Rocky Ridge Music is a nonprofit center of music education that offers summer and year-round programming to musicians of all ages and levels. By providing financial aid to both gifted and underprivileged students, we are committed to making world-class music education accessible to everyone.
Why we do what we do
We believe in music.
It’s our first language, learned from nature.
Before we had words, there was a mother singing to her child, telling her of comfort and safety and love. Before there were words, we used tone, timbre and rhythm to rally our tribe, to build courage, to dispel fear, to create community.
By making music our own, we became who we are.
Our ancient ancestors lived in a dangerous, demanding world. Yet they took the time to carve instruments and make music.
Why? Because a musical mind is a creative mind and creativity is how we adapt and thrive as human beings.
All this is to say that music is not an ornament, not a luxury of a civilized world.
It is central to who we are, coming from deep within us, a connection between us that is both simple and incredibly rich. Learning music is learning about being human. It is learning about yourself and the world around you. This might be hard to remember when you’re pushing yourself to master your instrument, when you are deep in the struggle for excellence, but rest assured, the journey to becoming a better musician is the journey to becoming a better carpenter, doctor, beekeeper, bookkeeper, dentist, teacher or whatever you choose to become. The journey to becoming a better musician is a journey to becoming fully yourself.
That is the power and the potential of music.
And that is why we do what we do.
Mission
Rocky Ridge Music exists to elevate the musician inside each of us to the highest level through a unique, holistic approach—meeting every student where they are, helping them to learn, create, enjoy, and support music—ultimately making all of us more fulfilled as humans.
Guiding principles
We believe in the transformational power of music.
Music is a language that speaks to our hearts and minds.
The pursuit of musical excellence—regardless of your ultimate musical goals—helps you become more creative, more aware and, basically, more human.
When we meet students where they are, we help them discover what they can become.
The world of music is vast; there is room for all people of all sorts.
Technology will continue to transform music, and we intend to lead that change.
The pursuit of musical excellence—regardless of your ultimate musical goals.
Inclusion & Equity
Rocky Ridge Music is committed to building an environment of inclusion and equity, respect and dignity. Our culture embraces and invites the participation of all people. Learn about our work to increase access to music education, encourage diverse perspectives, and foster intercultural community building.
Who we are
ROCKY RIDGE MUSIC STAFF
SoYoung Lee
SoYoung Lee, Executive/Music Director at Rocky Ridge Music Center, received her Doctorate in Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has held director positions at Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory Adult Education & Preparatory Department, Millikin University Preparatory Division, and the Boulder Arts Academy & Boulder Ballet. A strong believer in the concept of artist as entrepreneur, she cofounded two organizations: Colorado-based AirTurn, a company dedicated to empowering musicians through technology; and Notes at 9,000 at Winter Park, a multi-genre music competition that launches emerging musicians by providing concert opportunities, funding, and mentoring. She is passionate about building community through the arts, and serves currently as a trustee on the board of Boulder County Arts Alliance and as a member of the Estes Arts Presents Task Force.
An award-winning pianist and a Regents scholar, SoYoung is a recipient of the Ernő Dohnányi Piano Prize and the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Accompanying Fellowship at University of Southern California. She recently released a CD, In This World, with flutist Claudia Anderson. Equally at home as a teacher, she served on the music faculty at Millikin University and State University of New York, Fredonia, and was a visiting Piano Pedagogy faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder. SoYoung enjoys her multi-faceted career as a performing artist, administrator, teacher, producer, and arts advocate.
Evan Jay Williams
AMS Certificate in Composition - Carnegie Mellon University
MM in Composition - Carnegie Mellon University
BA in Music - Franklin Pierce University
John Dilts
As Director of Strategic Initiatives, John works to develop programs and partnerships that take Rocky Ridge in exciting new directions and help build long-term sustainability. Prior to joining RRMC, he spent over fifteen years as a researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where he worked on projects partnering with federal, state, and local government to improve child well-being through effective social services. During this period, he studied classical guitar with Brian Torosian at DePaul University and music theory with Gerald Rizzer at the Sherwood Conservatory. Deeply interested in the development of human potential through the arts, John also worked as program director at the Children’s Center for Arts and Learning in Denver, managing arts enrichment and academic tutoring services for elementary school students.
Madison Casey
Claudia Anderson
Claudia Anderson is known for her originality and brilliance as a solo and chamber music performer across the U.S. She is a founding member of the innovative flute duo ZAWA! and of New Prairie Camerata, a chamber initiative that showcases a community’s historical and architectural gems through performance and stimulates community participation. A Fulbright scholar to Italy, Ms. Anderson was subsequently principal flute of the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo in Palermo. She is presently principal flute with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony in Iowa, a guest artist and clinician at many colleges and music series around the country, and on the faculty of Grinnell College. She serves also as flute faculty and program director during the summers at Rocky Ridge Music (www.rockyridge.org). Equally at home in both the standard and contemporary repertoire, Dr. Anderson has commissioned and arranged works for solo and duo format and has moved into composition more recently. Writing about artistry in flute playing and chamber music as community is a current passion, as well as riding her Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. Other faculty positions have included the Universities of Iowa and Northern Iowa, Ithaca College, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. National Flute Association positions have included Coordinator for the Chamber Music Competition and adjudicator for HS Soloist, Young Artist, and Convention Performers Competitions. Claudia’s artistic and pedagogical inspiration came from the following great artists who were her teachers: Severino Gazzelloni, Thomas Nyfenger, Geoffrey Gilbert, William Bennett, and Peter Lloyd. Her recorded solo and duo performances can be found on the Centaur, Neuma and CRI labels. Her solo CD, American Flute (Centaur, 1994), was awarded five stars from Classical Pulse. Duo CDs include ZAWA! (Neuma, 2001), ZAWA2 (ZawaMusic, 2006) and Duos for Flute and Oboe (Centaur, 2005).
Andrew Campbell
Andrew Campbell has established himself as one of the most versatile collaborative pianists in the United States with a performing career that has taken him to six continents. Recent appearances include a South African concert tour, highlighted by a recital at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival; a performance of Bach’s keyboard concerto in d minor with the Chintimini Festival Chamber Orchestra; performances at the Miklin Festival Internacional in Bogotá, Columbia; and the world premier of Damian Montano’s Disappearing Moon at the 2017 International Double Reed Society Conference. He has collaborated in recitals with such diverse artists as violinist Chee-Yun, double bassist Catalin Rotaru, flutist Thomas Robertello, bassoonist Judith LeClair, trombonist Charles Vernon, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, composer Bright Sheng, and tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. He served as opera rehearsal pianist for distinguished conductors André Previn, Plácido Domingo and Heinz Fricke, and worked closely with the composer Carlisle Floyd on several productions of his operas. Chamber music performances have taken him to important venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, where The Strad and Strings magazines both hailed his performance as “excellent.” His partnership with violinist Katherine McLin in the McLin/Campbell Duo has led to performances on numerous recital series throughout the United States and Europe. He has recorded several CDs on the Summit and Centaur labels, and his performance of the Rachmaninoff cello sonata with bassist Catalin Rotaru was cited for special praise by Bass World and XBass, two leading international journals. He has appeared as collaborative pianist at numerous international conferences, including the National Flute Association Convention, MTNA, the Society for American Music, the International Viola Congress, and multiple appearances at the International Double Reed Society, for which he has served as official pianist. Dr. Campbell received the Doctorate in Piano Chamber Music and Accompanying from the University of Michigan where he studied with the renowned collaborative artist Martin Katz.
Dr. Campbell is currently Director of the Collaborative Piano Program and Associate Director for Graduate Studies at the Arizona State University School of Music. He recently completed his 8th season as Assistant Director and Director of Chamber Music for the Saarburg Serenaden Music Festival (Germany) and the Vianden International Music Festival (Luxembourg), performing annually on their faculty recitals in collaboration with colleagues from the United States, Europe and the Asia. Previous positions include Director of the Collaborative Piano Program at the Brevard Music Center, music staff for both the Washington National Opera and San Diego Opera, and Music Director and Pianist for the San Diego Opera Ensemble.
Grant Larson
An active recitalist and proponent of new music, saxophonist Grant Larson has premiered works for saxophone by Paul, Hanson, Philip Wharton, Chiayu Hsu, Steven Makala, and John Drumheller at regional and national conventions. He is the soprano saxophonist with the Colorado-based Chautauqua Saxophone Quartet and has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony Orchestra. Grant currently serves as the Saxophone Practicing Artist at Denver School of the Arts, is the wind ensemble conductor for the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras, and serves on the faculty at Rocky Ridge Music Center.
Equally comfortable in both classical and jazz settings, Grant has performed on stage with notable artists such as Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Mulgrew Miller, Art Lande, Brad Goode, Johannes Weidenmueller, Peter Erskin, Ray Charles, Ignacio Berroa, and “Slammin” Sammy K. He recently produced a collaborative album (Ascent) of original jazz compositions with fellow musicians Greg Tanner Harris, Matt Fuller, Braun Khan, and Dave Hammond. He also has released two jazz albums of original compositions under the Dazzle Recordings label (Denver, CO). Grant holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder; a Master of Music from the University of Colorado; and a Bachelor of Music from Concordia College. Previously, he served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Concordia College, and the Boulder Arts Academy.
Si-Yan Darren Li
Cellist Si-Yan Darren Li made his professional debut at the age of 9 and has since gone on to an international career as a recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. He has appeared in solo and chamber music performances at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, 92nd Street Y, Kennedy Center, Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and National Concert Hall in Taipei. Li has also performed in many renowned music festivals, including the Ravinia Festival, Kronberg Academy Cello Festival and Verbier Festival. An active chamber musician, he has collaborated with such esteemed artists as Emanuel Ax, Miriam Fried, Ilya Kaler, Lang Lang, Cho-Liang Lin, Thomas Quasthoff, Alexander Toradze and members of the Juilliard, Takács, Cleveland, Casals and Ébène quartets. His recording of the Bartók string quartets with the Euclid Quartet was highly praised by Gramophone magazine and American Recording Guide.
Having previously taught at Indiana University and University of Central Florida, Li joined the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2017. As a dedicated pedagogue, his student ensembles have won top prizes in major international and national competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition, Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and Coltman Chamber Music Competition.
Li holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Peabody Institute. In addition to Orlando Cole, his principal teachers include Fred Sherry, Harvey Shapiro, Alan Stepansky and David Hardy. Li is a prizewinner in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. He is also a recipient of the American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Li plays a 1773 cello by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, generously on loan from the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rin Kei-Mei.
