Michael Lund Ziegler, Executive Director

A passionate believer in the ability of all people, regardless of age or background, to find fulfillment through music, Michael comes to PCM from The Fine Arts Association (FAA) of Willoughby, Ohio, where he served as Director of Education overseeing educational programming in music, dance, visual art, and theater. In his three years at FAA, Michael worked to create a streamlined and cohesive curricular experience for students and teachers, leading to notable improvements in student retention and a 30% increase in enrollment over pre-pandemic levels.

Prior to his time in Northeast Ohio, Michael founded Music for the Sake of Music, an education-focussed classical music festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As Executive and Artistic Director, Michael oversaw the development of the educational experiences and week-long festival of performances. Under his direction, all Music for the Sake of Music programming remained free and open to the public while experiencing consistent growth, often as much as 25% annually.

An educator and conductor by training, Michael has held positions with youth, collegiate, community, and professional orchestras and bands and both public and private schools. At each level, he has been noted for his clarity on the podium and an ability to create an empowering sense of ensemble and accomplishment amongst the players.

Michael holds an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from Ball State University and a B.A. in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with additional study at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music and Doctoral work at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Outside of his work in music and the arts, Michael enjoys sports, traveling, and spending time with family.

Melissa Lund Ziegler, Associate Director

Melissa Lund Ziegler brings more than 10 years’ experience in music-related marketing and fundraising to PCM, having most recently served as Development and Marketing Coordinator with the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC). Previous to her time with PMAC, Melissa served as Associate Director of Music for the Sake of Music, an education-focused classical music festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, raising 100% of the festival’s operating budget annually. Additionally, Melissa has worked in the office of the Green Bay (WI) Symphony, was General Manager for the Suburban Symphony Orchestra in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, and has done extensive marketing work for Rees Harps, a harp luthier out of Rising Sun, Indiana.

Melissa holds two degrees in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and an Artist Diploma from Ball State University.

Ellie Bergeron Aker, Suzuki Coordinator

Ellen Bergeron Aker is a native of New Hampshire, where she began her violin studies at the age of four. She completed her pre-college studies at Boston’s New England Conservatory Preparatory School before earning a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, followed by a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Literature from Eastman. During her time at Eastman, she served as concertmaster of the Eastman Philharmonia. Her principal teachers include Renée Jolles, Juliana Athayde, and the late Lynn Blakeslee.

Mrs. Bergeron Aker has held positions with the New York State Ballet, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, St. Andrews Chamber Orchestra, Greece Symphony Orchestra, Waco Symphony Orchestra, Temple String Quartet, and has served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Temple Symphony
Orchestra.

Ellen aspires to see all of her students fulfill their potential as a musician and as a citizen of the world. She desires to ensure that every student who steps inside her studio feels seen, respected, and inspired. Ellen has been teaching students of all ages for nearly a decade, and has seen many of her students go on to pursue music as a career.

Amy Hunter, Program Coordinator

A native of Maine, Amy Hunter holds a B.M. and M.M. in piano performance from Temple University’s Esther Boyer School of Music where she studied with Dr. Charles Abramovic. She performed in master classes with Arnaldo Cohen, Alexander Fiorillo, Lara Kargul, Oleg Koshelev, and Wu Han. Amy has taught private piano lessons for over 20 years in Philadelphia PA, Yerevan Armenia, Washington DC, San Jose CA, and Portland ME, and group piano and theory classes at Montgomery County Community College in PA.

During her time in Philadelphia Amy accompanied numerous college choirs including Temple University, Villanova University, Rosemont College, and Gwynedd-Mercy College. She also served as organist and musical director at various churches and denominations throughout Philadelphia and Washington DC. She has won or been a finalist at various competitions including Bay Chamber Concert Prizes, Pine Tree Competition, Bangor Concerto Competition, and University of Maine Farmington Concerto Competition.

In 2015 Amy founded the music school, The Hunter School of Music, in San Jose, CA where she taught and was the Executive Director for six years. HSM served over 100 students a week and employed six talented faculty members. When Amy and her family decided to move back to Maine in 2021, she passed the music school on to a new director where it continues to grow and thrive.

Amy enjoys teaching students of all ages and abilities through positive reinforcement, patience, and is dedicated to helping students feel motivated and connected to the music they are playing.

Paul Lichter, Artistic Director – Dimensions in Jazz

Paul has been presenting cutting edge jazz and improvising artists to Maine audiences for over 30 years.

Through his 20 plus years as lecturer and administrator at the Maine Jazz Camp, he has been instrumental in exposing student musicians from all over Maine and beyond to the richness of America’s most singular art form.

Founder and club owner of Portland’s famed jazz club Cafe No from 1988 to 1995, Paul is Portland’s own jazz impresario. When the club closed, Paul started DIJ and eventually teamed up with the Conservatory to offer area jazz fans a chance to hear some of the best local, national and international jazz performers.