Our Music Faculty
Browse by Instrument:
Piano | Violin & Viola | Cello | Woodwinds | Brass | Voice | Guitar & Bass | Percussion
Piano
David Dunford
David Dunford works as a music coach and collaborative pianist in the Southern California area. Born and raised in Hawaii, David received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Arizona with Nicholas Zumbro and his Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music with Barry Snyder.
In 1998, Mr. Dunford appeared with the Richmond Symphony performing Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F Major and Rhapsody in Blue. He did a repeat performance of Rhapsody in Richmond as the opening act for Aretha Franklin.
After working as a collaborative pianist in Chicago for four years, David moved west to California in 1999. In California, Mr. Dunford performed Gershwin's piano concerto with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. He appeared twice with the Sacramento Symphony performing Berstein's Age of Anxiety in 2000 and Rhapsody in Blue in 2002.
As a collaborative pianist, Mr. Dunford has performed numerous recital programs all over the country including Symphony Center in Chicago, the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
President & Chair of Music
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Nathan Lewis
Nathan Lewis was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1993. Nathan's musical aptitude was apparent from an early age. He was introduced to the violin at the age of 2. By seven years old, Nathan had made his American debut, performed Paganini's 24th Caprice, and learned the rudiments of piano playing. Pursuing both instruments, his primary formal studies were conducted at the Colburn School of Music and UC Irvine. Utilizing his unique background in musicology, collaboration, and solo performance, Nathan combines a detail-oriented approach with vibrant storytelling in performance.
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Menghan Cao
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Menghan Cao, originally from China, then moved to the United States in 2010. Menghan received her bachelor degree from Eastman School of Music in Piano Performance with Natalya Antonova. She graduated with a Master of Music and Graduate Certificate both at University of Southern California with Bernadene Blaha. Menghan Started her teaching career in 2014, and is capable of teaching in both English and Mandarin. She was invited to be a teaching assistant in both Cadenza and Beijing Wtown International Chamber Music Summer Camp (2017) and Steinway International Piano Preparatory Academy, Orange County, CA (2019).
Man Ling Bai
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Starting at a very young age, Man Ling was already getting a national presence in her homeland Taiwan on several well-known TV shows as the “Young Composer Prodigy.” At age seven, her first composed piece “Dance of a Clown” was chosen to be performed for the 28th Yamaha Children Music Festival; And several of her other works were also chosen for the next 5 consecutive years of the festival. Throughout her youth and teenage life, Man Ling has won many competitions all throughout Asia, which includes Yamaha National Piano Contests, Electric Organ for Young Children, Yamaha National Electrical Organ Contests, Taipei Music Contest (Solo, Trio, Quintet), 30th Kawai National Piano Contest, Kevin Kern Piano Contest, Piano Contest in Taipei City, and Taiwan National Music Contest (Trio and Quintet). Not only amazing in competitions, but she also had many performing experiences in solo concerts and working with orchestras.
Caleb Salguero
In 2023, pianist Caleb Salguero received his Master of Fine Arts in Piano Performance from UC Irvine, studying with Dr. Lorna Griffitt. As a graduate teaching assistant, his duties involved accompanying UCI’s choral groups and teaching piano.
He is regularly invited as an instructor for UCI’s Summer Academies in the Arts Chamber Music Intensive. It is a program created for experienced high school students for the purpose of college and career preparation.
In June 2023, he received a fellowship to the Montecito International Music Festival where he studied with John Perry and Peter Takacs and his staff included accompanying string masterclasses and coaching junior chamber music participants. He was invited in 2021 to attend the Orfeo International Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy with scholarship. In 2019, he attended the prestigious Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy festival where he worked under world-renowned pianists such as Gary Graffman, Dang Thai Son, Ching-Yun hu and others
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Nels Jenstad
Nels Jenstad, teaching Piano, and Guitar, in Orange County since 1989. Ph.D. in Psychology of Music in 1999 through a theosophical university in Hawaii. He studied the Art of Songwriting under Paul Chiton, San Francisco, Modern Chorus (new music) under Dr. Herrmann LeRoux, SF Conservatory of Music. He studied Music Theory, Piano, Voice, and Jazz Improvisation under NEA Jazz Master, David Baker, at Contra Costa College, Richmond, CA., Electronic Music, Piano, Recording, and TV Production Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. Listed on the IMDb for music for two films, he also has numerous other media and film music placements internationally. He has published over 20 digital albums. He also signed and released an EP on vinyl with European record on the Fri Form Records label in 2019. OCMD, 2018, Nels recorded the guitar parts for Alex Boyes’ “Sign of the Times” song by Harry Styles and took part in the video in conjunction with Orange County Music and Dance. Jenstad’s works can be found on Apple, Spotify, and most popular sites.
