faculty bios
NATALIE TAYLOR | DIRECTOR OF FINE ARTS / DEAN OF PFAME
Natalie Taylor (NatalieBabbittTaylor.com) serves as the Director of Fine Arts and Dean of the PFAME Concentration
and brings with her a rich background. She has been performing and singing
since the age of seven in numerous musical theatre productions, choirs,
bands, recordings, and concerts. Most recently, you can hear her as a
soloist in the score for the romantic comedy Isn't it Romantic and the
upcoming release of Hocus Pocus 2. Some of her other recent credits include
soprano 1 in Disneyland's The Voices of Liberty, featured soloist in Disneyland’s
Candlelight Processional, featured soloist with the Golden State Pops
Orchestra and Orange County Symphony, background vocals on Lindsey Stirling’s
Christmas album “Warmer in the Winter,” and choir vocalist
in numerous films including: Thor: Love And Thunder, Lightyear, Home Sweet
Home Alone, Disenchanted, and Wonder Park.
Natalie graduated with a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance and Music Business from Azusa Pacific University. She currently sings soprano 1 in the Los Robles Master Chorale under the direction of Lesley Leighton. She attends Christian Assembly Church in Eagle Rock where she serves on the worship team. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.
EMAIL | nataliet@villagechristian.org
RITA OUTTRIM | FINE ARTS ACADEMY COORDINATOR
Rita Outtrim serves as the Fine Arts Academy Coordinator. Within the academy she serves
as the Music Director for the middle school musicals and Director for
the elementary musicals. Rita began performing in musicals at the age
of five in Houston, Texas. Growing up, she had the opportunity to perform
with various theatres, orchestras, and choruses including the Houston
Grand Opera. She later received a Bachelor's of Music Education at the
University of North Texas. Notable theatre credits include: Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, The Baker's Wife in Into
the Woods, and Kathy in The Last Five Years. Though she loves performing
dearly, she feels it's a privilege to work and teach kids in the arts.
EMAIL | ritao@villagechristian.org
CHLOE BABBES BROWN | K-12 THEATRE ARTS TEACHER
Chloe Babbes Brown is a VCS alum who is thrilled to be back teaching and directing at Village full time. Chloe is a graduate of Pacific Conservatory Theatre. While there, Chloe took part in many shows and projects while also taking classes including Shakespeare, Acting, Sing Tech, Movement and more. She has worked in regional theatre such as The Western Stage in Salinas, California, NC Stage in Asheville, North Caroline, and the Actor’s Co-op in Hollywood. As an artist, Chloe believes that God calls us to strive for excellence and seek truth. She has carried that with her and hopes to pass this mindset along to the kids. She has loved working with the Fine Arts Academy. After stage managing and assistant directing Into the Woods Jr, Aladdin Jr, Annie Jr, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Chloe made her directorial debut with a production of Frozen Jr. and came back to direct Suessical Jr. Chloe has worked closely along side her dad, Thom Babbes for the past 11 years, including producing Newsies 2022. She looks forward to carrying on the Babbes legacy.
EMAIL |chloeb@villagechristian.org
ASHLEY CHERNEY | ES MUSIC / ES CHOIR DIRECTOR
Ashley Cherney serves as our Elementary Music and Choir Director. She graduated from Olivet
Nazarene University with a degree in music education with a vocal emphasis.
She has a passion for instilling a foundation of music exploration for
elementary learners to create lifelong music lovers. In her spare time,
Ashley is a worship leader, vocalist and actress. She has a love for musical
theatre and has performed in many productions such as Mary Poppins, Songs
for a New World and Company.
EMAIL | ashleyc@villagechristian.org
DAVID AND SARA DAS | CO-DIRECTORS OF MS/HS VOCAL ARTS
David and Sara Das are co-Directors of Middle and High School Vocal Arts. David (daviddas.com) is a composer, conductor, producer, and songwriter for film, television,
advertising, and trailers. He also serves as the President of the Academy
of Scoring Arts. Sara is a former church choir director and homeschool
teacher, and has also taught at Junior Achievement. They met as music
majors at the University of North Texas, have been married for twenty
years, and are parents of two Village students. They are excited to be
a part of the Village community and to help students develop their musical gifts.
EMAIL | davidd@villagechristian.org and sarad@villagechristian.org
AMY MARTENS | BAND DIRECTOR
Amy Martens, Band Director, grew up in a musical family (with both parents Band Directors!). She is no stranger to the world of music. Beginning with piano at the age of four and adding flute in elementary school, she has been studying and performing music her whole life. She is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University, earning her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Biblical Studies, and a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance. During her time at APU, she was the principal flutist in various ensembles, and had the opportunity to be a soloist with an orchestra while on tour in Italy. Besides her work at Village, Ms. Martens also performs regularly with the Corona Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Winds of the Pacific, as well as teaching privately and freelancing around Los Angeles.
