new show featuring the songs of Hoagy Carmichael - STARDUST ROAD - for the York Theatre in NYC. His arranging and playing can be heard on Christine Ebersole’s recent album AFTER THE BALL. He has a degree in Music Composition from Oberlin Conservatory and has been on the faculty of the Graduate Acting Program at New York University since 1983, teaching song performance to the next generation of actors and musical theater performers.