Staff
Tod Brody
Executive Director
tod@marinsymphony.org
Marty Eshoff
Director of Operations & Finance
marty@marinsymphony.org
Nuri Kye
Director of Development
nuri@marinsymphony.org
Gayle Peterson
Director of Marketing & Sales
gayle@marinsymphony.org
Andrei Gorchov
Director of Education & Community Engagement
education@marinsymphony.org
Laura Cooper
Development & Marketing
laura@marinsymphony.org
Nanci Burg Canby
Patron Relations & Administrative Coordinator
nanci@marinsymphony.org
Youth Programs Staff
Jim Stopher
Music Director, Marin Symphony Youth Performance Programs (MSY)
Conductor, Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO)
Bio: Jim Stopher maintains an active career as a conductor, pianist, composer, and educator. At the College of Marin, he conducts the Symphony Orchestra and teaches classes in theory, musicianship, and repertoire. Enthusiastic about bringing music to residents of Marin County, Jim frequently appears as a recitalist and concerto soloist; recent performances have been with the Mill Valley Philharmonic, the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra. In June 2023, he made his conducting debut with the Dallas Chamber Symphony, leading the orchestra in the final concert of the Dallas International Violin Competition.
Jim studied music theory and composition at Harvard University (BA), piano and conducting at the University of Arizona (MM), and orchestral conducting at the Peabody Conservatory (DMA). His original piano music can be heard on his 2018 album Tonal Recall. He lives in San Rafael with his wife, Dana Sadava.
Anne Lerner
Conductor, Overture String Ensemble & Crescendo Orchestra
Bio: Overture & Crescendo conductor Anne Lerner studied at Northwestern University, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Music as a cello performance major. Before Northwestern, Anne studied Spanish Literature at Bryn Mawr College and in Madrid. She has been performing as a cellist in the Bay Area since 1989, when she moved from her native Chicago to study with Irene Sharp at the San Francisco Conservatory, where she earned a Master of Music in Cello Performance. Anne has performed with many Bay Area orchestras and is a frequent performer of chamber music. She is currently the cellist with Ensemble For These Times, a new music trio based in Berkeley, Their album, “The Hungarians: from Rosza to Justus” on the Centaur label was awarded a Gold Medal by the Global Music Awards in 2018. An equally important part of Anne’s musical life is music education. In addition to her work with the Marin Symphony Youth Programs, she is currently on the faculty of Dominican University, and has a large private cello studio in San Rafael.
Dawn Madole-Nkomonde
Marin Symphony Youth Programs Manager
Bio: Dawn Madole-Nkomonde is a violinist, educator, and music administrator. She is a native of Marin County and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. She played in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, was Concertmaster of the University Symphony Orchestra at UC Berkeley, then furthered her studies in Vienna, Austria where she studied with one of the concertmasters of the Vienna Philharmonic. Her long-time teacher and mentor in Marin was Serban Rusu. Dawn’s career continues to span multiple facets of the music field. She is a member of the Vallejo Symphony and plays regularly with the Marin Symphony. As an educator, she has a private studio of over 20 violin students and serves as the classroom music teacher at GATE Academy in San Rafael. She was awarded Music Teacher of the Year in 2019 by the Marin Symphony. She taught for many years at the Crowden Music Center and has coached string and chamber ensembles at schools throughout the Bay Area. Dawn also works for the Sun Valley Music Festival as Artist Support Manager and Artist Liaison.
Marin Symphony Youth Programs Contact
c/o The Marin Symphony
4340 Redwood Highway, Suite 409c
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: 415.479.8105
Email: youth@marinsymphony.org