Music & Art Faculty Bios

Charity Gott has played the violin for over 15 years and has performed with various orchestras including Panama City Symphony, Eastern Mennonite University, and Pensacola Christian College symphony as assistant concertmaster. She earned her Bachelor's in Music Education with Instrumental Emphasis from Pensacola Christian College and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Violin Performance. Charity teaches with the Suzuki method and has completed unit one training. When not teaching or performing, she enjoys baking, reading, listening to movie soundtracks, and trying new coffee drinks. She enjoys developing her student's love for music at Time to Shine! 

Riley Hart is pursuing her Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance, currently in her junior year at University of West Florida. She is excited to teach voice, piano, and guitar/ukulele with Time to Shine! Riley has been singing since she could talk, and piano and guitar came soon after. In her free time, you’ll find her curled up in bed on her Nintendo Switch or playing with her cat, Alfie. She is overjoyed to work with students eager to learn more about music!

Soprano Lisa Hilliard has performed and recorded with legendary conductor Robert Shaw throughout Europe and at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Atlanta Symphony Hall. She has also performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New York Choral Society and has been a featured soloist in concerts at the Washington National Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Lisa has enjoyed the unique opportunity of singing the soprano solos in the world premiere of two newly-commissioned Requiems performed in Atlanta. A native of Atlanta now living in Santa Rosa County, Miss Lisa was honored to sing the National Anthem for President Bush’s first appearance at the Pensacola Civic Center. Locally, she has performed with Pensacola Opera and as a soloist with the Pensacola Choral Society and the Gulf Coast Chorale. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where she attended on voice and piano scholarships.

Born and raised in Pensacola, Kaylah was inspired by her grandfather to take up music as he plays various instruments and has his own home studio. She began violin at age 10 and has been singing in choirs for over a decade. She enjoys singing a wide range of repertoire, from classical to jazz and is a mezzo-soprano. Kaylah received her with a B.F.A in Vocal Performance from UWF in 2026. She wants to create a safe and supportive environment for students to learn and grow. She has always had a deep love and passion for music and loves sharing that with Time to Shine students! 

Kate Holloway is an experienced music educator who specializes in voice and beginner piano. A graduate of Pace High and former choir president, she has continued her education at the University of West Florida, where she is a junior pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education. This will be her first season here at Time to Shine, and she is very excited about this new opportunity. Next semester, Kate will assist in leading UWF’s NAFME Collegiate (National Association for Music Education) as their treasurer. She has participated in many auditioned choirs, including the Florida All-State Chorus 2024, the Santa Rosa All-County Chorus and the UWF Singers over the past two years, where she has served as service chairman. When asked why she believes music education is important, she said, “Music is a universal language; no matter where or who you are, music can connect you. Music stimulates your mind and is proven to improve childhood development. Music is for anyone, big or small, old or young.” 

Abigail Morse is a music educator whose greatest passion is igniting a love for music in each of her students. Inspired by her own teachers, Abigail developed a deep appreciation for music early in life. She began singing in choirs at ten and playing piano at thirteen. Raised in Pace, Florida, she performed in various honor choirs at both the county and state level. Her fondest musical memories are performing in the Florida All-State choirs. Abigail earned her degree in Music Education from the University of West Florida. She currently is the music teacher at Pea Ridge Elementary School, where she teaches general music classes, chorus, and the percussion ensemble. She is passionate about creating a welcoming and engaging environment where students are encouraged to grow in confidence, creativity, and musical skill. 

Athena began her art career at the age of 7 under the guidance of California artist, and author, Aaron Lambert. He encouraged her to work toward perfecting her craft through participation in many local and state wide artistic competitions. This practice motivated Athena to enter multiple Congressional art exhibits during her teenage years. She was fortunate to be chosen to have her artwork displayed at our Nations Capitol as well as meeting President George W. Bush. Meeting the President inspired Athena to join the US Army where she continued to take every opportunity to showcase her art. During her military service,  Athena taught art lessons to service members,  military dependents, and within local school districts. Athena has completed over 100 murals at Military bases across the county. She has been commissioned to complete international murals in Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Isreal, Germany and Thailand. After her military service,  she completed her degree in teaching at Leeward College as well as her Bachelors in Studio Arts at the University of Hawaii. Athena has apprenticed under multiple internationally known artists such as Lebanese artist Reem Bassous, Hawaii surf artist Michael Harada and New Jersey artist Sandra Murchison. She has also trained with nationally recognized artists Wendy Kawabatta, Debra Drexler, Shelbia Hatten and Devin Greer. Athena enjoys offering her knowledge in the arts to our local Veteran and elderly communities, as well as providing art lessons for multiple homeschool organizations.

Dylan Williams has been playing guitar for over 12 years and been a performing musician for 8. As a professional musician, he has performed extensively from Denver to Atlanta, including two years of performing in the Big Easy of New Orleans in several jazz groups. A native Pensacolian, Dylan holds a degree in Music and Classical Guitar from Pensacola State College. Mr. Dylan currently plays in a local bluegrass band named The Gator Boys. Dylan is excited to be a part of the staff of Time to Shine!