Michael Mennell
Michael Mennell is a Southern California-based bassist and vocalist. He has maintained a 22-plus year teaching career in Los Angeles, and he continues to mentor young players and singers while maintaining a full schedule of recording sessions, live engagements, and tours. Mennell has recorded with artists including John Fogerty, Billy F. Gibbons, Keith Urban, Joe… Continue reading Michael Mennell
Angelica Cortez
Angelica Cortez (she/her) is a Los Angeles-born arts administrator and educator. She is the executive director of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, where she supports an international community of teachers, artists and leaders who believe in the transformative power of music. She has served as interim president and CEO of El Sistema USA, and… Continue reading Angelica Cortez
Steve Rothstein
Steve Rothstein is active as a composer, music instructor and lecturer in the Los Angeles area. He received his doctoral degree in Music Composition from the University of California, Los Angeles (2006) where he also completed his master’s and bachelor’s degrees. Rothstein has written numerous works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, wind ensemble, choral groups and… Continue reading Steve Rothstein
Luciana Souza
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Luciana Souza grew up in a family of bossa nova innovators—her father, a singer and songwriter, her mother, a poet and lyricist. Souza’s work as a performer transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles, offering solid roots in jazz, a sophisticated lineage in world music and an enlightened approach to new… Continue reading Luciana Souza
Mikhail Korzhev
Mikhail Korzhev, a pianist who “projects strength, atmosphere and the ability to tangle even the knottiest passages” (International Record Review) is equally active as a solo recitalist, a performer with various chamber groups, a soloist with orchestras and a recording artist. Among his CD recordings is the Complete Piano Concertos of Ernst Krenek in collaboration with English… Continue reading Mikhail Korzhev
Tara Aesquivel
The arts have shaped Tara Aesquivel’s life and, through her work, she hopes to share the power of the arts with others. Tara is a classically-trained musician and earned a B.A. in Music from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Convinced that she could have a broader impact offstage, Tara earned a Master’s degree in Arts… Continue reading Tara Aesquivel
Jacob Sustaita
Jacob Sustaita serves as the assistant conductor for Pacific Symphony, a position he has held since the fall of 2020. Sustaita also serves as music director and conductor for Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO), the premier training orchestra of Orange County, recognized as one of the most outstanding youth orchestras in the country. Sustaita is… Continue reading Jacob Sustaita
Tom Hall
Tom Hall is a Tasmanian and Australian electronic audio-visual artist who now calls Lake Arrowhead, CA his home. With a two-decade career in the music industry across multiple continents, Hall’s journey has been expansive. His educational background includes graduating from the Australian National University, majoring in Media Arts and pursuing further studies in sound at… Continue reading Tom Hall
Sara Ballance
Sara Ballance is an educator and musicologist whose work explores contemporary and historical issues of musical listening. After initially focusing on aural skills education and music cognition, earning degrees in Pedagogy of Music Theory and Brain & Cognitive Sciences, and working as a research assistant in the Eastman Music Cognition Lab, her main interest has… Continue reading Sara Ballance
Jane Davidson
Jane Davidson is an attorney who focuses her practice on Entertainment Law and Litigation at Munck Wilson Mandala. After graduating from USC Thornton’s Music Industry program, Davidson worked full-time in the music industry while pursuing her law degree from Loyola Law School’s evening program. As a litigator, her primary focus area is intellectual property in entertainment… Continue reading Jane Davidson