FACULTY

John Jungerberg

Associate Director

John comes to Rocky Ridge from Macky Auditorium Concert Hall at the University of Colorado Boulder where he worked as Operations Manager.  In that role, he managed the day-to-day operations of this 2,048-seat, College of Music venue and served as the main point of contact for their clients.  Prior to that role, John earned his MBA in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison during which time he spent two summers working at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival as Artist Liaison and then Artistic / Operations Administrator.  There he provided administrative and management support to the Artistic Director, Director of Artistic Planning, and Director of Operations, as well as the artistic planning staff of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.  A native of Tampa, FL, he holds undergraduate music degrees in trumpet from Florida State University and the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, where he also taught elementary music through a Musician-in-Residence program and then as a public-school music teacher.  John continues to play trumpet in community orchestras along the Front Range and in his free time enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and mountain biking.  He is very excited about taking this next step in his career and eager to contribute to the mission of Rocky Ridge Music Center.

Dianne Betkowski

RRMA Faculty

Dianne Betkowski is an avid performer, teacher, chamber musician and composer who has lived in Denver since 2001.  She has performed, toured and/or recorded with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Honolulu Symphony and the Colorado Symphony, among others.  Her compositions have been performed by such orchestras as the National Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Houston Symphony.  Besides being active musically, she has home-schooled two of her three children, loves to cook and garden, read, swim and travel.

Max Wolpert

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Fiddler, composer, and storyteller Max Wolpert conjures up monsters and myth where the traditional, classical, and theatrical meet. Drawing from tradition both musical and mythological, Max makes music inspired by stories from around the world.  Whether built upon the verve and bounce of an Irish jig, the endearing asymmetry of a Welsh pipe tune, or the drive of a Virginian breakdown, Max’s pieces are crafted with taut detail and a flair for the dramatic honed over years as a pit musician, conductor, and orchestrator for theatrical productions. Max’s first viola concerto, Giants, wields the unsung hero of the orchestra to call up singing harps, dancing stormclouds, and a fiendishly ticking clock inexorably counting down to the end of the world. His two string quartets, Myths and Song of Four, serve as pedagogical tools to introduce the classical musician to traditional forms and improvisation, and in performance bring forth an Irish war goddess, two enchanted ravens, a young girl with dreams of piracy, and a ferociously contrapuntal chase through a twisting labyrinth. Max is dedicated to music education and a passionate advocate for new music.  He teaches privately and at workshops throughout New England and the Midwest, and serves on the faculty for the Rocky Ridge Music Center.  Max encourages his students and collaborators to explore stories and traditions that spark the imagination, and to bring forth the outlandish, the macabre, and the magic inherent in music. For more information, please visit www.maxwolpertmusic.com.

Margaret Patterson

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Margie Patterson has over 25 years teaching experience at all levels. She received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder where she studied with Dr. David Korevaar. A prizewinner in the Simone Belsky Competition, she is in demand as a soloist and collaborative pianist. Many of her former students are pursuing careers in music as well as enjoying music as an avocation.

Parisa Zaeri

RRMA Faculty, Denver

A native of Dallas, Parisa Zaeri maintains an active career as a pianist, conductor, and vocal coach.  Her recent musical engagements include serving as Music Director of Pacific Opera Project’s 2017 La Boheme, as Conductor for Opera Steamboat’s production of The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove, and as Resident Coach/Accompanist of Opera Colorado’s Young Artist Program. Additional special honors include Parisa’s premiere of two new operas by Michael Vince and Spencer Arias in New York City, as well as her participation in the second season of The Dallas Opera Women’s Conducting Institute. As a recitalist, Parisa has performed programs in Dallas, New York, and Colorado consisting of an array of solo, chamber, and vocal repertoire.  Favorite works include Bolcom’s Cabaret Songs, Barber’s Hermit Songs, Lou Harrison’s Varied Trio, and Beethoven’s Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1. Parisa currently resides in Westminster with her husband, cellist Zack Reaves, and two dogs, Cassie and Blue.

SoYoung Lee

Executive Director, APS Faculty, RRMA Faculty

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.

