EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MUSIC COORDINATOR, Debo Orlofsky
Debo Orlofsky, M.A., ETM Coordinator, has been an educator and musician in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 26 years. With two Master’s Degrees from the University of New Mexico (Psychology and Education), she taught English as a Second Language, Literacy, and Computer Technology in both North Valley and South Valley schools. Working primarily with high-risk and low-income populations, Debo founded and directed an elementary school chorus of ten years standing that performed at both school and community functions. A professional musician herself, she has been singing in and around ABQ since the mid-1980’s. She performed as the lead singer of Splinter Fish, a seminal alternative band on the ABQ music scene and was invited to sing with Animal Opera, a local group of "all-stars" that rocked the NM desert with African dance music through the mid-90's. These days, Debo sings and plays accordion in the country blues band, Alpha Blue, and the klezmer group, The Rebbe's Orkestra, as well as fronting Saudade, ABQ’s Brazilian jazz quintet. In her own Big Rock Studio, she has been the recording and mixing engineer for several homegrown musical projects including “Demonic Lovely”, the debut CD by Le Chat Lunatique. Debo brings her background in education and love of music to coordinating the Empowerment through Music program.