Meet the Crescendo Team

Steven Fox
Director

Maestro Steven Allen Fox is a distinguished conductor, composer, producer, and concert creator, acclaimed for his innovative approach to live music and film scores. With a career spanning over two decades, he has conducted or produced more than 100 premieres, leading renowned ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Film Orchestra, Hollywood Studio Symphony, Tenerife Symphony, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra, which he founded in 2002. His work seamlessly bridges classical, cinematic, and contemporary music, captivating audiences worldwide.

In addition to his performing career, Steven serves as Director of the Crescendo School of Music and Dance, a Salvation Army program mission dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists. He has collaborated with major artists and institutions, including Disney, Varèse Sarabande, and Imagine Dragons, and has conducted landmark productions such as The Little Mermaid Live in Concert, Beauty and the Beast In Concert, and Coco Live-to-Film. His debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Film Orchestra and his conducting appearance at the Hollywood Bowl stand as milestones in his career.

A versatile artist and educator, Steven is also an accomplished composer whose works include film scores, symphonic arrangements, and concert pieces. His score for the animated short The Artist earned the Independent Film Channel Award, showcasing his gift for storytelling through music. With degrees in Music Theory and Composition from Illinois State University and Film and Television Scoring from USC, Maestro Fox continues to inspire excellence and innovation in every performance and project he leads. 

La Nelle Meyer-Lucero
Administrative Assistant

La Nelle Meyer-Lucero brings more than nine years of valuable experience from the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Torrance to her role as Administrative Assistant at the Crescendo School of Music and Dance. With exceptional organizational and administrative skills, she combines a deep passion for working with children to support every aspect of the school’s operations.

Energized by the opportunity to serve the South Bay community, La Nelle is proud to contribute to The Salvation Army’s mission through her role at Crescendo. She is committed to helping create a vibrant, welcoming environment where children and families throughout the South Bay can thrive

Cat Cantrell
Woodwind Instructor

Cat Cantrell can be found performing and recording in many genres, with many instruments, in many locations across California.

Cat is a member of the Redlands Symphony and the West Coast Wind Quintet. An avid freelancer, she regularly performs with orchestras and choirs including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and more, welcoming recording projects and other opportunities along the way.

As a Teaching Artist, Cat works with students in the YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program as a substitute for all woodwind instruments at several sites across LA. She has previously worked with MMC (Musical Mentors Collaborative), Harmony Project, and at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts in Long Island, NY. In the summer, she teaches at YMA: Young Musicians and Artists, a camp in Salem, OR. Cat earned an MM in Oboe Performance studying with Sherry Sylar at Mannes, and a BM in Oboe Performance from Florida State University.

Cat has appeared in musical theater pits, on tour with singers, and on soundtracks for television and feature films. For more, visit catcantrell.com.

Cyrus Redding Causey
Drum Instructor

Cyrus Redding Causey’s love for music and performing ignited at a young age through participating in the worship team at his mother’s church.  Cyrus received a bachelor’s degree in percussion at the Musicians Institute, where he developed a passion for jazz and Latin music. Since college Cyrus has performed at various clubs and venues around the LA area and has since become a sought-after drum instructor. He has been a teacher for the Salvation Army's Music Programs across Southern California for over 6 years.

Sacha Duncan
Dance Instructor

Sacha Duncan is an experienced dance educator and performer who currently teaches elementary dance (TK–6) for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She provides standards-based instruction in creative movement, choreography, rhythm, and technique while fostering creativity, confidence, and self-expression.

Sacha holds a B.A. in Dance from UC Irvine, worked toward a Master’s degree in the Dance Education Master’s Program at CSU Long Beach, and earned an M.A. in Education (Curriculum & Instruction) from Chapman University. She is dedicated to creating inclusive spaces where every student can discover a lifelong passion for dance.

Ryan Humphrey
Piano Instructor

Ryan Humphrey leads a varied and diverse musical life in Los Angeles. He is a passionate and enthusiastic instructor at Crescendo and in his own private studio. He also serves as the staff accompanist for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Monica. When not at the keys of a piano, he spends his time as an orchestrator and arranger. For over a decade he has worked as part of Tim Davies' orchestration team, contributing to the scores of A Minecraft Movie, Nimona, WandaVision, the Frozen movies, and many more. His live arrangements have been performed by the San Francisco and Dallas Symphonies. He is an active member of both the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and Music Teacher's Association of California (MTAC), and holds a MM in Piano Performance from the "original" USC (South Carolina). When not making music, he enjoys taking advantage of southern California's great outdoors and being a bit of a nerd about board games and video games.

James Kee
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Upright Bass, & Ukulele Instructor

James Kee studied contrabass performance under David Black at Chapman University in Orange County. He has been teaching guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, and ukulele for over 22 years. In addition to teaching, Mr. Kee maintains an active professional career as a performer and recording artist. Former students have gone on to flourish in the music industry and have been signed to major record labels. James Kee is deeply passionate about teaching and absolutely loves working with young musicians. One of his greatest joys is witnessing the moment when a student first discovers the incredible thrill of making music. He is known as an enthusiastic, encouraging, and inspiring teacher, and his students truly enjoy learning from him.

Zachary Spiess
Brass Instructor

Zachary Spiess is a Los Angeles-based freelance trumpet player, educator, and arranger. An Arizona native, Spiess got his Bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from Arizona State University and a Master’s in performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSU Long Beach. He is an avid performer in both Orange and Los Angeles County, and has performed with many groups such as the Santa Monica Symphony, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, San Gabriel Valley Symphony, Temecula Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Brass Ensemble, Southland Symphony, Angeles Symphony Orchestra, and Valley Opera and Performing Arts. 

Zachary also teaches at many schools and institutions throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Spiess has been a fellow at the California Music Festival and Bay View Music Festival, in addition to participating in the Eastern Music Festival, Rafael Méndez Brass Institute, and Trumpet Forward Festival. Spiess’ primary teachers include Ryan Darke, David Hickman, Josef Burgstaller, and Benny Nguyen. 

Michelle Sudduth
Piano Instructor

Michelle Sudduth has been a piano instructor at Crescendo Music and Dance since 2016. She is a classically-trained pianist and composer for media in Los Angeles. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree from Belmont University, a Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia with further training through UCLA’s film scoring program. She is currently the resident composer at a NYC/LA based production company and has worked on a variety of projects including feature films, audio dramas, video games and writing and producing records. Michelle is also the Score and Session Producer for Vancouver International Film Festival’s annual composer workshop. As a piano instructor, Michelle values a multi-faceted approach, combining traditional piano repertoire with music theory, chording, and compositional analysis to help students achieve a well-formed base of musical understanding. 

Nuribeth Tardillo
Vocal and Piano Instructor