Santa Barbara Music Club

Member Type: Musician

Jeannot Maha'a , Cellist

Jeannot Maha’a, cellist, is a specialist in historical performance practice on original instruments and studied at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute. In 2010 he founded Editions Violone, a Santa Barbara-based publishing house specializing in scholarly performing editions of rare and little-known music of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and currently heads an international team of musicologists in the search for forgotten music. Mr. Maha’a maintains a private cello and bass studio in SB, and performs on an Italian cello made in 1766.

SBMC Concert Performances

Joaquin Gray , Guitarist

Joaquin Gray, guitarist, is self-taught on that instrument as well as on the piano, and has played the many instruments of rock music and electronica, touring the U.S. with the experimental band Trance to the Sun. He received his BM Degree in Music Composition at UCSB, studying with Dr. Joel Feigin. Joaquin currently studies Flamenco guitar with the renowned choreographer Anna Galindo, in addition to collaborating in concerts as continuo player with the viola da gamba, amassing techniques to further his own compositions.

SBMC Concert Performances

Tyler Reece , Baritone

Tyler Reece, baritone, is in his final year as a doctoral candidate at UCSB. He earned his BM Degree at Luther College (Iowa), and did graduate study with Dr. Linda Di Fiore at both the University of North Texas and UCSB. In February Tyler made his role debut as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro; other recent operatic engagements include the title role in Pasatieri’s comedy, Signor Deluso, as Malvolio in the West Coast premiere of Joel Feigin’s setting of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and as Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy. Tyler sings professionally at Old Mission Santa Barbara and with the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and in accordance with his passion for education, he has served as Teaching Assistant at UCSB.

SBMC Concert Performances

Roger Nyquist , Organist

Dr. Roger Nyquist, concert organist and composer, is an internationally known organ virtuoso and recording artist who has concertized throughout the U.S. and Europe and is in demand as recitalist and master teacher. Born in Rockford, IL, he earned his BM Degree, cum laude, from Augustana College, his MM Degree from Syracuse University, and his DMA Degree from Indiana University. Much like his renowned teachers, Arthur Poister, Catharine Crozier, and André Marchal, he has devoted a major portion of his career to teaching: he served on the faculty of Southwestern College (Winfield, KS) and the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was Professor of Music and University Organist at Santa Clara University.

Among numerous honors, he is listed in International Who’s Who in Music, Outstanding Educators of America, and American Keyboard Artists and received the “Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Alumni Association of Augustana College for his career as concert organist and teacher. He is the composer of the frequently performed Adagio, for organ, and Alleluia, an anthem for mixed choir, and is author of the book, . In addition to his active concert career, he has recorded extensively for Arkay, Century, Chapel-Bridge, Digital Disc Corporation, and Orion Master Recordings (Yehudi Menuhin Foundation), with 33 albums featuring over 220 compositions.

Now residing in Sacramento, CA, Dr. Nyquist devotes full time to his concert career, private organ teaching, and recording. The following quote from Dr. Nyquist’s writings exemplifies his philosophy regarding the ability to communicate through music making: “It is the spirit of the music that remains with the listener long after the sound has subsided. The spirit of the composer co-mingles with the performer’s spirit to produce one blended spirit. When this act occurs, one hears the very essence of the music.”

SBMC Concert Performances

Carolyn Kimball Holmquist , Soprano

Carolyn Kimball Holmquist, soprano, graduated from Mt. Holyoke College and has won international acclaim for her concert, film, musical comedy, opera, theatrical, and TV appearances. She has represented the U.S. in the Tchaikovsky International Vocal Competition, toured Central and South America presenting American music for the U.S. State Department, and sang three seasons with the Bellas Artes National Opera. Ms. Holmquist sings in six languages, and has had leading roles in many musicals, including Carousel and The Sound of Music. In addition to numerous TV appearances, she starred in a Gershwin tribute for ABC and had a recurring role on the PBS Series, On Common Ground.

SBMC Concert Performances

Marian Drandell Gilbert , Pianist

Marian Drandell Gilbert, pianist, received her BM degree from UCSB and her Masters in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She has twice attended the Music Academy of the West. She maintains a private teaching studio in San Luis Obispo, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is a soloist with the San Luis Chamber Orchestra and is on the Board of Directors of the SLO Symphony Orchestra.

SBMC Concert Performances

Sherylle Mills Englander , Flutist

Sherylle Mills Englander, flutist, grew up in the Los Angeles area, where she studied flute with Louise DiTullio. She holds a BM Degree from the Eastman School of Music and pursued graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Timothy Day’s studio. Ms. Englander is currently a member of the SBCC Concert Band and the SB Community Flute Ensemble, and performs in a variety of local concerts. Recognized by the Pacific Coast Business Times as one of 2016’s “Top 50 Women in Business,” Ms. Englander manages UCSB’s intellectual property portfolio as Director of its Office of Technology & Industry Alliances: she credits her musical background for her ability to think outside the box in the tech and research environment.

SBMC Concert Performances

Anne Weger , Pianist

Anne Weger, pianist, has been involved in numerous musical theater productions and is an active collaborative pianist involved in local string, wind, and vocal studios. She received her AA in Music from SBCC, studied with Dr. Reginald Stewart at the Music Academy of the West, and continued her studies at California Institute of the Arts. Anne was pianist with the SB Master Chorale and Assistant Director of Music at First United Methodist Church, and is currently pianist on the staff of St. Mark United Methodist Church.

SBMC Concert Performances

Laurie Rasmussen , Harpist

Laurie Rasmussen, harpist, has toured across the U.S., Canada, and Europe as soloist and collaborative artist. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, was top prize winner at the 2007 Lyon & Healy International Jazz and Pop Harpfest Competition, and was featured artist at Celtic music festivals in Germany and Italy. Laurie is currently harpist with the SB Folk Orchestra, is Instructor at SB City College, maintains a private teaching studio, and is owner of the harp showroom, Harps by the Sea.

SBMC Concert Performances

Linda Holland , Flutist, Composer

Linda Holland is a flutist/composer whose works have been performed internationally: in Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and at National Flute Conventions across the U.S. A SBCC faculty member since 1998, her honors include awards from the Festival of New American Music, Society of Composers, Inc., and ASCAP. Dr. Holland earned her BM from CSU Sacramento, MM in Composition from San Francisco Conservatory, and both MM in Flute and PhD in Composition from UCSB.

SBMC Concert Performances