Who's Who - Faculty
Robert Geary, Artistic Director & Conductor of Ensemble and Ancora
Robert Geary, founder of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir and Volti, also holds directorial positions with the San Francisco Choral Society and the Golden Gate International Children’s Choral Festival. He served for thirteen years as the Music Director of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Francisco. Champions of contemporary music, Geary and his choirs have won numerous international and national awards. Under his direction, Ensemble of the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir has won various grand prizes, first prizes, gold medals and special awards in Canada, the United States, Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy and Hong Kong. Geary received a special award for Outstanding Conductorial Achievement in Giessen, Germany 1997, and a special award for interpretation at the Miedzyzdroje Choral Festival in Poland 1998. In 1993 he was awarded the International Peace Child Medal for his role as co-founder of the Golden Gate International Children’s Choral Festival. In 2002 he was named Music Educator of the Year by KDFC and in 2003 he received the Lois Blair Rawlings Educational Inspiration Award. Geary’s choirs have been honored more than any other choir for Adventurous Programming by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). Geary and his choirs have performed throughout the United States, in Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Italy, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Siberia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Maylasia, Singapore, Croatia and Serbia. They have performed at the Oregon Bach Festival, the Newport Music Festival, with Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and Oakland East Bay Symphony. They have accepted invitations to perform for the national conferences of Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators and the College Music Society. They have been heard on National Public Radio, BBC Radio, on various television stations and film scores. Geary has served on the California Arts Commission’s Peer Review Panel and as an adjudicator and guest conductor in the United States and internationally. Harmonia Mundi, Koch International, Swiss International Radio and Innova have recorded his choirs.Sue Bohlin, Conductor of Girls Beginning & KinderChoir, Principal Accompanist
Sue Bohlin, former Director of the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir Training Department, serves as Conductor of the Girls Beginning group and also serves as accompanist and assistant director for Ensemble. Sue joined the Piedmont Choirs faculty in 1984 after graduating from Conservatory and working as an oboist and pianist in Mexico City. From 1990-2000 Ms. Bohlin was music director and performer with the avant-garde theatre group George Coates Performance Works (SF). She has played on stages all over the world, directed, arranged, and recorded music for commercials and film, and produced concerts and festivals. Sue founded the Anchor Bay Children's Choir in Mendocino County in 2004. Her music for children's choir is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Naomi Braun, Training Department Director, Conductor of Girls Intermediate 1
Naomi Braun (Training Department Director) has been conductor of Girl’s Intermediate 1 since 1995. She holds Bachelor degrees in Music and Psychology from U.C. Davis, where she was the Assistant Conductor of the University Chorus and directed a 14 voice mixed ensemble. She has taught chorus and music to children in kindergarten through eighth grade in San Francisco and the East Bay. Ms. Braun sings professionally with Volti, formerly the SF Chamber Singers, and has also sung with Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, Berkeley Opera, George Coates Performance Works, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Pocket Opera, American Bach Soloists, and the San Francisco Opera Chorus. Clifton Massey, Conductor of Ecco and Boys Advanced
Clifton Massey, conductor of Ecco and Boys Advanced, is also an accomplished singer. A male alto, he is in frequent demand for both solo and choral repertoire, having performed to critical acclaim with ensembles in the Bay Area and beyond, including American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Chanticleer, Schola Cantorum SF, Dallas Bach Society, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Theater of Voices, Concert Royal NYC, and the New York Philharmonic with Skitch Henderson. Being raisedby country musicians in Dallas, Texas led him to a rather eclectic
taste in music, including numerous collaborations with electronica
composers, the role of Skzyp in Hedwig and the Angry Inch
(Bloomington, IN), and recent investigations into standardized
beat-box notation. Clifton has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education
from Texas Christian University, and a Master's of Music in Early
Music from Indiana University. He currently directs two choirs for the
Piedmont Choirs, where he is in his third year teaching Ecco and Boys
Advanced. An advocate of healthy vocal production, he also teaches
private voice, and is a choral clinician throughout the Bay Area.
Upcoming projects include the Christmas Oratorio of Bach with the San
Francisco Choral Society, the Bach B-minor Mass with American Bach
Soloists in January, and making gallons upon gallons of iced tea to
remind him of the good ol' days of an Ann Richards Texas!
Andrew Brown, Concert Choir Conductor
Biography & picture coming soon
Erica Maier D'Ambrosio, Conductor of Girls Advanced
Nancy Linford, Conductor of Girls Intermediate 2
Nancy Linford, conductor of Girls' Intermediate 2, also teaches music at the San Francisco Day School. She holds a B.A. in vocal performance from U.C. Santa Cruz and an M.A. in music education with Kodály emphasis from Holy Names College. Since 1994, she has served as an active member on the board of the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators.Lynn Tousey, Conductor of Boys Training
Lynn Tousey, conductor of Boys Training, is an elementary music teacher with the Alameda Public Schools and a former music educator at Harmony Road Music School. She was an acting coach at San Francisco Children’s Opera and a former member of the San Francisco Chamber Singers. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Choral Music Education from University of Michigan School of Music. A classically trained soprano, Lynn has appeared as solo vocalist with The Lamplighters and George Coates Performance Works as well as in various cabaret-style venues. Eclectic in her vocal tastes and styles, Lynn is presently exploring her lower alto range as a jazz vocalist, scatting away over at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. Whether teaching or performing, "Big Mama" insists upon musical excellence and plenty of red lipstick. Ann Binning, Accompanist
Jieun Lee, Accompanist
Jieun Lee, Collaborative Pianist, accompanist for Girls Intermediate 2, is a professional staff accompanist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, collaborating with teachers and students alike. She has done numerous recitals collaborating with singers and instrumentalists of every kind. She has been an orchestra pianist for the Korean Philharmonic, Organist for the Chung-dam Catholic Church, and was a collaborative pianist for Vocal and Instrumentalists at the Seoul National University. Ms. Lee has been featured collaborating in masterclasses with Anne Epperson, Rita Sloan, Cameron Stowe, Karl Leister, Stephen King, John Graham, Paula Robinson, and others. She is a graduate of Kook-min University with a B.M., M.M. at Kyung-won University, and an M.M. at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Ms. Lee currently maintains a private teaching studio while playing concert engagements with acclaimed violinist Thomas Yee.
Cecile Linford, Accompanist
Cecile Linford, accompanist for Girls Intermediate 1, studied piano at the University of Utah and at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and Music Education from the University of Utah. In New Mexico, Ms. Linford was accompanist for public school instrumental and vocal teachers, and for twelve years she served as accompanist for University of New Mexico vocal classes.
Stephanie Pile, Accompanist
Stephanie Pile, accompanist for Girls Beginning, holds a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College and is enjoying a multi-faceted career, involving both nonprofit administration and music. While serving as Administrative Director of Body Wisdom, Inc., Stephanie also accompanies the choruses at The Renaissance School, both in Oakland. She teaches piano students privately and with Instrumental Music for Children in Orinda, is a frequent substitute pianist and vocalist at local churches and retreat centers, and is a member of the Sacred and Profane Chamber Chorus. Stephanie also served as the Director of Music of the Jesuit Urban Center in Boston and has sung with a variety of choral ensembles in both the Bay Area and Boston.
David Lichtenstein, Accompanist
David Lichtenstein, accompanist for Alameda Branch, holds a B.A. in Music from UC Santa Barbara. While pursuing a career as a database analyst, he has been involved in choral music-making since high school, singing for many seasons with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and the Oakland Symphony Chorus, where he was a frequent substitute pianist. He is currently staff accompanist and an assistant vocal coach for the 150-voice Berkeley Community Chorus. David has enjoyed performing as a pit orchestra performer and rehearsal pianist for several Eastbay musical theater companies, including Diablo Light Opera and Alameda Civic Light Opera. He also performs frequently as an orchestral percussionist and, as an accomplished alto saxophone player, enjoys playing in Big-Band jazz ensembles.
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