Performers
2008-2009
Allen Bishop, pianist, is a former President of the Santa Barbara Music Club and a member of its Board of Directors. His lifelong interest in performing and researching music of Classical composers has been supported by several wonderful teachers, including Glory Fisher, Dr. Betty Oberacker and Peter Yazbeck. He is a frequent performer in the SBMC Concert Series, and he inaugurated the Annual Beethovenfest in 2003. Dr. Bishop continues to practice psychoanalysis and is Chair of Pacifica Graduate Institute's Clinical Program.
Grey Brothers, director, earned a PhD in Musicology from UCSB. Minister of Choral and Congregational Music at Trinity Episcopal Church, he has been soloist with Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura choral groups, has sung lead roles in local stage productions, and has performed as choral artist at the Oregon Bach Festival and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival. As faculty member at Westmont College, he directs the Chamber Singers and Men's Chorale, and teaches church music, music history, world music and voice.
Kylie Castro, soprano, is from Three Rivers, CA and is a voice student of Celeste Tavera at Westmont College. She sang with the Honor Choir in high school, and is making her college vocal debut at this concert.
Andrea di Maggio, flutist, received her BA, summa cum laude, from San Jose State University, served as Teaching Assistant and performer in faculty recitals at Arizona State University, and earned her MM at UCSB, studying with Jill Felber. She is the recipient of many Bay Area performance competitions as well as awards from the Leni Fé Bland Foundation, Santa Barbara Music Club and Santa Barbara Performing Arts Foundation. An active performer in the Santa Barbara area, Andrea currently teaches performance, history and theory at Artios Academy Santa Barbara, and maintains a private flute studio.
Neil di Maggio, pianist, earned his BM, summa cum laude, from San Jose State University, his MM in Piano Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory, and his MM in Collaborative Piano from UCSB, where he studied with Anne Epperson and Yael Weiss. He has performed for the Adderley School of Performing Arts, the SB Master Chorale, and the Santa Barbara Children's Chorus, and has served as collaborative pianist for faculty from both SBCC and Westmont College. Neil is currently Research Assistant at Westmont's Office for College Advancement, and maintains a private piano studio.
Sara Di Salvo, mezzo-soprano, studies voice with Celeste Tavera and is completing her Masters Degree in Education at Azusa Pacific University. Sara also teaches and conducts choirs at Providence Hall and Cold Springs Schools.
Emma Lou Diemer, composer and pianist, received degrees from Yale University (BM, MM) and Eastman School of Music (PhD). Her music has been recorded on Albany Records (Organ Concerto), Contemporary Record Society (Remembrance for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, Variations for Piano Four Hands), Leonarda (Fantasy for piano), MMC Recordings (Piano Concerto, Santa Barbara Overture, recorded by the London Symphony), Vienna Modern Masters (Encore for piano). Professor Emeritus at UCSB, Dr. Diemer has been Composer-in-Residence with the Santa Barbara Symphony.
Christina Farris, soprano, is from Redlands, CA and is a Senior at Westmont College, studying voice with Celeste Tavera. This year Christina is directing the musical, The Secret Garden, for the Westmont College Choir.
Ellen Feldman, pianist, is sixteen years old and a piano student of Lana Bodnar at the SB Music and Arts Conservatory, where she is also active as chamber musician and accompanist. She has been soloist three times in the Young Soloists Showcase. A Junior at Dos Pueblos High School, she is enrolled in the DP Engineering Academy and takes AP Physics and AP Computer Science, and will be on the DP Robotics Team next year. Interested in the relationship between music and science, Ellen plans to double-major in music and either engineering or physics in college.
