Faculty Members

Dr. Alex Kahn

Chamber Strings

Alex Kahn

Dr. Kahn comes to Sonoma County from Gettysburg College, where he was Associate Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Activities at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music. Previous university-level orchestras with whom Alexander has worked include the UC Berkeley Chamber Orchestra (Founder and Music Director) and the UC Berkeley Symphony (Assistant Conductor).

In addition to being Director of Orchestral Activities at Sonoma State Univeristy, Dr. Kahn has worked with professional orchestras across the United States and throughout Europe. He is the Founder and Music Director of the Metta Ensemble, a professional chamber orchestra based in Gettysburg, PA. He has also served as Cover Conductor for the Baltimore Symphony and as a Staff Conductor for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. Recent guest conducting engagements have included the HUB Opera Ensemble, the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Latoshinsky Orchestra in Kiev, Ukraine, and the Salzburg Soloists of Salzburg, Austria. Between 2007 and 2008, Dr. Kahn served as Assistant Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony in Bamberg, Germany. While in Bamberg he was also Music Director of the Bamberg Collegium Musicum and Guest Conductor of the Bamberg Universität Orchester.

Dr. Kahn earned a PhD in Music History from UC Berkeley and remains active as a scholar. His dissertation entitled “Double Lives: Exile Composers in Los Angeles” focused on the community of European exiles who fled to Los Angeles during the Third Reich. He has lectured and published on this topic and other issues related to World-War II-era music history, and has also published on a variety of topics including film music and the history of amateur music-making in America.

Dr. Kahn’s love of music was inherited from his father, Eugene Kahn, a conductor and educator on Long Island. His primary conducting studies were at UC Berkeley with David Milnes and at the Peabody Institute with Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. He has also participated in workshops with teachers including Larry Rachleff, Kenneth Kiesler, Daniel Lewis and Peter Gülke.  

When not conducting, Dr. Kahn enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, and travelling, and spending time with his wonderful wife and daughter.

Jeannette Isenberg

Violin and Viola Workshops

Ms. Isenberg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and divides her time between teaching and performance. She has diverse musical talents: she plays violin with the Santa Rosa Symphony, classical chamber ensembles, jazz combos and country swing bands.

Corinne Antipa

Rhythm and Movement Workshops

Corinne Antipa, cellist, performer, teacher was trained by Bonnie Hampton and Colin Hampton and has a lifetime of experience with solo, orchestral work, but most happily with chamber music.  Ms. Antipa has been a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony since high school excluding years of being away as a dancer.  She has a BA and MA in Dance from Mills College, and until recently taught modern dance, dance history, choreography and Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement at Santa Rosa Junior college.
 
Corinne also spent 40 years riding horses and in younger years and if good sense had not prevailed, would have dropped everything to be a cowgirl!

Elizabeth Vandervennet

Cello Workshops and Music Fundamentals

Elizabeth Vandervennet received a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan where she studied applied cello with Jeff Solow, Nina DeVeritch, and Jerome Jelinek. Upon graduation she received high honors in Music Theory as well as a Minor in Arts Administration. Her Master of Music in Cello Performance from Carnegie Mellon University was obtained under the guidance of Anne Martindale-Williams, the Principal Cellist of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Elizabeth currently lives in Oakland, California as an active freelance musician, teaching artist, and advocate for arts education. She is a member of the Oakland Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Marin Symphony, and Principal Cellist in Vallejo Symphony. Elizabeth’s chamber music posts include cellist of Squid Inc. - string quartet, and Rosin Coven - theatrical Pagan Lounge ensemble. In additional to teaching throughout the community of Oakland, she holds the post of Lead Teaching Artist for the Oakland Symphony’s MUSE (MUSic for Excellence.) program. In 2016, Elizabeth was nationally recognized with the Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service by the League of American Symphony Orchestras and the Ford Foundation.

Quinn Dizon

Composition and Conducting

Mr. Dizon is a composer, conductor and clarinetist from Santa Rosa, CA. He holds a Bachelors in Music Theory and Composition from the College of Wooster, and both a Masters of Music in Composition and a Masters of Music in Conducting from the University of Louisville. Mr. Dizon has worked professionally as a conductor and music educator and has completed several composition commissions for a wide range of ensembles and occasions. He currently lives outside Washington, D.C., where he is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Maryland College Park. 
 

