Cynthia currently teaches 6th grade Language Arts and middle school Theatre at Timberline PK-8 in Longmont, a Title 1 STEM Focus school in the St. Vrain Valley school district. Previously, she taught 8th and 10th grade Language Arts in the Gilpin County school district located in Black Hawk, Colorado. While at Gilpin, she successfully launched a middle school theatre program and presented 3 fully-staged musicals during her tenure there. Her passion as an educator continues to center around nurturing authentic, self-empowered literacy in her students by guiding them to think critically, to read extensively, and to write expressively both in and beyond the classroom. She celebrates the potential and inherent strengths of every student, and through reading, listening, and writing activities, works to embrace the exciting diversity of our collective cultural inheritance.
Prior to deciding to pursue teaching as a second career, Cynthia worked professionally for many years in the performing arts sector in Boulder County, including full time staff roles with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra (Director of Education and Community Engagement, and Director of Development), Rocky Ridge Music Center (Development Director), and Boulder Ballet (Development and Marketing Director), as well as support roles with the Boulder Arts Commission (Grants Panelist), Centennial Middle School Theatre Club (Assistant Director), and Boulder High School music and theatre programs as a parent volunteer. She looks forward to putting her extensive arts management background and nonprofit administration skills to work on behalf of Ars Nova Singers as a member of the board, where she serves on the Education, Development, and Marketing committees.
Cynthia completed her graduate studies (M.Ed.) at Colorado State University, and her undergraduate studies (dual degrees; BA in Music and BA in English) at the University of Colorado Boulder. She enjoys playing violin as a dedicated amateur, and has performed with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Boulder Symphony, Mahlerfest, and various chamber music ensembles. She writes poetry and nonfiction, lives at 8,200 feet in beautiful western Boulder County, and loves to travel. She is married to the filmmaker Robert Schaller, whom she met as a Freshman at CU Boulder in a “piano for composers” class. Their son Marcus Schaller is currently completing his final year as a BM Voice major, studying with Andrew Garland at the CU Boulder College of Music, and among other engagements is singing as a member of the choir with Ars Nova during the 2024-2025 season.