David Shea
David Shea currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Texas Tech University, and is also principal clarinet in the Abilene Philharmonic and Lubbock Symphony Orchestras. He has earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (BM), the University of Illinois (MM) and Indiana University (DM). His teachers have been Howard Klug, Lawrence McDonald, Eli Eban, James Campbell and Ronald Phillips. Shea has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Brazil and Chile. As a member of Trio Montecino, he recently toured in Belgium, Germany, and the United States to promote the release of their second CD, Nuevo Sonido: Latin- American Trios, which is available on the Eroica Classical Recordings label. Shea has performed at the International Clarinet Association Clarinetfests in Chicago, Columbus, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Kansas City, as well as the OU Clarinet Symposium, University of Montevallo Clarinet Symposium and most recently, at Klarinetstage, Belgium.
Shea was a finalist in the Boosey and Hawkes North American Clarinet Competition and was a concerto competition winner at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Colorado Springs Summer Music Festival. In addition to his solo and chamber music performances, Shea has performed as an orchestral musician with the Indianapolis Symphony, Fort Wayne Symphony, Columbus Philharmonic, Champaign-Urbana Symphony and the Sinfonia de Camera. He has also been involved in numerous CD recording projects for Crystal, Naxos, Delos, Opus One, Indiana University Recordings and Hal Leonard Productions where he worked with such artists as Eugene Rousseau and the Indiana Clarinet Trio. As a teacher, Shea has given master classes throughout the US and South America. He has been invited twice to teach as a sabbatical replacement at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He has also participated in a Big 12 Fellowship grant with Dan Silver at CU-Boulder, where innovative teaching pedagogies were discussed and demonstrated during week-long residencies at both campuses. In 2005, Shea was awarded the Texas Tech University President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and most recently, was inducted into the Texas Tech University Teaching Academy. David Shea is a Buffet-Crampon USA Performing Artist and is the Texas State Chair for the International Clarinet Association.
Lorenzo Trujillo
Lorenzo A. Trujillo grew up in Denver and spent many summers in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico (eight miles outside of Taos) with his extended family. He was highly influenced by his aunt, Eva Nuánez, as a vocalist, guitarist, and violinist. He also engaged his energies in ethnic dance and collaborated with his mother, Marie Orália Durán Trujillo, in the formation of the Southwest Dancers in the early 1970’s. He taught Mexican Folkdance and Flamenco at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Denver, and at San Francisco State University. He is the Director of the Mariachi Program at Metropolitan State University in Denver (see Facebook page and webpage LorenzoTrujillo.com).
For over two decades, he was a member of the Mariachi Alegre de San Cayetano where he played violin and sang. As a musician, dancer, and culture bearer, Lorenzo was awarded the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was inducted into the Colorado Chicano Music Hall of Fame and has served on the National Endowment for the Arts as a performing artist, grants panelist, and arts program evaluator. He was also named a Colorado Folk Artist and Master Teacher by the Colorado Council on the Arts through the Master/Apprentice Program and in 2012 was awarded the Tesoro de Oro by the Tesoro Cultural Center.
Lorenzo formed the Southwest Musicians in the late 1980’s, recording several musical standards that are part of a vast repertoire of regional social dances and popular Mexican music of the early and mid-twentieth century. Among his recordings are: Musical Traditions of Colorado and New Mexico (Southwest Musicians); Con Cariño (Mariachi Alegre); A Musical Banquet: From Santa Fe to Denver (with E.J. Rodriguez), and, The Golden Age of the Southwest: From 1840 to Hollywood. He has toured in Ireland, Peru and Italy, presenting traditional music, liturgical and classical repertoire.
In his noted publication, Music of Colorado and New Mexico’s Río Grande, in Enduring Legacies: Ethnic Histories and Culture of Colorado, University of Colorado Press, Lorenzo highlights the history of the Casorio and Entriega wedding traditions celebrated throughout the Upper Río Grande Region of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico of the 1840’s. He holds a Doctorate in Education and Juris Doctorate Degrees (Ed.D., J.D.) and served as Assistant Dean and Professor at the University of Colorado School of Law.
Currently, he is the Director of the Mariachi Program at Metropolitan State University in Denver, the President of Hilos Culturales, a non-profit organization that preserves, promotes, and presents Hispanic traditions from the 1840’s of Colorado and New Mexico. He serves as the Vice Chairman, Tesoro Cultural Center, Director, Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival Workshop & Showcase, Director, Latino Cultural Arts Center Mariachi Program, Director, Southwest Musicians, and Trustee, Colorado Symphony.
Mary Beth Tyndall
Mary Beth Tyndall has a large, private cello studio in Tucson, Arizona. Her students range in age from 4 to 74 years of age. From the youngest Suzuki families to the mature beginners they are held together by their love for music, the amazing voice of the cello and the sense of community she tries to foster in her studio.
Recently retired from a 38-year career in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Mary Beth still is an active member of the Southwest String Quartet, teaches each summer at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado, and regularly coaches for local youth and community orchestras. She is co-chair of the annual Tucson Cello Congress at the University of Arizona, and in 2016 she was named Outstanding Studio Teacher by the Arizona Chapter of the American String Teachers Association.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and cello performance from Ball State University and a master’s degree in cello performance from the University of Arizona. She began her Suzuki teacher training in 1983 with Yvonne Tait in Tucson and completed the series at many summer institutes.
Her students have performed solos with local orchestras and a few have gone on to conservatory level study and national awards. She feels privileged to work with wonderful individuals and families and to help them express themselves and grow emotionally and intellectually.
ROCKY RIDGE MUSIC FACULTY
STRING FACULTY
Elias Goldstein
DMA from University of Wisconsin with Sally Chisolm
Norwegian-American violist Elias Goldstein has been praised by the Chicago Tribune for his “incredible performance” and by the Seattle Times as “ravishing”. Goldstein has distinguished himself as one of the great instrumentalists of his generation, frequently appearing as a soloist and chamber musician. Second prize winner of the 2011 Primrose & Bashmet International Viola Competitions, and a top prize-winner in the Tertis International Competition, he has achieved recognition and critical acclaim as a champion of his instrument. In 2016 he made his Carnegie Hall debut as the first violist invited to perform all 24 Caprices by Paganini, a program that later toured the United States and Europe.
As a recitalist he has performed in many of the greatest halls of the world including Alice Tully, David Geffen, Seattle Symphony’s Benaroya Hall, the Kennedy Center, Salle Cortot, George Enescu Philharmonic, Musikiitalo Helsinki. He frequently collaborates with the world’s foremost musicians including Noah Bendix-Balgley, Nobuko Imai, Eli Eban, Ilya Kaler, the Pro Arte, Shanghai, Latin American, Arianna, and Cavani Quartets. His solo and orchestral appearances have brought collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic and festival appearances include Valdres, Aspen Festival, Beijing International Music Festival, and Chautauqua Festival.
Dedicated to the expand the repertoire for viola, he has commissioned and premiered works by Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom. In 2019 he gave the world premiere of Grammy Award Winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Songs and in 2018 was personally invited by William Bolcom to perform for the composer’s 80th anniversary concert at Merkin Hall in New York.
Melanconico, his 2019 release on Centaur Records was praised by the American Record Guide as “a most impressive debut” while Goldstein was praised as a “superb violist who does not merely get around on his instrument but commands it”. The album marks the world premiere recording of George Enescu’s third violin sonata in a minor, Clara Schuman’s Romances Op. 23 and Robert Schuman’s Violin Sonata in a minor, all special transcriptions made by the artist.
Serving on the Executive Board of the American Viola Society, Goldstein is currently on Faculty at University of Delaware. He was featured on the Violin Channel performing with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, and pianist Angela Draghicescu. He performs on a beautiful and rare Saint Cecille Vuillaume viola made in 1850.
William Hinkie
Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music
DMA from the University of Minnesota
Dr. William Hinkie is a professional violinist and violist who teaches and performs in the Denver Metropolitan area. He has played with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Fort Collins Symphony, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Colorado Ballet orchestra and was assistant principal viola of the Aspen Festival Orchestra. In addition to this, Dr. Hinkie was a four-time fellowship recipient to the Aspen Music School where he was a teaching assistant to the team teaching studio of Heidi Castleman, Ellen Rose, and Victoria Chiang. He also served as the principal violist of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra for 9 seasons. He received his Bachelor Degree in Music Education and Violin Performance from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota. Prior to moving to Colorado in 2007, Dr. Hinkie taught in the public schools in the states of Ohio, Tennessee, Minnesota and Texas. He has also coached chamber music at the Perlman Music program where he worked with world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. Here in Colorado Dr. Hinkie has served as the string education specialist at the University of Northern Colorado. In addition to this he has also been the orchestra director at Arvada West High School and has served as the music director of the Commerce City Youth Orchestra. During the summers, he has been an artist faculty member at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Northern Michigan where he has taught violin, viola, cello and chamber music.
He currently maintains a large studio of private violin, viola and cello students in the Denver Metro and is also on the music faculty of the APEX homeschool enrichment program in Longmont, Colorado.
Si-Yan Darren Li
Cellist Si-Yan Darren Li made his professional debut at the age of 9 and has since gone on to an international career as a recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. He has appeared in solo and chamber music performances at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, 92nd Street Y, Kennedy Center, Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and National Concert Hall in Taipei. Li has also performed in many renowned music festivals, including the Ravinia Festival, Kronberg Academy Cello Festival and Verbier Festival. An active chamber musician, he has collaborated with such esteemed artists as Emanuel Ax, Miriam Fried, Ilya Kaler, Lang Lang, Cho-Liang Lin, Thomas Quasthoff, Alexander Toradze and members of the Juilliard, Takács, Cleveland, Casals and Ébène quartets. His recording of the Bartók string quartets with the Euclid Quartet was highly praised by Gramophone magazine and American Recording Guide.
Having previously taught at Indiana University and University of Central Florida, Li joined the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2017. As a dedicated pedagogue, his student ensembles have won top prizes in major international and national competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition, Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and Coltman Chamber Music Competition.
Li holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Peabody Institute. In addition to Orlando Cole, his principal teachers include Fred Sherry, Harvey Shapiro, Alan Stepansky and David Hardy. Li is a prizewinner in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. He is also a recipient of the American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Li plays a 1773 cello by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, generously on loan from the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rin Kei-Mei.
