Time to Act Virtual Panel Discussion: Belonging, and Youth Healing
Sunday, February 22, 2026
to Sunday, February 22, 2026
4:00 PM
Location: Zoom (link available upon registration)
In partnership with Pittsburgh Opera’s upcoming production of Time to Act, this virtual panel explores how music and the performing arts can foster belonging, connection, and inclusion for young people.
Creative spaces often serve as powerful entry points for youth to build confidence, develop identity, and find community. Panelists — including mental health practitioners and arts education leaders — will reflect on how participation in music and theater can help mitigate experiences of isolation and bullying while creating supportive environments where young people feel seen, valued, and empowered.
Together, the conversation will highlight the role of arts programs in cultivating empathy, strengthening peer relationships, and ensuring that every young person has a space to express themselves and thrive.
- Co Moderators: Crystal Manich and Rebekah Diaz
- Speaker: Crystal Manich
Panelists:
- Shawn Funk, Artistic Director of PYC
- Renate Rohlfing, Co-Founder, Sounds that Carry
- Olivia Cosío, Co-Founder, Sounds that Carry
- Anneke Shuster, LPC, CTTS, CSTP
Panelists Bios
Renate 艶子 Rohlfing is a pianist, board-certified music therapist, and educator working at the intersection of the performing arts and public health. As a co-founder of the consultancy Sounds That Carry, she partners with organizations to curate culturally responsive initiatives that leverage music to strengthen community wellbeing and deepen social impact.
Renate serves as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, where she is Co-Director of the Community Health Musician Certificate, and is a member of the Song Faculty at The Juilliard School. She is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Global Presence and Engagement, a distinction reflecting her work in empowering musicians and cultural leaders to align their artistic practice with a broader social purpose.
A sought-after clinician, Renate has led workshops at Berklee Abu Dhabi, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Institute for Technology and Aging at McLean Hospital. Her work has been supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Wallace Foundation. Renate is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, and a graduate of The Juilliard School and New York University.
Olivia Cosío is an educator, vocalist, and co-founder of Sounds That Carry: Creative Impact Consultants, a firm that partners with arts and culture organizations to design community-engaged programs that deepen audience connection and social impact.
She serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she teaches courses in community engagement and teaching artistry and oversees the Summer Arts Leadership Institute. Alongside her consulting and higher education work, Olivia maintains an active teaching artist practice in the Bay Area, most notably with San Francisco Opera’s Voices for Social Justice program.
Her work at the intersection of arts, education, and community well-being has been featured by The Wallace Foundation Podcast, Psychology Today, and Opera Canada, and she has spoken on creative placemaking at Berklee’s Career Jam, Juilliard’s Entrepreneurship Symposium, and the Chamber Music America National Conference. Olivia is originally from San Francisco and holds degrees from Oberlin College & Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Anneke Shuster is a trauma therapist, aunt, outdoor lover, rescue dog mom and mental health advocate. She is a private practicer owner in Pittsburgh with over two decades of experience in the mental health field. Anneke has worked in several areas of need including housing, addiction recovery, disability benefits access and family reunification. She currently sees adult individuals and couples in person and virtually. Practicing through a systemic therapy lens, she helps clients explore identity and change through relationships and group dynamics. Anneke's approach includes but is not limited to Feminist Theory, Jungian Psychology, EMDR and Internal Family Systems Interventions.
Crystal Manich is an Emmy Award nominated, versatile Latiné international director and writer whose works for stage, film, and circus have been seen across the United States, Europe, Argentina, and Australia. She has held several Artistic Director positions as well as having served as adjunct faculty at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Rider University. Time to Act is her first commissioned libretto.
Shawn Funk, Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, has dedicated more than 40 years to working with young voices and recently retired after 32 years in public school music education. He has held adjunct professorships in music education and piano at Clarion University, Point Park University, and Duquesne University, where he currently teaches at the Mary Pappert School of Music.
Funk holds degrees in music education and piano performance, with postgraduate study at the University of Memphis, Northwestern University, Penn State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Colorado, and received the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s Citation of Excellence Award in 2011.
A leader in inclusive music education, he developed one of the first fully inclusive public-school music classrooms in the Fox Chapel Area School District and now leads a neurodiverse choir at Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, integrating specialized instruction within a broader choral community while mentoring future educators and therapists. An active national presenter, guest conductor, and clinician, Funk has led international tours, expanded neighborhood training choirs, and prepared youth choruses for major collaborations with organizations including Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and other regional and national ensembles.
