Teachers

Voice, Classical, Musical Theatre, Music Theory, Bak and Dreyfoos Prep

Adriana Zabala Ayoub

Hi, I’m Adriana Zabala Ayoub. I have been teaching voice since the day after I graduated from school, literally. I knew when I was little that I wanted to be a teacher. I love sharing my knowledge with others in a way they can understand and I also love singing and everything related to singing. I am passionate about teaching and sharing my knowledge and understanding of my instrument and my voice with my students and bringing them to a better understanding of their own instrument. I was born in West Palm Beach and graduated from Forest Hill High School. The chorus there was under the direction of Harold Bradley who along with my voice teacher Sonia Santiago were both a huge part of my musical journey. I also attended FSU and graduated with a Vocal Performance Degree, and I studied with the incredible Yvonne Ciannella. After college and before opening up my voice academy, I was a frequent guest artists with many of the area’s performing arts organizations, including the Palm Beach Opera and was featured on various local radio and television networks. My one woman show later gave me the opportunity to travel aboard luxury cruise ships around the world for numerous years performing.

Encouraged by my own educational experiences, I  served as an Artist in Residence at Bak Middle School of the Arts for over 7 years as well as numerous High Schools in Palm Beach County. For many years during and after I served as a judge for the entry auditions for both Bak Middle school of the Arts and Alexandre W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts.  I have been the owner of Adriana Zabala’s Voice and Music Academy since 2012 and I have been performing and teaching for over 22 years and I continue to share my love and passion for singing and for music with all my students. 

Guitar, Drums, Piano, Studio Engineering

Brendan Lyons

Voice, Piano, Classical, Musical Theatre, Music Theory, Bak and Dreyfoos Prep

Chase Wheeler

Hi! I’m Chase Wheeler. I was born and raised in Florida and began my formal training at the age of 10 as an instrumentalist. I learned the piano, oboe, trumpet, guitar, flute, and clarinet. I found my love for singing at the age of 15 when I studied under Jackie Stressman and by 17 I was winning awards that even allowed me to record with Grammy award winner Producer, David Rutterberg. 

I attended Florida Atlantic University and earned a B.A in Music, Vocal Performance and Education. One of my favorite parts of my studies was the ability to participate in various summer programs, including Anúna International Summer School in Ireland. Since then I was able to be a part of multiple traveling ensembles and have been featured on local radio networks. 

I started teaching at Adriana Zabala’s Voice and Music Academy shortly after I graduated in 2013 and I instantly knew I found my passion in teaching and enjoyed sharing my love for music with my students. I love to teach voice, piano, guitar and music theory. I have served as an Artist in Residence at Bak Middle School of the Arts as well as numerous High Schools in Palm Beach County.

Voice, Piano, Classical, Musical Theatre, Music Theory, Song Writing, Bak and Dreyfoos Prep

Chelsea Appel

Hi! I’m Chelsea. I started singing when I am 13 years old and I going the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches. My private voice teacher was owner Adriana Zabala. I attended Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts for high school and Rollins College on a full scholarship and earned my B.A in Music; Vocal Performance/Education under director Dr. John Sinclair.

My voice has led me to performed both nationally and internationally as a soloist and with national honor choirs including the Bach festival choir. I have loved performing in numerous operas, musical theatre productions and even Disney! 

I have enjoyed my time in numerous contemporary bands and ensembles and love to perform and teach many different genres from rock/pop, to folk, blues, country, reggae and more. I strive to make my lessons fun, educational, and relevant for my students. I love incorporating technology into lessons when possible and greatly encourages my students to pursue performance opportunities.

Chances are you’ve probably spoken to me or you’re going to soon because I am also the office manager. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, love notes or concerns. 

Voice, Classical, Musical Theatre, Music Theory, Bak and Dreyfoos Prep

Daland Jones

Hi I’m Daland. I am a Lyric Baritone and I hold Bachelors of Music degree in Vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where I studied with Metropolitan Opera tenor Cesar Ulloa. I also have a Masters degree from Manhattan School of Music where I studied  under Baritone Mark Oswald.