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Violin & Viola
Cristian Fatu
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Cristian Fatu is an award winning violinist based in Irvine, member of the New West Symphony and freelancer in the studio recording industry. He has performed in many TV and film productions as well as recordings with diverse artists in the iconic Hollywood studios such as Capitol Records, Fox Studios, Warner Brothers Studios and others around town. Between 2014-2018 he was the first violinist of the Montclaire String Quartet, Adjunct Faculty at the West Virginia State University and concertmaster of the Charleston Chamber Orchestra.
Cristian has built a significant career of recital, concerto, music festival and chamber music appearances in the US and Europe including the Music Celebrations International Festival at Carnegie Hall, New York City; the International Summer Academy Prag-Wien-Budapest in Austria; and the Kyoto International Music Students Festival in Japan, among others.The Murnauer Tagblatt in Germany praised his “wonderful virtuosity as well as perfect technique.”
Since 2013 he is a member of the Violin Society of America Oberlin Acoustics Workshop where he explores the physics of string instruments with fellow musicians, scientists and violin makers. Cristian holds a Bachelor's degree from the National Music University of Bucharest, a Master's and an Artist Diploma from Park University, MO where he studied with Ben Sayevich. His teachers and coaches include Gil Shaham, Stefan Gheorghiu, Eric Rosenblith, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Gabriel Croitoru and Vladimir Spivakov, to name a few.
Katherine Cash
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Katherine Cash, Canadian-born violinist, Juilliard graduate (B.M., M.M.), USC (Global Executive MBA), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Global Executive MBA), General Securities Registered Representative (Series 7), arranger, composer, music director and educator, performs solo and chamber music in concert, for television, recordings, films, TV, games and for major vocal artists. Katherine has been concertmaster of the New York Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and the New York Symphonic Ensemble, as well as many Broadway shows. Highlights of when she lived in Japan, were performing as violin soloist with the Nagoya Philharmonic on national television; as soloist in concert with regional symphony orchestras; solo and chamber recordings on NHK national television; and touring the country in a piano trio with renowned composer-pianist Joe Hisaishi. She was active in the recording studios as both a violinist and as an arranger.
For a number of years, Katherine was Artist in Residence at St. John’s Cathedral in LA and at St. James Episcopal Church in Newport Beach with her N2K Duo (with Norm Freeman, Juilliard B.M., M.M.), the first professional violin-vibraphone duo in the world, and concertized extensively throughout the States, in addition to performances in Canada and Asia. Katherine is often invited to perform as an unaccompanied soloist for special events, and can be heard as the solo violinist on recordings at Capitol Studios as well as private studios in LA. She is a member of the Mozart Classical Orchestra and is conductor for the Irvine Young Concert Artists string orchestra. Her growing catalogue of arrangements includes pieces for N2K Duo, string trios, string quartets, youth orchestras (recorded in LA for movie film scores), church services, children’s educational material and for solo violin. Katherine’s joint composition with Rich Cook, Missa Resurrexit, was premiered in 2013, with subsequent performances in the US and in Switzerland; the Santiago Canyon College commissioned Katherine to compose a song for choir and full orchestra; she was commissioned to arrange all the works for one of the pair of Eric Law’s “Cycle of Blessings” CD’s, and performed all the violin parts.
Katherine continues to utilize her USC Executive MBA as President of Neurobotics neurobotics.co.jp.
Launa Kressin
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Launa Kressin has a rich background in music, particularly with a focus on violin and viola. Graduating from Chapman University in 2015 with studies in viola performance (under the direction of Robert Becker), communications, and leadership, she has since built an impressive career.
Launa's approach to teaching violin and viola is noteworthy, as she recognizes the uniqueness of each student and tailors her methods accordingly. By incorporating different teaching styles, including the Suzuki Method and various music genres, she aims to create well-rounded musicians who truly enjoy the music they play. Moreover, her emphasis on intertwining life lessons into music education highlights a holistic approach to learning.
