Mariachi Ensembles, Braddock World Music Program

Guillermo “Willie” Acuña is harpist for Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández, a multi-Grammy Award-nominated ensemble. He also plays trumpet, vihuela, guitarrón, requinto and jarana. In addition to touring professionally in the US and Mexico, he teaches and gives workshops in the LA area.

Willie holds a degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA.

Mariachi Ensembles

Guitarist and singer Mary Alfaro Velasco performs with mariachi and trio romántico ensembles in the LA area. She has also worked in academic and administrative roles at organizations including the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture and at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

Mary holds degrees in music, music education, and Latin American studies from UCLA.

Liv Berg is a graduating student in ethnomusicology at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. A classical pianist and vocalist by training, she is also well-versed in world music, and often co-teaches instrumental classes, including ukulele and beginning Violin.

Balkan Ensemble

Marko Danilovski is a kaval, clarinet, saxophone, and zurla player from Gostivar, Macedonia. His musical interests include Balkan traditional/folk music, Byzantine Orthodox chant, and various near-eastern folk traditions.

Marko holds a degree in ethnomusicology from UCLA. He is currently pursuing a law degree at Southwestern Law School.

Mariachi Ensembles, Braddock World Music Program

Guitarrón player Stephanie Del Rio has performed with traditional mariachi and mariachi fusion bands including Mariachi Divas, Las Colibri, and Flor De Toloache.

Mariachi Ensembles, Braddock World Music Program

Violinist and vocalist Daniel Herrera has been teaching mariachi music for over two decades. He is co-founder of Los Gallos Negros, a collective of musicians dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Mexican and Latin American music, and board member of the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA).

Daniel holds degrees in music and political science from Stanford University.

Braddock World Music Program, Santa Monica Youth Orchestra, PS1

Trumpeter Tristan Hurd tours and records with several nationally-respected ensembles and is an active arranger and educator.

Tristan holds degrees in music education from Central Washington University and trumpet performance from UCLA.

Mariachi Ensembles, Braddock World Music

Violinist and violist Gracie McAleer performs and teaches in the LA area.
Gracie holds a degree in viola performance from California State University, Northridge.

Santa Monica Youth Orchestra

Cellist Benton Preciado performs and teaches in the LA area. He has played with ensembles including the Afro American Chamber Music Society Orchestra and the American Youth Symphony Orchestra. Studio work includes collaborations with Natalie Cole and Rihanna.

Benton holds a degree in cello performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, California State University, Long Beach.

Prize-winning conductor and award-winning teacher Brian Stone has worked in opera pits and concert stages with professional orchestras in ten states, five countries, and students at eleven universities, to both public and institutional acclaim. He is music director of the Santa Clarita Symphony and the Westside Chamber Orchestra and frequently conducts at Mission Opera. Brian grew up here in Santa Monica and is a graduate of Bennington College and holds a doctorate form the Peabody Conservatory.

Santa Monica Youth Orchestra, PS1

Conductor and flutist Katie Takahashi is Instrumental Director at Walnut High School, where she teaches Concert Orchestra, Marching Band, AP Music Theory, and Symphonic Band and advises the Tri-M Music Honors Society, Blue Thunder Band Buddies Club, and the Color Guard Team.

Katie holds degrees in music education from UCLA and Central Washington University.

Olivia Thompson-Bessett has been singing and performing her entire life. She is an avid student of folk and Americana and is the lead vocalist for the LA-based combo Bee Walkers.

Olivia holds a degree in theater from the NYU Tisch School of Arts.

Santa Monica Youth Orchestra

Violinist Samantha Vuong performs and teaches in the LA area. She has played with ensembles including Claremont Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. She also teaches beginning band in the Redondo Beach Unified School District.

Samantha holds a degree in music education from California State University, Fullerton.

St. Bernard Marching Band Program

John Montgomery is a multi-instrumentalist from Los Angeles, CA, whose musical focus is on Drums and Percussion. John performs with 1980’s icon Annabella Lwin in the band Bow Wow Wow, while also performing in New Orleans style brass bands.

St. Bernard Marching Band Program

Marc T. Gaspard Bolin, a performer-scholar, has enjoyed a nearly three-decade-long career as a professional musician, arranger, and educator. He has worked with some of the music industry’s most exceptional entertainers including Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Kamasi Washington, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Evanescence, Florence & The Machine, Aloe Blacc, Big Sean, and Deltron 3030. He is a Lecturer at both the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP). At UCLA, he teaches Jazz in American Culture in the Department of Ethnomusicology and Jazz and Social Justice in the Department of African American Studies. At CPP, he teaches Tuba/Euphonium Studio, Ethnomusicology: History, Theory, and Methods, and World of Music in the Music Department.