Faculty/Staff

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Private Lessons

Musical Theatre Conservatory

Coaching

Administration

Victor Lopez is a native of the Washington Metropolitan area who's musical study began early in elementary school while taking private piano and voice lessons throughout middle and high school. During his high school years, Victor was actively involved in his home church Youth Ministry while leading worship and founding a youth choir who sang and performed most all works composed and arranged by Victor. After having won many titles in County Wide, District, and State vocal and piano competitions, he continued his education at Oral Roberts University to complete his BA Degree in Music Education with concentrations in both piano and vocal studies. 

In the early 1990's while working in various churches, he founded Victor Lopez and Company, a traveling gospel group singing original contemporary material composed by Victor. During this season, Victor composed and accumulated many original compositions such as worship tunes, solo works, choir arrangements, and children's music and plays for circulation in local churches and private schools. This experience would later lead him to a successful teaching career for many years to come. As the demand and popularity of his teaching style and philosophy grew by word of mouth, Victor opened the doors of Lopez Studios, Inc. Performing Arts School in the late 1990's to offer instruction in the performing arts with a special emphasis on character development. Today, Lopez Studios, Inc. stands with over 200 students participating in its programs and has become one of the fastest growing performing arts schools in Northern Virginia. 

Victor is an accomplished and sought after composer, song writer, producer, educator, piano instructor and is considered one of the top Vocal/Performance Coach's in the Washington DC Metro area! He was also the 2010 Grand Finale  Winner of the American Idol Dream Ticket!

Victor's students and clients have performed on NBC, Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC's The Voice, American Idol, MTV, The Shakespeare Theatre, The X Factor, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Today Show, Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Fox 5, Off-Broadway, Broadway, Nickelodeon, Netflix, and have also produced singles, feature films, music videos, full albums and have been featured in syndicated commercials.

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Administration

Rhonda received her BS Degree in Elementary Education at Oral Roberts University and further earned a Masters Degree in Middle School Education at George Mason University as well as a second Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. 

Rhonda has over 2 decades combined experience in teaching, curriculum development, and management and leadership. Mrs. Lopez has taught in both private and public schools in the area and has had a successful teaching career that spans 20+ years. Rhonda is also currently an Administrator for Loudoun County Public Schools. 

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Private Lessons

Coaching

2022-2023 will be Mrs. lewis' 4th year at Lopez. Amy began her music education early, frequently performing in church community events and choirs from age 6 through high school. 

While completing her BA in Music Education from BYU–Idaho Amy had opportunities to perform with great performers and ensembles from Alfie Boe to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and performed in productions Elixir of Love, Magic Flute, and Brahms’ Requiem. 

Trained classically as a coloratura soprano, Amy is a skilled performer and an experienced educator comfortable teaching a wide variety of students individually, in small groups, and in large ensembles with multiple ages and skill sets in piano, vocal and choral instruction. Amy is also an active member of NAFME, NATS, and ACDA. Mrs. Lewis lives in reston with her partner and two children.

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

After School Program

Acting & Theatre Classes

Private Lessons

Coaching

Meg Swezey is the After School Program Director, Specialty Class Instructor, and

is the Acting Coach for most Mainstage productions as well as the Acting Instructor for private lessons. Her theatre adventure began at the age of eight when she graced the stage as a donkey in Pinocchio at Peter Pan Players in Shreveport, Louisiana.

At Lopez Studios, she has served as the Acting Coach and Stage Manager for several Mainstage shows including- Aladdin Jr., The Little Mermaid Jr., Annie Kidz, and Shrek Jr.

Mrs. Swezey received her B.A. in Communications-Theatre from Louisiana Tech University and her M.A in Theatre from Villanova University. While at Villanova, Meg

was presented with the opportunity to study Irish Drama and Playwriting for a summer in

Dublin and Galway. 

Overall, Meg has worked in almost every area of theatre including directing, stage management, properties design and construction, set design and construction, costumes, lighting, spotlight, and acting. Meg Swezey is proud to be a part of the Lopez Studios Inc. team and to help coach the next generation of young

theatre-makers!

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Acting & Theatre Classes

Coaching

Private Lessons

Rachel Sita is a Specialty Class Instructor and Private Acting Lesson Instructor. She also works as a Summer Camp Instructor and the Acting Coach for the Lopez Summer Conservatory of Theatre. With a background in theatre, including directing, choreography, playwriting, and film, she has a deep understanding of the art of performance. Her passion for theatre began by playing a pilgrim for her second grade Thanksgiving play and has not dwindled since. She is committed to sparking curiosity, confidence, creativity, and collaboration in her students. 

Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University, where she majored in English with Creative Writing Emphasis and minored in Psychology and Theatre. At Colgate she directed productions for the theatre club and wrote plays for performance. She is currently studying at American University for her MFA in Creative Writing and Teaching. Her previous teaching experience has included acting and film instruction at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center and leading character building workshops at Sherburne Earlville High School. 

During Rachel’s time at Lopez, she has taught classes for ages 6-9 and 10-15, focusing on acting fundamentals, theory, improvisation, and performance technique, ranging in levels of advancement. She has been the Acting Coach for High School Musical Jr. this past Summer and has led camps in acting and musical theatre. She also greatly values her private lesson students and her emphasis around growth mindsets. She will be an instructor for specialty classes this Spring, a Technical and Acting Assistant on Beetlejuice Jr., and the Acting Coach for Descendants this Summer. 

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Acting & Theatre Classes

Musical Theatre Conservatory

Lopez Summer Conservatory of Theatre

Marisa Lopez received her B.A. in English from George Mason University and has been immersed in dance for over two decades, beginning her training at the age of four. Skilled in all major dance disciplines, Marisa blends her educational and creative passions currently pursuing her master’s degree in education while also advancing her professional work in the arts.

Marisa began her choreography journey as an Assistant Choreographer for Lopez Studios’ Mainstage production of Seussical Jr., later earning her first full choreography credit with Once on This Island Jr. in 2019. Since then, she has become a leading creative force and is now the Resident Choreographer at Lopez Studios, Inc., choreographing an extensive list of Mainstage and Junior Theatre Festival (JTF) productions. Her choreography credits include Legally Blonde Jr., Beauty and the Beast Jr. (Mainstage and JTF), Newsies Jr., Shrek (Mainstage and JTF), Mean Girls Jr., Aladdin Jr. (Mainstage and JTF), The Little Mermaid Jr. (Mainstage and currently JTF), High School Musical Jr., and Beetlejuice Jr. She is also the choreographer for the new TLTMP program and is currently choreographing the upcoming production of Six: The Musical.

In addition to her choreography work, Marisa plays an integral role year-round in the Lopez Studios administration office and teaches specialty classes. She leads the Dance College Prep program, where she assists aspiring performers with audition choreography, filming self-tapes, and preparing submissions for college performance programs.

As a performer, Marisa has appeared in numerous Lopez Studios productions including Aladdin Jr., Seussical Jr., The Lion King Jr., Xanadu Jr., and Once on This Island Jr. She was featured for two consecutive years in MTI’s official Choreography DVD filming in New York City and has received multiple honors, including three All-Star Awards and the Student Choreographer/Director Award at the 2020 Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, GA. Most recently, she helped Lopez Studios earn the 2024 Dance Award at JTF.

Outside of the studio, Marisa is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, releasing original music under the artist name Marisa Loren. Through both her educational pursuits and her work in the performing arts, Marisa continues to inspire young artists to follow their creativity with passion, purpose, and professionalism.

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Kidz Main Stage Conservatory

Lopez Summer Conservatory of Theatre

Hallie Bisaga grew up in Northern Virginia and is a Lopez Studios alumna. She began her journey in performing arts with lessons in piano, voice, and later acting. She also participated in Lopez's summer camps and conservatory-style musical productions as she discovered an immense love and passion for music & the performing arts. Hallie went on to study music education in college and later earned a master's degree in vocal performance from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she caught the bug to become a recording artist. She has taught private music lessons for 12+ years and directed vocals for five summer productions at Lopez Studios. Hallie loves musical theater and considers it a great privilege to share her life's work with the wonderful students at Lopez Studios, Inc.!

ASSOCIATED DEPARTMENTS:

Administration

Jessica Gross is a rising junior at the University of Mary Washington, where she is double-majoring in Theatre and Marketing with minors in Arts Administration and Musical Theatre. Her passion for performing arts began in her freshman year of high school with Lopez Studios’ production of Matilda Jr. Since then, she’s performed in various Lopez productions, including Aladdin Jr., Shrek Jr., and Beauty and the Beast Jr. Jessica has also represented Lopez Studios Inc. at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Ga. in both 2023 and 2024, earning the All-Star award each year.

In addition to performing, Jessica has spent the past four summers working as a camp counselor with Lopez Studios. Now, returning not as a student but as an official member of the staff, she’s excited to share her creativity, experience, and love for the arts with the next generation of performers. She is thrilled to join the Social Media/Content Creator Team!