Music Directors
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Sierra Mountain Music Camp has been lucky enough to have some wonderful talents in the roles of Music Directors. We have award winning directors, many of whom have received national recognition, and have studied among other great talents. In addition to being wonderful directors, these people have inspired many former campers to pursue a lifelong devotion to music, and have kept the flame of music alive in the hearts of hundreds of former campers.
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William A. Zinn - Director, Senior Girls Choir |
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William Zinn, head of SMMC Music Staff, has spent his professional life dedicated to the Sacramento area's musical community as a teacher in the public schools, as a church chorister, and as a member of the Sacramento Opera Chorus for 19 seasons. He was also Assistant Chorus Master with Sacramento Opera. Currently he participates with the Sacramento Master Singers under director Ralph Hughes. His students were invited to perform in Washington D.C. in April 2000 and with them he has collaborated with Michael Neumann and the Sacramento Youth Symphony in their Veterans' Day Concert series 2000 through 2003. After 18 years of service to the Sacramento City Unified School District, he has joined the music staff of the Davis Joint Unified School District and looks forward to many years of service to the community and students of Davis. |
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Michael Neumann - Director, Symphony |
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Michael Neumann, of the Sacramento Youth Symphony and Folsom Symphony, has agreed to conduct our Advanced Orchestra group and we anticipate adding a symphony for high intermediate and advanced students to our program with Michael's help. Enthusiasm, love of music and the violin have been a part of Michael Neumann since his youth. In San Francisco, Mr. Neumann attended the prestigious Lowell High School serving as concertmaster of the orchestra. He continued his musical studies at the Cincinanati Conservatory of Music earning on full scholarships, a B.M. in Violin Performance as well as an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting. Upon graduating he was chosen to be Assistant Conductor of the Birmingham Symphony in Alabama, a position he held until 1978.
In 1979, he was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Sacramento Symphony and in 1989, was promoted to Associate Conductor, a position he held until 1993 when the Symphony disbanded for reorganization. Mr. Neumann also played in the first violin section of the Symphony. Michael Neumann has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Sacramento Youth Symphony since 1979. Under his direction, the orchestra has achieved local and international recognition. The Premier Orchestra has won several awards, including first place at the 24th International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. On September 19, 1995, he accepted, on behalf of the Youth Symphony, the Business Volunteers for the Arts Award of Excellence. In addition to his busy Sacramento schedule, Maestro Neumann is also in demand for guest conducting appearances around the country with professional and honor orchestras.
Mr. Neumann conducts the senior orchestra at the Sacramento Waldorf School. He was awarded the 1998 Fellowship in Music by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission for his contribution to the city of Sacramento. Michael Neumann conducted the CMEA California All-State Orchestra in 2000. Michael Neumann was a guest conductor of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons. |
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Travis Rogers - Director, Senior Boys Choir |
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Travis Rogers has been the choral music director at Napa High School since 1980, conducting over three hundred students yearly in the choral program he sang in as a high school student. Mr. Rogers' choirs at Napa High School have toured the world winning top honors at international competitions in Austria, Australia, Ireland, and Hawaii and at national events in New York City and Orlando. The Napa High School Concert and Chamber Choirs under his direction have won the first place award at the California Golden State Invitational High School Choral Competition seven different times since 1996. In recent years, the Chamber Choir performed with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus under the direction of Vance George and with Chanticleer, the twelve-voice male professional ensemble based in San Francisco, under the direction of Joseph Jennings. Mr. Rogers earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Biola University in La Mirada and a Master of Music degree at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He has studied choral music with Andrew Cottle, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Wesley B. Reed and Loren Wiebe. Mr. Rogers currently serves as the high school choir chairperson on the California State Board of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He is in frequent demand as a clinician, adjudication and guest conductor.
Travis is traveling to Italy during summer 2006 and we anticipate his return as a camp choral director in 2007. |
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Leo Gravin - Director, Intermediate Strings |
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Leo Gravin originally founded our first string program in 2000 as an experiment in stretching from choral to orchestral music. Apparently we stretched quite well as we have had an ongoing and growing orchestral program ever since! While others may have carried the torch along the way, Mr. Gravin returned to us in the summer of 2007 to lead our Intermediate String Orchestra and is an outspoken advocate for camp. Mr. Gravin is currently an Orchestra & strings teacher for the Folsom-Cordova School district, leading elementary and middle school groups. |
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Janet Matranga - Director, Junior Girls Choir |
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Janet has a Bachelor of Music Voice Performance from University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music; California teaching credential CSUS. Janet has sung with the Cincinnati Opera Company, San Francisco Opera Company, San Jose Civic Light Opera, Pacific Lyric Theater (San Diego); oratorio, concert and recital performances, Sacramento Best of Broadway school ; She has taught private studio voice lessons, as well as and has been choral director for Rocklin High School and currently directs the choir at Ponderosa High School (5 choirs) and teaches musical theater... And much more. |
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Evelyn Robinson - Director, Junior Boys Choir |
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Ronit Rieser - Director, Beginning Strings |
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In my experience, I have not seen a student who has not experienced tremendous growth, both personal and musical, as a result of camp. Every student that I have sent to camp could not wait to return. They bring up camp frequently during their lessons. One student started asking me "How much longer until camp?" beginning in September! Having the goal of doing better the next year in the camp orchestra has motivated my students to focus on musical goals and to work toward them. I have also noticed a big leap in maturity in the kids who attended camp. They are more self motivated, confident, and musically aware than before they attended. I love being at camp to watch how much fun the kids have making new friends, having new adventures, and learning new skills. Diamond Arrow is also a great facility from which to experience the lower Sierras. There are marvellous views of the Sierra peaks from camp, tall pines and blue skies. We have even spotted occasional deer and other wildlife. Ronit Rieser - March 2008 Ronit Rieser has been a part of Sierra Mountain Music Camp since 1999 in many capacities. Originally, she and her husband were part of our Arts & Crafts & Activities staff while their children attended camp. The Rieser family has a wide and talented past in the education, camp & recreation arenas. Mrs. Rieser has since then helped us to establish our original strings program under Leo Gravin's direction in 2000, and later with Angelo Moreno, Greg Brucker, Stephanie Hawks, Steve Millington, & Sarah Choi as an assistant and a coach. As part of our Arts & Craft staff she has faithfully sewn together the annual camp memory quilt for our campers since 2000. A valued member of the SMMC staff, Mrs. Rieser's expertise was yet again called upon when we established our Beginning Strings Program in 2007, which she currently conducts. In addition to being part of our camp, Mrs. Rieser has been a long time member of the Camellia Symphony, a music teacher in the Sacramento City Schools and a private strings teacher. |
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