Gwen Berger
Director
Jr./Sr. Company Instructor
Dubbed the “Mrs. Frizzle” of Musical Theatre, Gwen loves unpacking the hidden voice and acting within each of her students.
Receiving her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UNC-G and her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from LSU, she pursued further training in Manhattan, which provided her many unique opportunities such as working with Metropolitan opera singers, agents, and conductors. She’s traveled in Europe working for an opera conductor and has been a personal assistant to a world-renowned opera singer for the last 23 years.
The combination of these rewarding experiences, and hearing and seeing the best the world has to offer (which she considers being the most valuable and nurturing teachers of all), has shaped her perspective on her voice and drama training.
She served as the choral director for the Charlotte Home Educators Association’s Carolina Youth Chorale for three (3) years, during which the opportunity for students to experience the joy of musical theatre was provided; as the CYC Players’ production of Little Women was performed at Elevation Blakeney to great reviews.
She considers it a privilege to nudge, cajole, throw pom-poms, and use comical torture devices so that students can feel free to be silly or make ridiculous sounds to discover those hidden voices. Teaching a student is like leading them on a fantastic journey to seek a treasure chest, that once opened, becomes their inheritance forever.
Gwen believes music is a powerful element in all of our lives and finds it exciting to share it with others. She says, "Have you ever noticed how we come fully equipped with our own exquisite instrument that identifies us and helps to define who we are and how and where we soar? Think of your mom’s voice…now make that voice sing. Smile!”
Audrey Berger
Sr. Company Dance Instructor
After years as a student in the Jr and Sr Companies in Eagles’ Wings Studio. Audrey is excited to return to the studio as our Sr. Company Dance Instructor! She has always loved the Arts and Musical Expression. Over the years, she has taught a variety of theatre and musical skills to students of all ages. Her favorite stage experiences include her role as, “Lila” in EWS’s 2020 production of Holiday Inn, and performing in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. She is thrilled to be on the EWS Team and to be able to work with these remarkable students!
Jenn Jones
Jr. Company Dance Instructor
A lifelong student and performer, Jenn Jones began her classical training at Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet School) and the Ormond School of Ballet. She later graduated with a BA in General Studies with a concentration in Art and Dance Performance from the University of South Florida and is currently pursuing her MA in Dance Education from the
University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Professional performing experience has included: the TOC Project in Miami, directed by former Twyla Tharp Company member, Lara Tinari, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Bella Danza, a modern/jazz company in Tampa directed by Maria Capitano-Pardo, Karen Pederson and Dancers, utilizing both abled and disabled bodies, Sara Council Dance Project, and others in Tampa, Miami, and Charlotte.
Jenn has worked as a freelance choreographer since 2003, teaching for schools, theatre companies, and studios. She taught for the Patel Conservatory at Tampa Bay’s Performing Arts Center (now the Straz Center) and for Tampa Preparatory School, among others.
She also has set musical theatre choreography for Jobsite Theatre Company, Mary Help of Christians, Charlotte Christian Theatre, and Weddington Middle School; as well as teaching for Charlotte Ballet in 2019 for the REACH program (where she continues to teach ballet, modern, and jazz for the academy).
Jenn is looking forward to collaborating with the EWS family to set choreography and teach movement to our Jr. Company Students!
Sarah Robinson
Sr. & Jr. Company Acting Instructor
Sarah Robinson is excited to be a part of the Eagles' Wings Studio team! Starting to sing on stage around the age of 4, she continued to grow in the theatre arts through her elementary and high school years - performing annually in plays/musicals. After high school, she enrolled as a theatre major at Winthrop College, where she acted in and/or directed several shows including Mayhem in Mayville, The Gospel According to Scrooge, and Overcoming the Darkness.
Since 2012, she has had the privilege of directing middle and high school students in 20 shows, both plays and musicals. Her goal is always to share her love for the stage but more importantly, to build relationships.
She is a firm believer that everyone should try theatre at least once! Theatre builds teamwork with others and confidence in yourself. She is eager to be working with each of our Sr and Jr Company Students at EWS!
Sarah Robinson
Sr. & Jr. Company Acting Instructor
Sarah Robinson is excited to be a part of the Eagles' Wings Studio team! Starting to sing on stage around the age of 4, she continued to grow in the theatre arts through her elementary and high school years - performing annually in plays/musicals. After high school, she enrolled as a theatre major at Winthrop College, where she acted in and/or directed several shows including Mayhem in Mayville, The Gospel According to Scrooge, and Overcoming the Darkness.
Since 2012, she has had the privilege of directing middle and high school students in 20 shows, both plays and musicals. Her goal is always to share her love for the stage but more importantly, to build relationships.
She is a firm believer that everyone should try theatre at least once! Theatre builds teamwork with others and confidence in yourself. She is eager to be working with each of our Sr and Jr Company Students at EWS!
Melissa Wheeler
Sr. & Jr. Company Voice Class
Melissa is an exuberant and experienced educator with a passion for training up children.
She has a BA from the University of Virginia and over 25 years of teaching experience in the classroom, in children’s ministry, and in homeschooling her five children. Trained in classical music, she was an accomplished flute player through university and a flute instructor post-graduation.
Melissa has an excitement for the ministry of Eagles’ Wings and has been involved at many levels, including serving as a board member, soliciting patrons, spearheading fundraising, accelerating ticket sales, and assisting in the production of the Jr. and Sr. Company musical reviews in 2022. Melissa will combine her experience as an educator, musical talent, and enthusiasm for Eagles’ Wings to help our students fly.
Laura DeBruhl
Recreation Class Instructor
(Ages 5-8)
Laura comes to Eagles' Wings with an enthusiasm to instruct home-educated youth (including her own) in the area of movement, singing, and dancing.
As a homeschool mom herself, she holds a degree in athletic training and has a sincere love of music that consists of growing up in choir, singing for worship bands, and enjoying the piano and the theater arts as well.
Laura loves being a part of the EWS team and brings energy and excitement to the class she leads (5-8-year-olds), loves seeing her students grow.
Noelle Nixon
Recreation Class Instructor
(Ages 9-13)
After spending nearly ten years of her life performing in musical theater, Noelle is thrilled to now be a part of the Eagles Wings team teaching our recreational classes. She began performing at age seven, and in the past several years has had the experience of directing and writing scripts for two musicals of her own.
She is entering her third year of training with Eagles Wings, and after studying voice with Mrs. Berger, is so excited to share what she’s learned with others, and to grow in her own teaching and directing abilities.
Noelle is also an elementary and high school art teacher with a passion for teaching and helping students achieve their full potential. She cannot wait to see how students’ lives are changed through this program, just as her own has been.
Marni Arnold
Administrator
Marni takes care of all of our behind-the-scenes tasks that keep our business moving. She came to us as a studio mom in 2018, with a writing background, and began volunteering for EWS in communications while her son participated for a couple of years in the program in the Jr. Company and enjoyed a part in Holiday Inn in 2020. She has a High School choral background and enjoys the theater arts, musicals, and music in general. Relocating to the Charlotte, NC area in 1997 from Southern AZ, she also has a background in EMS/Fire and Biology, has been married for 20+ years, and has been homeschooling since 2009.
Currently, as she continues homeschooling her son through High School, she is an avid volunteer within the local homeschooling community, an ACBC Biblical Counseling Student with a Bachelor of Science in Religion from Liberty University, and enjoys being a part of the Eagles’ Wings staff to support the staff, students and their families, and the mission, vision, and values of this program.
She can be reached for any EWS admin-related inquiries by text or email at: (704) 890-4799 or info@eagleswingsstudio.com.