The Missouri Fine Arts Academy provides a unique program of artistic, extracurricular, and social opportunities to Missouri's talented high school students, and has done so since 1996. Click here to learn more about MFAA...
"Thank you for providing me with such an amazing educational opportunity. I view the day I received my letter of acceptance to the Fine Arts Academy as the greatest day of my life. The first occurred at the end of March this year when I received my letter of acceptance into..." Click here to read more.
MFAA Home > People > Staff
Participants
Students | Administration | Faculty | Staff | Resident Assistants | Guest Artists
Staff
Counselor | Media Intern | Media Manager | Resident Assistant Director
Counselor
The MFAA Counselor is responsible for helping students, staff, and faculty address emotional concerns that may influence their enjoyment of and participation in the MFAA. She also serves as a core faculty member of the MFAA. She may meet individually with members of the Academy community and/or provide guidance to others working with those in need. She has daily office hours for private consultation and is also on call for assistance in emergency situations of a psychological/emotional nature.
Susan
Rieger
Susan Rieger is the artistic director of aha! dance theatre. After fourteen years with the company, she will be leaving in August to direct the 940 Dancers in Lawrence, Kansas. For the past fourteen years, Ms. Rieger has been dancing, choreographing and educating in universities, schools and studios throughout the Midwest. She received a Kennedy Center Award (KCACTA) for choreography in the original play “Lost” at Rockhurst University in January 2004. She is on the faculty of Longview Community College and City in Motion. She received a BA with Honors in Dance from the University of Iowa. She has performed with City in Motion Dance Theater, Kambour Dance Theatre and A Company of Dancers, as well as being a founding member of aha! dance theatre. Her choreography has been featured in the Mid-America Dance Network showcases and reviewed in Dance Magazine. She has led aha! to a new level of excellence in artistry with her well-crafted choreography and artistic direction. Ms. Rieger’s work has been influenced by contact improvisation, artists in other disciplines and her work as a psychotherapist.
Nathan
Redelfs
Nathan Redelfs (media intern) was born in Seoul, South Korea. At the age of four months, he was adopted by a family in Missouri and has lived there ever since. He started music at a young age, first on piano then in high school, he participated in band for five years, It was at the age of 14, however, that he discovered his musical click: the mandolin. Playing several styles including classical, newgrass, bluegrass, and jazz, Nathan has excelled at mandolin and has branched out to play guitar, violin, and other string instruments, as well as performing with several local bands. His other passions include film work, and he currently works on independent films as well as local commercials and advertisements. Nathan was a student in the MOFAA class of 2006 and returned in 2007 as a Media Assistant alongside Jake Parrott. Nathan attends Columbia College as a Speech Communication major with a double minor in Math and English.
Media Manager
The Media Manager is the official documentation/historian of the MFAA. His duties include taking digital photographs during the Academy, submitting photos and captions for inclusion on the MFAA web photo gallery; preparing and showing digital visual art showcases and the final slideshows; recording and creating CDs of selected showcases, performances, and activities; and performing other related technical support duties in cooperation with the College of Arts and Letters Instructional Technology Support Specialist.
Natalia
Jaeger
Natalia Jaeger is a Venezuelan experimental artist working with multimedia performance installations and video art. A large portion of her creative research involves interdisciplinary collaboration; she has worked with composers, choreographers, playwrights, and sound artists. Natalia received her B.A in Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance from Arizona State University West, and she is currently pursuing her M.F.A in Intermedia Art at Arizona State University. Her recent works have been featured at the Arizona State University Art Museum, The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, Espacios Nelso Garrido in Caracas, Trinidad Gallerias in Merida, Mexico, and in Phoenix’s galleries such as The Ice House, Modified Arts, and The Paper Heart.
Resident Assistant Director
The Resident Assistant Director resides in the student residence hall, although not directly responsible for a "house" of students, as are Resident Assistants. She oversees the functions of the Resident Assistant team, acting as leader of the R.A. staff to facilitate an orderly, high-energy, positive climate for living and learning at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. In addition, she supervises Resident Assistants in daily and evening duties in the Residence Hall, coordinates the efforts of the office, supervises the RAs in their on-campus assignments and answers questions about Academy operations.
Susan
LaBarr
Susan LaBarr is a graduate of Missouri State University where she recently completed her master’s degree in Music Theory. She received her bachelor’s degree in music from (Southwest) Missouri State University. Susan was a member of the Missouri State University Concert Chorale and has traveled to Germany, The Netherlands, France, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, New York City, and Los Angeles with the ensemble. Susan was also a member of Missouri State University’s premiere female a cappella group, A Cub Bella. A Cub Bella has been recognized through the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella as one of the top a cappella groups in the Midwest. After three years as an RA at MFAA, Susan is spending her first summer as RA director this year, and she is extremely excited about the challenge. MFAA has blessed and inspired her beyond belief!
