We are a team of individuals with a wide range of skills and experience who are all dedicated to the advancement of the arts in our community and beyond. We love what we do, and we do it with passion.
Brian Honsberger
President
Brian Honsberger is an entrepreneur and active Audio Engineer and Musician throughout Arizona. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Audio Production from Ithaca College and a Master’s in Music from the University of North Texas. In the past ten years, Mr. Honsberger has started two successful businesses in the state of Arizona. UPstage Group is an A/V production company that provides equipment and expertise for concerts across the state as well as providing design and installation services of theatrical sound and lighting systems. Kat’s Artist Tree is a Music, Dance, and Art Academy located in Goodyear which serves to help students of all ages develop their skills and reach their dreams in the creative and performing arts.
As a musician, Mr. Honsberger has been a frequent performer with the Phoenix Symphony, as well as the Musica Nova Orchestra, the Spokane Symphony and he has toured throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Thailand. Mr. Honsberger was the 2006 winner of the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition and an Alternate in the 1999 Donald Yaxley Bass Trombone competition held by the International Trombone Association. He is also a former member of the internationally acclaimed One O’clock Lab Band and has appeared on numerous CD releases.
In addition, Mr. Honsberger has had a successful teaching career which began in 2001 as a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. Since then he has served on the teaching staffs of Gonzaga University, Whitworth College, Eastern Washington University, and Arizona State University.
Mr. Honsberger’s sound design credits include over 50 productions within the state and his work has frequently been nominated for the AriZoni Theatre Excellence Awards. He has enjoyed working with Arizona Broadway Theatre, Actors Theatre, Khris Dodge Entertainment, The Phoenix Opera, and Valley Youth Theatre amongst others.
Brian is thrilled to be joining the Board of Triad Performing Arts of Arizona and looks forward to bringing top-quality performance opportunities to the West Valley and beyond.
Michael Gray
Vice President
After being raised on the snowy foothills of the Wasatch Mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, Michael traded in his ski pants for flip-flops in 1996 and headed south to the sunny Arizona desert.
He graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2000. There, he also met his wife, Heidi. Michael and Heidi have lived in the West Valley for more than 20 years. They have raised their three kids here and are deeply rooted in this community.
Michael is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones in Goodyear. He spends his days helping people identify the things in life that are most worth chasing after, and then works together with them to invest toward those goals. For him, investing in the arts is a goal worth chasing.
Michael believes in the value that the arts bring both to the individual and to society as a whole, and wants more people to enjoy the betterment that it provides. As a longtime resident of the West Valley, he has often commented that it’s a shame to have to travel clear across town to enjoy great productions.
The Grays have grown to appreciate the excellence that Triad strives for and are excited to be a part of this organization’s growth in our community.
Summer Benton Nickerson
Secretary
Summer Benton Nickerson is a musicologist whose focus is 20th century American music and politics. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico in Music Education (choral/vocal emphasis) and a Master’s degree in Music History and Literature from California State University, Sacramento.
Mrs. Nickerson has been teaching courses online and on campus at various of colleges in the Bay Area and Arizona since 2009. These courses include Music Appreciation (Western Music), American Music, African American Music, World Music and Music Fundamentals.
She has presented papers at national conferences including the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association and the Society of American Musicology. Titles of these papers have included “The Federal Music Project: Government Funded Music” and ““Seeger Sings Anti-American Song in Moscow,” Pete Seeger and the New York Times, 1965”.
Mrs. Nickerson has also guest lectured on a variety of topics at CSU Sacramento, Tarleton State University (Texas) and Lon Morris University (Texas).
Summer currently sings in the alto section of the Sounds of the Southwest Singers, a community choir in Glendale, AZ. She is excited to be on the board of Triad Performing Arts of Arizona to help bring performance opportunities to students of the arts in the West Valley
Brian Gump
Treasurer
Brian Gump was born and raised in the West Valley, and he is proud to see how the community has developed and continues to grow.
A wide range of interests has directed his life’s pursuits into a broad scope of endeavors, from anthropology and mathematics to landscaping and construction. Ultimately, it is his love of numbers and their immutable elegance that led him to a career in corporate finance.
As a father, it has been his great joy to watch his two children engage and flourish in piano and ballet. Their involvement in several Triad performances has fueled his latent fascination with both the artistic and technical aspects of the performance arts. This has led to opportunities to volunteer backstage and now the opportunity to support Triad as Treasurer.
He is excited to be a part of Triad and looks forward to helping the organization further its mission in the West Valley community he calls home.