Her extensive list of teaching positions in the Orange County area, including roles as a string coach and professional, speaks to her influence and involvement in music education. The array of orchestras and programs her students participate in further underscores the impact she has on their musical development. A few of these noted programs include: Pacific Symphony’s Santa Ana Strings, Pacific Symphony’s Heartstrings Program, Casa Romantica Summer Music Academy, Santiago School Strings Conservatory, Newport Coast Elementary School, Eastbluff Elementary School, Thurston Middle School, Laguna Beach High School, Santiago Middle School, Orange County School of Performing Arts, Pacific Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, Orange County Youth Symphony, Prelude Sinfonia, Prelude Chamber Strings, Prelude Strings Orchestra, Orange Unified School District Honors Orchestras, Irvine Unified School District Honors Orchestras, and more.
Launa's post-graduation achievements, such as performing at Carnegie Hall and collaborating, running master classes, and performing with orchestras worldwide, showcase her continued dedication to musical performance. Beyond her musical pursuits, her interests in hiking, traveling, snowboarding, weight lifting, Spartan Races, and spending time with her family and animals add a personal touch to her multifaceted life.
Launa Kressin is not only a skilled musician and teacher but also someone who passionately enriches the lives of her students through music and embraces a well-rounded lifestyle.
Meri Sheegog
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Meri Sheegog has been teaching violin since August 2012. She received her BA in Music with an emphasis in String Pedagogy from the University of New Mexico in May 2016. In addition to completing the Pedagogy requirements, she also completed her Suzuki Certification for Violin Books 1-10 under the tutelage of Susan Kempter. While at school, she enjoyed being part of several string quartets, studying privately with Dr. Carmelo de Los Santos, and building her violin from scratch. Since graduating, Ms. Sheegog has been working as a private violin instructor in the Orange County area, teaching string orchestra at a middle school, and is a current member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Wendy Hua Castille
Wendy is an experienced violin teacher and ensemble instructor. She has a bachelor's degree in music with an emphasis in violin performance. Over the years, students of her violin studio have excelled and won the top prize competitions, such as AADGT, the American Protege International Violin Competition, the Hong Kong Music Festival, Singapore Music Festival, and MTAC's VOCE state final, among numerous others.
Other than competition, Wendy has also sent students to participate in the National Honor Series in New York's Carnegie Hall and Vienna Musikverein to enrich their orchestra experience. In 2018 and 2022, her OCMD students received great acclaim for their performances alongside the Pacific Symphony Orchestra at Segerstrom Concert Hall for the Lunar New Year Fest. Moreover, for the last 2 years, she has also organized benefit concerts where the proceeds have gone to charities. These concerts have also given her students opportunities to perform and raise money for good causes.
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Jiawei Yan
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Violist Jiawei Yan maintains an active career as an orchestral, chamber, and freelance musician. In addition to performing regularly as a guest violist at Pacific Symphony, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Yan held a section position in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, she has also served as principal violist of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, Lake George Music Festival Chamber Orchestra and PRISMA Academy Orchestra, and guest principal of New Jersey Festival Orchestra. She has also been a member of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra. She has been invited to play with Orchestra of St. Luke, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, Bravura Philharmonic, Montclair Orchestra, and Symphony in C. Jiawei has performed under the batons of conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Gerard Schwarz, Fabio Luisi, Manfred Honeck, James Judd, John Nelson, Osmo Vänskä, Jeffery Kahane, and Carl St Clair. Venues of her performances include Alice Tully Hall and David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Bohemian National Hall and Richard B. Fisher Center Sosnoff Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Polish National Concert Hall, Konzerthaus in Berlin and Wiener Konzerthaus , Rudolfinum in Prague, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, China National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and Grand Opera House in Shanghai.
As a soloist and an active chamber music artist, Jiawei gave a solo viola premier at National Sawdust, and viola recitals in Piano on Park, Fordham University Church and Percy Grainger Society series. She also performed with New Juilliard Ensemble, AXIOM and Juilliard ChamberFest. As an outreach initiator, Jiawei managed and performed the solo and chamber music concert series at Fordham University and of Manchester Music Festival in Vermont Winter Series. As a music instructor, Jiawei held adjunct faculty position in New York University, coaching sessions in Mannes School of Music Prep Division, teaching studio at Nord Anglia International School in New York City and was the director of chamber music at JCC Thurnauer School of Music in New Jersey.
