CMS Faculty

Ben Senterfit is a journeyman musician who has over 20 years experience as a performer and educator. He has performed, recorded, toured, and taught extensively. Ben holds a performance degree from the Lamont School of Music and is certified as a vocal coach by the renowned voice expert, Dr. Scott Martin. Ben has worked as a vocal coach, saxophone and guitar teacher with hundreds of students of all ages. He lives in Red Hook NY where he is the Director of the Community Music Space.

Josh Colow  started playing professionally at 15 years opening for legends such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and James Cotton before he was 19 years old. He has a degree in music from the The Berklee College of Music and has been a performing and touring musician for over 30 years, working primarily as a guitarist, bassist, and vocalist. As an educator Josh teaches guitar and bass as well as songwriting, theory, and recording technology. He tailors his studies to each individual students needs. He also teaches group workshops focused on song arrangement, recording techniques, and ensemble playing and has experience teaching all levels and ages of students.

Evan Garcia-Renart started playing piano at age 5 and has since gone on to perform, educate and tour internationally on both drum set and keys. He specializes in a wide variety of musical genres including classical, rock, jazz and heavy metal. Evan is currently living in Red Hook, finishing his last year at Bard College where he will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in music. He has been studying under the direction of accomplished performers and educators John Esposito and Erica Lindsay. Evan teaches private lessons in both drums and piano at the Community Music Space.

Mary Ward is an actress and director whose career has spanned more than 20 years.  Her stage credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, and regional Theatre. She is an Independent Spirit Nominee and has appeared in film and TV. She holds a Graduate degree from The London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art and  furthered her training with legendary New York Director Wynn Handman of The American Place Theatre. Mary is a passionate acting coach and has run acting camps for children and youth since 2002.  

Cara Silvernail and Richard Thomson are professional musicians and seasoned educators who work as a teaching team working with the Community Music Space Jazz Ensembles. Cara Silvernail holds a Masters Degrees in performance and education and has been teaching and performing since 1981 in the mid-west, Europe, and the New York City area.  Richard Thomson is a Graduate of the New School for Social Research, Jazz and Contemporary Music. Has been teaching/performing in California, Europe, and New York City area since 1987. Cara also teaches private lessons at the CMS.