Ken Marrs
Master's in Choral Conducting at the University of Arizona
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Ken Marrs studied the double bass with Derek Weller, Stuart Sankey, Bruce Bransby and Lawrence Hurst. He holds a bachelor’s degree in choral and instrumental music education from Indiana University and a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona. Ken has performed with the Ann Arbor, Flint, Saginaw Bay, Toledo, and Tucson Symphony Orchestras, the Arizona Opera Company as well as with True Concord. Ken has taught and performed with orchestras on four continents.
He teaches orchestra, concert band, and jazz band at Mica Mountain HS in Vail, AZ and directs the Vail Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Rebecca McKee
MM in Viola Performance, Pennsylvania State University
Rebecca McKee, a native of Springfield, Missouri, received a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). Her principal teachers include Raymond Page and William Lincer. Rebecca has been a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s viola section since 1989.
Rebecca also performs with The Marelle and The Southwest string quartets as well as True Concord.
She is an active advocate for early childhood music education in Tucson and a registered Suzuki violin/viola instructor with a large private studio. She is also a Music Together teacher — an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program. She has worked with the Tucson Unified School District as a Music Integration Specialist and Orchestra director.
Rebecca is married and is the proud mom of a Rocky Ridge alumni. She also has two cats. Her hobbies include walking/ hiking and knitting.
David Rife
David Rife received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of
Music and a Master of Music Degree in Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory of
Music. David moved to Tucson in 1983 to join the Tucson Symphony Orchestra where he has held the
positions of Associate Concertmaster, Assistant Concertmaster, Principal Second Violin, and Assistant
Principal Second Violin. David is a dedicated violin teacher, and first violinist of the Southwest String
Quartet. He was the first violinist of the TSO String Quartet for over 30 years. In 2005 he was the
recipient of the Outstanding Private String Teacher Award in Arizona by the American String Teachers
Association. His students have won local and statewide competitions, soloed with local orchestras and
many have attended music schools and conservatories throughout the country. David was inducted into
the Tucson Musicians Museum in 2012.
David Rose
David Rose has served as a titled player of numerous orchestras, including Associate Principal of the Vancouver Symphony, Principal Viola of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and Acting Assistant Principal of the San Francisco Symphony.
Also active as a baroque performer, he was a member of the Pacific Baroque orchestra, and has toured and recorded with Toronto’s Tafelmusik.
Mr. Rose studied viola at the University of British Columbia, and Indiana University (Bloomington). His main teachers included Gerald Stanick, Atar Arad and Stanley Ritchie.
He serves as associate professor of Viola, and head of strings at the State University of New York (Fredonia), and teaches in the summer at Rocky Ridge Music’s College Intensive in the Colorado Rockies, as well as the Fredonia Summer String Festival.
Most recently, David gave masterclasses at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Eastman School of Music. He has been presenting performances of all six Bach Cello Suites, having recorded them last Spring, and most recently performed all six for the American Viola Society Festival.
Katherine McLin
Additional performance degrees from Indiana University and the Oberlin College Conservatory
Violinist Katherine McLin enjoys an extremely varied and prolific performing career as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber and orchestral musician. Since her debut with the Oregon Symphony at the age of 15, Professor McLin made more than 150 appearances as soloist with orchestras across the country. Recent appearances include Piazzolla Four Seasons with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra (OH), Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Symphony of the West Valley (AZ), Vivaldi Summer with the Chintimini Chamber Orchestra (OR), Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Tempe Symphony Orchestra (AZ), Joel Puckett Short Stories with the University of Michigan Wind Ensemble and the world premiere performance of a double concerto for violin and piano, Twofold Dreams, by Lera Auerbach (with the composer at the piano) with ProMusica. In the 2022-23 upcoming season, Professor McLin’s performances include Brahms Violin Concerto with the Symphony of the West Valley, Bach Concerto in E Major with the Arizona Philharmonic, and Max Richter Four Seasons Recomposed with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.
Since 2007, Professor McLin serves as Concertmaster of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio. With Music Director David Danzmayr, Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman, and a core of 31 players commuting from around the country, ProMusica presents seven subscription concert series throughout the year as well as a summer festival and chamber music series. She also serves as Concertmaster of the Arizona Philharmonic Orchestra with Music Director Peter Bay. In the past she has served as Concertmaster of the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the Michigan Sinfonietta, and Principal Second Violin of the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra.
As a member of the McLin/Campbell Duo with pianist Andrew Campbell and frequent chamber music collaborator with colleagues around the world, McLin performs extensively throughout the United States and abroad. She is a frequent guest artist at summer chamber music festivals, including the Saarburg Chamber Music Festival (Germany), Interharmony International Festival of Music (Italy), Chintimini Chamber Music Festival (OR), FOOSA (CA), and Festival of the Black Hills (SD) with the Orlando Chamber Players. She has also served as a featured performer in numerous national and international conferences, including the American String Teacher’s Association, International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, International Schoenberg Conference, National MTNA (Music Teacher’s National Association) Conference, IPAC (International Percussive Arts Conference), and SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the U.S.).
Professor McLin appears on 19 compact disc recordings under the Summit, Centaur, and Opus One labels. Additionally, her live and recorded performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today, NYC’s WQXR (Bob Sherman’s “Listening Room” program), and local television and radio stations throughout the country.
A frequent guest recitalist and clinician, Professor McLin presented the featured pre-college violin master class at the American String Teacher’s Association National Conference in 2008. In addition, she has given master classes at more than 50 music schools across the country and abroad, including the University of Michigan, Trinity College (London), North Carolina School for the Arts, Boston University, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Colorado at Boulder, to name a few.
A committed and passionate teacher, Professor McLin was awarded the Evelyn Smith Professorship in Music at Arizona State University in 2016, a three-year endowed position that recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding leadership in their field. In 2004, she was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award for the College of Fine Arts at ASU, chosen from over 170 faculty, and was a finalist for the 2007 university-wide ASU Professor of the Year award.
Professor McLin received her doctorate in violin performance from the University of Michigan as a student of Paul Kantor. She holds additional performance degrees from Indiana University and the Oberlin College Conservatory, and for three years was an orchestral fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival. Her former teachers include Franco Gulli, Josef Gingold, and Kathleen Winkler. She plays on a 1734 Sanctus Seraphin violin, on loan from an anonymous foundation.
Mary Beth Tyndall
Mary Beth Tyndall has a large, private cello studio in Tucson, Arizona. Her students range in age from 4 to 74 years of age. From the youngest Suzuki families to the mature beginners they are held together by their love for music, the amazing voice of the cello and the sense of community she tries to foster in her studio.
Recently retired from a 38-year career in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Mary Beth still is an active member of the Southwest String Quartet, teaches each summer at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado, and regularly coaches for local youth and community orchestras. She is co-chair of the annual Tucson Cello Congress at the University of Arizona, and in 2016 she was named Outstanding Studio Teacher by the Arizona Chapter of the American String Teachers Association.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and cello performance from Ball State University and a master’s degree in cello performance from the University of Arizona. She began her Suzuki teacher training in 1983 with Yvonne Tait in Tucson and completed the series at many summer institutes.
Her students have performed solos with local orchestras and a few have gone on to conservatory level study and national awards. She feels privileged to work with wonderful individuals and families and to help them express themselves and grow emotionally and intellectually.
Dawn Wohn
M.M. Yale University
D.M.A. Stony Brook University
Praised as having “warmth and crystal-clear tone” by Whole Note Magazine, violinist Dawn Dongeun Wohn has performed in concert halls across five continents including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras for such as the Korean Broadcasting Symphony and the Aspen Conducting Orchestra. Her debut album Perspectives, featuring works by female composers was featured by the New York Times, Spotify and Apple Music and was chosen as one of WQXR’s best albums of the year.
As a musician with a wide range of styles and interests, Dawn often performs with new music ensembles and as guest concertmaster for orchestras in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall to Radio City Music Hall. Recent activities include a new commission by Jungsun Kang, performances of Mark Phillip’s Violin Power for violin and interactive electronics, and international tours with DJ Kid Koala and the Afiara Quartet as part of an interdisciplinary live show “Nufonia Must Fall”.
As an active chamber musician, Dawn has been invited to perform at festivals such as International Musician’s Seminar Prussia Cove in England, The Banff Centre, Music@Menlo, and Aspen Music Festival. Notable collaborations include members of the Emerson Quartet, Miami String Quartet, Afiara String Quartet, Colin Carr, Roberto Plano, Susan Hoeppner and Christina Dahl.
Dawn began her violin studies at age 4 and trained at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division as a full scholarship student of the renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. Further studies include an undergraduate degree from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University.
Committed to teaching the next generation of violinists, she is currently on faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music and teaches at Rocky Ridge Music during the summers. Previously, she held the position of Associate Professor of Violin at Ohio University’s School of Music as well as Associate Concertmaster of Harrisburg Symphony. As a guest clinician she has presented and performed at over 50 schools such as NYU, New England Conservatory, Ithaca College, Bowling Green State University and Kansas University. She has also been on faculty of festivals such as the Académie Anglicorde in France, International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Italy, and Festival de Febrero in Mexico.
Dawn performs on a 1732 Nicolo Gagliano violin, and enjoys reading or spending time outdoors with her husband Jay, son Jasper and dog Wolfie (named after Mozart) when she is not performing or teaching. Her second album will be released by Delos in late 2022.
Wynne Wong-Rife
Wynne Wong-Rife has a multi-faceted career as a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, The TSO String Quartet and the Southwest String Quartet. In addition, she teaches a large class of violin students, several of whom have placed in competitions and soloed with local orchestras. After studying with John Ferrell at The University of Arizona for one year, she transferred to the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Peter Salaff of the Cleveland Quartet, and was awarded a B.M. with Distinction in Violin Performance. At Eastman she met and became engaged to David Rife, and in 1981, both decided to attend New England Conservatory of Music. Wynne graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1983 with a M.M. in Violin Performance, and then returned to Tucson with David to marry and start a family. Wynne and David have two daughters, Melissa and Molly (both cellists) and four cats. In addition to teaching and performing, Wynne also enjoys photography, knitting and Starbucks (not necessarily in that order).