Jiawei Yan is currently working on her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with Professor Li-Kuo Chang. She earned a master's degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Paul Neubauer, bachelor's degree in philosophy from Bard College as well as in Viola Performance from Bard Conservatory of Music under instructions of Ira Weller and Michael Tree. In addition, Jiawei holds Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes School of Music of The New School and an Artist Diploma from New York University. Jiawei receives President Scholarship of The New School, Bard Conservatory Fellowship, A.H. Kuhn Memorial Scholarship and Lillian Fuchs Scholarship of Juilliard, Elaine and Stephen Stamas Scholarship of New York Philharmonic, etc. throughout her musical education.
In addition to her musical performance and education careers, Jiawei was a dedicated marketing consultant for three years in Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chinese audience outreach program contributing many strategies and translating season brochures. The project brought more than 2000 new audiences from Chinese communities in New York area.
Cello
Eddie Yue
Chang Yue received his Master Degree from Cal State Fullerton. He was the graduate assistance of professor Bongshin Ko, and served as the university’s principle cellist to the American premier of Tarik O’ Regan’s The Ecstasies Above at Carnegie Hall. As a native of Las Vegas, he made his solo debut with the UNLV chamber orchestra playing the Haydn D major concerto under the baton of Alexander Treger. While living there, he was also a substitute cellist for the Steven Wynn’s ShowStopper show and performed with Mariah Carey for the Billboards Music Award. His most influential teachers are Bongshin Ko, Andrew Smith and Daniel Gaisford. Chang enjoys a diverse musical career. In 2019, he was invited to perform for the 40 years US-China Relations at Nixon library. In the summer of 2021, Chang was invited to the Casper Mountain Music Festival, which brought orchestral and chamber music to many unexpected venues in Casper, Wyoming. The same year, a live collaboration of Schubert Quintet with BalletX at Segerstrom center for the art. Currently, Chang is on the cello faculty at the Orange County Music & Dance, and serves as the assistant director of music ministry at Faith Lutheran Church, Anaheim.
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Gloria Traulle
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Gloria Liu Traulle received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Cello Performance from the California Institute of the Arts. She had served as the State & Greater Los Angeles Solo Competition Chairperson of the American Strings Teachers Association (ASTA) for the last 21 years, from 1996 to 2017. She currently is the Chairperson for the Chamber Music Ensemble, the Certificate of Merit (CM), and VOCE under the Music Teachers Associations of California (MTAC). She also coaches at the All-Southern California Honor Orchestra (SCSBOA).
Laszlo Mezo
Mr. Mezo has forged a career as a soloist, recitalist, master teacher, and chamber musician. He has performed extensively in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Always eager to pass on his knowledge, Laszlo has conducted master classes in Japan, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, and the United States. Mr. Mezo is currently a professor in cello at Chapman University and Saddleback College in California, and he was Assistant Teacher at the University of Southern California between 2007 and 2008. Mr. Mezo holds two master’s degrees from the Liszt Ferenc University of Music in Budapest and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He graduated from the class of Ralph Kirshbaum at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
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Emma Lee
MCellist Emma Lee strives to be an artist in every aspect of her life, both on stage and off stage.
With her true passion lying in the sea of orchestral performance, Lee joins the Pacific Symphony cello section in the Fall of 2023. Lee has been led under the batons of many artists including Marin Alsop, Elim Chan, James Conlon, Stéphane Denève, Edo de Waart, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Klaus Mäkelä, Gianandrea Noseda, Larry Rachleff, Sir Simon Rattle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Lee has performed with prestigious orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and the Verbier Festival Orchestra. She was a member of the Colburn Conservatory of Music Orchestra’s Principal Pool. Lee has performed at legendary venues worldwide such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Barbican in London, and Usher Hall in Edinburgh.
A musician fueled by thrilling collaborations, Lee’s passion for chamber music has led her to collaborate with many renowned artists such as Matthew Aucoin, Glenn Dicterow, Karen Dreyfus, Dennis Kim, David Rejano, and Geraldine Walther.
Lee has been involved in many unique opportunities, including her performance of Bach’s Cello Suites with the New York City Ballet Principal Daniel Ulbricht in the Colburn School’s revolutionary See the Music, Hear the Dance series. She has also been invited to solo and perform in the cello section of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra with Carl St. Clair. She was awarded the opportunity to solo as a winner of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra Competition. She has been featured at the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara under the Music Academy of the West.
Expanding her musical horizon, Lee is always searching for new opportunities to break the mold. She was a performer and soloist alongside many classical and rock legends in From Classical to Rock, a concert to benefit music education for the younger generation. She has also been featured in the discography of Miljenko Matijevic of Steelheart.
