Sharyn Pirtle

Biography

Sharyn’s “aha!” moment began in a fantastic public performing arts school in her native Houston, Texas where children from all over the city and from different socioeconomic backgrounds came to share a common interest. Sharyn went on to study voice and opera at the Eastman School of Music and Yale University and spent summers on the shores of Cape Cod doing musical theater. As a performer, Sharyn performed both opera and musical theater – roles such as Ado Annie, Ilona, Cherubino and Despina. Her experience as a director started off by traveling with soprano Renée Fleming and sitting in rehearsals learning the craft at the greatest opera houses around the world. She assisted directors such as Christopher Alden, James Robinson, Francesca Zambello, Bruce Beresford and Werner Herzog, across the US, Europe and the Middle East and then began directing her own productions. In 2005, Sharyn, with the help of The Reverend Michael A. Bird, Rector of Christ Church Bronxville, childhood pal and Founder of Sing for Hope, Camille Zamora and her husband lighting designer, Shawn Kaufman, founded Young at Arts, in response to the gaps in arts education in her community. Young at Arts began with twelve drama students, and now serves over 800 children between 3 different campuses in Westchester County. At Young at Arts, Sharyn has directed both opera and musical theater including: Cinderella, Brundibar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Honk!, Guys and Dolls, The Little Sweep, The Wizard of Oz, Martin’s Lie, One False Move, Oliver! and In the Heights. Young at Arts gives thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to children living in areas where over fifty percent live at or below the poverty line. Sharyn has spoken on the importance of an arts education in her community and beyond has been honored by the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation and the Junior League of Bronxville for her dedication to the youth of Mount Vernon. Young at Arts is coming into its 15th year and has received over $400,000 in grants and funding. In 2020, Sharyn is gearing her after school curricula towards a prep program that will link to Westchester's first performing arts high school (due to open its doors in 2020-21), for which she is one of the founders.