Staff and Board

Staff
Board of Directors
Advisory Council
Faculty Council
Mission Advisory Council

Staff

Christopher Borg, Executive Director. As Director of Instrumental Music and full-time faculty member at the Groton School in Massachusetts for 11 years, Borg built an exemplary diverse instrumental music program. In addition to overseeing the program and its faculty, he has taught private lessons and courses in music theory, coached chamber ensembles, and conducted the Groton School Chamber Orchestra. Borg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music History from Vassar College and a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance and Orchestral Studies from the Northwestern University School of Music. He was initiated into his musical life at a community music school in Massachusetts much like CMC. Read October 10, 2011 press release

Chus Alonso, Program Director, MDYMP Director, and faculty member. Chus was born in Spain where he pursued an eclectic musical education. Highlights include studies with Pedro Iturralde, the first Spanish musician who explored the fusion between jazz and flamenco, and studies with jazz composers That Jones and Chuck Israels. Since moving to San Francisco in 1984, Chus has taught youth through LEAP, YABA, Adventures in Music, La Peña in Berkeley, the San Francisco and Berkeley School Districts and others. He founded Potaje, a flamenco-Latin-jazz ensemble and also plays flute with Orquesta la Moderna Tradición, an ensemble well-known for revitalizing the sounds of Cuban danzón and cha-cha-chá.

Sonia Caltvedt, Marketing Director. Sonia first heard of CMC while on a walk in her new neighborhood. Hearing a sax player practicing scales, she followed her ears to our Mission District home. She played flute in CMC’s Flamenco-Latin Ensemble, Potingue, for many years before becoming our Marketing Director. Prior to working at CMC, Sonia promoted Fair Trade, natural, and sustainable food at a number of Bay Area non-profits. She earned Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in Art History and Spanish. In her free time, Sonia plays flute in the Brazilian ensemble, Kata-vento.

Kathy Cole, Mission District Branch Registrar. Kathy first registered as a CMC student in Betty Wong’s Baroque Ensemble in 1979. She then joined our work study program, subbed for our front office staff and worked as a Concert Hall Manager. Kathy was hired as Registrar in 1989 and has welcomed students and teachers to Capp Street with her signature good cheer ever since. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Music from San Francisco State University and an Elementary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. Before working at CMC, Kathy substituted for SFUSD. Her latest hobbies are urban homesteading and of course, music.

Ashley Coyle, Development Associate. Ashley graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a double major in Psychology and Film Studies. Before coming to work for CMC, she worked for the reality TV show, “Kitchen Nightmares” and the documentary “Bigger, Stronger, Faster.” She also worked at a music video post-production house and archived historical films. Besides taking piano lessons at CMC, Ashley horseback rides and volunteers with Muttville, a rescue and adoption agency for senior dogs.

Linda Hitchcock, Concert Hall Manager and Sunday Registrar at CMC’s Mission District Branch. Linda has worked as the Manager of the CMC Children’s Chorus, the CMC Orchestra, and the SF Sinfonietta Orchestra. She has also been Production Manager for the Berkeley Symphony, SF Choral Society, and the SF City Chorus. Linda has a Bachelor’s of Science from Empire State College, where she studied Environmental Science and Music. She has also completed advanced course work at UC Berkeley in Business Administration. In her spare time, Linda enjoys playing tympani and percussion with several orchestras and bands throughout the Bay area.

Janet Houser, Richmond District Branch Registrar. Janet began playing the violin at the age of six and has worked in the field of arts administration since 1976. She was Development Associate and Orchestra Librarian for the San Francisco Symphony; Operations Manager for the San Francisco Opera; and Office Manager for Mariedi Anders Artist Management. She has also worked as website manager for opportunityknocks.org and Executive Assistant to CEO and CFO Commonwealth Club of California. Janet holds a Bachelor of Music in Music History and Literature from SFSU and has performed with the Villa Sinfonia and the SF Sinfonietta Orchestra. Janet is a San Francisco native and has lived in the Richmond District all of her life. She is also a faithful Giants fan.

Stanley Lam, Finance Officer. Stanley has been responsible for the management of CMC’s finances since 2008, after seven years of prior nonprofit financial and administrative experience. He began his work in the nonprofit sector while completing his BA at Wesleyan University, under a nonprofit public service internship program where he was a caseworker and a tenants advocate for a community-based nonprofit organization. Since then, in addition to his nonprofit work, he has been a web business analyst, a client relations manager, and a gardener’s assistant. Stanley is a singer, guitarist, bassist and songwriter, and has performed pop music in bay area bands since 2001. When he can find spare time, he rides his bicycle up big hills over long distances.

