Dr. Joshua R. Wentz has had the privilege of performing throughout the US and abroad and is in high demand as a singer, director, and conductor of opera, oratorio and musical theater worldwide. Wentz holds a DMA from the University of South Carolina, where his published research on American Opera has become a leading source. Dr. Wentz serves on the voice faculty at CSU Northridge, Los Angeles Mission College, and manages his own private voice studio. He is often featured in choral festivals, voice competitions, and conferences around the world. He is the Artistic Director of Mission Opera in Los Angeles and a two-time quarterfinalist for the Grammy Educator of the Year Award. He served as Director of Music at Santa Clarita United Methodist Church for 8 years and is thrilled to be joining the family of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church as Director of Music. 

Vivien Firta joins our family with fifteen years of directorship experience and a total of twenty-three years of service in Early Childhood Education. She has been a teacher for preschool age and elementary aged children, has served on boards of nonprofit organizations focused on helping children in early childhood education and in art. Vivien holds a state of California permit for Program Director for preschool centers, a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies (elementary and early childhood education) from Santa Monica College and Cal State Northridge and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University.  Vivien is a born and raised Californian and enjoys spending time with her eight-year-old son Harrison, who is currently in the second grade. Together they enjoy traveling, musicals, hiking and being with their furry friends, Mimi the dog and Willow the cat. On her role as an early childhood educator, Vivien said, “My mission as a leader is to inspire and guide Early Childhood Educators in creating both indoor and outdoor environments that instill a love of learning in every child they teach- child centered environments rich with opportunity that satisfy curiosity, foster healthy relationships and develop autonomy.”