Zack Susel — Co-Founder & Executive Director
Zack co-founded MMC at Columbia University in 2009 and led our nonprofit incorporation in 2011. He served as President of the Board from 2011 to 2018, and became Executive Director in 2020. Zack graduated with a BA in philosophy and political science from Columbia College, where he was President of the Columbia chapter, and spent a year abroad at the London School of Economics, where he launched MMC’s LSE chapter. He later oversaw our expansion to NYU. Outside of MMC, Zack oversees Asia-Pacific (ex-mainland China) marketing and investor relations for the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment and technology development firm. Prior to joining the D. E. Shaw group in 2013, he was an equity analyst at Farley Capital L.P., a value-oriented investment management firm. He is an enthusiastic, if somewhat rusty, amateur classical pianist and piano teacher.
Teddy Poll — Artistic and Educational Director
Teddy Poll is a conductor and composer of opera, musical theatre, and concert music. As conductor he as appeared as a guest artist at the Juilliard School, as well as in performances and workshops with Opera Philadelphia, the Glimmerglass Festival, Bare Opera, and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. He has been on music staff as an Assistant Conductor at the Glimmerglass Festival and San Francisco Opera. Teddy was a Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Yannick Nézet-Séguin. As a composer, he has been commissioned by PCMS and the Presser Foundation, and has won an ASCAP Morton Gould award. He is currently a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Workshop. Teddy holds a BA from Columbia University, and an MM from the New School. He is also currently an MSW candidate at the Columbia School of Social Work.
Amanda Motherway — Director of School and University Partnerships
Amanda graduated with a BM in Music Education in 2018 from NYU’s Steinhardt school, where she served as President of the MMC NYU chapter. She also served as President of MMC’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2020. Amanda taught some of our first group music lessons at PS 19 and began our instructor training program across all chapters. She currently oversees MMC’s volunteer teaching initiatives at our university chapters, relationships with public school partners, and university chapter expansion efforts. Outside of MMC, she works as a music teacher at the NYC Department of Education as a certified Orff Schulwerk teacher. She teaches both general and instrumental music and conducts an orchestra and rock band with her elementary school students in Queens.
Ben Spalter — Director of Institutional Partnerships
Ben is the Chief of Operations for Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, managing logistics, strategy and cross-organizational communications between major opera companies and orchestras across the globe. Prior to this, he was the Director of Servicing and Booking for the boutique agency Primo Artists, arranging tours for Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell, among other artists. Ben also served as the Artist Services Manager for the Philadelphia Orchestra and held a number of roles at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including the BSO’s summer artist management training program, affectionately called the “Guide” program. Ben now lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with his wife Laura, and is a staunch supporter of wearing a mask and chocolate pudding. In that order.
Matt Siffert — Program Director
Matt is an experimental singer-songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Matt’s music explores the intersections of folk-influenced songwriting with elements of his training in jazz and classical music. He studied at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music before moving to Nashville and launching an international performing career. Matt is devoted to public service and committed to bringing the joy of music to those who need it most.
Ricky Schweitzer – Director of Operations
Ricky graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Pre-Medical Studies and Music after spending most of his life on or near Broadway (Jason Robert Brown’s “13,” “Beauty and the Beast,” etc.). He received his Master’s of Music from Berklee’s Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games program in 2017. In addition to working with MMC, Ricky also writes film scores, sings, tutors, and has recently worked as an assistant and coordinator for songwriter Toby Gad (John Legend’s “All of Me,” Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy,” and Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”). Ricky managed Toby’s recording studio as well as his day-to-day life, often times assisting – or running – recording sessions. His predilection for intense melody and warm textures combined with his diverse musical influences help him provide unique insight into any musical endeavor. Ricky apologizes for writing his bio in the third person and promises that he is much more grounded in real life.
Andrew Van Tassel — Associate Artistic Director
Andrew is an internationally acclaimed jazz saxophonist and composer. A recipient of the 2017 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award, his bands have performed at several of New York’s most esteemed venues, including the Jazz Gallery, ShapeShifter Lab, Rockwood Music Hall, and more. Andrew holds a dual BA in Music and Economics from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and an MM in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory. Outside of his musical endeavors, he works with the operations team in investor relations for the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment and technology firm.
Siena Rafter — Associate Artistic Director
Siena is a proud graduate of LaGuardia High School’s Drama program and Brown University’s Theater Arts class of 2020. Broadway: Sam Gold’s King Lear starring Glenda Jackson (ASL team), Children of a Lesser God (Assistant Director to Kenny Leon). Off-Broadway/ Lincoln Center: Liz Swados’ Runaways (City Center’s Encores, Off-Center), American SongBook Series. The Public Theater/Delacorte: Twelfth Night (written by Shaina Taub), Runaways, For the Love of Vinyl (Joe’s Pub), From Hair to Hamilton…Gala ’17. TV/Webseries: HBO’s Crashing, Don’t Shoot the Messenger, and Scholastic’s Dear America series.
Katie Gordon — Associate Director of School and University Partnerships
Katie graduated from NYU Steinhardt in May 2020 with a B.M. in Music Education. During her time at NYU, she co-founded the Musical Mentors Collaborative Club at NYU (previously, the organization was only a chapter at NYU). She also served as its President during the 2019-2020 school year. Katie was also an instructor with MMC, and taught piano and general music for three years. Outside of MMC, Katie works as a music teacher at Partnership Schools in the Bronx, and teaches general music for grades K-8.