Artistic Directors
Beth Ross Buckley, flute
Beth is the Executive Director of Camarada. Ms. Ross-Buckley is an advocate of chamber music and has produced groundbreaking chamber music events throughout San Diego combining great music, cuisine and art. An original founder of Camarada, for 25 years Beth has been the driving force behind this ensemble and has added many new venues, compositions and musicians to its celebrated history. Ms. Ross-Buckley received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from St. Olaf College and her Masters of Music from the University of Minnesota. Her teachers include Kay Sahlin, Julia Bogorad, Elaine Eagle, Damian Bursill-Hall, Frances Blaisdell and Timothy Day. Ms. Ross-Buckley has been a featured artist at the National Flute Association Convention and Music Teacher’s Association of California. Beth was Principal flute of the former San Diego Chamber Orchestra/Orchestra Nova for 25 years and performed with many Musical Theatre productions in Southern California. Ms. Ross-Buckley also has a portrait photography business, Beth Ross Buckley Photography.
Dana Burnett, piano
Dana, has been Co-Artistic Director of Camarada for over a decade. She has been on the faculties of the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin and Vanderbilt University. Ms. Burnett was awarded the Alban Berg Fellowship at the Schubert Institute-Austria, and received an Artist Diploma and accompanying prize from that institution. A soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Burnett has performed at Carnegie Hall; the Frick Collection, Pittsburgh, Dame Myra Hess Series, Chicago; Academy of Music, Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center, Washington D. C. Dana has premiered many chamber works including those by Jean-Michel Damase, Richard Wernick, Judith Zaimont, Gunther Shuller and the last chamber work of Stephen Albert. She has recorded for the Naxos and Arabesque labels and been featured on WHYY, Philadelphia “Fresh Air” and NPR. Ms. Burnett is currently a member of the MTAC state convention collaborative staff and music faculty at Cal State San Marcos.
27th Season Artists
Juan Allesandrini, tango dance
Juan was introduced to tango at the age of 10. He was part of one of the most important folklore festivals in Argentina “La noche mas larga”. Being part of this festival inspired him to continue his tango training in Buenos Aires. After a few years, he was invited to teach in the United States at Carolina Zokalski and Diego Di Falco’s Authentic Argentine Tango School. For the last three years he has been actively teaching and performing at milongas and galas in the tri-state area. Most recently he has performed with Leonardo Suarez Paz’s Cuartetango at the Argentine Consulate in New York City. Juan enjoys dancing to traditional style tango; he believes the authentic principals of argentine tango provide the best foundation for any tango dancer.
Matthew Armstrong, percussion
Matthew began teaching at San Marcos High School in 2004 and in 2015 became the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the San Marcos Unified School District. Named San Marcos High School Teacher of the Year and San Marcos Unified Teacher of the year in 2013, and Music Educator of the Year for the California Music Educators Association in 2015, he is a highly sought-after performer, clinician, arranger and arts advocate. As a performer, he regularly performs in San Diego Symphony chamber ensembles, and has held the position of principal percussionist with the California Chamber Orchestra, and works throughout San Diego in jazz and Dixie ensembles. Mr. Armstrong is a member of Percussive Arts Society, and the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association, California Music Educators Association and the National Association for Music Education. Mr. Armstrong teaches and performs as an Innovative Percussion Artist.
Fred Benedetti, guitar
Fred is a full-time professor of music at Grossmont College where he is chair of guitar studies, and is a member of the guitar faculty at San Diego State University. Mr. Benedetti has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Germany, Czech Republic, Japan, and Taiwan. In 1986 Mr. Benedetti was one of twelve performers chosen worldwide to perform in the prestigious Andrés Segovia Master class. As a BMI-affiliated composer, he has written numerous contemporary pieces for the international CD library company Network Productions. As a studio musician and composer for 35 years his music and performing is featured on over 150 digital and vinyl recordings and numerous radio, television and feature films.