Károly Schranz
WIND FACULTY
Claudia Anderson
Claudia Anderson is known for her originality and brilliance as a solo and chamber music performer across the U.S. She is a founding member of the innovative flute duo ZAWA! and of New Prairie Camerata, a chamber initiative that showcases a community’s historical and architectural gems through performance and stimulates community participation. A Fulbright scholar to Italy, Ms. Anderson was subsequently principal flute of the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo in Palermo. She is presently principal flute with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony in Iowa, a guest artist and clinician at many colleges and music series around the country, and on the faculty of Grinnell College. She serves also as flute faculty and program director during the summers at Rocky Ridge Music (www.rockyridge.org). Equally at home in both the standard and contemporary repertoire, Dr. Anderson has commissioned and arranged works for solo and duo format and has moved into composition more recently. Writing about artistry in flute playing and chamber music as community is a current passion, as well as riding her Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. Other faculty positions have included the Universities of Iowa and Northern Iowa, Ithaca College, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. National Flute Association positions have included Coordinator for the Chamber Music Competition and adjudicator for HS Soloist, Young Artist, and Convention Performers Competitions. Claudia’s artistic and pedagogical inspiration came from the following great artists who were her teachers: Severino Gazzelloni, Thomas Nyfenger, Geoffrey Gilbert, William Bennett, and Peter Lloyd. Her recorded solo and duo performances can be found on the Centaur, Neuma and CRI labels. Her solo CD, American Flute (Centaur, 1994), was awarded five stars from Classical Pulse. Duo CDs include ZAWA! (Neuma, 2001), ZAWA2 (ZawaMusic, 2006) and Duos for Flute and Oboe (Centaur, 2005).
Peter Cooper
Principal Oboist of the Colorado Symphony since 1993 and Teaching Professor of Oboe at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Mr. Cooper has also held positions as Associate Principal Oboist of the San Francisco Symphony and Principal Oboist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He has performed and taught master classes throughout the United States as well as in Asia and Europe.
Peter Cooper strongly believes in expanding the solo repertoire for the oboe. He has commissioned and premiered five oboe concertos. In 2019 he will play a new concerto by Kevin Puts which was co-commissioned by the Colorado and Baltimore Symphonies. In 2000 he premiered the David Mullikin Oboe Concerto with the Colorado Symphony and recorded it in 2001 with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in London for Summit Records. The disc also includes the Richard Strauss Oboe Concerto. The BBC Classical Music Magazine in its review of this CD praised Mr. Cooper as, “a first-rate soloist”. He previously recorded Swiss composer Heinrich Schweizer’s Oboe Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also premiered concertos by Bill Douglas and Gregory Walker with the Colorado Symphony and Chen Gang with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
In 2000, Summit Records released Mr. Cooper’s Whispers of the Past, a collaboration with harpist Marcia LaBella that garnered critical acclaim. Classical London Magazine lauded the CD as “A well recorded disc with stylish and charming performances.” The American Record Guide wrote, “Mr. Cooper has my favorite type of oboe sound: sweet, not too harsh, no sharp edges, just a melting soft pastoral tone.” Excerpts from this CD are frequently heard on National Public Radio.
Mr. Cooper has been invited to perform as Guest Principal Oboist with many noted ensembles. He has played many times with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and has recorded and toured with them. Others include the Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee and San Diego Symphonies, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.
A prizewinner in the Tokyo International Oboe Competition, he has been soloist with orchestras in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and England, as well as with the San Francisco Symphony.
He frequently performs and teaches master classes at International Double Reed Society conventions. He has been a Principal Oboist of the Grand Teton Music Festival and has performed as Principal Oboist in the Oregon Bach Festival, St Barth Music Festival, El Paso Chamber Music Festival, and Strings in the Mountains.
Peter Cooper plays on Marigaux oboes; Marigaux, Paris, has sponsored him in a series of master classes and recitals throughout the United States and in Asia.
A 1981 graduate of Northwestern University, Mr. Cooper studied with Ray Still and Gladys Elliot.
Robert Fant
MM, CCM
Diploma, NEC
DMA, University of Wisconsin
Dr. Robert Fant is a versatile pedagogue, performer, and composer who brings a world perspective to his work. He brings a passion for classical music and a dedication to excellence through his successful career as a performer and educator. He has taught and performed across the world as a principal horn in Orchestras, Opera, Film Studios, TV, Radio, and more. His passion is to help students achieve their goals and dreams. He is currently the Visiting Professor of Horn at the Tennessee Tech School of Music, horn faculty of Rocky Ridge Music Center, member of the Cumberland Quintet, principal horn of the Bryan Symphony, North State Symphony, Jackson Symphony, XO artist, and XO education clinician. Previous positions include Assistant Professor of Horn at University of Memphis, Assistant Professor of Horn at SWOSU, Professor of Horn at MWSU in Texas, and scholar, teaching, guest, or assistant positions at the University of North Texas, Trinity College London (guest), Royal Northern College of Music (ABRSM Scholar), University of Wisconsin, and the College Conservatory of Music. He is a frequent judge at IHS and other competitions.
Dr. Fant’s former students can be found in nearly all areas of music. In addition to honing their studies in the studio his students can be found regularly in festivals, workshops, and attending high level programs around the world. Recent student accomplishments include winning MTNA Young Artist Award, IHS competitions, Charleston International, Harmony International, and the first horn group to ever place at the IWBC competition. In addition to several educators in schools and private studios, students have appointments at the collegiate level. Many others have gone on to orchestral positions, service band positions, and various creative freelance endeavors in recording and producing. Robert strives to always inspire students to reach for their goals and enjoy their lives in music. He has regularly maintained a studio of private students during his performance career and these students have excelled at All State and in earning scholarships for further study. Robert is often involved in outreach and charity organizations. He has worked extensively with organizations in India, South America, China, Eastern Russia, and throughout the United States. This work involved bring music and aid to underrepresented communities and abused peoples of the world.
Robert’s performance in the USA, Asia, South America, and Europe has led to positions in orchestras, recordings, and solo work. Previously he has held the position of principal horn with the London Mozart Chamber Orchestra, ACO, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Guiyang Symphony, London Oratorio Society Orchestra, and section positions with the Philharmonie der Nationes (Berlin), Auckland Philharmonia, Verbier Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of India. This work has been in conjunction with playing as guest or extra with orchestras such as The Halle, BBC Philharmonic, National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), Taiwan National Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Thuringer Symponiker, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Staatstheater Hannover, Boston Pops, San Antonio Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Dallas Wind Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, LSO (London), Royal Ballet (UK), Opera North (UK), BBC Wales, RSNO (Scotland), BBC Symphony, Bavarian Orchestra (Germany), and an apprenticeship with the Vienna Philharmonic under Wolfgang Tombock. These experiences have led to collaborations with great conductors, soloists, artists, and an admiration of how music can change the world.
During this orchestral work Robert has maintained a regular schedule as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. As a former finalist (and the only hornist to that point) for the Gold Medal Competition, Robert has been fortunate to perform as a soloist / recitalist with increased frequency. He is also a past finalist of the Haverhill International Soloist Competition, Carnegie Hall ACJW Fellowship,
WAMSO, and ASTRAL competition. Recent recital engagements include the Steinway Artist series, Wigmore Hall series, North State Symphony, and the Aspen Recital series. He has premiered and/or commissioned many works by young composers from various backgrounds in multiple countries. He can be found on recordings with Dallas Winds, Atlantic Records, Deutsche Grammophone, NAXOS, BBC Radio, BBC TV, REAL TV, Medici Records, University of Michigan Records, Reference Recordings, Klavier Records, and NPR Radio. He has been a part of winning a GRAMMY, Lesser Foundation Award, and a Royal Philharmonic Society award. He is also the only horn on the SONY Film “The Tattooist” and was multi tracked to create the score. Additional film work includes Netflix and Apple film. He has performed as a soloist and premiered many works. Highlights include solo performances with Denton Orchestra, National Orchestra, North England Institute Orchestra, and chamber premieres at Wigmore and with Eric Ewazen in the USA. He has performed with Amy Grant, Roberta Flack, Andre Bocelli, Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Cody Fry, and others to broaden the exposure of the horn in less traditional genres of music.
Robert’s BM is from the University of Michigan, MM from CCM, Diploma from NEC, and DMA from University of Wisconsin. While he has had the privilege to study and seek out many mentors and pedagogues in his past, his primary teachers are Froydis Ree Wekre, Randy Gardner, Michael Hatfield, Jerome Ashby, Kendall Betts, Myron Bloom, Chris Leuba, and Louis Stout.
Jason Lichtenwalter
Jason Lichtenwalter holds the Oboe/English Horn position with the Colorado Symphony in Denver and the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. Previous positions include Principal Oboe with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and East Texas Symphony as well as Associate Principal/2nd Oboe and Acting English Horn with the Honolulu Symphony. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony (Dallas and Vail), Fort Worth Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and Colorado Bach Ensemble, among many others. As a featured soloist, he has appeared on oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Denver. Jason earned oboe performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Eastman School of Music. His primary teachers were James Caldwell and Richard Killmer, and he pursued post-graduate studies with Elaine Douvas, Robert Walters, Mark Ackerman, and David Matthews. In October 2020, he founded Peak Reeds, an online reed and cane shop catering to oboists and English hornists at altitude.
David Shea
David Shea currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Texas Tech University, and is also principal clarinet in the Abilene Philharmonic and Lubbock Symphony Orchestras. He has earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (BM), the University of Illinois (MM) and Indiana University (DM). His teachers have been Howard Klug, Lawrence McDonald, Eli Eban, James Campbell and Ronald Phillips. Shea has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Brazil and Chile. As a member of Trio Montecino, he recently toured in Belgium, Germany, and the United States to promote the release of their second CD, Nuevo Sonido: Latin- American Trios, which is available on the Eroica Classical Recordings label. Shea has performed at the International Clarinet Association Clarinetfests in Chicago, Columbus, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Kansas City, as well as the OU Clarinet Symposium, University of Montevallo Clarinet Symposium and most recently, at Klarinetstage, Belgium.
Shea was a finalist in the Boosey and Hawkes North American Clarinet Competition and was a concerto competition winner at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Colorado Springs Summer Music Festival. In addition to his solo and chamber music performances, Shea has performed as an orchestral musician with the Indianapolis Symphony, Fort Wayne Symphony, Columbus Philharmonic, Champaign-Urbana Symphony and the Sinfonia de Camera. He has also been involved in numerous CD recording projects for Crystal, Naxos, Delos, Opus One, Indiana University Recordings and Hal Leonard Productions where he worked with such artists as Eugene Rousseau and the Indiana Clarinet Trio. As a teacher, Shea has given master classes throughout the US and South America. He has been invited twice to teach as a sabbatical replacement at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. He has also participated in a Big 12 Fellowship grant with Dan Silver at CU-Boulder, where innovative teaching pedagogies were discussed and demonstrated during week-long residencies at both campuses. In 2005, Shea was awarded the Texas Tech University President’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and most recently, was inducted into the Texas Tech University Teaching Academy. David Shea is a Buffet-Crampon USA Performing Artist and is the Texas State Chair for the International Clarinet Association.