Ivy Zenobi

Chamber Ensembles & Violin Workshops

Violinist and violist, Ivy Zenobi, is embracing a diverse career as a symphonic, chamber musician, rock musician, and private instructor. In recent years, concert appearances include the Santa Rosa Symphony, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Chora Nova, The National Geographic Symphony, and the Philharmonic Kitchen. Outside of the classical scene, Ivy was a member of the rock band Naked Fiction, performed at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, recorded at Skywalker Ranch and The Bachelor (Season 22 Episode 3). Ivy Zenobi received her B.M. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her Masters from the University of Toronto, Canada. Ivy became Suzuki Certified under the tutelage of Dr. William Starr and was chosen to attend the Starling-Delay Violin Symposium held at The Juilliard School. Ivy has a competitive studio of over thirty students, many which go on to study at programs such as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College and Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer and Pre-College programs. Outside of music, Ivy enjoys spending time with her French bulldog, Lola, hiking, traveling, and cooking (and eating, of course).

Karen Zimmerman

Bass Workshop, Music Fundamentals

Ms. Zimmerman holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from the Juilliard School. While in New York, Karen played with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera along with appearing with various chamber ensembles throughout the city. She now plays with the Santa Rosa Symphony along with other local orchestras, has an active teaching schedule and is the Librarian for the Santa Rosa Symphony.

Dr. Mark Anderman

Composition and Conducting

Dr. Mark Anderman is Chair of the Music Department at Santa Rosa Junior College. He holds a Doctorate in Music Education from Boston University as well as degrees from San Francisco State University and CSU Long Beach. An accomplished guitarist, Mark’s extensive performing career in and around Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area includes classical chamber music, jazz, gospel, rock, and musical theater. As a composer/arranger, his works have been widely performed, including several premiered by the jazz ensembles at SRJC. His approach to teaching theory and composition emphasizes mastery of the fundamentals and a holistic view of analysis that embraces all musical styles.
 

Erin Garcia-Norris

Fundamentals Workshops and Choir

Ms. Norris has a Master's degree in Music Education with a Kodaly emphasis from Holy Names University. She is dedicated to teaching children music. She worked as an elementary school music teacher in Solano County for over a decade and is currently teaching TK-8th grade music in the Petaluma City Schools District. She also teaches Suzuki violin and piano lessons at Music To My Ears in Cotati. Ms. Norris is excited to return to the Santa Rosa Summer Music Academy faculty to teach Music FUNdamentals and choir.

Amanda McFadden

Composition & Conducting

Amanda McFadden has been a music educator for the last 10 years and currently serves as the Music Director at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California. At Sonoma Academy, she teaches a variety of music courses including Advanced Musicianship, Choir, Chamber Ensemble, and Foundation Arts Music. She also collaborates with Jenifer Coté on Musical Theater productions through vocal and musical directorship. Amanda completed her Master of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Delaware, where she also conducted the Neuro Notes, a choir for people with Parkinson’s disease, and was the Assistant Director of the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware. Prior to graduate school, Amanda taught middle and high school Instrumental Music at Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, CA. Amanda’s non-musical projects reflect community, an ideal that is at the core of everything she does. From coaching volleyball to leading service-learning trips, Amanda aims to instill a strong sense of community in every person with which she interacts.

Andrew Lewis

Film/Pit Ensemble and Rhythm Workshops

Andrew Lewis is a dedicated lifelong musician and educator.
 
He has performed as a Classical Timpanist/Percussionist with Orchestras all over the world, including 20 years with the San Francisco Symphony, and is presently Principal Timpanist with the Santa Rosa Symphony. He is also an accomplished drumset and hand percussion performer in all genres, including Jazz, Rock, and World music.
 
As educator, he has taught at summer camps for kids both here and abroad, and has lectured at high-level music institutions the likes of Juilliard and Peabody. He always teaches privately, and has served as Orchestra and Band instructor in public elementary, middle and high schools.
 
