Jeffe Huls, Director

Jeffe Huls is in his nineteenth year as Director of Vocal Music and Performing Arts Chair at Santa Monica High School and also is conductor of the Concert Chorale at Santa Monica College. While director of the choirs at Lincoln Middle School from 1997-2003, he was awarded the Young Educator of the Year Award from the City of Santa Monica. A recent recipient of the coveted BRAVO Arts Educator Award from the Los Angeles Music Center, Mr. Huls received his BM in Music Education from Cal State University, Long Beach, cum laude. He studied voice with acclaimed tenor Jonathan Mack and sang under the baton of Dr. Lynne Bielefelt. Mr. Huls received his Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from Western Michigan University in 2005 where he conducted the Concert Choir and assisted with the choral program and studied with Joe Miller (now of Westminster Choir College). In the summer, Mr. Huls sings with the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where he also serves on the faculty of the High School Vocal Institute.

Under the direction of Mr. Huls, the Santa Monica High School Choirs continue to receive unanimous superior ratings at area festivals, tour internationally, and have a large number of students accepted into regional and state honor choirs. Mr. Huls and his students are the subject of a documentary about choral music education, Big Voice (released in 2015). He continues to teach voice, give workshops on choral music literacy, and has served on the board of the Southern California Vocal Association.

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Inna Kizler, Collaborative Accompanist

Pianist Inna Kizler grew up in Samara, Russia where she began studying the piano at age six. At the age of 15 she was accepted into the Samara Music College to continue her studies in piano performance.  After 4 years she advanced to the Samara Conservatory of Music where she received a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance, Accompanying, Chamber Music, and Piano Instruction.  While in Russia she performed with many prestigious organizations including the Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre. She was also featured in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with the Samara Philharmonic Orchestra.  In 2001 she immigrated to the United States and briefly worked with a Korean Music Academy in Los Angeles, California.  Shortly after, she accepted a job with Santa Monica High School where she has been employed for the past 17 years.  At Santa Monica High School she accompanies and assistant conducts the many choral organizations at every concert performance, competition, and touring event.  She also coaches solo singers in preparation for college auditions and vocal competitions and tutors students in sight-singing and music theory.  She maintains an active piano studio and accompanies singers and instrumentalists throughout Southern California.

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Diana Zazlove, Voice Coach

Diana Zazlove has sung extensively as a solo artist and a member of many prestigious choral and performing groups.  She is a recipient of the Gladys Turk, Atwater Kent and Young Artist of the Future Awards.  Ms. Zaslove sang (and danced!) with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera Company for 10 years. She recently retired after her 24th glorious season with the grammy-winning Los Angeles Master Chorale during which time she was a featured soloist in many venues including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Disney hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.  Ms. Zaslove also enjoys singing jazz with her husband’s jazz ensemble, the George Kahn Quintet.

As a soloist, Diana has performed world premieres, including pieces by the popular musical theater composer Jason Robert Brown as well as the resident composer of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Tania Leon.  She had the opportunity to participate in the first fully-staged production of John Adam’s Opera, El Nino, and sang on the grammy -nominated recording of Lux Eterna, Music of Morten Lauridsen.  She has also sung on several recordings with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ms. Zaslove is active as a studio singer and has sung on the soundtracks for many films, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Mars Attacks, Galaxy Quest, Amistad, Snow Falling on Cedars, First Knight, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Waterworld.  She is the voice of “The Opera Singer” in Walt Disney’s The Rescue Rangers, for which she co-composed the music.

A passionate music educator, Diana has written materials on the music of the English and Italian Renaissance for a series of arts textbooks for middle and high schools published by Glencoe/McGraw Hill.  Her voice can be heard on the companion recordings.  Diana is an active member of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing.  She is currently a member of the voice faculty at Santa Monica College.

Neil Windt, Sectional Coach

Currently residing in Los Angeles, CA, Windt works as an accompanist and composer.

Windt’s work as an accompanist has spanned over 17 years, during which he has collaborated with a variety of choral and instrumental groups across the United States. In February 2016, Windt is scheduled to serve as an accompanist for the California ACDA festival in Pasadena.

As a composer, his music has garnered interest most recently at the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium (where he studied with composer Stephen Hartke and conductor, Craig Hella Johnson) and has continued with recent commissions for chamber and choral ensembles in Chicago, Illinois.

Windt holds a degree in music (BA) from North Park University in Chicago, IL where he was mentored by Rollo Dilworth.