Tamara Goldstein

APS Faculty (Session 1 only), RRMA Faculty, Denver

Pianist Tamara Goldstein enjoys a varied career as chamber musician, educator and recitalist. From a musical family, she received her early training at the PreCollege Divisions of the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School before earning performance degrees at Indiana University (BM), The Juilliard School (MM), and the University of Colorado at Boulder (DMA). Since 1999, she has been on the collaborative piano staff of the Aspen Music Festival and School, assisting renowned string faculty and coaching and accompanying gifted students.

Tamara has travelled with recital partners for performance and teaching engagements on five continents and has served as a presenter and performer at numerous international conferences. Currently adjunct faculty of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, she is a frequent performer on visiting artists concert series, as well as in faculty and student recitals. She performs regularly with Highlands Square Ensemble and with piano duet partner, Mutsumi Moteki. Tamara currently participates in the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s educational outreach program, Very Young Composers, and is a guest teaching artist at Denver School of the Arts and El Sistema Colorado.

Tamara has performed as concerto soloist with many local orchestras over the years and served as pianist with Central City Opera, the Colorado Symphony & Chorus, Colorado Children’s Chorale, Colorado Opera Troupe, the Colorado Chamber Players, and on concert series throughout the region. Tamara founded and served as Artistic Director of “Piano Celebration,” an annual interdisciplinary symposium in downtown Denver that ran for twelve years while an Associate Professor of Piano. She has served on several boards of music teachers’ organizations and community orchestras.

For additional information: www.tamaragoldstein.com

Benjamin de Kock

YAS Faculty, RRMA Faculty, Denver

Dr. Benjamin received his Bachelor and Masters degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the instruction of professor Albert Laszlo, and his Doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He first came to Colorado in 2002 to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School. After attending the AMFS for several years he decided to move to Colorado in order to pursue his doctorate.

Currently, Dr. Benjamin plays with several orchestras and chamber groups across the United States. He is principal bass of the San Juan Symphony in Durango Co, principal bass with the Colorado Bach Ensemble, assistant principal of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, a guest musician with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina, assistant 3rd chair with the Greeley Symphony, a section member of the Boulder Philharmonic, and a regular sub the Colorado Symphony. In addition to his busy performing schedule he is also works for El Sistema Colorado (ESC)  as a Secondary Strings Teaching Artist, Guest Artist Coordinator, and Arts Community Liaison.

Dianne Betkowski

RRMA Faculty

Dianne Betkowski is an avid performer, teacher, chamber musician and composer who has lived in Denver since 2001.  She has performed, toured and/or recorded with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Honolulu Symphony and the Colorado Symphony, among others.  Her compositions have been performed by such orchestras as the National Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Houston Symphony.  Besides being active musically, she has home-schooled two of her three children, loves to cook and garden, read, swim and travel.

Ethan Lorentz

RRMA Faculty, Denver

Colorado native Ethan Lorentz is a classically trained guitarist who has won awards as both a soloist and a chamber musician.  These have included top prize in the Denver Guitar Competition and 1^st prize in the Shark Tank Entrepreneur Competition.  He was also a semi-finalist in the Schadt String Competition, a prizewinner in the Lamont Solo Honors Competition, and has four times been in winning ensembles in the Lamont Chamber Honors Competition.

As a teacher, Ethan enjoys working with all levels, and strives to make every lesson informative and fun.  He has experience teaching guitar and music theory, both in one on one lessons and in class room settings. Ethan has earned scholarships as a graduate teaching assistant at the Lamont School of Music and the College of Music at CU Boulder.

Ethan holds a Bachelor’s of Music (Magna cum Laude) and a Master’s of Music from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where he studied with renowned virtuosos Ricardo Iznaola and Jonathan Leathwood.

While at Lamont Ethan received multiple honors and awards in recognition of his artistic and academic achievements, including two Outstanding Recital awards, and Distinction in the Major of Music.  He also received an Outstanding Performance of a Student Composition award and was named both the Outstanding Graduating Guitarist and the Outstanding Undergraduate in Academic Achievement. Currently Ethan is continuing his music studies by pursuing a DMA at CU Boulder where he studies with Nicolò Spera.