EMAIL | amym@villagechristian.org
KIM PATTERI | DANCE INSTRUCTOR
Kim Patteri, Dance Instructor, has toured internationally with the renowned dance
company, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, swung thirteen roles in the Toronto
Broadway Production of
Beauty and the Beast, danced opposite Grammy Award winner Celine Dion, was an original member
of the Canadian pop sensation group, KONNEXION, and performed in numerous
other regional and industrial shows. On camera, Mrs. Kim was a Rockette in
The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas, played Wasp Woman opposite Brendan Frasier in
Monkeybone, and appeared in over fifty television shows and commercials. As a choreographer,
Ms. Kim assisted two thousand performers in the Opening Ceremonies of
the 1996 Special Olympics,
Guys and Dolls,
Anne Of Green Gables, and the world premiere of
Ben Hur: The Musical. Ms. Kim studied dance at the prestigious York University and on scholarship
at The Studio Dance Theatre of Toronto, Canada. As a teacher, Mrs. Kim
has taught every age and every style of dance in studios, workshops, master
classes and colleges all over the world, including Sheridan College Performing
Arts (Toronto), Dance Factory (Montreal), Pineapple Studios (London),
The Edge (Los Angeles), Dance Precisions (Yorba Linda) and Orange County
Song and Dance (Huntington Beach).
EMAIL | kimp@villagechristian.org
TYLER SMITH | PERCUSSION DIRECTOR
Tyler Smith is a freelance percussionist, educator and composer living in the Los
Angeles area. He has also had the privilege of teaching percussion at
Oaks Christian School, Calabasas High School, Sierra Canyon, Moorpark
High School, and Lawrence Middle School. He has also started drumline
programs at both Sierra Canyon and Oaks Christian School.
As a percussionist, highlights include over 50 musical theater productions in the greater Los Angeles Area, performing the “Raise the Roof” timpani concerto with The Master’s College and Azusa Pacific University, and recording under Gordon Goodwin for Disneyland Paris. In addition to writing percussion literature, he is also involved in music technology, composing, arranging, recording, editing and engraving. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree from Azusa Pacific University, and a Masters of Music degree from California State University, Northridge. He has studied under Bill Schlitt, Mark Converse, John Magnussen and the previous principal percussionist of the LA Philharmonic, Raynor Carroll. He is delighted to bring his talents and abilities to serve the Lord and his students at Village Christian.
EMAIL | tylers@villagechristian.org
MICHELINA WRIGHT | STRINGS DIRECTOR
Michelina Wright, Strings Director, hails from Chicago. She received her Bachelor's degree in music performance from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 2000. That same year her string quartet went to South Bend, Indiana, where they were semi-finalists in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The summer of 2000 she studied at Roundtop International Music Festival in Texas where her quintet was one of the ensembles chosen for Best of Chamber Music. Ms. Wright received her Master’s degree in music performance at the California Institute of the Arts, where she was active in various ensembles including the New Millennium Players. She has played with the St. Louis Philharmonic, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the El Paso Opera, has sat Principal Second with the Culver City Chamber Orchestra, and was Concertmaster for the Santa Clara Chamber Orchestra, where she was a featured soloist in 2005. She plays regularly with the Riverside Philharmonic, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, the LA Virtuoso Chamber Orchestra, and has had the honor of performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on numerous occasions, once under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Michelina has appeared on episodes of Boston Public, has recorded for Sony Classical artist Mario Frangoulis, and is the featured violinist on the IMAX soundtrack Mystery of the Nile. She also performed on Dave Matthews’ ‘You and Me’ music video and had the privilege of performing with Carmen Lundy and is featured on her CD and DVD “Jazz and the New Songbook.”
Along with performing, Ms. Wright also has a passion for teaching, having taught with various organizations for the past twenty years. She started out teaching with the Santa Clarita Youth Orchestra in 2000, taught with the non-profit youth organization Harmony Project, and has been the Strings Director at Laurel Hall School since 2002 and at Village Christian since 2018.
EMAIL | michelinaw@villagechristian.org
TINA AUST | FINE ARTS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Tina Aust is the Fine Arts Administrative Assistant. Along with being a VCS Alumni (class of 1996), she has worked at the school in many different capacities since 1998. She has been both an elementary and middle school teacher, a coach, a campus aide, and the elementary librarian. She holds a masters degree & credential in education. In addition, she has been serving in the Fine Arts department and helping with productions since 2013. She has been married to her husband, Kevin, for 21 years and they have two daughters who currently attend VCS and an adorable dog named Genovia. Her goal is to aid the fine arts program in helping students discover their God-given talents and use them for His glory.
EMAIL | tinaa@villagechristian.org
