Music Department > Faculty

The Directors

Catherine Coleman Boone, Artistic Director - Voice
Catherine is the Artistic Director of Voice at Legacy School of the Arts. A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, she has sung roles in numerous theatre and opera companies including Kansas City Puccini Festival, Natchez Opera Festival, Opera Memphis, University of Memphis, Wake Forest University, Seagle Music Colony, Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, The Theatre in the Park and the Leawood Stage Company. Catherine has performed such various roles as: Cio-Cio San - Madama Butterfly, Lauretta - Gianni Schicchi, Suor Dolcina/Suor Osmina - Suor Angelica, Ciesca - Gianni Schicchi, Beth - Out of the Rain (Memphis premiere of Michael Ching's opera), Lady Billows - Albert Herring, Little Red Riding Hood - Little Red Riding Hood, First Lady - Die Zauberflote, Micaela - Carmen, Countess - Marriage of Figaro, Gretel - Hansel and Gretel, Mimi - La Boheme, Helena - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antonia - The Tales of Hoffman, Valencienne - The Merry Widow, Mistress - Evita, Polly Peachum – The Threepenny Opera, Dr. Martha Livingstone - Agnes of God, and Abigail Adams- 1776. Catherine has trained with the internationally renowned Inci Bashar, Randall Rushing, Teresa Radomski, and Clarissa Behr Davis. She has coached with Gail Robinson of the Metropolitan Opera, James Dodding of the BBC, Metropolitan Opera baritone Sherrill Milnes, New York City Opera tenor Darren Keith Woods, and Des Moines Metro Opera Director Robert Larsen. Catherine also appeared in the television special "You've Got That Right!" with Alfre Woodard.

Mrs. Coleman Boone has won music competitions and scholarships including: First Prize in the Harris-Giles Music Competition (Open Category-Music of the Romantic Period), The Paul Robinson Fellowship, Presidential Scholarship in Voice to Wake Forest University, Hohenburg-Scheidt Scholarship to the University of Memphis and the Graduate Assistantship in Opera to the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 1999, Catherine made her symphony soloist debut with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra singing the Countess for their Mozart Birthday Celebration. She recently sang a German Music recital for the International Chamber Music Festival in Mississippi and is a frequent soloist for the New Reform Temple and the Bach Cantata Vespers Series at Immanuel Lutheran in Kansas City. Her educational background is as follows: Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Music, Wake Forest University-1995; Master of Music in Vocal Performance, University of Memphis-1999 and is working on her DMA in Vocal Performance at UMKC Conservatory. Catherine directed Annie, Jr. and Into the Woods, Jr. for the Leawood Youth Performance Players 2004-2005, and was the children's chorus master for The Kansas City Puccini Festival's Edgar, La Boheme, and Turandot. She lives in Overland Park with her husband, David and their son, Mason.

Melissa Falkner, Administrative Director, Music; Artistic Director, Piano
Melissa Falkner received her Bachelor of Music degree (Piano Performance) from the University of Kansas and her Master of Music degree (Piano Performance and Pedagogy) from Northwestern University. After graduation, she was a member of the faculty of Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. She has worked with such artists as Claude Frank, Richard Goode, John Perry and Vladimir Mischuk.

In 1993, Melissa was invited to attend and perform at the St. Petersburg (Russia) International Piano Seminar. After moving to New Hampshire in 1994, she was a member of the faculty of the Manchester Community Music School where she remained an active performer as well as a teacher. In addition to her solo work, Melissa was a member of the Manchester Chamber Players and New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1996 Melissa relocated to Phoenix where she became a faculty member of Grand Canyon University. She returned to Kansas City with her family in 1998. Melissa joined the faculty of Legacy School of the Arts in 2002 as an instructor and accompanist.

A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, Melissa is a licensed and certified Musikgarten instructor. She recently earned Level 1 certification form the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association.

The Instructors

Paula Fahrenholtz, Piano
Paula joined the Legacy staff in 2005. Before moving to the Kansas City area, she taught both private and group piano at Wichita State University and Sterling College. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Sterling College, a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Wichita State University, and additional post-graduate study at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Paula has extensive experience as a festival adjudicator, a solo performer, and an accompanist. She received 1st place in the 2001 KMTA graduate-level piano competition and was a finalist in the Wichita State University Concerto-Aria competition. She has given solo performances in Kansas, Idaho, and Colorado. As an accompanist, she toured with the Sterling College Concert Choir and the select choral ensemble, the Highland Singers. She has studied piano with Elizabeth Zawadowski, Paul Reed and John McIntyre.

Megan King, Voice
Megan is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music at University of Missouri – Kansas City with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance. Megan received her undergraduate degree from William Jewell College with a double major in Music Education and Vocal Performance. She has been teaching private voice lessons since 2000 and has been on faculty with Legacy School of the Arts since 2002.

Megan was recently named in the Kansas City Star’s 30 Under 30 Up-and-Coming Culture Makers. She enjoys performing with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as a member of the Chorus and sang the role of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro in April 2005. Miss King has performed the roles of Rose in Street Scene, Nannetta in Falstaff, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fidelia in Edgar, Dora in The Gift of the Magi, Christmas Future/Mrs. Kindheart in Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol and the Maiden in Wise Women with Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City. She has performed with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate,” and the soprano solo in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony. She will be performing again with the Civic Orchestra in December 2006. Megan also performed at the Plaza Lighting Ceremony, Thanksgiving 2003.

