Greg Colossale has spent 18 years working on the behalf of young people-  raising them up to extraordinary heights.  Through the power of music, acting, and conversation, Greg has empowered young and old from as far west as Chicago, and as far east as Novosibirsk, Siberia. 

        Greg can be seen directing choirs, tearing up the Hammond Organ, running improv acting seminars or sharing inspiring stories with students. 

In his 30 year artistic career, Greg has been involved in all aspects of performance.  He promotes his students and instructors to stretch their artistic capabilities to new and unfamiliar territories.  "Failure is expected here at BackBeat City" he says, " If you are not failing or feeling uneasy, you are not growing."

Greg possess keen awareness of young people's gentle and fragile sense of self, making him unique among educators and musicians alike.  "We care, we smile, we laugh, we encourage, and we model what we expect from the student."  Greg goes on to say how vital it is to change your approach with the fast changing world. "If you can recall your own youth, you can easily muster up creative learning situations that are universal to young people."

Before BackBeat City, Greg served as a middle-school chorus teacher for nine years, where he developed the the first BackBeat Show Choirs after school. Greg holds high expectations for his young people and instructors. Most importantly, Greg puts the experiences and lessons students will take away from BackBeat City first.

Diane Franco has been involved in hundreds of kids’ lives over the past 14 years. Her love for children is what motivates her. Her career as a “Professional Volunteer” has taken her to hold the role of President and Secretary of many Booster Clubs, PTA’s and committees throughout the State of Texas, Florida, Michigan and now Connecticut. Diane’s office experience as an Administrator and Paralegal for law offices in San Diego, CA and El Paso, Texas extends over 23 years.  She received her Certificate of Legal Assistance from the State of Texas.

Her true zeal has always been to support the passion of her two children, a 17 year old Varsity football player, Derrick, and her 14 year old actor/singer/dancer, Dominic. Dominic dances competitively at a semi-professional level and is heavily supported by the efforts of Diane.  

Diane is excited to be a part of BackBeat City, where she can share her “office talents” and can continue to make a difference supporting many talented young children!

Ravid was involved in BackBeat when it was in its infant stages almost 10 years ago.  While in the middle school, Ravid performed with one of BackBeat's earliest show choirs.

Ravid is a graduate of Wesleyan University where he pursued a course of study in Economics and served as the Senior Class President. Recently, he was the Project Coordinator for the team introducing the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute to India. He has worked with Breakthrough Collaborative in New York, Grameen Bank in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Optimus Group in Hartford. He is also a freelance graphic designer.

Ravid handles new program development and the day-to-day business functions of BackBeat City. Aside from office work, you can often find him helping BackBeat students with homework or supporting the instructors. His vision is always clear, always precise, and always cool.  We are glad to have him on board!

Karen is the community organizer for BackBeat City. She also supports the office staff and assists the Show Choirs. She and her family have been great proponents of BackBeat City and have been instrumental in helping it become the performing arts center it is today. The effort, time and love she has given to BackBeat City cannot be emphasized enough. We feel blessed to have her on the staff.

Brian was one of the original members who help build BackBeat City into what it is today. He plays several roles at BackBeat City; he is the lead tenor in the BackBeat Show Choir, stage manager for performances, site/sound manager and guru of everything logistical. Brian currently attends UCONN and donates any free time he has to BackBeat. If youre looking for something, or need help in anyway, Brian is there for you.  Don't hesitate to ask him for anything, he's tremendous.