Katarina Pliego

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Katarina Pliego is currently pursuing a doctorate in cello performance at the University of Northern Colorado, studying with Gal Faganel. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with honours from Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge (UK) where her teacher was Caroline Bosanquet, and a Master of Music degree in cello performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (UK) where she studied with Rudi de Groote.

Katarina has participated in master classes with Peter Stumpf, Alexander Buzlov, Natalia Gutman, Karine Georgian, David Grigorian, Heidi Litchauer and members of the Brodsky Quartet. She has commissioned and premiered many new works for the cello, including Kevin Flanagan’s Cello Suite, Julio d’Escrivan’s La Prueba, Tim Miles’ Threnos and Crt Sojar Voglar’s Hard Rock Cello Party.

In 2015 she won the Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition and in 2014 the prestigious Southward Award. In 2012 she received a distinction for her final master’s recital and in 2010 a scholarship to study at the RCS. In 2011 she was the Jeunesses Musicales recipient and toured Slovenia with pianist Nafis Umerkulova. In 2006 and 2012 she received third prize at Competition for Young Slovenian Cellists and in 2010 a second prize at the BBC SSO Concerto Competition. In 2009 she received a scholarship for the Stamford International Chamber Music Festival (UK) and in 2011 for the Wagner Orchestra in Bayreuth (Germany). As a soloist she has performed with Anglia Ruskin University Orchestra, K239 Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Music School Žalec and Nottingham Youth Orchestra.

Since her studies at UNC, she has been the principal cellist in the symphony orchestra and opera. She is also a regular sub for Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra. In 2013 she performed for the members of the White House at the Kennedy Center in Washington and in 2012 performed at Cadogan Hall in London for the members of the British Royal Family. She was assistant principal cellist in the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and a principal cellist in Orion and London Arte Chamber Orchestra in 2012 and 2013. Katarina has performed with Ilya Gringolts, Tom Poster, Guy Johnston, Julian Lloyd Weber, and more.

From August 2013 to April 2014 she toured the world as principal cellist in the Shen Yun Performing Arts, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Hall in Los Angeles, and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.

Keith Barnhart

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

“Keith is a perfect example of what we want in the field: brilliant, hard-working, patient, kind and charismatic.” ~Zachary Carretin, Artistic Director of the Boulder Bach Festival

Keith Barnhart is an energetic performer and teacher living in Boulder, Colorado. Adept on multiple instruments, he can be seen and heard performing regularly with the Boulder Bach Festival and the Ursa early music consort. He is also the founding member of the Fog City Guitar Duo with guitarist Patrick Smith, currently working on their first commercial recording including the music of Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Hans Werner Henze. Keith has performed in concerts coast to coast in the United States including Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, California, Ohio, Florida, and Oregon. March of 2009 marked Keith’s first international performance, dazzling a crowd in Kokonoe Japan.

Keith received a Bachelor of Music in 2006 from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver with a double emphasis in classical guitar performance and commercial music technology. He studied under Ricardo Iznaola and Jonathan Leathwood for four years and received a senior classical guitar “Recital of Distinction” as well as the prestigious Ricardo Iznaola scholarship. He received his Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2015 with an emphasis in Historical Performance. While there he studied with Marc Teicholz, David Tanenbaum and Richard Savino. Currently, Keith is pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder under the tutelage of Nicolò Spera. Keith has also studied with other notable guitarists including Christopher Parkening, The Bejing Guitar Duo, Lorenzo Micheli, Matteo Mela and Sergio Assad.

Keith has taught since 2006. He has experience teaching students from beginner to advanced both privately as well as in a group setting. He has taught on a variety of instruments in addition to classical guitar including steel string guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele, percussion, and piano. Additionally, Keith is working towards a certification as a Suzuki guitar instructor and as a Music Practitioner through the Music for Healing and Transition Program.