Megan’s other Operatic and Musical Theater roles include Despina in Così fan tutte, Little Red Ridinghood in Into the Woods, Echo in Ariade auf naxos, Suor Dolcina in Suor Angelica, Peasblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed at the Conservatory. She performed roles in Gianni Schicchi and The King and I at William Jewell College. She spent two summers at Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony and in August 2002. Megan spent two weeks at the Dierbach Music Festival in Dierbach, Germany. She enjoys performing with the Kansas City Puccini Festival each May. Her previous roles with the festival include Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Suor Genevieve in Suor Angelica, Liù in Turandot, Mimi in La Boheme, and Kate in Madama Butterfly. She currently studies with Inci Bashar.

Katie Musick, Voice
Katie has performed on stages from New York to Los Angeles. Her performances include work in television, Off-Off Broadway, Dinner Theater, Summer Stock, Opera and Musical Theatre. She has performed for NBC, CBS, Studio One, Opening Night Theatre, Queen's Operetta, Merry-Go-Round Theater, Wagon Wheel Theatre, Purple Masque Theatre, Ebell Theater, Nevada Opera Theater, Opera Di Angeli, McCain Theater, Nichols Theater, The Theatre in the Park, and the American Opera Studio. Some of Mrs. Musick's past roles include Baker's Wife-Into the Woods, Suor Angelica-Suor Angelica, Violetta-La Traviata, Anna-The King and I, Meg-Crimes of the Heart, Vibrata-A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Mother Marie-Dialogues of the Carmelites, Katie-Godspell, Nancy-Albert Herring, Charlotte-A Little Night Music, Fraulein Kost-Cabaret, Mother Abbess-The Sound of Music, Mrs. Sherman-Fame, and Winifred-Impromptu.

Katie earned her Bachelor's of Music degree from Kansas State University, and completed a Professional Post Graduate degree from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She has sung in a Master Class for Marilyn Horne and has studied voice with Shari Anderson, Karen Gustafson, Dr. Jean Sloop, Dale Lamb, Steve Rushing, and Rickie Gole. Katie currently studies with Dr. Bill Hall. She studied dance with Harry Woolever (stage dance), Luke Kahlich (ballet, jazz), Carol Conway (jazz, tap) and Primavera Boman (ballet).

Since 2002 Katie has been on the faculty at Legacy School of the Arts. In addition to teaching her private voice students at Legacy, Mrs. Musick also Cantors at the Good Shepherd Church and is constantly preparing for performances around the Kansas City Area. Recently Katie performed the title role in Suor Angelica for the American Opera Studio in Kansas City. She resides in Olathe with her husband, Mike and their two children Keeley and Joe.

Britney Rice, Voice
Britney is a native of Olathe where she completed her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from MidAmerica Nazarene University. In addition to her bachelor degrees, Mrs. Rice received her master’s degree in vocal performance from the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2003. She is currently a doctoral candidate at UMKC Conservatory. She has studied voice with Mary Jane Wilder, Gustavo Halley and Un Chong Christopher. She has performed with the Seagle Music Colony and Opera in the Ozarks in the following operas: Don Giovanni, I Pagliacci, and Cavalleria Rusticana. Mrs. Rice has performed the role of Soeur Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Papagena in The Magic Flute with Opera in the Ozarks. In addition to operas, Mrs. Rice has performed in many musical theatre productions and has appeared in the role of Laurie-Oklahoma!, Hope-Anything Goes, Julie-Carousel, and various parts in a review of the works of Stephen Sondheim. Mrs. Rice and her daughter were featured in the Kansas City Civic Opera’s production of Wise Women playing the roles of Mary Queen of Heaven and Baby Jesus.

Mrs. Rice has worked at Legacy School of the Arts as a vocal instructor since January of 2002. She is also an adjunct professor at MidAmerica Nazarene University teaching the course Introduction to Fine Arts. Additionally, she is the music director at Hillcrest Christian Church where she directs the Chancel choir, the Bell choir, and leads music at the Sunday morning worship services. Mrs. Rice resides in Olathe with her husband Scott, their daughter Mary Brooke and twin sons Matthew and Max.

Kristin Van Sickle, Voice
Kristin joined the voice faculty at Legacy School of the Arts in the fall of 2005. She is a 2005 graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Vocal Pedagogy, where she studied with Mary Jane Wilder-Hardee. Kristin has performed in numerous musical productions, including Handel's Messiah, the women's chorus of Il Tebarro and Suor Angelica for The Kansas City Puccini Festival-2006, and the title role in Seymour Barab's Little Red Riding Hood. Kristin also toured for 2 years as a member of public relations singing groups from MidAmerica Nazarene University. As a member of Assurance and Highest Call she traveled through 8 states performing at churches, camps, community events, and even as the opening for the Christian pop group True Vibe. Kristin currently lives in Olathe with her husband, Paul and son, Emery.