Wharton Institute For The Performing Arts' Leadership Team Renews Commitment Through Multi-Year Contracts

    BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ, February 22, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Board of Trustees of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts announced it has extended the contracts of Artistic Director Helen H. Cha-Pyo and Executive Director Peter H. Gistelinck.

Said Robert Hamburger, President of the Board of Trustees, "We are excited to announce the contract extensions of our very talented leadership team. Peter Gistelinck, Executive Director, and Helen Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director, have brought a level of excellence to the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts that has benefited the many students and communities that we serve. The Board of Trustees appreciates their tireless efforts on behalf of the organization and now can look forward to many more years of their positive impact as we embark on our dynamic impactful strategic plans."

The organization has launched a 5-year strategic plan, including a $6 million endowment to support the expansion of its scholarship fund and further the vision of accessibility for all. More information about the strategic plan and how you can contribute to the endowment will be shared with the community over the coming months.

Said Helen H. Cha-Pyo, "I am grateful to the Wharton Arts Board of Trustees for the confidence and trust they have shown in me. I am thrilled to continue to work with the exceptionally talented executive director Peter H. Gistelinck and the outstanding team of artistic and program staff in advancing the mission of the organization. I look forward to many more years of working toward building inclusive communities through transformative performing arts education for all."

Said Peter H. Gistelinck, "I am truly honored, humbled and grateful to the Board of Trustees and its President for the trust in its executive leadership. These are times of great opportunity and excitement as Wharton Arts approved a 5-year strategic plan that will propel our institution into the next phase of growth under the artistic leadership of Helen H. Cha-Pyo, our very accomplished Artistic Director."

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts' mission is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities with the vision of transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community being accessible for everyone.

Wharton is New Jersey's largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 1,500 students through a range of classes and ensembles including the 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve 500 students in grades 3 – 12 by audition. Beginning with Out of the Box Music and Pathways classes for young children, Wharton Arts offers private lessons, group classes, and ensembles for all ages and all abilities at the Performing Arts School. With the belief in the positive and unifying influence of music and the performing arts and that arts education should be accessible to all people regardless of their ability to pay, Wharton teaches all instruments and voice and has a robust musical theater program. Based in Paterson, New Jersey, the Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts that uses music as a vehicle for social change by empowering and inspiring children through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing.

Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Paterson, NJ and reaches over 1,500 students from 10 counties. All of Wharton's extraordinary faculty members and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable our students to achieve their personal best.

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