As a community arts advocate, Lee is actively involved in teaching and coaching students at the Colburn Community School and Orange County Music & Dance, where she is a cello faculty member. Her lifelong goal involves the healthy exposure of music with the young minds of today.
Raised in Orange County, California, her early musical mentors have been David Dunford, Stan Sharp, and Lynn Harrell. She has been a leading performing member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles, bringing music to the Orange County community for 6 seasons. Gaining experience through her mentors in the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Carl St. Clair, and Assistant Musical Directors Alejandro Gutierrez and Dr. Roger Kalia, she adopted the value of the relationship of a musician with their community.
Lee has received her Masters of Music and Bachelors of Music at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Clive Greensmith, Ben Hong, Hans Jensen, and Ron Leonard. In her spare time, she enjoys sketching and voraciously consuming movies, especially those with iconic music scores.
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Flute
Christine Han
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Flute and piccolo player Christine Han completed her master's degree at the University of North Texas College under Dr. Mary Karen Clardy. She completed her bachelor's degree at California State University Fullerton under Cynthia Ellis. Christine believes that music appreciation is attainable at any age and level. She is currently on staff as a flute coach for several public schools in Orange County. Her private students have auditioned successfully for several honor ensembles and regularly place in the annual Southwestern Youth Music Festival. Currently, she is the music teacher for the Visual and Performing Arts program at Goals Academy.
Brass
Justin Lansing
Justin Lansing studied with Russ Dicey of the Pacific Symphony and participated in both the Wind Ensemble and French Horn Ensemble at Cal State Fullerton. He also was a member of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. As a member of several Salvation Army bands and the LA metro brass, Justin had the opportunity to perform with Philip Cobb and Dudley Bright, both principal brass players of the London Symphony Orchestra. His Junior brass ensemble and students have been awarded top prizes at The Salvation Army's Encore Competition, involving young brass students from all over the western United States.
Facilities Manager
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Voice
Robin Follman
Vocal Director
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American soprano, Robin Follman is known as one of the greatest singing-actresses of her generation. She has performed over 50 leading roles and sung with some of the greatest operatic companies and symphony orchestras including Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, Baltimore Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Bochum Symphony, the Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, the Cleveland Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the Pacific Symphony. She has repeatedly been featured at the Beijing Music Festival, the Macau International Music Festival, the St. Bart’s Music Festival and at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. For more than 30 years, Ms. Follman performed as one of the top leading ladies in the operatic industry throughout the world and is one of the primary leading ladies to come out of Orange County.
Born and raised in Orange County, Follman is a dedicated arts educator focusing on the underserved communities, veterans, neurodivergent youth, and those with cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s Diseases. Deeply committed to education in the arts, she led the Orange County School of the Arts as Artistic Director; and the Voice & Choral Conservatory as Director from 2000-2009, where she actively worked to mentor aspiring young artists; create strategic partnerships with leading arts and educational institutions; and to develop long-term educational programs and funding to support the visual and performing arts. Currently, Ms. Follman holds the positions of Campaign Director and Director of Voice for non-profit, Orange County Music & Dance in Irvine, California.
She has been the recipient for the National Security Organization with the 2017 Women in Defense “Service to the Flag Award”, the 2016 Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ) “Women in Business” Award, and also received from the OCBJ, the 2016 “Longevity Award – Family Owned Business”. In 2018, she was named as AACSB’s “Influential Leader”. She was honored by the Girl Scouts of America with the 2017 Celebrate Leadership Award. Additionally, she was honored as the “Artist of the Year” from Arts Orange County; and “Outstanding Contributions in Education Through the Arts” from the Orange County Department of Education.
Robin Follman is also a highly recognized and accomplished businesswoman in the Energy and Aerospace manufacturing business sectors. She led the team at Markall Inc. as CEO, along with its manufacturing arm, RA Industries, LLC, as a privately held, woman- and minority-owned full-service engineering and fabrication completion center that operated in Santa Ana, CA and Houston, TX, for three generations, spanning more than 60 years.
Ms. Follman received her AA degree locally at Saddleback Jr. College in Mission Viejo, California and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Taking advantage of Orange County’s educational resources, Follman earned an Executive MBA degree from Chapman University in 2015, and now serves on the Executive Board as the Secretary on Chapman University’s Board of Governors as well as the Board of Counselors for the Argyros School of Business and Economics at Chapman University. She continues to focus her energy philanthropically by supporting and raising awareness for several non-profit and charitable organizations including the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Pretend City Children’s Museum, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Jocelyn Diabetes Center at University of California, Santa Ana College, and the Girl Scouts of America. Ms. Follman has repeatedly been designated by the Orange County Business Journal’s (OCBJ) OC500 as one of the most influential people in the Orange County business community.