David Buckley, violin
David is an experienced chamber musician, soloist and orchestral player. He is currently Co-Concertmaster of the La Jolla Symphony and was their featured soloist in 2018 performing Florence Price’s Violin concerto no. 2. David has been featured in all 25 Camarada seasons and has special expertise in the flute and violin repertoire and Piazzolla. In addition, Dr. Buckley is president of Radiology Medical Group and has served as chief of radiology at Scripps Mercy Hospital. Dr. Buckley is a summa cum laude graduate of St. Olaf College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His MD is from the University of Minnesota where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Buckley he has been honored twice as a top doctor by the members of the San Diego County Medical Society and enjoys travel, golf and relaxing by the lake in his home state of Minnesota.
Gregorio González, voice
Gregorio began his soloist operatic career in 2002 after being hired as a resident artist by Placido Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera. Gregorio has sung extensively throughout the United States, his native Mexico and Europe. At the Los Angeles Opera, he created the roles of Count Obolenski and Avdeev in the world premiere of Nicholas and Alexandra, under Mstislav Rostropovich. Gregorio made his European debut at Amsterdam’s prestigious Concertgebouw in 2006 in a concert version of Donizetti’s Poliuto, conducted by Giuliano Carella; and returned later to sing in Verdi’s Othello, conducted by Jaap Van Zweden. Both as tenor and baritone, Gregorio has won First Place awards at the Gerda Lissner, Violetta Dupont, Palm Springs Opera Guild, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus Young Artists, Metropolitan Opera Western Region Auditions and Virginia Hawk competitions, and has been distinguished as a finalist in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia World Singer Competition, The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and The Francisco Viñas Competition.
Danny Green, piano
Danny Green is a jazz pianist, and has also earned recognition as a recording artist, bandleader and composer taking him from the Blue Note in New York City to the Blue Whale in Los Angeles. Green revealed his unique talents on his 2009 debut recording With You In Mind. The album received extensive airplay around the globe, rose to #18 on the Jazz Week Charts, and won “Best Jazz Album” at the 2009 San Diego Music Awards. In 2012, Green teamed up with Tapestry Records to release A Thousand Ways Home, featuring Justin Grinnell on bass, Julien Cantelm on drums, and Tripp Sprague on sax, as well as a talented cast of guest artists inducing guitarists Chico Pinheiro, Peter Sprague, and Dusty Brough, Brazilian vocalist Claudia Villela, and mandolinist Eva Scow. The Danny Green Trio, comprised of Green, Grinnell, and Cantelm, released the album After The Calm featuring ten of Green’s compositions, the album received much praise from the press and nationwide radio play, and won “Best Jazz Album” at the 2015 San Diego Music Awards and was nominated for “Album of the Year.” The trio continues to record and release music such as their 2016 release, Altered Narratives, and their first full length album One Day It Will, in 2018.
Carolina Jaurena, tango dance
Carolinahas been teaching and performing for over 20 years. The height of her professional career is her role as a primary dancer in the feature film Random Hearts, directed by Sidney Pollack. She has performed in “Eternal Tango” with Hector del Curto, the show “Tanguero”, “Tango! Soul and Heart” with the Choral Arts Society of Washington at Kennedy Center, and the off-Broadway Show, “Tango House”, produced by Juan Fabbri. Her international workshops and performances include Canarias Tango in Spain, 100 Años de Tango at the Solis Theater in Uruguay, and The Theaterhaus in Stuttgart, Alte Synagogue in Hechingen and Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen. She has performed and taught at many tango festivals including: Tango Norte Festival in Sweden, Yale Tango Fest, Tango Fest Houston and New Orleans Tango Festival. Carolina is sought after as a dancer and teacher and renowned for her precision of movement, professionalism and charisma.
Gloria Lanuza, dance
Gloria has trained and performed with her extended family of accomplished artists since childhood. At age six, Gloria began her dance training at the San Diego Ballet and graduated from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts where she focused on dance and choral studies. She has trained with many top flamenco artists in dance and cante (traditional and classical). Gloria also has extensive training in East Indian Classical Dance (Bharatanatyam and Kathak) and Belly Dance (tribal and cabaret). She has many years of professional freelance work as a featured dancer in concert and commercial venues internationally. Ms. Lanuza taught and choreographed for La Universidad de San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. Gloria currently directs her companies Divine Desi Dance!, Veiled Enchantment and Fantasia Flamenca. Ms. Lanuza has created an exciting and unique approach of fusing styles and cultures together to create an exhilarating experience in her classes, performances, and artist collaborations.
