OUR AWESÖME AMBASSADORS
The Awesöme Ambassadors are volunteers from each section of the orchestra who help organize and recruit musicians. If you're playing in the group, they are here to help!
WOODWINDS
FLUTES: Ellie Falaris Ganelin
Ellie has been playing with AÖC since she moved to the Bay in 2015. She studied music at the University of Maryland and has an eclectic background in classical, jazz, Latin, indie and experimental music. Ellie is the director of the Kombos Collective, an ensemble that celebrates the Greek world through music and storytelling. You can find her performing chamber music around the Bay Area and beyond.
FLUTES: Arturo Rodriguez
Arturo “Artie” Rodriguez is a San Francisco Bay Area–based Chicano flutist, composer, and educator known for his expressive playing and dedication to the flute community. A versatile performer on flute and piccolo, he has appeared with ensembles including the San Francisco Philharmonic, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, and San Jose Symphonic Choir. His compositions and flute ensemble works have been featured at the National Flute Association Convention since 2022, and he is co-founder of the Melanin Rhapsody Flute Choir, the convention’s first BIPOC flute ensemble. Rodriguez holds a degree from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music and maintains an active performing and teaching career.
OBOES: Adrian Martin
Like many oboists, Adrian started playing the oboe because the school had a spare one at the time, and has played in a number of orchestras since then. He received most of his musical training as a member of the Choir of St John's College Cambridge and can be found performing with Emeryville Taiko around the Bay Area. He has been with the Awesöme Orchestra Collective since 2015.
CLARINETS: Alexandra Simmons
Alexandra has been playing with Awesöme Orchestra since 2017 and became an ambassador in 2020. Over the years, AÖC has allowed her to fuse her love of community building, music, joyful risk taking, and care for others. Though she is a school administrator by day, Alexandra enjoys jazz open mics by night and awesöme orchestral adventures by weekend!
BASSOONS: Kat Walsh
Kat Walsh has been playing bassoon (and viola) with Awesöme Orchestra since 2013, and especially enjoys playing new music in unconventional places... and anything with a good bassoon line. Kat currently plays in (and sometimes composes for) several ensembles around the Bay Area, and practices technology law to support her music habit.
HORNS: Alex Stepans
SAXES: Amar Khalsa
Amar is a Bay Area multi-instrumentalist. He plays in pit orchestras, churches, dance events and has been playing with Awesöme Orchestra since the beginning!
BRASS
HORNS: Phillip Hobson
Phillip has also been accused of making those loud sounds in the back along with Jon! From the thrill of playing Star Wars at Cal and Jurassic Park among the dinosaurs at the California Academy of Sciences, to recording at Fantasy Studios for Undercover's Green Day concert and Deer Hunter albums, to playing in his 1st rock show at the Fillmore, AÖC has been one of the best experiences he could have dreamed of! Phil did manage to get a degree in horn from the UOP Conservatory of Music (a while ago), plays in a number of ensembles around the Bay Area and Sacramento, and somehow continues to have a day job helping arrange tours and events for amateur and student music ensembles.
TRUMPETS: Justin Smith
Justin is a freelance musician and music educator in Bay Area. A musical chameleon, you will find him playing and recording with small-group jazz bands, musical theatre productions, pop/rock n’ roll bands, orchestras, and classical chamber music ensembles. Justin also is the Resident trumpet soloist at All Souls Episcopal Parish in Berkeley, and Solo Cornet with the NABBA competing San Francisco Brass Band.
TROMBONES, EUPHONIUMS, TUBAS: Bonnie & J. Maddox
Bonnie and J. first met in their community college jazz band and later graduated from Pacific Conservatory of Music. Their first Awesöme Orchestra experience was playing in UnderCover Presents: A Tribute to Green Day’s Dookie. It’s been a fantastic voyage from selling koozies and t-shirts at the welcome table to recording at Fantasy Studios and Zoo Labs and performing with the AÖ Big Band for Prom 2019! Outside of AÖ, Bonnie and J. are music teachers and perform with a variety of musical groups.
PERCUSSION
PERCUSSION: Lily Kaye Sevier
Originally hailing from Western Massachusetts, Lily can be found performing all over the Bay Area with various orchestras, theater companies, and bands. She really hates writing bios.
PERCUSSION: Sage Baggott
Sage Baggott is a third-generation drummer, his early musical education consisting mostly of hanging out in nightclubs and ordering Shirley Temples on the band’s tab. In the 6th grade, all the percussionists in the school band quit, forcing him to play all parts at once, leading to his winning best musician of the year honors. It's all been downhill from there, culminating in his questionable decision to be a film composer as part of Spiky Blimp.
