Kelly Huber, Executive Director
Kelly Huber has been Executive Director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association since 2005. Before coming to the SFYSA, she worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters and taught math and science in the Windsor County Public School District in Vermont. She received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Arizona. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Management, with a focus on non-profits, from the School for International Training. Kelly enjoys traveling, having visited over 30 countries, and has an incurable shoe-shopping weakness.

Benjamin Klemme, Music Director and Youth Symphony Orchestra Conductor
Benjamin Klemme has served as Music Director and Youth Symphony Orchestra Conductor of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association since 2007.  His previous conducting posts include Assistant Conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.  Mr. Klemme received his Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa.  His principal conducting teachers include Carl Topilow, Louis Lane, Rebecca Burkhardt and Ronald Johnson.  Mr. Klemme actively pursues innovative ways to employ his commitment to classical music education and outreach.  In Iowa, he trained talented young musicians as Associate Conductor of the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra.  In the Cleveland area, he was appointed to head the music department at Lutheran High School East where he instructed students in music literacy, history, appreciation, and performance.  Most recently, he led the Scordatura Chamber Orchestra, a Cleveland-based ensemble whose mission it is to unleash the teaching power of classical music.  Mr. Klemme is married to violinist Deborah Coltvet Klemme.  He spends free time reading biographic literature and trying desperately to stay in the fairway. 

Deborah Coltvet Klemme, Mozart y Mariachi Violin Instructor
Violinist Deborah Coltvet Klemme is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Stephen Rose, Principal Second Violinist of the Cleveland Orchestra.  At CIM, she earned a Master of Music in Violin Performance with an emphasis in Suzuki pedagogy.  Ms. Klemme has held leadership positions in many orchestras, including as Concertmaster of both the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra. For her undergraduate degree, she studied with Frederick Halgedahl and received her Bachelor of Music on a full scholarship from the University of Northern Iowa, where she graduated summa cum laude.  Ms. Klemme grew up as a Suzuki violin student in Canada and Iowa and has studied Suzuki Pedagogy with Nancy Lokken, Teri Einfeldt, and Kimberly Meier-Sims. 

Rick Lohmann, Prelude & Intermezzo String Orchestras Conductor
Rick Lohmann has had a long and varied career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and conductor. For fifteen years he was concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and was involved in every aspect of Omaha’s musical life, both as performer and teacher. His summer activities have taken him across the continent, from the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina to the Cabrillo Festival in California. A devoted teacher, he has taught at Rocky Ridge Music Center, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Morningside College, Lincoln Suzuki Institute, and is currently co-director of Santa Fe Talent Education, a Suzuki violin program.  Rick also co-founded Omaha Talent Education, helping build the program from scratch in 1999 to over 85 students in 2003. He is currently on the faculty of the Santa Fe Suzuki Institute.  He holds performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Wisconsin, and did postgraduate work at the Banff Centre for the Arts Advanced Studies in Music winter program. (Photo by Peter Norby)

Raul Ojeda, Mozart y Mariachi & Mariachi Estrella 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 and directed by his father. Known as one of the best guitarrón players in the state of New Mexico, Raul is also a lead vocalist. He is well known for his powerful and broad-ranging voice and his extensive repertoire of hundreds of songs.

David Parlato, Charlie Parker & Miles Davis Jazz Ensembles Director
David Parlato, bassist, composer, educator, was born and raised in a musical family in Los Angeles, California.  Taking after his father, he began his musical life as a trumpet player.  At age nineteen, he began to play the bass.  He studied classical double bass with Nathaniel Gangursky and jazz bass with Monty Budwig. He has performed and recorded with such popular artists as Barbra Streisand,  Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Helen Reddy, Burt Bacharach, Andy Williams, Peter Allen, Jerry Lee Lewis, Glen Campbell, Liza Minelli, Paul Williams and Frank Zappa.  He has worked with numerous jazz artists including Don Ellis, Bud Shank, Don Menza, Bobby Shew, John Klemmer, Frank Strazerri, Warne Marsh, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Kenny Davern, Gabor Szabo, Paul Horn, Shelly Manne, Frank Morgan, Herb Ellis, Doug Lawrence, Mose Allison, Greg Abate, Roger Kellaway and Buddy Rich. Since moving to New Mexico in 1990, David has continued to teach privately and perform in a wide variety of classical and improvisational musical settings.

José Santiago, Mozart y Mariachi Instructor & Mariachi Estrella 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 when he was 14. 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 national radio and television ads, and many mariachi workshops now use his transcriptions of traditional music. 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.

Richard D. Snider, Youth Philharmonia Conductor
Richard D. Snider currently is band director at St. Michael’s High School where his bands have received numerous 1st Division awards at the district and state contests. He has taught instrumental and vocal music 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. Richard received his Bachelor and Master of Music Education from Texas Tech University.  Richard is a free-lance jazz bassist who has performed most recently with Ali Ryerson and Bobby Shew.  Richard would like to thank SFYSA parents for providing music education to their children, fellow SFYSA associates for their dedication, his students for putting up with his odd sense of humor, and to Joe Rogers and Gary Wylie, his high school band teachers.

Karina Wilson, Mozart y Mariachi Violin Instructor
Karina Wilson, Mozart y Mariachi Violin instructor, started studying violin at the age of 5. At the age of 17, she was placed sixth best youth violinist in New Mexico. She has played with the University of New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and has studied under excellent musicians, including Kathy Jarrett, named best music teacher in New Mexico in 2004. Karina now plays in the Orchestra of St. Francis. Karina enjoys traditional American, English, and African music and dance.

Paula A. Calderon-Lopez, Mozart y Mariachi Program Coordinator
Paula A. Calderon-Lopez serves the SFYSA as Program Coordinator for the Mozart y Mariachi program. Before coming to the SFYSA, she worked at Los Alamos National Bank. Originally from Cali, Colombia, Paula studied engineering at Universidad del Valle. Paula's sister Maria studies violin in the SFYSA's Mozart y Mariachi program. Even though Paula's son Julian is not yet a year old, he is quickly being surrounded by violin music everyday - We expect him to be a great violinist one day!

Byron L. Treaster, chair
Susan Steffy, co-vice chair
Christine McDonald, co-vice chair
MaryBeth Britton, secretary
Britt Ravnan, treasurer              
Linda Armer, member
Michael Ebinger, member
Gerald Garcia, member
Mary Meredith, member
Karles Saucedo-McQuade, member
Kelly Huber, ex officio
Benjamin Klemme, ex officio