Philip Ficsor, violinist, earned BM and MM Degrees from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Stephen Shipps, a MM Degree from Yale University, where he studied with Erick Friedman, and a DMA Degree from Boston University, where he studied with Lynn Chang. He is a member of the violin-piano duo, American Double, which has toured in the U.S. and Europe, and the duo recently released the first recording of the Complete Works for Violin and Piano of William Bolcom, which has been highly acclaimed. Dr. Ficsor is also preparing a recording of the Complete Works for Violin and Piano of Emma Lou Diemer, with the composer at the piano. He is currently Assistant Professor at Westmont College, where he teaches violin and coaches chamber music.
Sally Greenebaum, cellist, majored in music at Earlham College and earned her Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University. She has performed in the Fox Valley, Longwood and Richmond Symphony Orchestras. Sally is currently an occupational therapist at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, focusing on hand therapy, and has a special interest in giving lectures on injury prevention for musicians.
Jane Hahn, soprano, has sung major opera roles at the Music Academy of the West, and with Opera Santa Barbara, SB Civic Light Opera and the USCB Opera Theater. After earning a BS Degree from UCSB, she pursued private vocal study with Natalie Bodanya and Martial Singher, and more recently has studied with David Potter and Val Underwood. Currently a regular with Opera SB, she is Cantor at San Roque Catholic Church, and frequently presents solo song recitals. She is also a flutist, jewelry maker and software engineer.
Mary Jo Hartle, flutist, earned her BA from Harvard and did graduate work in anthropology at the University of Chicago. She is a student of Anne Diener Zentner and pursues her love of chamber music as a member of the Firecat Trio and other chamber ensembles. An avid participant in workshops, she continues to learn from such coaches as Jill Felber and Betty Oberacker. An author of children's books, Mary Jo is currently President of the Chamber Music Society of Santa Barbara and a is a member of the Board of Directors of the SB Music Club.
Paula Hatley, pianist, earned her BA from the University of Arkansas, studying with William Gant. She has worked as vocal studio accompanist and pianist for the SB Master Chorale, and is currently Adjunct Instructor at Westmont College.
Thomas Heck, guitarist, received his PhD in Musicology from Yale University. As a scholar, he has been awarded Fulbright Fellowships in Austria and Italy and a Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship, and has published major contributions to the knowledge of the guitar's history and literature. A Santa Barbara resident since 2001, Dr. Heck is also a composer and arranger, is active in activities involving music as therapy, and is principal author and editor of the book, Picturing Performance: The Iconography of the Performing Arts in Concept and Practice.
Steve Hodson, director, received his DMA Degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Hodson directs choral ensembles and teaches piano, conducting, church music and music survey courses at Westmont College.
Egle Januleviciute, pianist, was born in Lithuania and earned the Concert Recital Artist Diploma from the Guildhall School of Music, London, and the DMA from UCSB, studying with Paul Berkowitz. She has performed in Belgium, Italy, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania and the former Soviet Union, and won several international piano competitions, including the Young Keyboard Artists Competition (Oberlin, OH) and the Robert Casadesus Competition (Cleveland, OH). Recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, she currently teaches piano at Westmont College as well as privately.
Brian Jensen, baritone, studies voice with Celeste Tavera. Brian has sung at the Music Academy and performed as member of the SB Choral Society, and will perform in the chorus of this season's Opera Santa Barbara productions.
Ervin Klinkon, cello, studied in Germany and New York. He has performed in Europe and the United States, and with orchestras in Houston and Washington, D.C. (National Symphony at Kennedy Center and National Gallery). Ervin has been Chair of the Music Department and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at Montgomery College, MD. He lives in Santa Barbara, where he performs with several chamber music ensembles, teaches cello, and coaches chamber music.
Bryan Lane, tenor, studies voice with Nicole Dechaine. Bryan has sung in numerous theater productions, has been soloist with the SB Master Choral, and currently sings with the Westmont Chamber Singers and College Choir.
Michael Lieberman, violist, attended Peabody Conservatory, studying viola with Paul Coletti. During the past decade he has performed with several orchestras, and in 2002 was co-host of the 30th International Viola Congress. He is violist in the St. Helens String Quartet, the Ensemble-in-Residence at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Currently, Michael is a performer, coach and teacher both in Santa Barbara and in the Seattle area.
