The People

Learn from People
Who Actually Play.

Our Teaching Artists are working musicians — not just instructors. They bring real-world stage and studio experience into every lesson.

Founder & Executive Director

Meet Eric Wallace

Eric Wallace, Founder and Executive Director of Firehouse CAC
Eric Wallace
Founder & Executive Director · Guitar · Drums

Eric knew at 13 that music was how he'd move through the world. He spent years doing it — touring, teaching, playing every stage in Birmingham — before buying a condemned 19th-century firehouse in Avondale and spending a decade turning it into something the neighborhood actually needed. Firehouse CAC opened in 2020 not as a business, but as a deliberate act.

Read the Full Story
The Staff

Full-Time Team

The people who keep Firehouse running day to day. Reach any of them directly.

Janet Simpson
Director of Development
[email protected]
Stuart Norman
Director of Operations
[email protected]
Jonathan Ruiz
Director of Programs
[email protected]
Daniel Raine
Programs Manager
[email protected]
Teaching Artists

The Instructors

Every Teaching Artist at Firehouse is a working musician. They bring what they actually do into the lesson room — and they mentor students well beyond technique.

Abby Anderson
Drums · Bass
Adam Kitchens
Guitar · Bass · Drums
Adam Measel
Guitar · Bass
August Baumann
Recording · Guitar
Austin Langton
Keys
Bella Tucker
Guitar · Drums
Daniel Raine
Keys · Guitar · Drums · Bass
Emanual Ellinas
Guitar · Drums · Bass
Janet Simpson
Keys · Guitar
Jody Nelson
Guitar
Jonathan Ruiz
Guitar · Drums · Bass
Kris Porter
Drums
Mario Watkins
Keys
Matt Whitson
Recording
Oakin Cloud
Guitar · Bass
Patrick Wilson
Guitar · Drums · Bass · Vocals
Richard Edge
Guitar · Bass
Riley Mitchell
Keys
Rumi Kallenbach
Guitar · Drums · Bass · Keys · Vocals
Stephen Wills
Drums · Bass
Stuart Norman
Guitar
Taylor Hollingsworth
Guitar
Governance

Board of Directors

Firehouse is guided by a board of community leaders, business owners, and advocates committed to accessible music education across Birmingham.

Chris Hines
Timberline Construction
Keith O'Neal
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Francine Karg
Shipt
Heather Daniels
Alabama Public Television
David Somerall
Media Merge
Daniel Drinkard
Seasick Records
Chuck Gault
Max Coating
Lindsay Booker
Club Pilates
Trip Summersell
ABC Polymer Industries (Retired)
David Hickox
Rocket Genius
Mai Nguyen
Plot Studio
Shaheed Tawheed
Knowledge, Rhythm, Understanding
Eugenia Lowery
Avondale School
Savannah DeRieux
UAB Center for the Arts

Our Location

412 41st St S, Birmingham, AL 35222, USA

412 41st St S
Birmingham, AL 35222

Want to visit? Reach out to Janet Simpson412 41st St S
Birmingham, AL 35222

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