Tania Morales, Mission District Branch Associate Registrar. Tania earned a degree in computer and technology in Nicaragua. While going to school, she also worked as a music teacher who travelled to poor neighborhoods in Nicaragua to teach recorder. This lead to an opportunity for her to become the Office Administrator of a non-profit music school called Música en los Barrios for five years. In 2005, she moved to San Francisco and began working at CMC, where she feels at home. Tania continues her computer studies at City College.

John Robinson, Director of Development. Before joining CMC in 2012, John Robinson was executive director of San Francisco Classical Voice, the leading online source of classical music news, reviews and information for the Bay Area. From 2002-2010 he led the Santa Barbara Symphony in Southern California. During his tenure, the Symphony’s budget grew from $1.7 to $2.5 Million and earned prestigious awards for excellence in Music Education from the League of American Orchestras and the California Teachers Association. He led the Santa Barbara Symphony through a period of dynamic change, marked by the recruitment of Nir Kabaretti to be the orchestra’s Music and Artistic Director, the move of the concert venue to the beautifully renovated Granada Theatre, and the move of the administrative offices to the elegant downtown Center for Arts and Culture. Prior to his work at the Santa Barbara Symphony, Robinson was the Executive Director of Frank Salomon Associates, a firm in New York City that provided management to musicians such as Sir Simon Rattle, Peter Oundjian, Jaime Laredo, Richard Stoltzman, Richard Goode, Alon Goldstein, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Tallis Scholars, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and Bach Collegium Japan.

Wayne Vitale, Grant Writer.  Wayne Vitale is a composer and educator who learned fundraising through many years of creative projects focused on the music of Bali, Indoneisa. He has studied and collaborated with many of Bali’s greatest musicians, extensively documenting their work, and leading myriad projects bringing them together with diverse artists and audiences. He is the former director of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, a Bay Area company of sixty musicians and dancers with an unparalleled reputation for its cross-cultural work. He is also a lover of Western music, a pianist (with an audience limited to one person—himself), and piano tuner.

Board of Directors

Patricia Taylor Lee, President
Pianist Patricia Taylor Lee is Professor and Chair Emerita of the Music Department
of San Francisco State University and Artistic Director of the Virginia Waring
International Piano Competition in Palm Desert, CA. She has also served on the
faculties of the University of California, Davis and West Chester University in
Pennsylvania and for ten years was the official pianist of the Sacramento Symphony.
Dr. Lee earned a BA at Mills College and graduate degrees at Yale and Temple
Universities. She is a trustee of the Ross McKee Foundation and a past trustee of
Mills College, the Women’s Philharmonic, Friends of Chamber Music, the Performing
Arts Library and Museum, and the Sacramento Symphony.

Catharine L. Kalin, Vice President
Currently Vice President of the CMC Board of Directors and chair of the personnel committee, Catharine Kalin is a past board president and has served on the board for almost 20 years.  She is director of operations at the Ploughshares Fund, a public foundation investing in peace and security worldwide.  She was a docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for 18 years and served as Docent Council president.

Paul Sussman, Treasurer
Paul Sussman is Chief Financial Officer of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC).  He was the founding president of the Northern California Community Loan Fund, and has served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations, lenders and foundations. Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, the North of Market Neighborhood Improvement Corporation and the Bothin Foundation. Paul is a former trumpeter and his two children and wife have been CMC students.

David J. Neuman, Secretary
David Neuman is a retired attorney. He specialized in tax and employee benefits as partner with the Pettit & Martin law firm and Associate General Counsel at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. David is a Board member for the Villa Sinfonia Foundation in San Francisco. He is a classical pianist with performing experience in solo repertoire, chamber music and vocal accompanying. His musical interests also include opera and jazz.

Katherine L. Aizawa is an attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP, an international law firm with 18 offices throughout the United States and offices in Brussels, Shanghai and Tokyo. She practices employee benefits law, helping employers provide medical, retirement and executive compensation benefits to employees. Kathy learned about the CMC’s good work through a friend and former CMC board member and she is confident that her piano lessons helped her survive her teenage years.

Lucia Bogatay has practiced architecture since 1969. She earned a degree in History of Art from Wellesley College and her Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Lucia currently serves as co-chair of the architecture and archaeology committee and preservation member of the board of the Presidio Historical Association. She helped supervise the 1983 renovation of CMC’s Mission District Branch and subsequently joined the board. Lucia took piano lessons at the CMC for a dozen years, and still enjoys playing the piano.