Katarzyna Honsberger
Artistic Director
Katarzyna Honsberger, (soprano) was born into a musical family in the beautiful city of Krakow, Poland. Mrs. Honsberger has been a featured solo performer in festivals in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, the United States, Singapore, and Malaysia. Although Katarzyna holds diplomas in classical piano performance and music education through movement from the Fryderyk Chopin Conservatory in Krakow, it was Katarzyna’s voice that brought her to the United States in 1999. Living in Chicago, Mrs. Honsberger earned a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from DePaul University with honors (2007) and a Bachelor’s from Roosevelt University (2005). Mrs. Honsberger earned recognition as an award winner in the acclaimed Bel Canto Competition and in The Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Competition. In addition, Katarzyna was a Margaret M. OMalley-Liput Endowed Scholarship Recipient and took part in the Czech Vocal Competition in Green Bay, WI
Katarzyna has performed frequently with both the Phoenix Opera and Phoenix Symphony, including productions of Aida, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Die Zauberflote, and La Traviata. Some of her favorite roles to perform have included the Countess from Le Nozze di Figaro by W.A. Mozart, Madame Glawari in The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar, Damigella and Venus in lincoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, and the Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflote by Mozart. Other roles she has performed include Antonia from Tales of Hoffman, Frasquita (Carmen), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Lucia (Lucia Di Lammermoor), Norina (Don Pasquale), Musetta and Mimi (La Boheme), Rusalka (Rusalka), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) and more.
Katarzyna has formed a musical partnership with Larry Loeber, renowned pianist of the Phoenix Symphony since 2010. Together, they have performed countless chamber music concerts throughout the Valley and released a CD of Polish and American songs. Her concert soloist credits include the Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio, Idomeneo by W.A. Mozart, La Demoiselle Elue by Debussy, and the Mozart Great Mass in C Minor amongst others.
In 2012, Mrs. Honsberger established Kat’s Artist Tree, a Music Dance and Arts Academy in Goodyear, Arizona which has served over 1000 students since its inception. Mrs. Honsberger works with both professional and amateur singers and has become one of the Valley’s most sought after vocal coaches. She has helped numerous students gain exposure, earn scholarships, and achieve success as singers. She has also directed annual Musical Theatre productions at Kat’s Artist Tree as well as up to 40 concerts, recitals, and showcases each season.
Mrs. Honsberger looks forward to bringing her passion for excellence to Triad Performing Arts of Arizona as its Artistic Director.
Karen Jaquez
Director
Karen grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Through her childhood she was involved in music and arts. She played the flute in elementary and middle school as well as dance. She moved to Arizona when she was 17 where she met her husband and decided to make Arizona home.
Since becoming a mother she has enjoyed being involved in her daughters activities and has always wanted to be a part of something that helps the community she lives in. After having to drive a distance to have her daughter be involved in ballet she found Triad which was much closer to home. She is excited to be able to be apart of Triad and helping bring performing opportunities to our upcoming artists in the west valley.
Stacie Hilby
Director
Stacie is a proud military spouse and mom of two kids. When her family moved to the West Valley in 2019, her daughter’s love of ballet led them to Kat’s Artist Tree and eventually Triad Performing Arts of Arizona. In 2022, Stacie joined the board where she fuses her love of the Arts with her background in marketing to help Triad pursue its mission and vision in the West Valley.
Elizabeth Baker
Director
Elizabeth Baker is a passionate dancer and arts enthusiast whose journey began in Anchorage, Alaska. After spending her formative years in Alaska, she relocated to Southern California, where her love for dance, singing, and performing flourished. Elizabeth honed her skills and artistic expression at Peoria Dance Theater during her time at Peoria High School. Notably, she actively participated in charitable events such as Temecula Live and Rock the Oaks, using her talents to raise funds for Oak Grove, a non-profit school and home for youth.
From the age of 12, Elizabeth has been devoted to the world of dance. She has cultivated a deep appreciation for the performing arts, dedicating herself to enhancing her skills and broadening her artistic horizons. Additionally, Elizabeth’s love for music led her to spend many years singing Praise and Worship at her church. Alongside her professional pursuits, she cherishes her role as a wife and mother of three beautiful children, finding joy in balancing her personal and artistic commitments.
While Elizabeth no longer takes the center stage as a performer, she continues to serve her community through her leadership in worship at her church. Behind the scenes, she finds joy in embracing the backstage life, ensuring that every production runs smoothly and flawlessly. Elizabeth’s unwavering commitment to the arts and her ability to inspire others make her an invaluable asset to any creative endeavor.
With a lifelong dedication to dance and a heart for the performing arts, Elizabeth is committed to nurturing creativity in others. Her vibrant presence and vast experiences serve as an inspiration to students and colleagues alike, fostering a dynamic and enriching environment for all who share in the joy of artistic expression.
Brad Keogh
Director