Rosa LoGiudice, pianist, graduated summa cum laude from Hunter College, earning BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance, and has coached piano and chamber music with Dr. Betty Oberacker. A performing member of the SB Music Club, she is active as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician, she is staff accompanist for the choral department at Newbury Park High School. Ms. LoGiudice is a founding member of the Bright Light Chamber Players, a member of the California MTA, and maintains a piano teaching studio in Thousand Oaks.
Ted Lucas, violin, received BA and MA Degrees from San Diego State University, a Doctorate from the University of Illinois, and is a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management. Music Department Chair at Beloit College, Wisconsin, Dean of Fine Arts at Southwestern University, Texas, and Director of the School of Music and Dance at San Jose State University, Ted is currently Assistant to the Executive Vice Chancellor at CSU Channel Islands.
Valerie Malvinni, violist, received her BM from the Curtis Institute and her MM from UCSB, studying with Heiichiro Ohyama. She performs with the SB Chamber Orchestra and SB Symphony, and teaches viola at Westmont College.
Carol Ann Manzi, soprano, earned her MM Degree from Yale University. She was Artist/Instructor at The Greater Hartford Academy for the Performing Arts, and has concertized throughout the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Manzi has sung at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, and with the Abilene (TX), Charlotte and Greensboro (NC), Eugene (OR), and Sarasota (FL) Opera Companies. She continues her worldwide public speaking and concerts for breast cancer causes, has recorded Songs of Comfort and Courage and Look to the Rainbow, and is on the roster of Speakers International and National Survivors Day Foundation.
Donna Massello-Chiacos, pianist, has a BA in Piano Performance from UCSB, where she studied with Dr. Betty Oberacker, and an MA in Music Education from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. A certified Orff-Schulwerk specialist and board member of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Santa Barbara Chapter, she presents Orff workshops for teachers and children at the international level, as well as teacher training nationally. Donna currently coaches with Dusi Mura, and is Music Specialist at San Roque School.
Emily McClean, violinist, studies with Philip Ficsor. Emily is Concertmaster of the Westmont Orchestra, and will be soloist with the College Choir and Chamber Orchestra in their upcoming performance of Bach's St. John's Passion.
Camille Miller, violinist, is a SB Music Club Scholarship winner and studies with Nina Bodnar. She made her debut at a SB Symphony Children's Concert, and was also concert soloist with the Granada Music and Arts Conservatory Orchestra. She has participated in Music Academy MERIT Programs, was Showcase Winner in the Bach Festival and winner of the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition. Camille is currently a member of the SB Youth Symphony and Dos Pueblos High School Orchestra and Honors Quartet.
Nicole McKenzie, violinist, holds a BM Degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and an MM Degree from Florida State University. Raised in Santa Barbara, she is currently active as a freelance violinist, most recently performing for Ballet Santa Barbara. Nicole maintains a private violin studio and also teaches for Sandcastle Music Together, a program for children aged newborn to five years. She performs on a violin was made for her by Michel Eggimann of Rome in 2003.
Betty Oberacker, pianist, has toured throughout Europe, Israel, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the U.S. She has recorded for Century, Klavier, MMC, Orion and VMM Records, and her discography ranges from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier to John Biggs' Variations on a Theme of Shostakovich and Emma Lou Diemer's Piano Concerto. She has been Artist-in-Residence at leading conservatories and universities worldwide, and honors accorded her include the University of California Distinguished Teaching Award, a Fulbright Fellowship to Italy and U.S. State Department-sponsored concert tours. A distinguished artist-teacher, Dr. Oberacker is Professor Emeritus at UCSB and maintains an active performance, teaching and chamber music coaching schedule.
