Fine Arts Academy
The Fine Arts Academy at Christ United Methodist Church was established in 1995 by the Administrative Board of Christ Church under the direction of Lahonda Sharp for the purpose of promoting the study of the arts through private and class instruction. The Academy is a ministry of Christ Church and operates with a Board of Directors which reports to the Administrative Council. Prospective students are encouraged to contact the faculty directly for more information on classes or to discuss scheduling of private lessons.
Art Classes
Mary Frankel, Instructor
Complete Oil Painting Lessons for Beginners
Join Mary through a complete study of her methods of impressionistic oil painting. Mary will teach you techniques in drawing, values, color and brush strokes, take you through her famous “20 minute oil sketch drill”, and finish by showing you how to incorporate it all together in one painting. A class for anyone who wants to learn an amazing array of oil painting techniques and have a great time doing it.
Mary Frankel grew up surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of Colorado. Always playing around with drawing, one day her artistic aunt gave her an oil painting kit, and an artist was born. In college, Frankel earned a degree in Sociology and Biology and later studied Landscape Architecture. While these studies were not centered on art, she discovered that the anatomy studies helped her with figure work and the graphics studies helped her composition. In her early thirties, she moved with her husband and daughter to London, England. They traveled extensively throughout Europe seeing masterpieces of art in the incredibly rich artistic environment there. Frankel's innate artistic expression and desire was thus ignited into a passion for painting the landscapes and people passing through her world. Since that time she has been influenced by and has studied with professional painters who have taught her the techniques to bring light and form to the canvas. Her teachers include; Sylvia Trybek, Ann Templeton, Quang Ho, Kim English, William Kalwick, Jr., Robert Moore, Matt Smith and Lesley Rich.
Working from life, either plein air on location or in the studio, Frankel represents her subjects with a style of painting that captures the beauty of impressionism with contemporary technique and form. Her artwork resides in numerous local and international collections.
Recent Awards:
Art League of Fort Bend: Best of Show, 2009
Houston Civic Arts Association: Third place and Honorable Mention in professional portrait category, 2009
Guitar/Bass
Craig Kinsey, Instructor
Mike Whitebread, Instructor
The Academy offers both private lessons and classroom instruction in guitar and bass. Adults and children are welcome.
Private Piano/ Harp Lessons
Hangfong Au, Instructor
Hangfong holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Houston, Moores School of Music and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda--the National Music Honor Society of the United States. She received a Licientiate from the Royal Schools of Music and a Fellowship from Trinity College of Music in London. She has coached with renowned pianist Horacio Gutiérrez, and performed in master classes for Abbey Simon, Nelita True, and Sarah Laimon.
Hangfong has established herself as a soloist and collaborative artist. She has performed at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Stafford Performance Center, Trinity University, Rice University, and at the Masquerade Theater in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with Goerge.” She has also performed in a production of Johannes Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Walzer” broadcast by Hong Kong Public Radio and Television.
Hangfong has accompanied numerous recitals, competitions, auditions, juries and lessons for both singers and instrumentalists, and has served as a staff accompanist at Brazosport College. She is currently a staff accompanist at the University of Houston and Lee College.
A devoted pedagogue, Hangfong has held teaching posts at Mikrokosmo Music Conservatory in Hong Kong and Brazosport College in Lake Jackson. She currently teaches at the Fine Arts Academy of Christ United Methodist Church where she is the Associate Accompanist and maintains a private studio.
Molly Ness, Instructor
Molly was born in Columbus, Ohio and studied piano with Dr. George Haddad, Artist in Residence at Ohio State University, and then Margaret Baxtresser at Kent State University, where she received a BS in Education, certified to teach band, choir and orchestra K-12. She enjoyed a 35-year career as a public school choral and handbell director in Ohio and Texas. Her last 25 years were dedicated to the students in Alief ISD where she taught two years at Alief Middle School, and then 19 years at Elsik High School as the choral and handbell director, as well as serving as Performing Arts Department Chairman. The Elsik Chorale and Good Vibrations Handbell Choir performed under her direction for the Texas Music Educators Convention in 1988. She was honored as District Teacher of the Year in 1997. She frequently judges UIL and TMEA contests and enjoys providing clinics for choral and handbell groups aspiring to refine their performance.
Molly studied harp with Dona Allen, Kimberley Snaufer De Rosa and has been coached by Therese Honey. After retirement in 2001, Mrs. Ness taught part time at Alief Albright Middle School where she added the Kachina Harp Society to the music program.
2008 Molly received her Certification in Music Ministry from Perkins Theological School at Southern Methodist University. She currently serves at Christ United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, where she is active in leading the handbell ministry, the Women’s Choir and The Sacred Harp Ensemble. She also teaches piano and harp at the CUMC Fine Arts Academy. She is currently teaching secondary music at Calvary Episcopal School and College Prep in Richmond, TX.
Molly is a member of Choristers Guild, Texas Choral Directors Association, the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, the Gulf Coast Harp Society, the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, and serves as president of The Greater Houston Handbell Association.
Molly is married to Ron, a retired teacher and coach. They have a daughter, Julia, teacher and coach in Katy ISD, who is married to a Houston police officer. They have blessed the family with two beautiful grandchildren.
Lahonda Sharp, Instructor
Voice
Cornelia Post, Instuctor
Cornelia Jones-Post, a native Texan born in Houston Texas has brought outstanding dramatic interpretation to the roles of Amneris, Azucena, Ulrica, and Adalgisa in Europe, New York and regional opera. She has sung at the noted Salzburg Festival and Bregenz Fesital in Austria. In concert, she has toured Europe singing the works of American composers and spirituals.
Ms. Post is also a composer and has written music for film and stage as well. She is the composer of four dramatic musicals titled "Antebellum". The Operas, "Nouvelle Monde", "Jareau", "The Old Magnolis" and "Morningsong" were presented at the Trinity Center at Citicorp Center in New York. She is also the composer of the musical comedy, "Something's Stanking In Here!".
She has composed incidental music for the Off Broadway productions of "Henrietta" at the Negro Ensemble Theatre, "He, She, That One" at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, "Split Second", "Mulatto", "Blues For Mr. Charlie", "Swap", and "The Flies" at the Amistad World Theatre.
In the regional theaters, Ms. Post has composed for such productions as "Blood Knot" at the Cross-Roads Theatre, in New Jersey and "Leman in the Sky" at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. She is the composer of choral and chamber works as well, including the Christmas chamber ballet, "The Little Match Girl".