Mary Ting Chiu was born in Shanghai and moved to Sao Paulo at age 8. She earned a degree in Sociology from Boston University, then a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work. Mary worked at Boston Children’s Hospital, University Hospital of Wales, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and Summit Medical Center in Oakland. She has a musical family and her brother-in-law teaches at CMC. Mary served on the boards of Laguna Honda Hospital and Lick Wilmerding High School. She is also currently on the board of City Arts and Lectures.

Andrea Dyer is a founder of Demeter Matrix Alliance, an alliance of senior practitioners who provide coaching, consulting, education, and facilitation to guide leaders and organizations in their efforts to create sustainable excellence. Andrea is credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation and New Ventures West. Andrea’s clients have included Agilent, Bosch HealthCare, The Coca-Cola Company, The Crowden Music Center, Hewlett Packard, Kaiser, Levi-Strauss & Company, Marin Symphony, The Minute Maid Company, Moody’s KMV, Pillsbury Winthrop, Ploughshares Fund, and Sun Microsystems. Andrea serves on the adjunct faculty at Sonoma State University in their Masters in Organizational Development program and at New Ventures West, Integral Coaching Certification program.

Poppea Dorsam cellist and CMC faculty representative, received Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Boston University under Michael Reynolds and George Neikurg. Her undergraduate studies were completed at Oberlin Conservatory under Andor Toth Jr. Dorsam has performed with Sacramento, Fresno and Women’s Philharmonics, San Jose, Napa, Monterey, Santa Rosa and Oakland East Bay Symphonies, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Lamplighter’s, Pocket Opera, and Opera Cinnabar. Dorsam founded, managed and performed in the Clover Heights Ensemble, Fogtown Four Cello Quartet, Anne and Poppea Ensemble and Trio Dorado.

Geoffrey Gallegos is the Music Director and Conductor of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, the Golden Gate Opera, and the Golden Gate Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. From 2003 to 2008, Maestro Gallegos served as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra of Northern California. He has participated in the Artist in Residence program at the School of the Arts in San Francisco since 2001 and was Instrumental Music Liaison at The Nueva School in Hillsborough from 2007 – 2010. As a child, Geoffrey studied trumpet at CMC.

Ron Gallman is the San Francisco Symphony’s Director of Education and Youth Orchestra. He oversees the Symphony’s education programs, which serve the spectrum of Bay Area communities and have been described as national models in educational and programming excellence. Gallman gives lectures and writes program notes for the SFS and arts organizations across the country.  He has served on national and state arts panels, participated as a presenter in arts conferences nationwide, and serves on boards and committees of local, state, and national arts organizations.

Lynn Henley is a tax partner at Armanino McKenna, LLP where she is responsible for all aspects of a tax-exempt consulting and compliance practice, including the preparation and filing of exempt organization returns for public charities, private foundations, social clubs, business associations and labor unions.  She has served on various non-profit boards and is a member of the AICPA Task Force on Checklists and Organizers. Lynn was involved in music throughout her student days and is now involved as a listener and supporter of the musical endeavors of others.

Robert Hersey is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and has been practicing architecture in San Francisco since 1959. He and his wife Susan raised their family in the Castro and sent their son to study piano at CMC. Active in the American Institute of Architects, Robert became President of the San Francisco Chapter in 1983. In 1985, he was commissioned as the architect for CMC’s Mission District Branch renovation. Upon completion of the project, Robert joined the board.

Barbara Kosnar retired from her position as a financial executive at Union Bank in 2011.  She has an MBA from Golden Gate University and an undergraduate degree in Music Education from San Francisco State University. Barbara served on the Board of Directors of the Union Bank Foundation, and was Chair of the Audit Committee.  She is Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Audubon Canyon Ranch and a member of the Audit Committee of the ClimateWorks Foundation. An avid amateur pianist, she studied for many years at CMC.

Terri Kwiatek worked for Bank of America in leasing and equipment finance from 1978 to 2001.  Prior to Bank of America, she worked for Continental Bank in commercial lending and economic research. Terri is on the Board of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California and is on the finance committee of the Headlands Center for the Arts. She knows nothing about music but loves the Community Music Center.

Karl Ludwig is a retired surgeon for Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco, where he was Chief of Surgery from 1979 to 1989, President of the medical staff and Chief of the Credentials Committee for Kaiser Northern California.  He is a former Board member and volunteer for The Second Opinion and member of the World Affairs Council, Commonwealth Club, Sierra Club and Yosemite Conservancy. Karl studied cello and jazz piano at CMC, played cello in the CMC Orchestra and plays piano for fun.

