2026 Faculty 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
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
Most recently seen on Broadway in 2025’s Boop!, Faith Prince has been dazzling Broadway audiences since winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as “Ms. Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls. She was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for A Catered Affair. Other Broadway credits include The Little Mermaid, Bells Are Ringing (Tony, DD, OCC noms), Nick & Nora (OCC Award), Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (Tony, DD noms), Little Me, The Dead, Disaster and Noises Off. She also starred in the world premiere of Terrence McNally’s Unusual Acts of Devotion.
Faith’s television credits include Fox’s Monarch with Susan Sarandon, Netflix’s Emily In Paris, Lifetime’s hit series Drop Dead Diva as Brooke Elliott’s mother, “Elaine.” She was a series regular on Showtime's Huff starring as “Kelly Knippers," the love interest of Oliver Platt, and recurred for five seasons on Spin City. Other television credits include A Gifted Man, Happy Endings, Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, Faith, House, Medium, Sweet Potato Queens, Monk, Now and Again, Welcome To New York and Law and Order. Film credits include Our Very Own, Picture Perfect, Dave, and My Father the Hero.
Faith has sung with the Boston Pops, Utah Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, and Philly Pops, and starred in the Orlando Philharmonic’s concert version of Sweeney Todd. Faith toured her show Moving On in Australia to rave reviews, and also toured in Over the Rainbow, a concert celebrating the centennial of Harold Arlen. Faith’s album, Total Faith, was recorded at the Royal Room in the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach and her award winning album, A Leap Of Faith, was recorded at Joe's Pub and is available on DRG records. 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.