OUR TEACHERS

Lisa Orinn: Founder/Director/Teacher

Lisa Orinn is the Founder of Music Play Studios and Director of Music Together® of Hudson County. Lisa began teaching music to children in 1995, when she was introduced to “Music Together”, the internationally renowned music program for children and their families. A year later she became a Music Together Director and has since been honored by the Center for Music & Young Children for bringing music into the homes of more than 15,000 families.
Lisa is an accomplished vocalist who began performing in elementary school. She attended Talent Unlimited High School and continued her theatre and musical studies at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts, HB Studios and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She then became one of the founding members of The Actors Annex East in New York City. Lisa was also a member of the band “Blues In Progress” and has performed her solo cabaret and nightclub acts in New York venues such as The Park Royal Hotel, Tramps, Caroline’s, Kenny’s Castaways and The Bitter End, as well as many other clubs throughout the State.

Amhara Buxton, Teacher

Amhara is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, director, conductor and music educator who has over 15 years’ experience teaching music to children of all ages. Her love of all genres of music developed from an early age when she would be literally rocked to sleep by her father’s rock band practicing in the basement, and later on when she and her grandfather would belt out golden oldies of the 30’s and 40’s on the piano. She holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Performance, and, in addition to being Youth Orchestras Director for Turtle Bay Music School, directs children in musical theatre and choirs, as well as teaching private voice/piano lessons. Amhara is passionate about having fun with music and is thrilled to share that passion with our youngest musicians as part of Music Together.

Erin Lee Kelly: Teacher

Erin Lee Kelly began performing as a teenager in Kingston, Ontario, moving to New York to study at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Upon graduation she spent several years as an actress and choreographer, performing in musicals, plays and films before choosing to focus on music and theatre for children. Her first CD of original children’s music entitled Someone’s Gotta Wanna Play, created with Marci Appelbaum, was awarded Best Recording for Younger Children, 2005 by the Children’s Music Web. Their wry lyrics and layered harmonies garnered them widespread attention as “The Indigo Girls of childhood music” (WLUW-FM 88.7, Chicago IL.) Their follow-up, Snowdance, debuted on Rosie O’Donnell’s R Family Cruise to Alaska, and went on to win two ASCAP Awards for excellence in writing and the Family Choice Award. Erin Lee was recently elected to, and served on, The Children’s Music Network Board of Directors. She can currently be found performing family concerts fronting Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band (www.erinleemusic.com).

Dave Lambert: Teacher

Dave has wanted to be a musician and entertainer since age 10, when he first picked up a tennis racket the wrong way to strum along with Def Leppard videos in the early days of MTV. As an amateur musician, Dave fooled around with various marching bands, rock groups and even day jobs before “going pro” as a registered Music Together teacher in 2002. He has been known to play guitar, banjo, bass, tuba, mandolin, harmonica, drums and kazoo, though not all at the same time. Nowadays, in addition to teaching Music Together, Dave sings and plays lead guitar for The Fuzzy Lemons, the metro area’s hottest family-friendly rock band. He lives in Hoboken with his wife and son and a polydactyl cat named Morpheus.

Suzanne Fiore: Teacher
Suzanne Fiore has been honored to sing, dance, and play with Music Together families in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Seattle. She is now excited to make music with the families of Jersey City as well! She has been singing, with her dad accompanying her on the piano, since she was 3 years old and believes strongly in early music education as well as the bond it can create between a parent and child. She is a proud graduate of LaGuardia H.S. of Music & Art & the Performing Arts and The Boston Conservatory. Suzanne studied voice and performed in Italy at the Spoleto Vocal Arts Festival, was a soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, a soloist at the Rose Theatre in Jazz at Lincoln Center & Carnegie Hall. She toured the country with the national tour of Ragtime and Cameron Machintosh’s Oliver! She has been nominated for a MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) Award for Best Female Cabaret Debut. She has performed at musical venues in Manhattan such as Birdland, Caroline’s, The Metropolitan Room, the Duplex, & most recently at The Laurie Beechman Theatre where she premiered her CABARET PHOTO GALLERY project. Suzanne studied photography at Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle, Washington and she now owns and runs her photography business (Suzanne Fiore Photography) out of Manhattan & Jersey City. She also takes a yearly trip to Seattle to continue photographing her beloved clients in the Pacific Northwest. She is grateful for the opportunity to share her passion for music and the arts with you in her Music Together classes! http://suzannefiorephotography.com/