Michael McNulty has practiced law in New York, Paris and for 31 years in London. He was International Corporate Counsel for the Reliance Group from 1968 to 1981 and partner with Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan from 1981-2000. Michael has an LL.B from Harvard Law School and currently studies piano at Community Music Center.

Richard Moss is an environmental attorney. He is a San Francisco native and nephew of Lev and Frances Shorr. Richard has had a life-long interest in music and is a devotee of chamber music and music of the 20th century. As a child, he came to hear concerts at Community Music Center.

Jackie Nemerovski was Development Director and Membership Director for the SFMOMA and has also worked as a non-profit marketing and management consultant.  She is on the Advisory Board of Grants for the Arts/SF Hotel Tax Fund and is a member of the California Academy of Sciences’ Education and Exhibits Committee. Jackie has served as an SF Arts Commissioner and was Board Chair and temporary Director for the SF Education Fund. She majored in theater and fine arts in college and has studied piano and voice.

Edie Plotinsky teaches art to elderly people with vision and hearing impairments who attend adult day health centers in San Francisco.  She holds degrees in occupational therapy, fine arts, and gerontology. Previously she served on the board of the Young Musicians program in Berkeley. She grew up in a family of skilled amateur musicians.  She studies piano with Joan Nagano and plays in a chamber music trio.

Neal Rosen has provided strategic communications counsel to leading national and international organizations for nearly 40 years. He also served as a reporter for several newspapers and radio stations in the Northwest and is a graduate of the University of Oregon. He took piano lessons in his youth and today enjoys listening to all types of music–from Handel to Hank Williams.

Jessica Rothschild, AIA, LEED AP, is a Senior Associate and Project Designer at EHDD Architecture and a member of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). Jessica holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley. She has taught studio courses at UCB as well as the California College of Arts. Jessica volunteers at Buena Vista Horace Mann public school in the Mission District and her son studies drums at CMC.

Joseph B. Schubert is a corporate lawyer based in San Francisco who represents financial institutions in structured lease and real estate financings.  Joe has also represented The Sonoma Land Trust in acquiring and preserving scenic properties in northern California.  For the last 18 years, he has served as a volunteer organist at St. Colman’s Church in Cazadero, California and St. Elizabeth’s Church in Guerneville, California.

Dianthe “Dee” Spencer is a Professor of Music at San Francisco State University where she founded the jazz studies undergraduate program in 1990. She earned an Ed.D from the University of San Francisco; M.M. from Washington University in St. Louis; and a B.S. from Florida A&M University. Dee served on the piano faculty at Berklee College of Music in Boston. As a keyboardist, she has performed with jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Branford Marsalis, John Handy, Regina Carter and R&B sensation LEDISI.

Carolyn Spitz is a singer and a pianist with 10 years of experience teaching music and choral conducting. She holds a BA in Economics from Pomona College, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and an MA in Music Education from Holy Names University. She has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Carloyn is Board President at Lick-Wilmerding High School and serves as a director of the Ella Rohlffs Foundation.

Diana Whitehead spent 28 years of her career as a telecommunications manager, retiring as CIO of SBC (now ATT). She was also an executive of an internet start-up and a telecommunications and information technology consultant. She is chair-elect of the Institute On Aging and the 2nd Vice President of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club. Diana enjoyed her music lessons as a child and has been a season ticket holder for the SF Symphony for over 30 years.

Advisory Council
Patricia B. Berkowitz – Community Volunteer
Ramon C. Cortines – Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District
Ruth Felt – President, SF Performances
Mortimer Fleishhacker – Businessman
Fritz Maytag – Businessman
Peter Mintun – Pianist
Lise Deschamps Ostwald – Pianist
Jane Roos Le Roux – Retired Physician, Community Volunteer
Frances Varnhagen – Community Volunteer

Faculty Representative
Poppea Dorsam

Faculty Council
Poppea Dorsam, Chair
Christian Bonvin
Bill Fiege
Janis Mercer
Ellen Shea

Mission Advisory Council
Claudia Jasin – Executive Director, Jamestown Community Center
Jennie Rodriguez – Executive Director, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Jose Carrasco – Youth Services Manager, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center
Chelis Lopez – Host of radio shows “Andanzas” and “Pajaro Latino-Americano” on KPOO 89.5 fm