Yael Kortsarz

Pronouns: She/her/hers
Hometown: Dobbs Ferry, NY
Returning
Attended Camp: 2018,2019,2021,2022, 2025

Yael (Ya) has been apart of ballibay for four years. After a two year break, Ya is eager to return to the Ballibay mountain and meet new campers, staff and to reunite with old friends. Ya has experienced many different roles at Ballibay including up the hill division head, operations coordinator, head of music and now camper care specialist! Ballibay was one of the first places where Ya felt truly at home. She can’t wait for the performances, star gazing on the hill and reuniting with her favorite tree to read by.

Professional Bio:
Yael Kortsarz is a choral director and disability advocate currently teaching at Nyack Highschool of Rockland County. She got her start at Syracuse University (‘20) where she earned a B.M in Music Education. Within the Syracuse community, Yael worked with Syracuse Children’s Theatre as a music director for various shows. She then journeyed to Boston to join the Berklee Institue for Acessible Arts Education (‘23) as a grad student studying Music Education (Autism Concentration). Yael worked as a voice instructor through the institute for students with autism aged sixteen through twenty one. Advocacy for people with disabilities has always been a priority for Yael. She took a break from teaching to work for a non profit aimed to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Her various career opportunities have shaped her educational philosophy that aims to teach all people through inclusive music education.