Linda MacArthur Miele - Artistic Director
Ms. Miele started to dance at age 3 in Boston. At age 11 she moved to New York to further her studies where she was accepted into George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. At age 14, she was the youngest member accepted into the New York City Ballet Company. She has toured the world, dancing in such places as Paris, Rome, Athens, Venice, Jerusalem, London, Dubrovnik, Tel-Aviv, Florence, Salzburg, and Montreal. Most of her performances however, were at Lincoln Center at the New York State Theater. Having worked closely with George Balanchine, she moves into the area of choreography naturally and maintains the legendary versatile Balanchine Style. Adding to her long-standing rights to Balanchine's Nutcracker choreography, Miele was granted permission to stage Serenade from The George Balanchine Trust. In 2006 Linda Miele choreographed Maine State Ballet's production of Swan Lake and new neoclassical ballet, Souvenir, making her Maine's premiere choreographer.

Gail Csoboth - Associate Director
Ms. Csoboth studied classical ballet in New York City at the American Ballet Theatre with such teachers as Valentina Perejslavic, Igor Schwetzoff and Robert Joffrey. She became a member of the American Ballet Theatre Choreographer's Showcase and performed with them in New York. Gail finished her education in New York City as an art major, receiving awards and grants for her work. Gail has designed and staged full length classical ballets in Portland for the past 20 years. She has received rave reviews for her costume and scenic design for the Maine State Ballet's productions of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Hansel and Gretel and of course, Nutcracker. Gail has also been costume designer for the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre and designed the Opera's productions of Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, La Traviata, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Lucia de Lammermoor and Pagliacci. Gail provides classical ballet training and coaching to Maine State Ballet's upcoming company dancers.

Karla Kelley - Conductor - Maine State Ballet Orchestra
Ms. Kelley founded the Maine State Ballet Orchestra in 1987. Other posts include conductor of the Green Mountain Chamber Orchestra in Burlington, Vermont, and conductor and founder of the Maine Sinfonietta and the Southern Maine Music Society. Karla was assistant conductor of the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, and in 1992 was assistant conductor of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Her guest conducting appearances include the Sliven Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Cape Ann Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia University Orchestra, and the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Karla was awarded the Masters of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the New England Conservatory where her teachers included Carl St. Clair and Pascal Verrot. Ms. Kelly has been the pianist for numerous regional opera companies and orchestras, as well as for a variety of choruses, chamber ensembles and solo artists in New England.