Our Team

Hal Real, co-founder and executive director, is a seasoned entrepreneur with a passion for new ideas and a history of transforming those ideas into successful businesses. He formed Real Entertainment Group, Inc. in order to "radically change the landscape for contemporary music audiences and artists." In October 2004, Hal delivered the first installment of that promise by opening World Cafe Live, a nationally-acclaimed live music venue, restaurant and events complex in Philadelphia. In 2011, Hal and his WCL team opened World Cafe Live at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware.  For more about WCL, go to www.worldcafelive.com.  A gifted musician, Hal is active in other arts, educational and community organizations. He is a member of the board of overseers of the Delaware College of Art and Design, the immediate past chairman of the board of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, a member of the Philadelphia Mayor's Cultural Advisory Board, a board member of The People's Light & Theatre Company, a board member of the Light Up the Queen Foundation and a past chairman of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce. Hal has been a guest speaker for various business and civic events, and often serves as a guest lecturer at Drexel, Wharton, Temple and other schools. He is a graduate of Kenyon College and Temple University School of Law.

David Bradley, co-founder and arts education consultant, brings over 20 years' experience as theater director and arts educator to his work with LCO. He is artistic director of the National Constitution Center's play "Living News" (which dramatizes current constitutional issues) and is a long-time company member and regular director at People's Light and Theatre in the Philadelphia area, where he was associate artistic director and jointly led its nationally-recognized arts education program. He's been a frequent guest director at Indiana Repertory Theatre and has also directed at Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. David works regularly with Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and his multi-disciplinary arts education work has included collaborations with the Rosenbach Museum, Spiral Q Puppet Theater, Art-Reach and numerous urban, suburban and special needs schools across the region. David has led panels on art and civic dialogue in the U.S. and Mexico and consults on the arts, civic engagement, education and leadership with Pew’s Heritage Philadelphia Program, CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia and others. He's a member of the board of LiveConnections.org, president of the board of Philadelphia’s Shakespeare in Clark Park and a graduate of Yale University.

Melinda Steffy, general manager, is a visual artist and musician with substantial experience in nonprofit arts management and education. She previously served as concert and publications manager for The Music School of Delaware, where she coordinated logistics for nearly 100 professional and student performances each year, as well as designed and produced the school's print and web materials. Melinda also worked for SteegeThomson Communications (Philadelphia), supporting marketing and communications projects for major nonprofits, and for Woodland Montessori School (Harrisonburg, VA) as a teacher and part-time office manager. Her mixed media artwork has been on display at galleries across the region, including the Crane Arts Building, Fringe Wilmington, Sam Quinn Gallery and Villanova University, among others; she has taught art classes and workshops for children through adults; and she worked as a freelance art writer covering Philadelphia exhibits. A classically trained singer, Melinda has participated in numerous choirs and chamber ensembles, performed in the Shenendoah Valley Bach Festival, and been part of a multi-album recording project of global sacred music. Melinda received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from The University of the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Mennonite University.

Mary Wheelock Javian, ClassicAlive! curator, is an active performing and teaching artist. A double bassist, she performs frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as the Iris Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philly Pops, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, Mary has performed and recorded with Network for New Music, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Apple Hill Chamber Players. A Maryland Distinguished Scholar, she has won fellowships with the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Verbier Festival and the National Symphony. Mary is a passionate advocate for music education and has worked as an education consultant for musical groups throughout the country and is currently the school partnership program coordinator at the Philadelphia Orchestra. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Mary studied with Harold Robinson, principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  She lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia with her husband Tom and two children, Zoe and Charlie.

Board of Directors

Hal Real, president – president, Real Entertainment Group and World Cafe Live
(see bio above)

Lori Landew, secretary – partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
Lori Landew is a member of Philadelphia-headquartered law firm Fox Rothschild. She is the past president of Landew Entertainment Business Associates LLC, a consulting enterprise servicing entertainment and media clients. She has worked in the entertainment industry as an attorney and as a business executive for over 20 years. Prior to forming her own company, she was general counsel of indie entertainment company Ryko Corporation and vice president of business affairs for Zomba Recording Corporation, home of the Jive, Verity and Silvertone record labels. Lori lectures frequently on entertainment business issues at higher learning institutions such as Widener University School of Law, Temple University, Drexel University, Villanova University, University of the Arts, Seton Hall University School of Law and Columbia University School of Law. She is on the executive committee of the board of governors of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) where she also chairs its advocacy committee. Ms. Landew is also a member of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Music Alliance.

