About us
Skylands Music Academy (SMA) is designed to bring the musical arts to Ringwood and the surrounding communities. Sponsored and hosted through the Community Presbyterian Church of Ringwood, SMA seeks to nurture and inspire students through quality music education and the pursuit of artistic excellence through music performance. Skylands Music Academy envisions a community built around the arts which is valued and supported by all.
Artistic Staff
Neil McDonald, Founder & Artistic Director
Neil McDonald is an active and sought after soloist in the greater metropolitan area. After studying voice at Westminster Choir College, Neil made his orchestral solo debut with the Trenton Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. He made his Carnegie Hall solo debut in 1999, and has performed at Carnegie Hall upwards of a hundred times, including performances of Brahm’s Requiem, Mozart Requiem, most of Haydn’s Masses, all of John Rutter’s major works including the world premiere of Rutter’s Mass of the Children in 2003, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s Magnificat and Mass in b minor, among others. While at Westminster Choir College Neil was part of the Westminster Symphonic Choir performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 among other major works with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center; Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s St. John Passion and Magnificat, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, among others with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, among others with the New Jersey Symphony.
Neil worked 12 years at Malmark Bellcraftsmen, serving in many capacities including as the head of Sales & Marketing. Through handbells, Neil performed with The Westminster Concert Handbell Choir under the direction of Kathy Ebling-Shaw and has toured through 45 states and appeared on “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood”, NBC’s “Today Show”, QVC, and the World Financial Center’s Festival of Light and Sound. He has undertaken several national tours as a singer and musician, including tours with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and Charlotte Church, among others. Neil has directed numerous bell choirs at all levels and and is also in demand as a handbell clinician, having taught classes on the regional, national and international level for the Handbell Musicians of America.
Erin Schwab, Executive Director
Erin Schwab is an experienced performer, arts administrator, and teaching artist with a special interest in the intersection of art and social activism as well as interdisciplinary artistic collaborations. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied Vocal Performance and was the recipient of the Michael Fardink award for “Outstanding Vocalist” and the Olga Marsano Burian award for “Outstanding Achievement in Music.” She received further vocal and stage training through several scholarships at Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, The Chautauqua Institution’s Opera Conservatory, and an artist residency at The Crested Butte Music Festival.
She is adept at multiple styles of singing, ranging from the the Renaissance through the 21st century, and has performed many fully-staged operatic roles. She is a highly accomplished and sought after concert soloist and choral singer, and has been the primary soloist and Soprano section leader at The Community Presbyterian Church in Ringwood, NJ since 2010. She was a Soprano Choral Scholar with the Ridgewood, NJ-based Ars Musica Chorale for their 2023–2024 season, and performs regularly as a guest singer and soloist with the Riverside Choral Society (RCS). In April 2024, she made her soloist debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with RCS in John Luther Adams’ Night Peace.
Carrying her passion for music performance into arts administration, Erin has carved out a career encompassing aspects of marketing, development, event production, chorus management, and beyond.
Learn more at erinschwabsoprano.com.
Axel Belohoubek, Accompanist
After 11 years of classical piano training followed by a BS in Psychology, Axel Belohoubek hit the road as a professional musician, eventually working his way into the upper echelons of the NYC recording industry as a first call live/session player, composer, arranger, vocalist and sound designer for jingles, tv and film underscoring, major bicoastal corporate industrial shows, pre-production for Madonna and David Bowie tours and more... but the one melody everyone remembers is "Trust Sleepy's" ;<)
9/11 and the rise of the internet de-throned NYC as the world's music center, though, so live performance became key to survival. This led to midweek gigs in elementary schools, dance classes and piano bars, and weddings, tribute bands and churches on weekends. Repertoire continued to grow during accompanist gigs for the NJ Ballet (10 years) and Shen Yun (2 years) dance schools.
Life as a freelance musician is both exhilarating and terrifying, and work during Covid was particularly challenging. But today Axel is back in the schools, country clubs, churches and concert halls, working with Good Stuff (Steely Dan tribute band), the Hooley Shooters (Irish party band), the Uncle Brothers (educational ensemble), Next Faze (wedding band), plus soloing at churches, retirement communities, restaurants, private events and anywhere else seeking his services.