Robin Garbose (Artistic Director, Director, Acting Teacher) began her directing career in the theater. In New York, Robin directed some 35 plays at theaters including the Ensemble Studio Theater, Jewish Repertory Theater, Manhattan Punch Line, Juilliard Theater Center and the Irish Arts Center. She has directed such noted actors as Laura Linney, Jon Tenney, Peter Riegert, Phoebe Cates, Helen Slater, Ricki Lake, Jason Alexander, Judd Nelson and Bruno Kirby. In Los Angeles, Robin directed It’s a Girl! at the Odyssey Theater — winning 8 Dramalogue Awards, including Best Director — and the long-running comedy hit A Girl’s Guide to Chaos at the Tiffany Theater.
Her television credits include episodes of Head of the Class, Women Pioneers — for which she won a cable Emmy — and America’s Most Wanted, where she directed numerous film reenactments, helping to apprehend fugitives.
Robin co-wrote the screenplay, The Spark, about a Jewish girl’s search for faith, which was one of six scripts selected from nearly a thousand submissions to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Writer’s Lab.
Recently, Robin directed the acclaimed documentary Inspired, produced by Aish HaTorah and Roots, a musical play based on the Memoirs of the Frierdiker Rebbe, as well as the Camp Bnos Yisroel musical DVD series for girls and numerous stage productions for Kol Neshama Performing Arts Conservatory. Robin’s feature film directorial debut, A Light for Greytowers, is currently in post production.
Robin is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in Theater Arts and English Literature. She also studied at London’s prestigious Webber-Douglas Academy for the Performing Arts.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Levi Yitzhaq and their children.
Levi Yitzhaq Garbose (Lyricist, Composer, Producer) is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and attended Hadar HaTorah Rabbinical Seminary in Brooklyn, NY. He has studied banjo at the Faunt School of Creative Music since 1998.
Judy Winegard (Voice and Dialect Coach, Acting Teacher, Musical Director: Together as One, Inner Nature Hike) was classically trained in the performing arts at Ithaca College having been awarded her BFA in Drama. She has performed in musical theater for over 25 years having performed in such productions as Jekyll and Hyde, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and many others. Since becoming observant 15 years ago, Judy has performed exclusively for female audiences. In addition to her acting career, her primary talents are singing and comedy. She has performed concerts for Jewish organizations all over the country. In the spring of 2005, Judy released her first solo album of Jewish and spiritual music, The Journey. Other recordings include music for the Disney Channel, as well as several albums released by artists such as Peter Himmelman and Sam Glaser, including the newly released album, Voices for Israel, a fundraiser to support those in need living in Israel. Since 1999 she has been on the staff of Kol Neshama — a master acting teacher and coach in improvisation, scene study, voice and movement and singing. She also taught and performed lead roles in the two video companion-set, Together as One, and Inner Nature Hike. For the past three years, Judy was the writer, master teacher and director of Baila’s Dance and A Time For Dance. She wrote and revised a total of four plays, The Big Move, Aidel Weiss, The Queen’s Dream and Channie.
Marty Fox (Singing Teacher, Musical Director: A Light For Greytowers) holds a degree in voice from Westminster College and a Cantorial Certificate from Hebrew Union College. She also trained in the Orff-Schulwerk method at the Institute for Music Education at the University of St. Thomas. Marty apprenticed for years with the renowned voice teacher, Joseph Klein, whose specialty was mending damaged voices. She taught music for ten years at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica and for the last seven years has been teaching at Ohr Eliyahu Academy.
Batsheva Frankel (Acting Teacher) worked in the film industry for over 8 years and was the Artistic Director of the Third Rail Theatre Company. She then began a career in Jewish Education, teaching in Jewish day schools throughout Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey. In addition to teaching Tanach, Jewish history, English and creative writing, Batsheva was the drama director at Valley Torah High School where she directed “The Wizard of Oz” and “A Little Princess”. This is her 4th summer teaching at Kol Neshama. Last year Batsheva directed “The Wise Men of Chelm”, and previously for Kol Neshama she directed “The Groger.” Currently, Batsheva is the Judaic Studies Coordinator and a teacher for Los Angeles Hebrew High School. She is also a writer (her work can be found on www.aish.com among other places), and a performer with the Jewish Women’s Reparatory Company where she was Nicely Johnson in “Guys and Dolls” and Chief Sitting Bull in “Annie Get Your Gun”.
Joelle Keene (Composer and Arranger) is an award-winning composer whose works have been performed throughout the West. She holds a bachelors degree in music composition and choral conducting from Occidental College and a masters in conducting performance from the University of Washington, where she studied under the Israeli-born maestro Abraham Kaplan. Ms. Keene has been the composer-in-residence for Ohr HaTorah congregation and was the winner of the Elinor Remick Warren music composition prize at Occidental College. At Shalhevet, Ms. Keene teaches ninth grade music appreciation, leads the school’s choir and orchestra and is the faculty advisor to Shalhevet’s award-winning student newspaper, The Boiling Point.