David Potter, pianist, earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at California Institute of the Arts and studied piano at the Music Academy of the West. He has conducted, directed and performed in over 228 musical productions, and has won several Drama-Logue Awards, five Independent Theatre Awards and the Local Hero Award from the Independent. Most recently, he was Music Director for Man of La Mancha at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura and for Bat Boy, the Musical, Violet, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Spitfire Grill for SBCC. David is presently Director of Music for San Roque Catholic Church.
Whitney Griggs Raleigh, cellist, holds a doctorate from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and has studied with the Emerson, La Salle, Manhattan and Stradivari String Quartets. Her career has taken her to three continents, including tours with the Golden Gate String Quartet and performances in Japan with the Nidom String Quartet. Dr. Raleigh is Founder and Principal Cellist of the Bright Light Chamber Players, a non-profit network of professional chamber musicians presenting ten concerts in the 2008-2009 season.
Diana Ray-Goodman, violist, received her BA from Cal State University, Northridge and did graduate study at Arizona State University. Member of the California Music Teachers and American String Teachers Associations, Diana has performed in the Conejo, Phoenix and Santa Barbara Symphonies, is faculty member at CSU Channel Islands and Moorpark College, and maintains a violin and viola studio in Thousand Oaks.
Joseph Richter, pianist, holds a BM Degree from Boston University and an MA from Columbia University. He has penned seven musicals, and was Musical Director for summer touring productions, including Bells Are Ringing, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Sound of Music. He was also Musical Director of Chicago's longest running revue, Medium Rare, with Diane Ladd, Anne Meara, Donna Mills and Jerry Stiller. Currently in his third year as Choral Instructor at Laguna Blanca School, he has taught vocal music and choral singing for over thirty years and continues to teach voice and piano privately.
Celestina Ripley, soprano, studies with Celeste Tavera and has won multiple state and national vocal competitions. She sang in many theatrical productions, and currently sings in the Westmont Chamber Singers and College Choir.
Nathan Rundlett, baritone, was co-founder of the Santa Barbara Grand Opera and served as its first Artistic Director. He was a winner in the Metropolitan Opera Western Regional Auditions, and made his professional debut in Redlands Bowl as Sharpless in Madame Butterfly, with Dorothy Kirsten and Brian Sullivan. He has sung leading roles in over twenty operas. A retired chemistry teacher, he is a member of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers.
Elaine Schott, violinist, studied violin with Stefan Krayk and David Stockhammer, and has a BA in English Literature from UCSB. She has been an enthusiastic participant in Glory Fisher's chamber music class at SBCC, an active member of the Santa Barbara Chamber Music Society, and for eighteen years a participant at workshops at Humboldt State University. Elaine has taught violin since the 1970's, and is a member of the Firecat Trio and the SBCC Orchestra.
David Sedgwick, pianist, is a Santa Barbara Music Club Scholarship Winner. He studied piano with Sharon Sanborn and trumpet with John Ernest in Santa Barbara, and is currently a freshman trumpet major at UCLA, studying with Jens Lindemann. A member of the SB Youth Symphony for 9 years, he is now Principal Trumpet in the UCLA Symphony and is a member of the UCLA Brass Ensemble and the UCLA Contemporary Jazz Ensemble.
Chiacheng Naomi Sen, pianist, was born in Taiwan, received her undergraduate degree from Soochow University, and did graduate work at the New England Conservatory. Naomi has been honored with several awards, including the 2002 Young Artist International Piano Competition (Washington, DC), 2008 U.S. Open Music Competition (San Francisco) and SB Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation, and has performed at the Goerlitz Art Festival in Germany. Currently studying with Paul Berkowitz in the UCSB DMA Program, she serves as Teaching Assistant in the Collaborative Piano Program.
Rebecca Shasberger, cellist, studies with Nona Pyron and attends Providence High School. Rebecca is Principal Cellist with the Westmont Orchestra, and will be concerto soloist with the SB Youth Orchestra in their November concert.
Sarah Shasberger, violinist, studies violin with Philip Ficsor and viola with Valerie Malvinni. Sara will be soloist in the Vaughan Williams Suite for Viola and Orchestra with the Westmont Orchestra at their next concert.