Max Wolpert

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Fiddler, composer, and storyteller Max Wolpert conjures up monsters and myth where the traditional, classical, and theatrical meet. Drawing from tradition both musical and mythological, Max makes music inspired by stories from around the world.  Whether built upon the verve and bounce of an Irish jig, the endearing asymmetry of a Welsh pipe tune, or the drive of a Virginian breakdown, Max’s pieces are crafted with taut detail and a flair for the dramatic honed over years as a pit musician, conductor, and orchestrator for theatrical productions. Max’s first viola concerto, Giants, wields the unsung hero of the orchestra to call up singing harps, dancing stormclouds, and a fiendishly ticking clock inexorably counting down to the end of the world. His two string quartets, Myths and Song of Four, serve as pedagogical tools to introduce the classical musician to traditional forms and improvisation, and in performance bring forth an Irish war goddess, two enchanted ravens, a young girl with dreams of piracy, and a ferociously contrapuntal chase through a twisting labyrinth. Max is dedicated to music education and a passionate advocate for new music.  He teaches privately and at workshops throughout New England and the Midwest, and serves on the faculty for the Rocky Ridge Music Center.  Max encourages his students and collaborators to explore stories and traditions that spark the imagination, and to bring forth the outlandish, the macabre, and the magic inherent in music. For more information, please visit www.maxwolpertmusic.com.

Tim Cuffman

RRMA Faculty, Boulder & Denver

Timothy Cuffman has over a decade of violin and viola teaching experience with students of all ages and levels of experience. He is committed to the progress of his students as well as their enjoyment and appreciation of music. Cuffman has served as a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance and Pedagogy. Previously, he was a teaching assistant at Ohio University while completing masters degrees in Violin Performance and Upper String Pedagogy. Timothy has been on faculty at the Athens Community Music School. He has also presented on topics related to string playing and teaching at the American String Teacher Association 2017 National Conference in Pittsburgh and the American Viola Society 2018 National Conference at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. An active performer, Cuffman is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Cheyenne Symphony and a member of the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Colorado Symphony and Orchestra Iowa.

Jon Bee

Director of Student Services, RRMA Faculty, Boulder & Denver

Jon Bee comes to Rocky Ridge Music Center by way of St. Louis, MO. A longtime musician and thespian, he most recently worked with the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, as well as STAGES St. Louis, both in the administrative offices and as a Teaching Artist for the metropolitan area. Identifying as a musician first and foremost, Jon holds a BA in Music from Millikin University where he was a member of the Millikin University Choir, as well as, the flagship vocal jazz ensemble, One Voice. Jon most recently completed his MFA in Arts Management & Leadership at Webster University. While in St. Louis, he worked regularly as a freelance Music Director and performer for local theater productions. His musical inspirations come from a variety of sources, including Musical Theater, Jazz, and Choral Music.

Daniel Nester

RRMA Faculty, Denver

Daniel Nester begun studying the bassoon at the age of 12 in Israel, where he finished his Bachelor of Music degree in the Tel Aviv University, under the guidance of Richard Paley, Mordechai Rechtman, and Gadi Ledderman. Daniel then studied with Judith Farmer at the University of Southern California for his Masters, there winning the 1st place award in the solo competition, and the 2nd place award in the outreach chamber competition. Upon graduation, Daniel won the position of Principal Bassoon with the Israel Chamber Orchestra where he played, recorded CD’s, and toured Europe and South America. Daniel moved to Boulder in 2014 to study for a Doctorate degree in Performance & Pedagogy at CU Boulder with Yoshiyuki Ishikawa. For the last two summers Daniel has been the Bassoon teacher and chamber music coach at the CU High-school Summer Academy, as well as the principal bassoon player of the Arapahoe Philharmonic orchestra. Daniel has won many awards and competitions, performed recitals and recorded for the radio both in the US and in Israel, has participated in prestigious summer festivals like the Aspen festival, and is a much sought after orchestral player in Israel, performing often with all professional orchestras there.

Kathryn Eagles

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Dr. Kathryn Eagles is a flutist and educator from Fairbanks, Alaska. She holds both a BM and MA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her primary teachers include Dorli McWayne and Christina Jennings. In addition to her studies at the university, she has participated in masterclasses and lessons with Hilary Abigana from The Forth Wall, John Barcellona, Nicole Esposito, Dr. Naomi Seidman, Lisa Garner Santa, Lorna McGhee, Claire Chase, and Carol Wincenc.