Stephanie Jones
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Stephanie Jones is a soprano based in Los Angeles. A recent graduate of USC Thornton School of Music, she holds a Graduate Certificate and Masters and studied with Cynthia Munzer, Angela Blasi, and Elizabeth Hynes. Stephanie was featured as a soloist with the USC Chamber Singers in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Stephanie performed with LAKMA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall as the second soprano soloist of Mozart's C Minor Mass, as a soloist for La Sierra University's performance of Beethoven's 9th, and USC Chambers Singers' Collaboration with Craig Hella Johnson in the USC performance of his work Considering Matthew Shepard. She is also the Assistant Director of Music Ministry at her church, Orange Coast Church, where she works with the OCC Children's Chorus, OCC Choir, and OCC Praise.
Guitar / Bass
David Weis
From Randy to Eric Johnson to Yngwie to Shawn Lane, David is determined to achieve these high levels of technique to implement them in his style and teach his students. David has taken private lessons with many outstanding guitarists, most notably Pebber Brown, who has taken him as a personal student for many years until this day. David has also attended many guitar clinics performed by his influences to further his knowledge of technique and understand what is important to study/practice to achieve specific goals. Besides privately learning to form some of the best guitarists globally, David has taken Music courses in college to further his knowledge in reading music. David did not major in music but instead Majored in Theoretical Mathematics.
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Nels Jenstad
Nels Jenstad, teaching Piano, and Guitar, in Orange County since 1989. Ph.D. in Psychology of Music in 1999 through a theosophical university in Hawaii. He studied the Art of Songwriting under Paul Chiton, San Francisco, Modern Chorus (new music) under Dr. Herrmann LeRoux, SF Conservatory of Music. He studied Music Theory, Piano, Voice, and Jazz Improvisation under NEA Jazz Master, David Baker, at Contra Costa College, Richmond, CA., Electronic Music, Piano, Recording, and TV Production Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. Listed on the IMDb for music for two films, he also has numerous other media and film music placements internationally. He has published over 20 digital albums. He also signed and released an EP on vinyl with European record on the Fri Form Records label in 2019. OCMD, 2018, Nels recorded the guitar parts for Alex Boyes’ “Sign of the Times” song by Harry Styles and took part in the video in conjunction with Orange County Music and Dance. Jenstad’s works can be found on Apple, Spotify, and most popular sites.
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Percussion
Robert Slack
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Robert Slack received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Nation's premier music conservatory. He has also been featured in the Pacific Symphony Orchestra's American Composers' Festival with internationally renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma. As a solo Marimbist, Mr. Slack is known among musicians for his musical interpretations of the Music of J.S. Bach, having performed solo recitals of Bach's music at Chapman University, Biola University, and at the Orange County High School for the Performing Arts. Highly sought after as a teacher, Mr. Slack has had many of his students placed in significant music conservatories and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, U.C.L.A., U.S.C. School of Music, and others. Also active as a jazz musician, Mr. Slack heads a Jazz trio "Rob Slack and Friends," a featured group at local venues.
Milton Salazar
Milton Salazar is a First-Generation, Mexican-American freelance percussionist and educator working in Southern California. He has performed with many major groups such as Pacific Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Orchestra Santa Monica, South Coast Symphony, Lyric Opera of Orange County, and many more. Milton has helped premier new works by Derrick Skye and Danny Elfman. Milton also has experience in musical theater and experimental music, and has performed as an improviser with groups such as the California State University, Fullerton, New Music Ensemble, and the Decisive Instant.
Currently, Milton is a percussion instructor at OC Music and Dance where he teaches private lessons in orchestral and concert percussion, mallet percussion, and drumset. His private teaching studio includes adults and students as young as 5 years old, with many of them preparing for honor band, youth orchestra, and college auditions.
Milton also coaches percussion at YOLA at HOLA in Downtown Los Angeles where he works primarily with Hispanic and Latinx students in grades 4-12.
Milton holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Music from California State University, Fullerton. He is also studying advanced harmony and jazz theory with a private instructor.
Milton is also a fluent Spanish speaker.
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