Artists. Educators. Mentors.

Meet the Team

Our team is a passionate community of artists, educators, and theater-makers who bring creativity and heart to everything we do—empowering young people to find their voice, build confidence, and experience the magic of the performing arts.

The Original Cast

Leadership

Ben Houghton

Co-founder & Executive Director

As an actor, singer, dancer, and pianist, Ben Houghton has performed around the world in venues including The Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Opera Bastille de Paris, the Emirates Palace, the Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, the Guggenheim Museum, and many more. Formerly a company pianist for American Ballet Theater and staff accompanist for the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, he quit his job in 2015 and moved to India for four months to teach music at the Shanti Bhavan Children's Project, where he met Katy and BAE was born! He holds degrees in musical theater and piano pedagogy from Westminster Choir College and is currently pursing his Masters at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Message Ben

Katy Pfaffl

Co-founder & board President

Katy Pfaffl, voice/music teacher, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, attended the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM) for musical theater. Upon moving to NYC, she toured the US while releasing six albums of original music as multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Mighty Kate (and with her duo, Daughter & Son), in addition to performing on Broadway, where she originated the role of Song Woman in the celebrated production of War Horse at Lincoln Center. Katy has also been a private voice teacher/vocal coach to the Broadway community for the past 15 years, with students appearing in over 30 Broadway shows.