Rémy Taghavi
Noted for his “bubbling, charming” playing, Rémy Taghavi is a highly sought-after bassoonist and educator based in the Northeast, and has performed, toured and recorded with numerous groups across North America, South America, and Asia. Rémy has held the position of principal bassoon with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra since 2018 and has been a guest artist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the American Youth, Cape, and Princeton Symphonies. He has previously been an associate member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and a substitute with Symphony in C, and has played under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Alan Gilbert, and James Conlon. Mr. Taghavi has performed as a soloist with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble at Fukuoka Symphony Hall and the United Nations.
As a chamber musician, Rémy has given performances at the Banff Centre, Domaine Forget, Bravo! Vail, the Atlantic Music Festival, FIMAC, Montréal/New Musics Festival, and the Annapolis Chamber Music Festival, of which he is co-director and founder. Mr. Taghavi is the bassoonist in Frisson, the New York-based nonet whose performances have been called “musical perfection” (Royal Gazette, Bermuda). He is also a member of SoundMind, a modern wind quintet which performs music by living composers alongside re-imagined works from across an expanse of style, genre, and instrumentation. Rémy is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect, a chamber music and career-development fellowship of Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School.
A passionate educator, Mr. Taghavi is currently Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and faculty at the Rocky Ridge Music Center’s Young Artist Seminar (Colorado). He was an instructor in the Evening Division at the Juilliard School from 2014 to 2019. He has given guest masterclasses at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. Rémy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California, received a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School, and recently completed his doctorate at Stony Brook University. His primary teachers include Frank Morelli, Judith Farmer, and Norbert Nielubowski.
KEYBOARD FACULTY
Andrew Campbell
Andrew Campbell has established himself as one of the most versatile collaborative pianists in the United States with a performing career that has taken him to six continents. Recent appearances include a South African concert tour, highlighted by a recital at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival; a performance of Bach’s keyboard concerto in d minor with the Chintimini Festival Chamber Orchestra; performances at the Miklin Festival Internacional in Bogotá, Columbia; and the world premier of Damian Montano’s Disappearing Moon at the 2017 International Double Reed Society Conference. He has collaborated in recitals with such diverse artists as violinist Chee-Yun, double bassist Catalin Rotaru, flutist Thomas Robertello, bassoonist Judith LeClair, trombonist Charles Vernon, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, composer Bright Sheng, and tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. He served as opera rehearsal pianist for distinguished conductors André Previn, Plácido Domingo and Heinz Fricke, and worked closely with the composer Carlisle Floyd on several productions of his operas. Chamber music performances have taken him to important venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, where The Strad and Strings magazines both hailed his performance as “excellent.” His partnership with violinist Katherine McLin in the McLin/Campbell Duo has led to performances on numerous recital series throughout the United States and Europe. He has recorded several CDs on the Summit and Centaur labels, and his performance of the Rachmaninoff cello sonata with bassist Catalin Rotaru was cited for special praise by Bass World and XBass, two leading international journals. He has appeared as collaborative pianist at numerous international conferences, including the National Flute Association Convention, MTNA, the Society for American Music, the International Viola Congress, and multiple appearances at the International Double Reed Society, for which he has served as official pianist. Dr. Campbell received the Doctorate in Piano Chamber Music and Accompanying from the University of Michigan where he studied with the renowned collaborative artist Martin Katz.
Dr. Campbell is currently Director of the Collaborative Piano Program and Associate Director for Graduate Studies at the Arizona State University School of Music. He recently completed his 8th season as Assistant Director and Director of Chamber Music for the Saarburg Serenaden Music Festival (Germany) and the Vianden International Music Festival (Luxembourg), performing annually on their faculty recitals in collaboration with colleagues from the United States, Europe and the Asia. Previous positions include Director of the Collaborative Piano Program at the Brevard Music Center, music staff for both the Washington National Opera and San Diego Opera, and Music Director and Pianist for the San Diego Opera Ensemble.
Alejandro Cremaschi
Alejandro Cremaschi received his MM and DMA degrees from the University of Minnesota. He earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina. He studied with Edith Peinado, Dora De Marinis, Nancy Roldan and Lydia Artymiw. He has been a soloist with the orchestras of the Universidad de Cuyo, Universidad de Tucumán, University of Minnesota and the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina among others. He was a prize winner at the International Beethoven Sonata Piano Competition in Memphis, Tennessee in 2001.
Cremaschi is in demand as a specialist on Latin American piano music. He is the editor and recording artist for the new edition of Alberto Ginastera’s Doce Preludios Americanos, published by Carl Fischer Publishing in 2016. Between 1996 and 2002, he was a member of the Argentine Foundation “Ostinato,” founded and directed by his former teacher Dora De Marinis. As a member of this foundation, and in collaboration with other members, he recorded Argentine music for the labels IRCO, Ostinato and Marco Polo, and participated in concert tours in the US and Europe. Since 2004, he actively collaborated with the Argentine composer and CU professor emeritus Luis Jorge Gonzalez until his death in 2016. His recordings of solo and chamber music by Gonzalez have been released in the CDs Las Puertas del Tiempo (2009), Fervor (2012) and Tango: Body and Soul (2015) by the British label Meridian Records. Las Puertas del Tiempo was praised by Fanfare Magazine as “exemplary.”
Cremaschi’s current pedagogical research areas include concert repertoire and pedagogical music by Argentine and Latin American composers; the use of technology for remote teaching and as an aid the acquisition and training of music reading skills; the influence of self-efficacy beliefs in piano students’ achievement, motivation and practicing strategies; cultural and social aspects of piano study in Latin America; and the study and implementation of cooperative learning strategies in the piano classroom. He has been a presenter at national and international conferences including numerous Music Teachers National Association annual conferences, College Music Society national and international conferences, and the International Society for Music Education conference, as well as several webinars and online panels for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy and the Peabody Institute. He has published articles and reviews in the Research Studies in Music Education journal, Journal of Music, Technology and Education, European Piano Teachers Association magazine, the Journal for Technology in Music Teaching, the Piano Pedagogy Forum online journal, Clavier, The Instrumentalist, the Keyboard Companion and the Piano Magazine.
Angela Drăghicescu
DMA from University of Texas Austin with Anne Epperson
Praised by the New York Times as “elegant and spectacular” pianist Angela Drăghicescu has established an international reputation as a much sought-after pianist and chamber musician. She has performed in major concert halls across North America, and throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Recent engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kaufmann Center, Konserthus (Stockholm), Oslo Philharmonic, Rudolfinium in Prague, and the George Enescu Philharmonic. Her collaborations include many of today’s leading artists such as James Ehnes, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Doc Severinsen, Frank Huang, and has collaborated in concerts with Maxim Vengerov, René Felming, and Joyce di Donato. She is regularly invited to perform with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago, New York, and London Symphonies. Previous performances included among esteemed guests, members of the Royal Families of Sweden, Norway, and England. Her festival appearances include Aspen, Music at Menlo, Interlochen Arts Academy; Si Piano (Switzerland) and Seattle Chamber Music Society; and live on BBC 5, Classical King FM Seattle, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Romanian National Radio, and Ruv Ras 1 Iceland.
She has appeared in concerts for conductors Zubin Mehta, Michael Tilson-Thomas Carl St Clair, David Zinman, and Edwin Outwater. Deeply committed to expanding the chamber music repertoire she has commissioned and premiered works by composers William Bolcom and Jennifer Higdon. A huge proponent of the works of George Enescu, her research on the music of George Enescu has led her to the rediscovery of Enescu’s first piano trio, a work lost for over 50 years. Her relentless efforts have received the recent praise of the New York Times, who credited her for being an authority on the newly discovered works of George Enescu. 2021-2022 season highlights include a recording of the Enescu trio on the Warner label and collaborations with Calidore quartet members, Frank Huang, and David Halen.
Sergio Gallo
Post-Graduate Certificate at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest (1992)
M.M. and Artist Diploma at the University of Cincinnati (1994 and 1995 respectively)
Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1998)
- A Steinway artist, Sergio Gallo specializes in the repertoire of the Romantic period, especially Liszt and his contemporaries, including Schumann, Henselt, Brahms, and Chopin. He has also championed the work of composers in Brazil, the nation of his birth. Gallo has recorded several acclaimed CD’s for Eroica, with forthcoming projects committed Naxos Grand Piano, and Quartz labels. Sergio Gallo’s recent release of Liszt’s transcriptions of operas by Meyerbeer received a four star rating from the BBC Magazine: His recordings have received high praise from Gramophone Magazine (of his most recent Villa-Lobos recording: “splendid playing of a lively programme… [a] nuanced performance… played with exceptional artistry”) and American Record Guide (“it is hard to imagine a pianist leaving me with a more intense feeling of nobility”). In 2011, Gallo won the Global Music Awards “Award of Excellence” for his album, Mostly Villa-Lobos: 20th Century Piano Music from the Americas.
Gallo has performed with orchestras throughout the Americas and worldwide. In the last decade, he has performed in Turkey, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Serbia, Portugal, Korea, Taiwan, Canada, and China, as well as in recitals given across the United States. Since his Brazilian national radio debut in 1986 (Radio Cultura, São Paulo) and his European radio debut in 1988 (Radio France, Paris), Gallo’s work has been regularly played on classical music radio outlets around the world. His performances of Liszt’s Hungarian Fantasy L.123, Schumann’s Concerto in A minor, Op.54, and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 in D-flat Minor, Op.23 were highlighted in 2011 Atlanta symphonic performances.
Sergio Gallo is the winner of concerto competitions of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and of the University Symphony in Santa Barbara. He has received a grant from the Henry Cowell Incentive Funds at the American Music Center in New York, New York, to record works by the composer, and this recording has been featured in the program Piano Matters with David Dubal. Gallo twice toured North Dakota with a Challenge America Fast-Track Grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Gallo earned the Diplôme d’Excellence at the Conservatoire Européen de Musique de Paris (1987), a Post-Graduate Certificate at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest (1992), an M.M. and Artist Diploma at the University of Cincinnati (1994 and 1995 respectively), and the Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1998). Among his further training and involvement in professional workshops, Gallo participated in the Daniel Berenboim Workshop for Pianists and Conductors at Carnegie Hall (2000), the Orchestra Stabile Summer Festival (Bergamo, Italy, 1991), the Sergei Rachmaninoff International Courses in Piano Performance (Tambov, Russia, 1988), and the Seminaire Jean Fassina (Paris, 1986). He lives in the United States where he is Professor of Piano Performance at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and is appointed to the affiliated artist staff of the Rocky Ridge Music Academy in Estes Park, Colorado.
