Board of Directors

John Rose, President and Founder of Where Every Child is a Star, Inc. has been an advocate of music education in Florida for 36 years. He began his teaching career in Florida at South Dade High School where he taught guitar, piano, and chorus for over 10 years. In 1998, he was then given the opportunity to begin and structure his own choral program at one of the nation’s top magnet high schools, Coral Reef High School. Presently, Mr. Rose continues to direct the choral program at Coral Reef High School, which has been going strong for 11 years and counting.

Mr. Rose’s choirs have received both national and international recognition, performing in many venues extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Some of these include the Opening of Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami and at the American Choral Director’s Convention in Nashville. His choirs have also performed in many prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Riverside Church in Manhattan, the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and the Schubert Theater in Philadelphia. Some of the international venues include the Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and St. Marks in Venice. They also have performed on stage with some of today’s top artists and symphonies, including Josh Groban and Seraphic Fire.

Not only has Mr. Rose served his community through his choral programs, but he continues to contribute through his leadership roles and outside programs. Mr. Rose has served on the Homestead Center for the Arts and Florida Vocal association boards. Also, he presently is the President and Camp Director of Rose Summer Music Camps, Inc, which is a performing arts camp in Miami, Florida established by Mr. Rose in 2003. Through this summer camp, he was able to run a camp for inner city youth in Little Haiti, Miami. Prior to that, he was an instructor for the University of Miami’s Choral Camp under Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe. Mr. Rose also currently directs the Rosh Hashanah and Yon Kippur Services at Bet Shira in Miami.

Alan Caves

A native of Florida, Alan Caves received the degrees Bachelor of Music in Performance and Master of Music in Piano Accompanying/Chamber Music from the University of Miami. He studied under the direction of Dr. Rosalina Sackstein and Dr. Paul Posnak. Throughout his career, Alan has had the pleasure of working with Gian Carl Menotti, Eleanor Steber, John Wustman, and Margarita DeArellano.

Mr. Caves has been teaching in Miami-Dade Country for 20 years. Mr. Caves is presently the Piano Instructor at Coral Reef Senior HIgh School. The students at Coral Reef have received superior ratings at district and state level competitions and have performed throughout the United States and Europe. Mr. Caves has been the conductor for the Miami-Dade Honors Keyboard Festival for the past 10 years and is the Music Director at the First Baptist Church of Cutler Ridge, in addition to teaching a private studio of 30 students.

Julie Danao-Salkin has performed on Broadway in shows such as Lennon the Musical (starring Yoko Ono/Original Company) Rent, Saturday Night Fever (Original Company And Soundtrack) and in National Tours such as Miss Saigon (Ellen understudy), Rent (Mimi & Maureen), and Aida (Amneris stand by). She has performed as well on Off-Broadway: The Karaoke Show (Starring as Mustang Sally) and Savages, and in films: 101 Ways…, Three Penny America, Reading Lessons and most recently the musical film Clear Blue Tuesday featuring one of her own songs, “Move the World”.

Second Generation Productions has nurtured her goal, by producing her works: Thanks You, Andrew and Something More, both featuring original songs and stories. Also through 2000, she was a featured performer in their Concert of Excellence at Lincoln Center in 2003 & 2004, and performed one of her original songs at Carnegie Hall in 2002. She currently resides in Miami, FL happily married, and is finishing her music degree.

Alicia M. Romero-Sardiñas

Alicia M. Romero-Sardiñas has had nine years of teaching in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and two years of prior experience at a private music and arts school for children ages 2-6.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Florida International University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Florida State University.  She sang with the Master Chorale of South Florida from January 2007- April 2008 under the direction of Dr. Michael Schiebe.

For the past five years, she has been at Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Sr. High teaching Chorus and Keyboard.  In 2009 she was named Teacher of the Year at Ronald Reagan. Prior to that, she was the Choral and Orchestral Director at South Dade Senior High School for four years. In her first year at South Dade Senior, she taught Marching and Concert Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and the dance team.

Patricia Losada

Born and raised in Miami, FL, Patricia Losada has been actively involved with music and the arts throughout her life. She graduated in 2003 from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, where she sang with the Lourdes Singers under the direction of Dr. Candace Wicke. After graduation, Patricia went on to study at Florida State University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Music Education. While there, she was very active in her school and community, participating in many groups, organizations, and events. She was involved with the Corazon Dancers, a non-profit student organization, whose main goal was to spread the Latin culture through salsa dancing. She was on the Executive Board for 4 years, and her last year she acquired the role as President.

Patricia was also very active in the FSU College of Music Board of Advisors (BOA) program, becoming Assistant Student Coordinator after a year in the program, and later becoming Student Coordinator in 2007. She also assisted with the Capital Children’s Choir and interned at Fellowship Presbyterian Church Choir in Tallahassee, FL. Before graduating from FSU, she interned at Coral Reef High School in Miami, FL where she assisted John Rose in teaching multiple choirs and coordinating events, such as the Fall Opera and Holiday Concert. After graduating, Patricia went on to teach Music Theory at South Miami Middle School and Musical Theatre at the after-school program for The Roxy Theatre in 2009. Patricia also acquired some music business experience after working part-time for Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Currently Patricia teaches at Christi Academy–a school geared towards students with learning disabilities in Sunrise, Fl. Patricia also teaches voice privately, teaches salsa dancing at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus and is involved with the salsa group Miami Salsa Driven.

Marilyn Maingart

Marilyn Maingart, Principal Flutist of the Symphony of the AMericas and the Palm Beach Pops in Florida has extended her virtuosity playing in recordings, television, radio, Broadway productions, rock, opera, and chamber music. She has performed in Europe, with James Galway in London, on Belgian Radio and Television, in the Czech Republic, Greece and Hungary. In 1998, Marilyn toured throughout the Orient with the world-renowned Montovani Orchestra.

In the United States she has performed in Philadelphia, Nashville, Colorado, New York, Florida, and Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, as well as two performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Marilyn was the featured soloist for the Symphony of the Americas Summerfest tour 2000, 2001 and 2008 with the Czech Moravian Virtuosi and in 2002 with the Greek Hellenic Camerata and in 2003 with the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra through all of Central America and in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. She has performed with “Opera Barga” in Barga, Italy, playing six weeks of Puccini operas. Marilyn studied with John-Pierre Rampal in Nice, France and was the Grand Prize winer of the First Annual Financial Federal Musical Showcase Competition in Miami.