Some other credits include inventing a metronome, and writing a book called "Rhythm- What It Is and How To Improve Your Sense Of It". He has conducted extensively, both as Music Director of the Wood River Community Orchestra, and in Colombia for the national music school BATUTA. He also speaks fluent Spanish.
 
He has travelled the world, studying music on five continents, and is ever dedicated to learning.

Robert Bowman

Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Theory & Improvisation

Robert Bowman has played bass professionally for over ten years. After graduating from California State University Northridge with a Bachelors of Music in Jazz Studies, Robert moved to Sonoma County to pursue performance as well as begin his career as an educator. Robert Bowman is involved with several working bands all around Sonoma and Napa counties. He is currently on faculty at St. Vincent de Paul High School where he serves as Art Dept. Chair as well as Band Director, Simply Strings and Summer Music Academy. While his degree is in Jazz, Robert is proficient in a variety of musical genres including classical, pop/ rock, bluegrass, musical theatre and many others. Robert has played all over the country and the world, recording and performing with several artists in a wide variety of musical genres.
 
 

Chris Pimental

Guitar Workshops

Chris has been a professional musician in and around Napa Valley and the Bay area for over 30 years. He has taught privately and as an adjunct instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College. Since 2016, he has taught band, choir, strings, and has collaborated in developing the Music Exploration classes offered through NVUSD since 2018. Chris holds a BA in Jazz Studies from Sonoma State University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with distinction in his field.  Chris Still enjoys playing music in the Bay Area and Napa Valley, as well as skiing, mountain biking, and hiking.

Ashley Holmberg

Recorder and KinderViolin

Alaskan born Violinist Ashley Holmberg brings a fresh perspective to any musical genre. The Musical Maestra began her teaching career as a Violin and Viola Instructor (Ajarn) for Mahidol University, College of Music in Bangkok, Thailand. During her time overseas, Holmberg performed with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and worked as the Viola clinician for the Southeast Asian Youth Orchestra. After returning to the United States, she was actively involved in the implementation and instruction of the Aspen Music Festivals Beginning Strings program.  In addition to her work as an educator, she has performed globally for the Universidad Camera de Valdivia in Chile providing community outreaching in Southern Patagonia and has sung with the Alaska Festival Singers at the Vatican and St. Marks Basilica. A passionate music specialist and devoted Performing Arts Advocate, Ashley moved to Sonoma County to expand her creative entrepreneurship and focus on supporting local music and arts organizations. In addition to her work with the Santa Rosa Symphony Simply Strings Social Action Orchestra, she currently performs with local Americana dream team CAHOOTS, Folk Rock band Two Lions, Trio Capriccio and the Sonoma County Philharmonic. 

Chris Newton

Guitar Workshops

Darina Drapkin

Rhythm; Movement

Darina Drapkin is a life-long singer and musician. Having studied classical piano, guitar, flute, percussion, ukulele and, most recently, violin, she feels at home with a wide variety of styles and genres of music, both as a teacher and performer. Darina performs with the Sonoma County women’s Balkan ensemble “Gradina”, who put out an album in March, 2020. Darina has studied classical piano for 17 years and Balkan voice with Lily Storm of Kitka for over a decade. She is well versed in the Kodaly method of music education, having taught music at Sunridge and is a faculty member of Simply Strings. She is currently recording an album of diverse ukulele based songs and is including her flute-playing 10 year old son on it.

Alex Volonts

Violin/Viola Workshops

Alex Volonts is a musician and educator in Sonoma County.  He has been a member of the Santa Rosa Symphony since 2007 and is also contracted with the Monterey Symphony Orchestra.  Mr. Volonts studied viola performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as the Juilliard School's pre-college division.  He began his musical studies at 5 years old as a violin student at the North Shore Suzuki Institute of Long Island, New York.  Mr. Volonts has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player throughout the Bay Area.  He resides in Santa Rosa with his wife and fellow accomplished musician (Tingting), and their 2 young children (Nathan and Tiana).  Mr. Volonts is currently the specialty strings teacher at SunRidge Elementary in Sebastopol.