Originally from Atlanta, Georgia now based in New York, Calli McRae is an actor, singer, voice teacher, and music director. She has a Bachelors of Science in Child and Family Development as well as a Masters in Professional Counseling, and she incorporates her knowledge and experience of human development into her teaching and artistry.

As a performer, Calli appeared in the award-winning Off Broadway production Pip’s Island, an immersive theatrical experience for young audiences. She toured nationally with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and she originated roles in the New York productions of Peace, Love and Cupcakes; My True Love: A Perfect Musical Fairytale; Chance; and Let There Be Light (Best Actress Nomination, Best Musical/Play Award). Calli can be seen in the lead role in the drama comedy To Us, an Independent Feature Film that has been recognized in film festivals internationally.

As a voice teacher and music director, Calli works with students of all ages and levels of experience and is proficient in the musical styles of traditional and contemporary musical theatre, pop, rock, and folk.

Greg Paradis is ecstatic to be joining the CAPAS Company Family! Greg is a 2010 graduate of Muhlenberg College, having studied Music, Theatre, and Anthropology. Since then he has taught, piano, voice, choir, and theatre arts in a variety of settings and across a wide range of ages and abilities, including the Caldwell, Madison, and Chatham School Districts, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Fine Arts Connection, and Paper Mill Playhouse, in addition to directing and music directing at theaters across the spectrum and the tristate area (Hangar Theatre, Centenary Stage Company, Light Opera of New Jersey, Old Library Theatre, Rhino Theatre). He plays piano for weddings with EMG and sings with The Yuletide Carolers during the holiday season, and is several graduate courses into the Music Education program at Rutgers Mason Gross. In his free time he bakes and decorates cakes and reads science fiction. Thank you to Page, Kaela, Nate, and especially Laura for this opportunity!

Vanessa Parvin is the soprano for MAC Award-winning vocal quintet Marquee Five, recently described as “The Manhattan Transfer for the new millennium". With Marquee Five, Vanessa has appeared at NYC’s 54 Below and numerous venues across the country. Before joining Marquee Five, Vanessa enjoyed performing in numerous musicals in NYC and regionally, sometimes lucky enough to share the stage with Broadway legends like Ben Vereen. Favorite roles include “Cinderella” in Into The Woods, “Marsinah” in Kismet, “Irene” in Hello, Dolly!, and “Jenny” in The Threepenny Opera. She also had a blast with other members of Marquee Five appearing at the Goodspeed Opera House as part of the “Angel City Four” in City Of Angels. Vanessa has been featured in a number of shows for Disney, and has been a professional holiday caroler for over a decade. She holds a BA in Music (Voice) from UCLA and a MFA in Theater (Acting) from Brooklyn College. Off the stage, Vanessa has enjoyed a variety of jobs as musical director and voice coach for theater camps and music programs on both coasts. She has been teaching private voice and piano lessons in South Orange since 2006.

Aimee Willis holds a BA from UCLA and a MM from Northwestern. Her operatic career started at the young age of 22 when, directly out of college, she became a leading soprano at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in Germany. She has performed with famous conductors all over the world, including Giuseppe Sinopoli, Jiri Kout, Richard Buckley, Carlo Rizzi, Christopher Keene, and Fred Scott. In her concert work, she was fortunate to be included in Guiseppe Sinopoli’s first Carmen with Agnes Baltsa, accompanied by The Danish Radio Orchestra and broadcast in Copenhagen, which she then reprised in Berlin with Baltsa, Neil Shicoff and Denyce Graves. Also under the baton of Sinopoli at the Santa Cecilia in Rome, Aimee performed Parsifal with Waltraut Meier and Rene Kollo.  At the Interlaken Festival in Switzerland, Ms. Willis sang selections from Porgy and Bess with one of the great portrayers of Porgy, Simon Estes.  

In addition, Aimee sang numerous performances at the Berlin Philharmonic, including Bach’s B Minor Mass and St. Matthews’ Passion. Since returning to America, Aimee is creating a buzz with her critically acclaimed portrayals of the title roles in Salome (Atlanta Opera) and Tosca (Opera Fort Worth). Other acclaimed roles include, Fidelio(Leonore) at Atlanta Opera, Eugene Onegin (Tatiana) in Russian with the Hawaii Opera and Atlanta Opera, The Marriage Of Figaro (The Countess) at Hawaii Opera, Un Ballo in Maschera (Amelia), and Don Carlo (Elisabetta) both at Arizona Opera.

Jesse Krakow is a musician, composer, producer, teacher, and proud CAPAS parent.

He was a touring member of 90’s alternative band Shudder To Think, featured on their 2009 album “Live From Home”. He worked extensively with avant-garde legends The Shaggs, reuniting them for a performance at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival in 2017. In addition, he co-produced “Ready! Get! Go!”, the debut solo album by their songwriter Dot Wiggin, released in 2013 on Alternative Tentacles. He was a founding member of Time of Orchids, a NYC-based experimental-rock quartet who released their 2005 album “Sarcast While” on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, as part of the “Composer Series”. The recording featured guest vocals by Julee Cruise (of “Twin Peaks” fame). Earlier recordings from the band featured collaborations with vocalist Kate Pierson of The B-52’s and pianist Marilyn Crispell.

He has worked with actors Paul Rudd + Michael Cerveris, comedians Gilbert Gottfried & Michael Showalter, vocalists Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Aaron Freeman (Ween) & Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), guitarists Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices), Jon Herington (Steely Dan) & Mark Watrous (The Shins/The Raconteurs), bassists Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie/Lenny Kravitz) & Larry Heinemann (Blue Man Group), drummers Joe Russo (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) & Eric Slick (Dr. Dog), pianists Joe Askew (Joe Jackson, Laurie Anderson) & Zach Tenorio-Miller (Willow Smith), composers Randall Wolff & Jefferson Friedman.

In 2010 he co-founded Come Join The Band, an after-school music program in NYC. Also in that year he became a teacher at Music For Aardvarks, a renowned interactive music class for toddlers. From 2012-2019 he was a staff member of Bandwriting Collective, a songwriting summer camp in NYC. From 2012-2014 he was a Professor at Bootsy Collins’ Funk University, an online educational program for bassists. From 2012-2013 he was the host of “Minor Music” on WFMU, a live radio show spotlighting musicians 18 and under. Also in 2013, he was awarded a Fellowship from The Brooklyn Philharmonic as part of their “Outside In” program. \

He has toured all over the US, as well as Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Portugal, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Japan, & Slovenia. He has recordings out on Columbia, Tzadik, Team-Love, New Amsterdam, Knitting Factory, Alternative Tentacles, Cuneiform, Magna Carta, Crucial Blast, Public Eyesore, Eh?, MT6, Factotum Tapes, & Epicene Sound Systems, among others. 

Currently he works with vocalist Nona Hendryx (LaBelle), guitarist Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley), vocalist Sean Altman (Rockapella), keyboardist Joe McGinty (Psychedelic Furs), progressive rock octet Doctor Nerve, and is the Founder/Musical Director of MANDONNA, an all-male tribute to Madonna.