I have been blessed with many amazing performance opportunities in my career. I am super proud that I made my professional debut when I was 17 years old in Mississippis Opera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata as Gastone. I’ve also played the role of‘El Dancairo’ in Carmen, ‘Sem’ in Benjamin Britten’s Noyes Fludde, ‘Parpignol’ in La Bohème as well as gala concerts with Mississippi Opera. I later made my Carnegie Hall debut singing the tenor solo in Schubert’s Mass in G with the Southern Chorale and the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony. 

That’s not all, I was lucky enough to perform throughout Spain performing in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza as a soloist with the Triumph Chorale. I am also an alumni of the Daniel Ferro summer opera program in Greve de Chianti, Italy, as well as the Aspen Festival of Music, where I performed in numerous recitals, as well as in Rossini’s La Cenerentola.  I also had the privilege to have appeared in their opera scenes concert with orchestra as ‘Marcello’ in La Bohème, under the baton of Maestro Patrick Summers of Houston Grand Opera. I also collaborated with Opera Memphis in an all American recital and performed with the Corinth Symphony as soloist for the Martin Luther King  and Leontyne Price Tribute concert and I’ve toured performing in Portugal as well as performing in Paris France in a  scenes concert of Verdi’s  La Traviata as Alfredo. Most recently I was featured as the cover and story for the 2021 summer edition of the Opera and classical singer magazine “The Whole Review” discussing my passion for fitness, singing and teaching.

My musical career has allowed me to have amazing experiences  and I love sharing my knowledge with my students so that hopefully they can use their talents to create unforgettable experiences as well.

Drums, Guitar, Piano, Studio Engineering

Jamie Newitt

Hi I’m Jamie. I’m a drummer/percussionist with a B.A. in Music and a minor in Jazz Studies from The University of Delaware. I am currently a member of The Heavy Pets, a nationally touring rock outfit based in South Florida. 

I’m proud to say my drumming can be heard regularly on Sirius/XM Radio as well as terrestrial radio stations in The United States and Canada. Over the years, I have had the honor of performing at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, New Orleans JazzFest, and Jam Cruise among others. I have played/recorded with legendary producer Charlie Calello, David Grisman (The Grateful Dead), John Popper (Blues Traveller), G. Love, Kris Thomas (The Voice), Johnny Neel (Allman Brothers), George Porter Jr (The Meters), Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews), and Felix Pastorius. In addition to The Heavy Pets, I also do studio sessions and perform regularly around South Florida.

I love teaching drums and piano to students of all ages and sharing my love for music. I also enjoy teaching sound engineering and helping students get their recording studio ready for recording. 

Voice, Music Theory, Musical Theatre, Piano

Veronica Garcia

Hi! My name is Veronica Garcia. I began my musical journey at 7 years old when I started taking voice lessons in my hometown of Sagua la Grande, Cuba. My family immigrated to the United States at age 9 where I continued my journey by joining my school choirs. I attended John I Leonard High School and graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University, where I graduated with a degree in Music Education and studied under the instruction of Sonia Santiago. 

I have had the privilege of performing at a variety of venues such as Walt Disney World and the Kravis Center as well as performed with the Palm Beach Opera. I have placed in many competitions and even won first place in the regional competition of National Association of Teachers of Singing. 

My training started primarily in classical music however I love to sing and teach a variety of music ranging from pop to musical theater. I enjoy teaching different genres of music and encourage my students to explore different genres. My goal is lessons is to have fun, feel safe and make beautiful music. 

Voice, Piano, Music Theory

Samar Halim

Hi! My name is Samar Halim. I am a vocalist, with experience in vocal production and vocal techniques across various music genres. I graduated from Florida Atlantic University, with a Bachelors degree in Commercial Music Technology, where I learned to apply music technology through recording, producing, performing, collaborating, mixing and mastering commercial music. I have been dedicated to perfecting my vocal training techniques since I was 6 years old. I love teaching all genres and styles and sharing my love for music and performing with my students. I strive to make every lesson fun and a place students can feel comfortable playing with their instrument as they learn and have fun.