Andre Shillo, baritone, was born in the Ukraine and earned his AA in Music from SBCC. He is the recipient of awards from the Léni Fé Bland, Pillsbury, John C. Profant, SBCC, SB Music Club and SB Performing Arts Foundation. Andre has sung with Opera Santa Barbara since 1996, has performed in the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival, and was featured in major roles in the 2006 Puccini Festival. Most recently, Andre appeared in Bizet's Carmen and Verdi's Un ballo in maschera with the Pacific Repertory Opera of San Luis Obispo.
Roger Sidebotham, baritone, is from Colorado and began singing at an early age. He spent two years in the Young Artist Program at Colorado Springs Conservatory, and is currently a student of Nichole Dechaine at Westmont.
John Sonquist, pianist, studied with the noted Hungarian teacher Margit Varro in Chicago and with Glory Fisher as a member of her Santa Barbara City College Chamber Music Class. Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Sociology at UCSB and a 50-year chamber music veteran, he serves on the advisory boards of the Ashland and Humboldt Chamber Music Workshops and on the board of the Chamber Music Society of Santa Barbara. He performs for the Santa Barbara Music Club and at local retirement communities.
Celeste Tavera, director, studied at Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State University, and has taught voice at Westmont College for the past nine years. Winner of a Metropolitan Opera Award, she has concertized internationally.
Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, music director, is enjoying her eleventh year as Director of Vocal Music at San Marcos High School, where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, Enchanté, Madrigal Singers, Men's Ensemble, Mixed Chorus, Royal Knights and Women's Ensemble. She taught instrumental and choral music for eighteen years at Goleta Valley Junior High School, and is an active member of the American Choral Director's Association, California Music Educator's Association and Southern California Vocal Association. In 1999 she was named Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year.
Zeynep Ucbasaran, pianist, was born in Istanbul, Turkey and started music studies at the Istanbul Conservatory. She earned a Concert Artist Diploma from the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, graduate degrees from the Hochschule für Musik, Freiburg, Germany, and MA and DMA degrees from USC. A prize-winner in the 1996 and 2000 Los Angeles Liszt Competitions, she has given recitals in Belarus, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey and the U.S., and made her Wigmore Hall, London, debut in 2004. She has recorded varied repertoire for Eroica Classical Recordings, and her recording of Turkish composer A. A. Saygun's solo piano works was released in 2008 by Naxos International.
Takako Wakita, soprano, studied with Martial Singher and Jack Metzs, and has appeared in concerts and operas locally and abroad. Her solo performances have included Madama Butterfly with the Japanese Philharmonic at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. In addition, she has sung with Opera SB, the Pacific Music Society, SB Choral Society, SB Civic Light Opera and Ventura College Opera. Takako is currently a language teacher at SB City College.
Irving Weinstein, violin, earned a MA Degree from DePauw University and an Artist Diploma from LA Conservatory. A member of the Oceano Chamber Players and Roth String Quartet (UCLA), he has been Administrator for the LA Community College District, Academic Vice President at two of its colleges, and retired as Vice Chancellor of the college district. He currently lives in Oxnard and performs in local orchestras and chamber music ensembles.
Megan Wong, violist, studies with Valerie Malvinni. Megan has served as Principal Viola in the Westmont Orchestra, and will be featured soloist in the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in the orchestra's upcoming concert.
Laury Woods, violinist and violist, studied with Myron Sandler and Milton Thomas at California State University, Northridge. A lifetime member of AFM local 47, she worked in studios as violist and music copyist from 1973-2000, performing in movies, TV shows and recordings. Ms. Woods has appeared in concerts with major artists, including Ray Charles, Earth, Wind and Fire, Gladys Knight, Madonna, Rod Stewart and John Williams. Currently active in local chamber music groups, she has been a member of the Santa Barbara Symphony since 1973.