Rena Konar (Improvisation Teacher) trained at the Groundlings with Cynthia Szigeti, Kathy Griffen and Mindy Sterling. She has performed in Philadelphia and Los Angeles and has appeared in countless Improv troupes. Then came yiddishkeit, marriage and children…
Rachel Lopez (Dance Teacher, Choreographer: Hear, O Israel, Together as One, Inner Nature Hike) graduated with a B.A. in psychology from UC Santa Cruz, and an A.A. in dance from Santa Monica College. Trained in modern, ballet and yoga, Rachel has been performing in the LA area with Loretta Livingston and Dancers since 2002. Rachel loves teaching modern dance and yoga to children, and is grateful for this opportunity to work with Kol Neshama.
Ruth Opolion (Singing Teacher, Musical Director: Little Lord Titchwood) lived and studied in New York and boasts attendance at such prestigious institutions as the Performing Arts High School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School of Music. In addition to a long history of teaching, Ruth has been a vocal coach for community opera and soloist at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel. She is currently an active performer and recitalist as well as the private instructor of an impressive studio of students in Beverly Hills.
Vanessa Paloma (Singing Teacher, Musical Director: The Wonder of Wonders, Heaven Sent, Chanukah Scenes, Purimshpiel, Hear, O Israel) has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Israel, the Orient and South America and is Founding Artistic Director of the SYNERGY ensemble. She began her musical studies in Puerto Rico and later continued at the Andes University in her native Bogotá, Colombia. After moving to the United States, Ms. Paloma studied at Indiana University’s School of Music where she received a Master of Music in Early Music performance, specializing in the music of medieval Spain.
Chaya Shagalow (Dance Teacher, Choreographer: A Light for Greytowers, Little Lord Titchwood) trained in ballet, modern, character and jazz with the New England Ballet Company under the Artistic Direction of Myles Marsden and the tutelage of Ava Roja, Ballet Russe. She toured throughout New England with the New England Ballet Company prior to becoming a Baalas Teshuva. Chaya has choreographed since for Bais Yaakov Los Angeles’s HALLELI since 1989, and recently worked with the Jewish Women’s Repertory Theatre on the “Runyonland” number from GUYS AND DOLLS.
Enny Wax (Vocal Coach, Singing Teacher) has worked with many renowned producers of popular music, including Grammy award winners. She has also recorded songs for Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, and Chaka Khan. Being blessed with 9-year-old triplets, she nevertheless finds time to volunteer her services for charitable causes, including singing on the historic “Voices for Israel: Keeping the Faith” album in solidarity with the people of Israel. She often says, “Hashem has given so much to me, and now it’s my turn to give it back to Him.”
Madrichot and Alumnae
Shaindel Antelis has been singing ever since she learnt how to talk, and started writing her own songs at ten years old. Shaindel recorded a five song demo when she was seventeen years old, but she was still developing her own style and sound. Soon after, Shaindel went to Israel for the year not knowing what the future held. Her life took a turn for the better and she was inspired by the amazing classes and incredible experiences she had. She fell in love with Israel at first sight! Shaindel’s songwriting was in full swing, she kept filling up pages and pages of songs in her notebook. The fun didn’t stop there. Shaindel wanted to reach out and inspire others with her music. She grabbed her guitar (covered with flowers and butterflies 
) and performed in different venues around Israel.
Shaindel came back from Israel and went straight into the studio to start recording her debut album “Heart And Soul”. The album was a family affair. Her father Moshe Antelis played bass, guitar, and arranged the album. Shaindel’s brother Jake Antelis produced, mixed, and played drums on the album.
“Heart And Soul” has thirteen songs written by Shaindel with a pop/rock feel and meaningful messages. Each song is like an excerpt from Shaindel’s diary that she poured her heart and soul into. The title “Heart And Soul” represents the idea of bringing spirituality into every day life.
Debora (Leimdorfer) Melamed was born in Argentina in 1986. Throughout the years Debora received training by many different professionals and in many styles, including modern dance, salsa, aerobics, Middle Eastern dance and Israeli folk, and she has choreographed and instructed dances and dance classes since the age of 11, including at Kol Neshama Performing Arts Conservatory, Beis Rivka, Bnos Menachem and others. She received training in drama for two consecutive summers in the Kol Neshama Performing Arts Conservatory in California and is also trained in guitar, voice, musical engineering, and band production. Debora studied in Machon Alte, Israel, Chaya Aydle Seminary, Fl and Machon Chana, Crown Heights. She is a part of a Machon Chana band and recorded “Return” and (currently in process) a second album, for which she also wrote original music. Debora is now the artistic director of a performing arts conservatory for young girls in Crown Heights, currently in its second year.
Hadas (Gross) Forgy was “bitten by the bug” when she saw (and memorized!) her first Broadway musical at age 3, and has never looked back. Hadas attended Kol Neshama from their very first year in 2000, continuing every summer as a camper, then eventually a madricha and production assistant, until she married and moved the the East Coast in 2008. Since then, Hadas has used her training in and love for dance, theater and film to choreograph, write and direct productions for numerous schools and programs in the New York-New Jersey area, including Reenas Bais Ya’akov of Edison, Bnos Bais Ya’akov of Lakewood, Camp Kochava and Comedance!. She has produced and edited videos for Bais Ya’akov Los Angeles, Camp Raninu and Bnos Sarah Seminary. Hadas is a computer programmer and music history teacher and currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband.