Santa Barbara Music Club

Member Type: Musician

Christian Morgan , Clarinetist

Christian Morgan is a clarinetist and SoCal native from Santa Clarita, California and graduate of the University of California-Santa Barbara. As a community member, Christian is currently principal clarinetist of the SBCC Concert Band, 2nd clarinetist of the UCSB Chamber Orchestra, an avid chamber musician in Santa Barbara chamber workshops, and the clarinetist of the local Cabeceo Quintet.

Since 2023, Christian has been working in Santa Barbara’s non-profit sector providing housing and homeless services for at-risk populations at New Beginnings Counseling Center. There he helps US military veterans and their family’s experiencing homelessness within Santa Barbara county to obtain and sustain permanent housing. Christian also works remotely as a Foster Youth Ambassador for the Child & Family Policy Institute of California. There he helps to address educational disparities for current foster youth with his lived experience for the Marin County Office of Education and Child Welfare Services.

Christian first began playing the clarinet in junior high school. In senior year of high school, he successfully auditioned and participated in the 2018 California All-State Honor Band. Christian first began taking private clarinet lessons in high school with CalArts MFA alumnus, and performance artist, Louis Coy.

While attending UCSB, Christian continued his clarinet studies with Paul Bambach, and was principal clarinetist of the wind ensemble and member of the chamber orchestra. To help pay for his college studies, Christian worked several part-time jobs supporting various underserved populations. He has worked with the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley, worked as a behavioral interventionist supporting children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities, and has worked in both long-term and acute care settings with adults with persistent and/or severe mental illness.

SBMC Concert Performances

Kathryn Mendenhall , Cellist

A Santa Barbara native, Kathryn Mendenhall has given solo and chamber music performances across Eastern Europe, Italy, Korea, and Indonesia. An avid supporter of new music, she was a long-time member of the Illustrious Theatre Orchestra, a composer-performer ensemble dedicated solely to the performance of modern and new works. Over the years, she has performed for both Lynn Harrell and Yo Yo Ma and studied primarily under Ben Hong, Bongshin Ko and Geoffrey Rutkowski. Ms. Mendenhall currently teaches mathematics at Dos Pueblos High School. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both music performance and physics from California State University, Fullerton, and a master’s degree in music performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

SBMC Concert Performances

Kristine Pacheco-Bernt , Violinist

Kristine Pacheco-Bernt is a professional violinist, arts administrator, and music educator motivated to make instrumental music relevant within the community. Raised at the intersection of mariachi and minuets, she draws upon over a decade of performing and teaching experience. Kristine strongly believes in the power of creative youth development through music and is proud to bring her perspective and skills to all kinds of projects. Prior to her work at the Music Academy of the West, Kristine served as a Teaching Artist at the Incredible Children’s Art Network (iCAN) music program, an El Sistema-inspired initiative in Santa Barbara providing free after-school music classes and academic enrichment to 120 elementary school children from an under resourced community. More recently Kristine served as the Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Symphony where she managed a continuum of music programs serving over 8,000 children throughout Santa Barbara County. She currently maintains a private violin studio designed to support students at all levels of musical development. She enjoys bringing together school administrators, families, and music professionals to create dynamic music education programs. Ms. Pacheco-Bernt holds a master’s degree in violin performance from San Francisco State University and dual bachelor’s degrees in music and premedical studies from University of California, Berkeley. She performs regularly throughout the central coast with the Santa Barbara Symphony, the San Luis Obispo Symphony, and the Santa Maria Philharmonic.

SBMC Concert Performances

Myroslava Khomik , Violinist

Ukranian-American violinist and arts entrepreneur Myroslava Khomik brings her passion for music making not only to the most prestigious concert halls and festivals around the world, but also to notable film and television projects while based in Los Angeles. Known for her musical depth and sensitive approach, Ms. Khomik is dedicated to innovative programming, mixing different art forms, new works and commissions, and rediscovering the forgotten music gems. After her last tour in South America, Ms. Khomik was awarded a New Artist of the Year award in Argentina, and was featured on many TV and radio broadcasts worldwide. Most recent highlights include her commissions for solo violin and the release of her debut album “Protest”; performances with Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro da Paz (Belém, Brazil), Orchestra del Teatro Goldoni di Livorno (Italy), Orquesta Filarmónica del Desierto Coahuilla (Mexico), Orquestra Sinfonica EAFIT (Medellin, Colombia), Orquesta Filarmónica de Zacatecas (Mexico), Orquestra de la Societat de Concerts de Barcelona, Kyiv Kamerata, as well as residencies in Brazil and Argentina with music programs for underprivileged children. A devoted chamber music advocate, Ms. Khomik frequently appears in chamber series in the US and Europe, and had the privilege of collaborating and performing alongside distinguished artists, such as members of the Borromeo, Jerusalem, Ysaye and Tokyo String Quartets, Midori Goto, Oleh Krysa, Carol Wincec, Fred Sherry, Ronald Leonard, to name a few. As an active educator and entrepreneur, Ms. Khomik received her Doctorate in Musical Arts degree in 2015 and has served on the faculty at several universities, given master classes, and lectures throughout the US, Mexico, and in Malaysia, co-founded one of the largest online international festivals during the pandemic, the Nextus Festival. Her international recital series Muse Ukraine had four editions of collaborative presentations and partnering with prestigious institutions in the UK, Germany and the US. It is a part of her Beyond the Muse foundation that focuses on music with meaning in today’s challenging world, and young arts mentorship. As her cultural diplomacy work, Dr. Khomik was invited as a keynote speaker and performer at the Belin’s conference on peace and diplomacy in 2023, and has appeared as a featured artist at the Finnish Embassy in London and most recently, at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC. www.myroslavakhomik.com

SBMC Concert Performances

Susannah Hoffman , Violist

Susannah Hoffman, violist, is the assistant music director at Goleta Valley Junior High. She teaches strings in the Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Hope School Districts and with the Santa Barbara Youth Ensembles. She plays viola in the Santa Barbara City College Symphony.

SBMC Concert Performances

Chika Nobumori , Pianist

Chika Nobumori, pianist, is currently in candidacy for a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance at University of California, Santa Barbara studying with pianist Robert Koenig. She is a native of Japan where she started her piano lessons at age 4 with Miwako Shimizu. Upon moving to Ventura County at age nine, she continued her studies with Ryoko Sone and Edward Francis. In her youth, she regularly participated in festivals and competitions, and her first appearance as a concerto soloist was at age 17.

Chika holds a Bachelor in Science in applied mathematics with specialization in computing from University of California, Los Angeles, where she graduated with honors. After her bachelor’s degree, she worked as a biochemistry research associate at the Department of Human Genetics, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine leading to authorships on several peer-reviewed journal articles. During this time, she studied piano privately and was featured as a concerto soloist under conductor Kevin McKeown. Chika also spent her free time teaching piano at non-profit organizations and performing as a chamber pianist in greater Los Angeles area including Pasadena, South Bay, and Ventura
County.

Following this, Chika obtained her Masters in Music in piano performance from California State University, Northridge where she studied with Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov. She was a scholarship recipient, a teaching assistant for the music and mathematics department, and graduated with recognition. She has participated in music festivals, seminars, and has had masterclasses with distinguished pianists including John Perry, Peter Takács, Timothy Ehlen, Eugene Alcalay, and Rufus Choi, among others. In 2020 and in 2023, she participated in masterclass with pianist Yefim Bronfman through UCSB Arts & Lectures. At UCSB, she has taught group and individual piano, and worked as a TA for Music Appreciation, Music Fundamentals, as well as for Japanese. In 2023, she was nominated for UCSB’s Outstanding TA Award. Outside of her school activities, she is also active as a collaborative pianist for instrumentalists and choral groups, as well as an instructor at private and non-profit organizations. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty collaborative pianist at Westmont College. Chika believes in the accessibility of music, and hopes to continue to teach and perform to bring people together and serve communities.

SBMC Concert Performances

Mi Young Kim , Pianist

Mi-Young Kim is a versatile pianist and educator whose work spans collaborative piano, solo performance, and music direction. Based in Santa Barbara, California, she has built a multifaceted career in both performance and education. She currently serves as Director of Music at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Santa Barbara, and has also worked as a collaborative pianist with the Santa Ynez Valley Chorale, Santa Barbara Master Chorale, and Santa Barbara Choral Society. In addition, she was a faculty member at Westmont College, where she shares her passion for chamber music and collaborative artistry with the next generation of musicians.

Mi-Young is currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree (ABD) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under the mentorship of Professor Robert Koenig. She also holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Hartford. Her training has been shaped by esteemed mentors including Dr. Colette Valentine, Prof. Rick Rowley, Dr. Miguel Campinho, and Prof. David Westfall.

Dedicated to musical excellence, Mi-Young continues to integrate performance, scholarship, and teaching in ways that enrich both her community and the broader field of collaborative piano.

SBMC Concert Performances

Eben Drost , Pianist

Eben Drost is a professional musician with extensive experience in classical and jazz music. Originally from Redlands, California, he moved to Santa Barbara to attend Westmont College, where he earned a BA in Music. He has also studied theology and the arts at Fuller Seminary and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. He directed chapel music for seven years at Westmont College, where he also taught jazz, music theory, and worship studies.

Brett Mutinelli , Soprano

Soprano Brett Mutinelli grew up in Germany’s opera world where her father had a successful career as a Helden tenor. After receiving her own opera training at the Wiesbaden Music Conservatory in Germany and at UCSB, studying with Elizabeth Mannion and receiving a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Ms. Mutinelli performed in various local recitals and opera productions. She chose to pursue a career locally as a voice teacher by building the Young Singers Club in 1998, a thriving voice course program for children and teens.

SBMC Concert Performances

Wittenberg Peter , Pianist

Pianist Peter Wittenberg was born into a musical family of Latvian heritage. His father played viola, double bass, and guitar, and his mother was an opera singer. He began piano studies at an early age and at the age of 16, he won the Bronislaw Kaper award from the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing the Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto. Since then he has performed in international concert halls such as the Frankfurt Alte Oper, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, the Grossersaal of the Mozarteum Stiftung, the Athenaeum Bucharest, the Allerheiligen Hofkirche in Munich, Carnegie Weill Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, the Baden-Baden Philharmonie, and many others.

SBMC Concert Performances