As an orchestral flutist, Dr. Eagles regularly performs with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, and can be heard on the newest live Indigo Girls album, playing second flute and piccolo. Additionally, she held the positions of Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra for many years. Dr. Eagles also has a profound interest in both contemporary and classical repertoire for the flute. She has performed chamber music at the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C., the National Flute Association Conventions, and the Gumi International Music Festival in Gumi, South Korea.

Dr. Eagles’s duo, The Midnight Sun Two, is finishing their debut album: From Light to Dark. This album consists of new chamber works for flute and percussion, from composers Emerson Eads (Alaska), Lucus Oikle (Canada), Olivia Kieffer (USA), John Drumheller (USA), Molly Joyce (USA), and Derek Charke (Canada).

Dr. Eagles is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Flute Instructor at both the Parlando School of Musical Arts and Rocky Ridge Music Academy. In addition, she maintains an active private studio, teaches chamber music at MSU Denver’s Summer Flute Institute, and served as the interim flute faculty at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Eagles is a certified instructor with the Suzuki Association of the Americas, a member of the National Flute Association, and currently, she is the Vice President of the Colorado Flute Association.

Kellan Toohey

RRMA Faculty, Boulder

Clarinetist Kellan Toohey is an avid performer whose varied career includes recitals and solo appearances, chamber music, teaching, and orchestral playing. He holds a DMA from the University of Colorado and his teachers include Daniel Silver, Bil Jackson, and Jon Manasse.

An active orchestral player, Mr. Toohey currently holds the positions of Principal clarinetist in the Boulder Chamber Orchestra and Associate Principal Clarinetist in the Fort Collins Symphony, Wyoming Symphony and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. He has performed across the US, Europe, and in Asia, and recently recorded his first solo cd, entitled Scenes from Home, premiere recordings of new music by Colorado composers.

Kellan has received numerous awards, including winning 2nd Prize in the International Clarinet Association’s Young Artist Competition (2013 Assisi, Italy), 1st Prize and audience choice award in the University of Colorado Ekstrand Graduate Performance competition, 1st Prize in the University of Northern Colorado Concerto competition and Angie Southard Performance Competition, and was also the winner of the Colorado College Summer Festival and Greeley Chamber Orchestra concerto competitions. In November 2016 he made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in New York City.

In addition to his performing and teaching work, Kellan enjoys active involvement in his church, composing music, reading, hiking, and spending time outdoors.

Kimberly Brody

RRMA Faculty

Kim has lived in Boulder since 2001. She moved here from Chicago, where she played in numerous orchestras throughout the whole metro area. She taught at North Park University and Valparaiso University, as well as private students in her home. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and continued her studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and in Cleveland with John Mack, principal oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra. She currently serves as Principal Oboe of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and 2nd Oboe of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, as well as performing in a freelance capacity with various groups across the Front Range. In addition to her musical activities, Kim serves on the St. Olaf College Alumni Board, has a passion for health and nutrition on both the physical and spiritual level, and is an avid Colorado Rockies fan!

Teresita Lozano

RRMA Faculty & Programa Nuestra Música Director

Teresita Lozano is a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder. A native of the El Paso, Texas – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua borderland and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Teresita engages in music research that explores the relationship between music, Diaspora, and inherited memory in the construction of multicultural identities. Teresita has a strong interest in applied ethnomusicology, including civic engagement, public education and work in museums and archives. In 2013, Teresita was awarded a graduate fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where she worked in residence as a Latino Museums Studies fellow conducting field work and music research for the Latino D.C. History Project. Teresita has presented several papers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including the Society for Ethnomusicology and forthcoming International Council for Traditional Music Applied Ethnomusicology Study Group in Nova Scotia. Teresita is an active flutist and vocalist at the University of Colorado and in the larger community. She has performed in a variety of ensembles, including world music (Mariachi, Japanese, African Highlife) and Early/Baroque music (flauto traverso). Teresita also participates in multicultural recording projects and has performed as a flute with local orchestras and community artists. She is currently a member of the Doina Romanian folk choir, as well a founding member of the Colorado-based traditional Mexican women’s ensemble, Las Dahlias. Teresita graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University where she studied flute with Helen Ann Shanley and was awarded the prestigious Presser Foundation Award in music performance and academia. She is an advocate for musical activism in the community, and utilizes her academic and performance background for diversity outreach, public education and human rights movements.