Jennifer Hayghe
Jennifer Hayghe has performed in solo recitals and made orchestral appearances throughout the world, including the United States, Europe and Asia. Hayghe received her bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School, where she was the last student of the legendary artist-teacher Adele Marcus. Hayghe won every award possible for a Juilliard pianist to receive, including the William Petschek Debut Award, resulting in her New York City recital debut at Alice Tully Hall.
Hayghe has performed and taught as a soloist and chamber musician at universities and colleges throughout the country as well as appearing as a concerto soloist with various orchestras throughout the United States. She has performed in major chamber music series, including Bargemusic in New York and the Garth Newel Center for Music series in Virginia, and has taught chamber music throughout the United States and Central America.
Hayghe is currently Chair of the Roser Keyboard and Piano Area at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Formerly an Associate Professor of Piano at Ithaca College and the Barineau Endowed Professor of Piano at Louisiana State University, she has given masterclasses at universities and colleges throughout the country as well as at the Manhattan School of Music, the New York University Piano Master Class Series and Mannes College of Music pre-college. Hayghe has been a presenter and panelist at the College Music Society and Music Teachers National Association national conferences and she has served as a featured artist at music teachers’ conventions in New York, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia. Hayghe is currently on the faculty of the Brancaleoni International Music Festival in Italy
Hayghe lives with her husband, Robert McGaha, and son William in Erie, CO.
Hsing-ay Hsu
A versatile concerto soloist performing Bach to Barber, she is described by the Washington Post as full of “power, authority, and self-assurance.” Concerto collaborations include the Houston Symphony Orchestra as first-prizewinner of the Ima Hogg National Competition, the Baltimore Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, Pacific Symphony (CA), Colorado Springs, Florida West Coast, Fort Collins, New Jersey, Waterbury(CT), China National, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Xiamen orchestras. Television and radio feature broadcasts include Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion Live from Tanglewood (for a 10,000+ live audience members and 3.9 million broadcast audience), NPR’s Performance Today with Martin Goldsmith, TCI cablevision’s Grand Piano Recital (CA), CPR’s Colorado Spotlight, China Central National TV, Hong Kong Phoenix TV, and Danish National Radio. She has recorded CD/DVD’s for Pacific Records, Albany Records, and Nutmeg Press labels.
An advocate of new music, she has given numerous world premieresincluding Ezra Laderman’s Piano Sonata No.3 and Beshert; Ned Rorem’s Aftermath (2002) for baritone and piano trio; Daniel Kellogg’s scarlet thread at the Guggenheim Museum in New York and his Momentum, which she commissioned for the 1998 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival; as well as Du MingXin’s Piano Concerto No.3 at the Gulangyu International Piano Festival and National Tour. Chamber music appearances include Carnegie Weill Hall, Bargemusic in New York, the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Gardner Museum in Boston, the Detroit Art Museum, Denmark’s Viborg Hall, Taiwan’s Novel Hall, and a 2007 all-stars gala in Hong Kong for the 10th anniversary of the reunification. Recent projects include the ongoing multi-media recital China through the Lens of Piano Music, co-directing/performing in the George Crumb at 80 Music Festival, and producing/performing the Olivier Messiaen Centennial series.
Born in Beijing, Hsu studied piano with her parents and her uncle Fei-Ping Hsu, and later with Herbert Stessin at Juilliard and Claude Frank at Yale. She also trained in the fellowship programs at the Tanglewood Music Center, Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute, the Aldeburgh Britten-Pears Programme (UK), the Aspen Music Festival, and abroad.
Until recently, Ms. Hsu was the Artistic Director for Pendulum New Music Series at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has taught piano for numerous universities including the University of Colorado in Boulder and Ohio University, and has lectured for University of Denver Enrichment, the Denver Art Museum, the Friends of Chamber Music Denver salon series, the MTNA national conference, and the DAMTA Lecture Series. She created the Conscious Listening method to give audiences and pianists a broader perspective on the art of performance. An educator, adjudicator, teacher of prize-winning students, and CSMTA’s College Faculty Chair, her teaching honors include the NFMC Ouida Keck Award.
Ms. Hsu resides in New York City with her husband, composer and Young Concert Artists president Daniel Kellogg, and one daughter. Her favorite pastimes are dance and improv theater. Her concert and seminar schedule and recordings are available at hsingayhsu.com.
Check out Ms. Hsu’s most recent virtual seminar: Orchestral Colors of the Piano, a 6-week tonal analysis intensive for lifelong learners, music teachers, and performers of any instrument!
Also, see Ms. Hsu in action during a Rocky Ridge piano seminar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WCcY7D1UAg.
EunJoo Jeon
MM in Collaborative Piano from SUNY Fredonia
Eun Joo Jeon is a South Korean pianist. She is well known in the Western New York area where she works as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach. As a freelance pianist, Jeon regularly provides her talents to multiple voice studios and stage productions at her alma mater, State University of New York at Fredonia. She has also performed with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Glen Cortese, and Buffalo Unlimited Opera.
Jeon received her BA in Music Performance from Korean Christian University (Seoul), and her MM in Collaborative Piano from SUNY Fredonia. Eun Joo is a returning faculty member at Rocky Ridge Music’s Junior Artist Immersion program.
David Korevaar
David Korevaar, whose playing has been called a “musical epiphany” by Gramophone Magazine, performs an extensive repertoire as a soloist and chamber musician around the US and internationally. In addition to his teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he holds the Peter and Helen Weil fellowship in piano and where he has been named Distinguished Research Lecturer (2016), he is an active performer and recording artist. In the spring of 2016, Korevaar spent two weeks teaching in Kabul at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). The 2016-2017 season also included two tours to Brazil and a recital and master classes in Mexico City. In Fall 2017, he conducted and performed two of Mozart’s piano concertos in Boulder, bringing home a skill picked up in Japan and Brazil over the last several years. Korevaar’s extensive discography includes numerous solo and chamber music recordings, most recently a recording of Lowell Liebermann’s Piano Music since 2000 and a world premiere recording of piano music by the early twentieth-century Italian composer Luigi Perrachio. Other recent releases include a disc of chamber works by Tibor Harsányi with Charles Wetherbee (Naxos), and a Chopin recital on MSR, Hindemith’s three Piano Sonatas and Suite “1922” (MSR) and two Schubert Sonatas (MSR). In addition, his collaboration with members of the Takacs Quartet has resulted in a number of releases, including a disc of Brahms with violist Geraldine Walther and cellist Andras Fejer (MSR), two Beethoven Violin Sonatas with violinist Edward Dusinberre (Decca), and Hindemith’s music for Viola and Piano with Geraldine Walther (MSR). Korevaar also writes on various musical topics, with a focus on French music.
Mari Tomizuka
Mari Tomizuka was raised in Tucson. As a student of Eugene Pridonoff, she received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree from Arizona State University. After a year studying and teaching undergraduate piano at the University of Miami, Florida, she accepted a teaching assistantship at New England Conservatory. Following the completion of her “modern piano” studies and Master’s Degree in Boston, she migrated to Europe to study with Stanley Hoogland and specialize in performance on historical instruments.
Since completing the post-graduate Certificate in Fortepiano from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands, Ms. Tomizuka has appeared as both a soloist and in chamber music with principal players from the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic of Flanders, Opera Orchestra of Antwerp, Stavanger Symphony of Norway, Amsterdam Ballet Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra of the Hague, and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century. She has been invited as a soloist to appear in festivals such as York Early Music (England), the Holland Festival of Early Music, Festival of Flanders (Belgium), and the International Music Festival of Granollers (Spain). Ms. Tomizuka has been featured in countless recital series in Holland, and after 17 years of living abroad in the Netherlands, she returned to her native Tucson. Her CD with classical mandolin virtuoso Richard Walz, “Mandolin Treasures from the Golden Era”, is available at Amazon.com. Current projects include promoting music by Haitian composers.
As a member of the Tucson Music Teachers Association, she owns and manages the 17th Street Ear Palace – a space dedicated to soirees, lessons and masterclasses, sound recordings, recitals, and public explorations of other genres of music.
Bryan Wallick
Bryan Wallick is gaining recognition as one of the great American virtuoso pianists of his generation. Gold medalist of the 1997 Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kiev, he has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa.
Mr. Wallick made his New York recital debut in 1998 at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and made his Wigmore Hall recital debut in London in 2003. He has also performed at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall with the London Sinfonietta and at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church.
In recent seasons, Mr. Wallick has performed with the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra, Boise Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony, Brevard Symphony, Cape Town Philharmonic, Cincinnati Pops, Evansville Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Kentucky Symphony, Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic, Memphis Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Portland Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; and collaborated with conductors Erich Kunzel, Marvin Hamlisch, Robert Moody, Daniel Raiskin, Bernhard Gueller, Adrian Prabava, Daniel Boico, Arjen Tien, Yasuo Shinozaki, Andrew Sewell, Vladimir Verbitsky, Victor Yampolsky, Josep Vicent, Leslie Dunner, Alfred Savia, Christopher Confessore, Matthew Troy, and Wes Kenney among others. Mr. Wallick has performed recitals at the Chateau Differdange in Luxembourg, on the Tivoli Artists Series in Copenhagen, Ravinia’s Rising Star Series, Grand Teton Music Festival, Xavier Piano Series (Cincinnati), Scottsdale Center’s Virgina Piper Series, Sanibel Island Music Festival, Tri-C Classical Series at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Classics in the Atrium Series in the British Virgin Islands. In March 2002, Mr. Wallick played two solo performances at Ledreborg Palace for HRH Princess Marie Gabrielle Luxembourg, and HRH Prince Philip Bourbon de Parme.
Bryan Wallick is an avid chamber musician and has performed with violinists Nikita Boriso-Glebsky, Rachel Lee Priday, Yi-Jia Susanne Hou, Miriam Contzen, Sergei Malov, and cellists Zuill Bailey, Alexander Buzlov, Alexander Ramm, and Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt. He has recently joined the Mendelssohn Trio which is in residence at Colorado State University and most recently performed with them on a European tour in September 2022 visiting Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In 2015 he became Artistic Director of Schalk Visser Concert Promotions which hosts many international musicians who perform concert tours throughout South Africa. During the COVID-19 period he recorded the Beethoven Triple Concerto Op. 56 (Trio Version) with violinist Frank Stadler (Austria) and Peter Martens (South Africa) in an inter-continental virtual collaboration across three continents which won the KykNet Fiesta Award for Best Achievement in Classical Music for South Africa 2020. Mr. Wallick is also actively involved in organizing the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Summer Festival (IKOF) in Colorado where he regularly performs, lectures and teaches.