David B. Thornburgh, treasurer – executive director, Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania
David Thornburgh was appointed executive director of the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, the University's Master's level program in public management and public policy, in August 2008. Prior to joining Fels, David served in leadership roles in the public, private and nonprofit sectors in the Philadelphia region for over 20 years. He is a graduate of Haverford College and holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Stephen H. Barnes, director – chief financial officer, Energy Plus Holdings LLC
Steve Barnes is chief financial officer of Energy Plus, a provider of electricity and natural gas to residential and business consumers. Steve was previously a managing director and CFO of Novitas Capital, a venture capital firm, where he served on the boards of directors of several companies in various phases of development, from start-up through established business stages. Steve previously held various financial management and investor relations positions with Voxware, a publicly traded technology company, and began his career in the assurance practice of KPMG LLP. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accountancy from Villanova University, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and is a CPA. He has been a guest speaker at various venture capital and business-oriented events and a guest speaker at Wharton. He is a volunteer with the Philadelphia Reads program at an elementary school in West Philadelphia. Steve is also an avid music fan, a barely-amateur guitarist and is married with two children.

David Bradley, director – theater artist/educator/arts consultant
(see bio above)

Anthony J. Brown, director –director, Friends Program at The Curtis Institute of Music
Anthony J. (“Tony”) Brown is director of the Friends Program at The Curtis Institute of Music, where he has worked for the past seven years. Prior to Curtis, Tony worked for 20 years at his alma mater, The Episcopal Academy, formerly in Merion, PA, and now located in Newtown Square, PA. Over those two decades, he served as director of development, director of alumni  and development, assistant director of admissions, and director of alumni. As a volunteer, he has served as president of ADVIS (Association of Delaware Valle Independent Schools) and president of APC (Alumni Program Council), formerly based in Washington, D.C. Tony is an active singer and has sung in the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia since 1979 and in the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church senior choir from 1989 to 2006. Tony has a BA degree from William College and enjoys theater and reading biography. He and his wife, DeDe, have four children.

Mark P. Loschiavo, director – executive director, Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship at Drexel University; president, First Serve Strategies
Mark Loschiavo has been the executive director of the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship at Drexel University almost since its inception in 2001. Under his leadership the center has grown in prominence to become a top-10 ranked program in the U.S. He is also a member of the management faculty at the LeBow College of Business, specializing in strategic management, leadership and entrepreneurship. Previously, Mark was founder and president of: Akcelerant Space, a for-profit incubator; Cenero, a multimedia solutions provider; and founding member of TSS, a technology solutions company that grew to 8,000 employees in five years. Mark held various leadership positions over a 15-year career with IBM, where he had fiduciary responsibilities for a $1 billion profit center and management responsibilities for a 340-person organization. He is a graduate of University of Kentucky, where he holds a master's degree in economics, and a graduate of IBM's Advanced Management School.

Tamar Lelkes Oded, director – LCO co-founder; project manager, Goodwin College of Professional Studies at Drexel University
Tamar Lelkes Oded combines experience in musical performance, non-profit arts management, grant making, community development and educational partnerships in her work with LCO. She currently works with corporations, nonprofits, schools and community groups as the project manager for community development at the Goodwin College of Professional Studies at Drexel University. The majority of her time is spent managing Drexel’s work in communtiy schools as part of the University’s overall community engagement initiative. Previously, she managed grant programs for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and worked as the general manager of Tempesta di Mare, an early music ensemble in Philadelphia. Tamar has performed throughout Israel, Europe and the U.S. and has a degree in early music performance from Indiana University and a master's degree in arts administration from Drexel University.

Alex Shaw, director – musician/teaching artist
Alex Shaw is a musician, arts educator and dance accompanist. Specializing in Brazilian music traditions, he performs and tours with Philadelphia's award-winning Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra and Alô Brasil, of which he is musical co-director. As a freelance arts educator he regularly teaches and facilitates residencies and workshops in numerous universities, schools and organizations throughout the Philadelphia area and beyond. He works as a dance accompanist for Eastern University, Swarthmore College and University of the Arts, and performs with several Philadelphia-based dance companies, including Kariamu & Company and Dunya Performing Arts Company. Alex has been awarded several competitive artist grants to support his music research and study in Brazil, including Arts International's Artist Exploration Fund (2004) and the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2007). He is a graduate of Swarthmore College.