Dana  Winograd, Artistic Director
Dana received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School in New York. Before moving to Santa Fe, Dana was busy as a freelance cellist in New York City, where she performed in many Broadway shows as well as with the American Composers Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony. However, she grew tired of trying to get over the George Washington Bridge, and she wanted to own her own horse. Since moving to New Mexico in 1999, Ms. Winograd has joined the New Mexico Symphony and is currently the principal cellist of the Santa Fe Symphony. In addition, she plays in many chamber music groups, from Taos to Los Alamos and Santa Fe, including The Figueroa Project and Chatter. She is a mentor for the Santa Fe Public School orchestra programs and has a large private cello studio.

Karles McQuade
Associate Artistic Director
Elementary Strings Director
Preparatory & Intermezzo String Orchestras Conductor
Youth Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor
A desert creature at heart, Karles has, paradoxically, taught violin on the Hawaiian Islands and the Virgin Islands, as well as in his native Santa Fe. He holds a double B.Mus., magna cum laude, in violin performance and Suzuki pedagogy from the University of New Mexico, as well as a B.A. in physics from Oberlin College. He also has registered training in all ten Suzuki Violin Books from the Suzuki Association of the Americas. His students have served as concertmasters and principals of YSO, and have been accepted into the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Mad About Music tour group, New Mexico All-State Orchestras, and the Sphinx Performance Academy at Oberlin.
As a student of SFYSA founder Pam Parfitt, Karles joined the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association in 1994 as a founding member, and during his tenure served on both violin and viola in Youth Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Youth Philharmonia, and as a mentor in Elementary Strings. He served YSO as concertmaster for the last two seasons of his tenure and is the winner of the 2000 SFYSA Concerto Competition, the 2000 SFYSA Most Professional Award, and the 2001 SFYSA Conductor’s Award. Since 2005, he has served SFYSA from time to time as section coach, mentor, chaperone, librarian, and Board member.
In addition to his studies with Ms Parfitt, Karles has studied modern violin with Veronique Marcel, Carmelo de los Santos, and David Felberg; baroque violin with Marilyn McDonald, Rachel Podger, Elisabeth Blumenstock, Jeanne Lamon and Robert Mealy; and violin pedagogy with Susan Kempter, Sue Levine, and John Kendall. Karles spent a year interning with Mariachi Azteca, and has played in a random assortment of ensembles including Serenata of Santa Fe, Canticum Novum, and San Juan Symphony. His favourite chord and (ice cream!) is Neapolitan.
Joel Bein, Youth Symphony Orchestra Conductor
Originally from Northampton, Massachusetts, Joel Bein received a Bachelor’s of Music Education at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in 2010. He is currently Director of Bands at El Dorado Community School in Santa Fe, where his bands have received Superior and Excellent ratings at NCNMMEA festivals. The art of conducting is Joel’s strongest passion, having participated in workshops around the country at the University of Michigan, the University of North Texas, Ithaca College, Sacramento State University, and others. He serves as Assistant Conductor and Vice President of Santa Fe’s High Desert Winds, and has also been Music Director of the Clarkson University Orchestra in Potsdam, NY. On trumpet he has performed with Santa Fe Concordia Wind Ensemble, High Desert Winds, Santa Fe Community Orchestra, the Crane School Symphony Orchestra, and has occasionally dabbled in jazz. Joel holds professional membership with the National Association for Music Education and the Conductor’s Guild. Other interests include reading, cooking, the Red Sox, and creating new paradigms.

José Santiago, Mariachi Ensembles Director
José Santiago’s dream since childhood was to be a professional mariachi. His roots lead back to Jalísco, Mexico; his father, Miguel Santiago, was a member of Mariachi Tenampa and the original director of Mariachi Los Caporales. José began studying with his father at the tender age of 4, learning to play vihuela, guitar, trumpet, and finally violin. José’s career with Mariachi Tenampa began in 1982 when he was only 14 years old. Now, as musical director, arranger, and violin section leader, he is credited with being an important part of Mariachi Tenampa’s success. José has also worked as a studio musician producing more than 43 CD recordings and national radio & television ads.  Many mariachi workshops now use his transcriptions of traditional music and many instructors have adapted his teaching technique. Since 1998, José has run an Internet-based stringed instrument shop, Santiago Violins, where he specializes in the making, restoration, repair and sale of fine violins, violas, bows and related accessories.

Christine Chen, Elementary Strings Violin Instructor
Christine has been playing violin since she was six years old. She started taking Suzuki violin lessons in Queens, NY and grew up playing music with her friends (including her little brother) in orchestras,
string ensembles, and chamber groups. She studied with Nicole DiCecco and Enrico DiCecco and has performed in venues in New York City, Taiwan, Philippines, and Italy. She recently began to teach violin and she enjoys working with her students.

Hope Marie Lanctot, Elementary Strings Violin Instructor
Hope Marie Lanctot lives in Albuquerque and graduated in 2010 with her Master´s degree in Violin Performance from the University of New Mexico. She concurrently completed long-term Suzuki violin training under the direction of Susan Kempter, for whom she was the teaching assistant from 2009-2010. She received her Bachelor´s degree from Oklahoma City University in violin and piano performance. After serving a full-time church mission from 2010-2012 in Germany, she returned home to her private studio of violin and piano students. She has taught violin, piano and music theory for 10 years and started Suzuki violin when she was four years old and Suzuki piano when she was five years old.

Raul Ojeda, Mariachi Ensembles Instructor
Raul Ojeda is the oldest son of Don Miguel Ojeda Sr. Both Don Miguel and his father were mariachi violinists. Raul’s own musical career started with music lessons from his father at the age of 15 with the guitar; he subsequently learned vihuela, guitarra de golpe, and finally his favorite instrument, the guitarron. At the age of 21, Raul moved from Mexico with the rest of his musical family to form Mariachi Tenampa, founded in 1971 and directed by his father. Known as one of the best guitarrón players in the state of New Mexico, Raul is also the lead vocalist with Mariachi Tenampa. He is well known for his powerful and broad-ranging voice and his extensive repertoire of hundreds of songs.  Raul currently teaches vihuela, guitar and guitarron as well as vocal classes in the SFYSA mariachi program.

Richard D. Snider, Youth Philharmonia Conductor
Richard D. Snider retired from St. Michael’s High School in 2009 where his bands have received numerous 1st Division awards at the district and state contests. He has taught instrumental and vocal music in Santa Fe from elementary to college levels, as well as musical theatre and art history. Richard received the Santa Fe Partners in Education “Teachers Who Inspire” Award in 1994 and was inducted into New Mexico Music Educators Association Hall of Fame in 2001. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from Texas Tech University. Richard is a freelance jazz and classical bassist, who currently teaches private lessons, Instrumental Ensemble and Intermediate Music Theory at New Mexico School for the Arts.