His most recent engagements include appearances with the Brevard Symphony, Boulder Symphony, Cape Town Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and Western Piedmont Symphony. He has performed his latest recital project Virtuosic Fugue for the Grand Teton Music Festival, University of Texas (El Paso), Las Cruces, New Mexico, Scottsdale Center in Arizona, Ravinia Festival, Xavier Piano Series, Tri-C Classical Series at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and throughout South Africa. Virtuosic Fugue (Vol. 1) was recorded for Navona Records and released in July 2023. He made chamber appearances with cellist Zuill Bailey for Chamber Music Detroit and the Library of Congress, performed with violinist Rachel Lee Priday at the University of Washington and Colorado State’s Classical Convergence series, and also performed at the Chintimini Summer Music Festival in Oregon.
Bryan Wallick has performed on Chicago’s WFMT Fazioli Series and “Live on WFMT,” on BBC’s radio show “In Tune,” National Ukrainian Television and Radio, on Danish National Radio, on Colorado Public Radio, and on NPR’s “Performance Today.” He was given a grant in 2006 by the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to explore his synesthetic realities in a multimedia project that allows the audience to see the colors he experiences while performing. Synesthesia is the ability to experience two or more sensory experiences with one stimulus. Bryan Wallick sees colors with each musical pitch and has created a computer program that projects images of his colored visions to the audience.
Mr. Wallick studied with Jerome Lowenthal in New York City where he was the first Juilliard School graduate to receive both an undergraduate Honors Diploma (2000) and an accelerated master’s Degree (2001). He continued his studies with Christopher Elton in London at the Royal Academy of Music where he was the recipient of the Associated Board International Scholarship, receiving a Post-graduate Diploma with Distinction. He previously studied with Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Mr. Wallick has recently been appointed as Assistant-Professor of Piano at Colorado State University where he lives with his wife and three children. George Plimpton’s feature article on Bryan Wallick appeared in the March 2002 edition of Contents magazine.
MARIACHI FACULTY
Priscilla Arasaki
Bachelor’s degree in Music Studies from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin
Priscilla Arasaki holds a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in Music Studies from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. Primarily a violinist, Priscilla has studied with Strelsa Burks, Eugene Gratovich, and Harumi Rhodes. She has received teacher training certification through the Suzuki Association of the Americas with Christie Felsing, Susan Baer, Ed Kreitman, and Mark Mutter.
Priscilla is currently the Orchestra and Mariachi director at Sunset Middle School in the St. Vrain Valley School District. She began teaching Orchestra in Austin, Texas and then moved to Colorado, where she gained an interest in mariachi music and performance. This led her to establish a mariachi program at Skyline High School, and then continue to increase the presence of mariachi ensembles throughout the St. Vrain Valley School District.
Priscilla is also a member of Las Dahlias, an all-female musical group that performs mainly mariachi music. This group has been featured with the Colorado Symphony, performed for Governor Polis’ Inaugural Blue Sneaker Ball, and continues to promote mariachi music throughout the Front Range.
Kris Emanuel
Instruments: Trumpet, Armonia Education: MA in Educational Leadership and Administration from CU Denver, BME in Music Education – Instrumental from MSU Denver and BA in Music from CUNY Hunter.
Meet Kris, a dedicated musician and educator originally from New York City who now calls Colorado home. He loves spending time cycling in the mountains! Kris started playing the trumpet in 4th grade and later switched to the French horn while in college, studying under esteemed professors like Rich Casparie, Alexander George, and Kolio Plachkov.
Kris began his current position as the General Music and Mariachi director at Indian Peaks Elementary in St. Vrain Valley Schools in 2017. His early positions included long term substitute positions as Middle School Orchestra and High School Band directors in Mapleton Public Schools. He also worked in Adams 12 as a General Music Teacher and Elementary Music Coordinator. His passion for music education extends beyond the regular school day. Kris has developed various music clubs, including a Mariachi Band, Guitar Club, Drum Club, Choir, Recorder Club, and Rock Band to serve the special interests of students and the community.
His interest in Mariachi Band came from the community at Indian Peaks Elementary. Kris believes that music educators serve as a conduit to allow students and their community to be seen and represented in the music programs. He wanted to create an ensemble that wasn’t unique for Indian Peaks, but could be continued at the middle and high school levels. He established partnerships with the Mariachi Band directors at Sunset Middle and Niwot High. He is excited to be a part of Rocky Ridge’s Nuestras Raíces: Música Mariachi and looks forward to meeting and supporting the music makers!
Travis Jensen
Bob Klimek
Instruments: Mariachi, Voz. Education: Doctor of Arts (Theory/Composition and Ethnomusicology); U.N.C.; M.A. (Composition/Chorale/Voice) D.U.
Dr. Robert Klimek, originally from Chicago, Los Angeles and now Colorado, is a noted vocal and instrumental performer, composer, and clinician. He is an Emeritus faculty member and the founding Director of Music and the Performing Arts at the Colorado School of Mines. His specialties are vocal, chorale, marching/concert band performance/composition, as well as studies in ethnomusicology, specifically the area of Mexican and Latin American Baroque chorale music and its similarities to Mariachi harmonies. He also has a strong interest in performing on Latin/ South American bone, clay, bamboo, feather, wind/percussion instruments. Some of Bob’s past teachers include such eminent figures as Aaron Copeland, Earl Brown, Dave Brubeck, Ned Rorem, and Philip Glass. His vocal and instrumental music compositions often integrate melodic quotes from Alabados he collects around the Southwest. His music can be found in numerous chorale collections. He has been a featured artist (alto flute) on a Grammy nominated Spanish album; was a silver nominee for the National Booksellers Gold Medallion Award and was recently presented with the Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award for outstanding accomplishments in bringing global perspective to higher education.
Bob has been a continuing member of the Southwest Musicians ensemble (Keyboard) as well as a vocal coach with Lorenzo Trujillo for the 1st Mariachi All-State performance (Fall. 2022)
Other Instruments: Pipe organ, harpsicord, piano, flute, saxophone, electronic keyboards.
Lorenzo Trujillo
Lorenzo A. Trujillo grew up in Denver and spent many summers in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico (eight miles outside of Taos) with his extended family. He was highly influenced by his aunt, Eva Nuánez, as a vocalist, guitarist, and violinist. He also engaged his energies in ethnic dance and collaborated with his mother, Marie Orália Durán Trujillo, in the formation of the Southwest Dancers in the early 1970’s. He taught Mexican Folkdance and Flamenco at the Sangre De Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Denver, and at San Francisco State University. He is the Director of the Mariachi Program at Metropolitan State University in Denver (see Facebook page and webpage LorenzoTrujillo.com).
For over two decades, he was a member of the Mariachi Alegre de San Cayetano where he played violin and sang. As a musician, dancer, and culture bearer, Lorenzo was awarded the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was inducted into the Colorado Chicano Music Hall of Fame and has served on the National Endowment for the Arts as a performing artist, grants panelist, and arts program evaluator. He was also named a Colorado Folk Artist and Master Teacher by the Colorado Council on the Arts through the Master/Apprentice Program and in 2012 was awarded the Tesoro de Oro by the Tesoro Cultural Center.
Lorenzo formed the Southwest Musicians in the late 1980’s, recording several musical standards that are part of a vast repertoire of regional social dances and popular Mexican music of the early and mid-twentieth century. Among his recordings are: Musical Traditions of Colorado and New Mexico (Southwest Musicians); Con Cariño (Mariachi Alegre); A Musical Banquet: From Santa Fe to Denver (with E.J. Rodriguez), and, The Golden Age of the Southwest: From 1840 to Hollywood. He has toured in Ireland, Peru and Italy, presenting traditional music, liturgical and classical repertoire.
In his noted publication, Music of Colorado and New Mexico’s Río Grande, in Enduring Legacies: Ethnic Histories and Culture of Colorado, University of Colorado Press, Lorenzo highlights the history of the Casorio and Entriega wedding traditions celebrated throughout the Upper Río Grande Region of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico of the 1840’s. He holds a Doctorate in Education and Juris Doctorate Degrees (Ed.D., J.D.) and served as Assistant Dean and Professor at the University of Colorado School of Law.
Currently, he is the Director of the Mariachi Program at Metropolitan State University in Denver, the President of Hilos Culturales, a non-profit organization that preserves, promotes, and presents Hispanic traditions from the 1840’s of Colorado and New Mexico. He serves as the Vice Chairman, Tesoro Cultural Center, Director, Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival Workshop & Showcase, Director, Latino Cultural Arts Center Mariachi Program, Director, Southwest Musicians, and Trustee, Colorado Symphony.
JAZZ FACULTY
Matt Fuller
Guitarist Matt Fuller is an active performer and educator, he teaches jazz guitar at Denver Metro State University. Matt recently relocated back to his home state of Colorado after living in NYC as a freelancing musician and teacher from 2012-2015. His debut album as a leader Waiting for Violet was released in May 2014 and features celebrated trumpeter Ron Miles. Some notable musicians he has performed with include Idina Menzel, Marvin Hamlisch and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Amir ElSaffar, Cuong Vu, Bill Ware, Scott Amendola and New West Guitar Group. Originally from Colorado, Matt holds a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado. Prior to teaching at Denver MSU he taught jazz guitar at University of Northern Colorado from 2005-2011. Matt studied jazz guitar and music theory for eleven years with his mentor Dale Bruning (Bill Frisell’s original teacher). After running his own private lessons studios in Denver and Brooklyn, Matt draws on twenty years teaching experience when working with children and adults. He finds great joy in helping each student develop their skills and find their own direction in music.
Dave Hammond
Dave Hammond performed professionally in Boston, South America and Denver before becoming one of the founding music instructors at the Denver School of the Arts (DSA). Under the direction of Mr. Hammond DSA bands have performed at 13 of the last 16 Colorado Music Educators Association conferences, performed 14 times at the CBA State Concert Band Finals, won many awards and accolades including Downbeat Magazine Student Awards: Best Chamber Group, Best Classical Symphonic Band, Best Big Band and Best Studio Orchestra. The Denver School of the Arts Jazz Workshop Orchestra is one of the top high school big bands nationwide selected to compete at the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, GA (2015, 2014 and 2013), Wynton Marsalis’ Essentially Ellington High School Competition and Festival in New York (2004, 1998). Hammond received his Master of Music degree from the University of Denver and his Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music.