KEYBOARDS, HARP, & VOICES
KEYBOARDS: Jill Moran
Jill Moran started playing piano at age 7, clarinet in 4th grade, and started composing music a few decades later. She joined AO in 2019, and is grateful every time she gets to play with this uniquely democratic live orchestra.
HARP: Destiny Muhammad
Destiny Muhammad aka Harpist from the Hood. Sonic expression runs JAZZ to European Classical music. She is the founder of S O N G (Strings of a Nubian Groove) and The Destiny Muhammad Trio.
VOICES: Criss Bürki
Criss (she/they) has been performing with the Awesome Orchestra on various projects since 2017 and took on the role of Vocal Ambassador in 2023. She graduated from Berklee College of Music with a major in Music Business / Management. During their time at Berklee, they directed the Video Game Music Choir where they arranged, conducted, and managed a choir of talented, choral-loving nerds. She is now involved in multiple choirs around the Bay Area, namely WomenSing and AfterGlow Chorus.
STRINGS
VIOLINS: Amy Loftus
Amy first attended Awesöme Orchestra for Session 4 and proudly credits Awesome Orchestra as the reason they still play violin as an adult. Amy performs on violin and voice with Bay Area groups ranging from classical orchestras to folk choral ensembles to punk bands, and is often found with yarn in tow ready to knit in strange places. For more information, visit amylovetus.com.
VIOLINS: Amanda Mok
Amanda picked up the violin at age of 8 and has not put it down ever since. She performs regularly with local community orchestras and musicians, and has been a member of the AÖC community since 2016. When not fiddling away, Amanda has also been known to tickle the ivories.
VIOLINS: Stephania Diamant
Stephania started playing with the Awesöme Orchestra Collective in July 2021 after moving to the Bay Area mid-pandemic. She has played violin in various groups and settings across the country – from traditional symphony orchestras to rock bands, and everything in between! She also enjoys playing piano and singing, especially when it comes to jazz. She is thrilled to have found such a beautiful group of people to make music with and is excited for all the Awesöme adventures to come.
VIOLAS: Lo Wesely
Lo (she/they) started playing viola at age 7 and once planned to go pro—until high school revealed the realities of the competitive classical music world. Pivoting towards a different career, she kept music in her life purely for fun. An honorary music major at heart, Lo plays in ensembles whenever possible, has taught beginner violin and viola lessons, and performs regularly with community orchestras and chamber groups around Oakland..
VIOLAS: Susanne Gahl
Susanne grew up mistakenly playing the violin. Thanks to an unforgettable youth orchestra, she kept playing, anyway. Her life changed when a certain flutist gave her a viola. Finally comfortable, she actually practiced this time around. She plays in SF Civic Symphony and started showing up for Awesöme Orchestra Collective sessions around 2016.
VIOLAS: Sahib-Amar Khalsa
Sahib-Amar began playing viola at age ten when her teacher switched her from violin because the school orchestra needed viola players. She fell in love with the sound of the viola and now playing in an orchestra is an essential part of her life. In addition to classical, she enjoys playing improv, musical shows, and devotional music (kirtan). She also teaches Kundalini Yoga and is a freelance editor. She’s a longtime member of the Vallejo Symphony and has been active in Awesöme Orchestra since its inception.
CELLOS: Laura Boytz
Laura has been playing with AOC since its first year, and loves the community building and genre-crossing ethos of the group. Laura has also played with a variety of jazz and world music ensembles and in community theater pit bands throughout the Bay Area. She especially loves Cuban charanga and Brazilian choro music, and is co-host of a monthly East Bay choro roda (jam session).
CELLOS: Georgia Martin
Georgia is very excited to be joining the Awesöme Ambassador team!
BASSES: Travis Kindred
Travis Kindred (He/They) is one of our bass ambassadors! Travis is a founding member of Awesome Orchestra (the orchestra started in his living room!) They are an avid gamer, and has a passion for video game music and history. They can be found helping out at Oakland's own video game museum, The M.A.D.E. (also featured at this event!) and works as a producer at Double Fine Games. In their free time, Travis can often be found assembling Gundam models, cycling around the Bay, and leading heated debates on Godzilla films. traviskindred.com
BASSES: Amanda Wu Chroust
Amanda Wu has been part of the AOC community since its first year. As an active bassist, fundraiser, and events manager, Amanda is proud to contribute to the performing arts scene in the Bay Area. Outside of musical activities, Amanda can be found eating food and climbing rocks.