Greg Harris
Multi-Instrumentalist Greg Tanner Harris leads the “Greg Harris Vibe Quintet,” and is a member of Bluegrass legend Pete Wernick’s Flexigrass, hip-hop/jazz/soul group Future Jazz Project, New World Citizen Band, 9th & Lincoln Orchestra, and SuperCollider. Among his work as a studio musician, he has released 5 albums- Greg Harris Vibe Quintet “Glass Gold,” “Open Space,” “Frames Live,” Prospector “Memory of Pilots” featuring trumpeter Ron Miles, and “World Citizen” with West African master xylophonist Aaron Bebe Sukura. The Greg Harris Vibe Quintet’s new album ‘Glass Gold’ was recently released on Dazzle Records.
Greg has a great interest in the West African Xylophone called the Gyil (pronounced JEE-lee), the national instrument of the Lobi and Dagara people of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa. He has performed with Baaba Maal, Aaron Bebe Sukura, SK Kakraba, as the musical director for Prudence Mabhena from Zimbabwe, and also does regular fundraising performances for the Whole Planet Foundation. He also plays an assortment of Frame Drums from around the world, exploring the Bodhran of Ireland and the Doyra of Uzbekistan.
He received an D.M.A. in Jazz Studies and an M.M. in Music Performance, Percussion at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Music Education and Music Performance Bachelor of Arts degree from Fort Lewis College. Greg is a private instructor, high school teacher, and freelance musician in the Denver/Boulder area and has performed nationally and internationally. Greg teaches Ethnomusicology, music theory, at Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, is a board member of the non-profit Gift of Jazz, and as a Practicing Artist at the Denver School of the Arts.
Braun Khan
Braun Khan is from Mount Pleasant Michigan and began playing the acoustic guitar and the electric bass in high school. He quickly developed a love for music and began performing extensively in church groups and local bands. His experiences ranged from pop/rock to gospel to funk. A few years after taking up the electric bass his interests expanded to jazz and the upright bass, and he began studying classical and jazz bass performance at Central Michigan University.
After completing a Master of Music degree in double bass performance at Central Michigan University, Braun was hired by the university to teach classes in jazz theory and to oversee their community outreach program. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Arts in Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Colorado and is an active part of the Northern Colorado music scene, gigging frequently in jazz and funk/rock groups as well as with classical ensembles.
Braun has performed with Jeff Hamilton, Chris Potter, John Fedchock, Bill Watrous, Tamir Hendelman, Matt Wilson, Deborah Brown, Gary Smulyan, Bobby Sinabria, Ruben Alvarez, Toby Beau, Jake Shimabukuro, Groove For Thought, Clint de Ganon, Bob Christianson, Clifford Carter, Ron Stout, Dan Miller, Brad Goode, Pete Olstad, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, Adam Larson, Jim White, Steve Kovalcheck, Dana Landry, Peter Sommer, Wil Swindler, Josh Quinlan, Jeff Jenkins, Ben Markley, Mark Sloniker, Chris Smith, Mike Marlier, Ed Breazeale, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and more.
Grant Larson
An active recitalist and proponent of new music, saxophonist Grant Larson has premiered works for saxophone by Paul, Hanson, Philip Wharton, Chiayu Hsu, Steven Makala, and John Drumheller at regional and national conventions. He is the soprano saxophonist with the Colorado-based Chautauqua Saxophone Quartet and has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony Orchestra. Grant currently serves as the Saxophone Practicing Artist at Denver School of the Arts, is the wind ensemble conductor for the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras, and serves on the faculty at Rocky Ridge Music Center.
Equally comfortable in both classical and jazz settings, Grant has performed on stage with notable artists such as Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Mulgrew Miller, Art Lande, Brad Goode, Johannes Weidenmueller, Peter Erskin, Ray Charles, Ignacio Berroa, and “Slammin” Sammy K. He recently produced a collaborative album (Ascent) of original jazz compositions with fellow musicians Greg Tanner Harris, Matt Fuller, Braun Khan, and Dave Hammond. He also has released two jazz albums of original compositions under the Dazzle Recordings label (Denver, CO). Grant holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder; a Master of Music from the University of Colorado; and a Bachelor of Music from Concordia College. Previously, he served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Concordia College, and the Boulder Arts Academy.
COMPOSITION FACULTY
Maggie Polk Olivo
Maggie Polk-Olivo wears multiple hats as a musical collaborator, composer, educator and performer. Passionate about music education and new music, she is the creator and director of the BloomingSongs project- a music collection of works by renowned artists from all over the world. She teaches and co-directs the Fairview Artful Learning Violin Project alongside Brenda Brenner while coordinating the school’s performing arts program. Awarded the IU Freshman Composition Competition, she studied music composition with P.Q.Phan, Sven-David Sandstrom, Don Freund, Claude Baker, and Marilyn Shrude at IU Jacobs School of Music. Recognized by the Music Educators National Conference and a National Young Composer Award semi-finalist in her youth, Olivo has since had music performed and commissioned by the Southwest String Quartet, Vera String Quartet, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Kim Carballo, Alejandra Martinez, and Sara Fraker.
In addition to composing, Olivo directs the IU JSOM’s Musical Beginnings and co-directs the Musical Arts Youth Organization’s Bridges, teaching music composition and chamber music. She is certified in the methodologies of John Feierabend, Musikgärten, Orff-Keetman Schulwerk, and Kodály Methodology. Maggie presents teacher-training workshops throughout the year and has been the recipient of Smithville, Puffin, and BUEA Foundation grants. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and two children. In addition to creating music with and for others, she loves gardening and putting on shows with her kids.
CHOIR FACULTY
Jamie Wolf
Emphasis: Choral Music Education Primary Instrument: Voice
2019-2020 Global Leaders Program, Executive Graduate Certificate
Emphasis: Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Agency, Policy Leadership, Teaching Artistry, and Organizational Management Fieldwork: Panguipulli, Chile
Academic Curating Institutions: McGill, Harvard, Duke, NYU, Georgetown, Longy
Honors: Awarded the 2020 Hildegard Behrens Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur Prize
Evanston, IL
ROCKY RIDGE MUSIC BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Melvina Carrick
Master of Laws - Duke University School of Law
Bachelor of Arts - American University
Melvina Carrick is a Managing Director and Colorado Market Executive of Bank of America Private Bank. In this role, she leads the Colorado team of financial professionals who, together, advise clients on their investment management, wealth structuring, estate planning, philanthropy, private business financing, banking, credit and trust service needs.
Melvina is a Colorado native who has worked for Bank of America since 2006. Prior to returning to Colorado, she worked in Emerging Markets Credit Trading for Bank of America in London and New York. Earlier in her career, she was an attorney with the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. She has a Juris doctorate and Master of Laws from Duke University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from American University.
Melvina is fluent in English, Spanish and French and proficient in Portuguese. She plays violin, is an active supporter of the arts and enjoys travel with her family. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her four children and husband.
Melvina attended Rocky Ridge as a junior camper from 1986 to 1995, was a counselor in 1996, and all three of her children are also RR alumni.
Jessica Tolmach
Jessica Tolmach spent decades at Condé Nast Publications as an editor, branding strategist and director of sales on a variety of magazines including Vogue, Self, Glamour and Condé Nast Traveler. After graduating from Connecticut College with a double degree in English Literature and Art History, she began her career at PBS’ The MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour before her passion for fashion and design lured her to New York City.
She is an avid traveler, amateur wildlife photographer, voracious reader, obsessed baker—the more butter the better!—once upon a time dancer and backpacker/hiker (summers at Cheley in Estes Park) and the mother of two highly musical boys in their 20’s. She lives in Greenwich, CT with her fiancé and two Sheepadoodles.
Lena Parenyak
Kristen Penny
Anne Berkowitch
Instruments: Flute
Education: BS, Applied Math and Biology, Brown University; MBA, MIT
Anne is currently a Managing Director at Accenture after a career as an entrepreneur, launching and building technology and consulting businesses. She is an avid angel investor and coach to entrepreneurs, whom she sees as creative agents of human ingenuity and passion.
Anne has always found her purpose in contributing to the growth and development of teams and individuals, whether as a company founder and CEO or as a mother; as a coach or a friend. She has a profound respect for education and learned first hand the richness of learning to (modestly) play and appreciate music.
Anne lives in New York and is a mother of two children who grew up knowing the magic of summers in Estes Park
Brent Cohen
Instruments: Guitar, Piano
Education: BS, University of Colorado School of Business and Administration; JD, University of Colorado School of Law
Brent Cohen is a partner in the Denver office of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP, practicing in commercial litigation and insolvency throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. He has his wife, Dana, are the proud parents of two Rocky Ridge alumni, Emma (viola) and Joe (cello).
Gary Thornton
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Dianne Betkowski
Richard and Martha Blum
Alan Fine
Debbie Hammer
Carolyn Kelly
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Phil Kruger
Michele Nadel
Constance Platt
John Ray
Jeremy Smith
NATIONAL ADVISORY
Aaron Dworkin
Jennifer Higdon
David Ludwig
Scott Reed
FOUNDED IN 1942 BY
Beth Miller Harrod
Where we are
Our campus, on a rustic 20th century American homestead in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado, is a world apart where students commune with music and nature while benefiting from close mentorship from a master teacher.
The campus sits at the base of Longs Peak on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park, just off of Highway 7 in Colorado. Visit the Longs Peak webcam to see the environment around us.
Join us, you’re in good company
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History
Founded in 1942 by pianist Beth Miller Harrod, Rocky Ridge Music Center has a uniquely rich history, being one of the oldest music centers of its kind in the nation.
Situated at the foot of Longs Peak, the beautiful Hewes-Kirkwood Lodge, Dining Hall, and many of the surrounding log cabins, were built by novelist and poet Charles Edwin Hewes near the turn of the century. So great was his love for nature that all of the buildings were constructed using only logs of “fire-killed” trees. Not a single living tree fell in establishing the Hewes-Kirkwood Inn.
This love of nature and appreciation of the center’s majestic mountain setting are still carried on at Rocky Ridge. Music is heard along the mountainside as students practice in the woods or beside a nearby stream.
Rocky Ridge is one of the oldest summer music programs in the country. The summer campus is located at the foot of 14,259 ft. Longs Peak in the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park. The historic Hewes-Kirkwood Lodge and cabins on 17 acres with a stream provide a stunning backdrop for performances, practices, lessons, reflection, dining, residence and friendships.