Mackenzie Leighton, bass
Mackenzie Leighton is a bassist, composer, and educator from San Diego, CA. He works regularly with Southern California jazz heroes Peter Sprague, Gilbert Castellanos, and Kamau Kenyatta, and has worked with jazz legends such as Donald Brown, Geoffrey Keezer, and Sammy Figueroa. He has performed at the Carlsbad Music Festival, Ensenada Jazz Festival, Tijuana Jazz and Blues Festival, and Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines. He also works with local theaters including The Old Globe, Cygnet Theater, and Lamb’s Players. He is adjunct faculty at California State University San Marcos, Palomar College, and Miracosta College, and holds a Masters in Music from San Diego State University.
Travis Maril, viola
Travis is String Coordinator at SDSU’s School of Music and Dance and Co-Director of SDSU’s String Academy for pre-college students. A passionate chamber musician, he has been described as playing with “persuasive, stylish ardor” (San Diego Reader). His chamber music partners include principal players of the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles and Rochester Philharmonics, the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and San Diego Symphonies and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
An active recording artist, Travis has recorded contemporary works for the Naxos and New World Record labels and with the jazz pianist Danny Green’s trio. He has enjoyed a long relationship with the composer Joel P. West, and is featured on a number of his scores, including Netflix’s Chef’s Table and Warner Bros. upcoming feature film Just Mercy. Travis was a Trustee Scholar and Outstanding Graduate at the University of Southern California, and earned his Master’s Degree at Rice University.
Andrés Martin, double bass
Andresis a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and also an arranger, and composer. Andrés has performed with orchestras, chamber ensembles and as a soloist in Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark and the United States. Since his arrival in Tijuana, Mexico, Andrés has been immersed in teaching as well as performing as a soloist and chamber musician. He has ben a member of the “Orquesta de Baja California “since 2002. He also organizes and directs “Contrabajos de Baja California A.C.”, a Double Bass academy celebrating an annual international Double Bass festival and chamber music course held in Tijuana. In addition to his work as a soloist and chamber musician, Andrés is an accomplished composer, with work performed and commissioned by renowned soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras around the world. In collaboration with Eastman Strings Company, he is designing a new Double Bass aimed to his specifications to serve as a modern Solo Instrument.
Elena Mashkovtseva, harp
Elena has won attention as one of the world’s outstanding harpists through numerous appearances as a soloist and chamber musician. She has enchanted audiences throughout the world with her virtuosity, grace and elegance. Ms. Mashkovtseva is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she studied with the celebrated harpist Vera Dulova. She was awarded First Prize at the International Competition in Moscow. After graduating, Ms. Mashkovtseva held the principal harp position with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Since leaving Moscow, she has appeared with the Orquesta de Baja California, Orquesta de Bellas Artes, Orquesta Filarmonica de la UNAM, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orchestra Nova, St. Petersburgh Mariinsky Theater Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin under Misha Rachlevsky, The Hutchins Consort, Camarada and the San Diego Opera. Ms. Mashkovtseva is a Professor of Harp at San Diego State University, University of San Diego and has her own private studio in San Diego.
Joe McNalley, bass
Joe McNalley was raised in a family in which everyone was expected to learn at least one musical instrument, and began playing double bass at age 11. During his high school and college years, he won several awards as a soloist, and played the Monterrey Jazz Festival at age 15. In his 40 years as a professional musician, he has gotten to perform with many notable musicians across a wide range of genres and cultures. He attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with BSO principal bass Ed Barker and former Miles Davis sideman Miroslav Vitous, as well performing with MacArthur “genius grant” recipient George Russell, and private studies with MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Ran Blake, as well as klezmer with Hankus Netsky. He received his bachelors and masters’ degrees from UC San Diego, where he also played in the faculty ensemble and worked professionally with Jazz and Blues legends Jimmy and Jeannie Cheatham. While with the Cheatham band, he played with Thad Jones, Jay McShann, Eddie “Mr. Cleanhead” Vinson, and many other greats of the 20th c. He toured Asia twice as solo bassist for the Roger Wagner Chorale, worked with the Hawaii Symphony and Opera and the Honolulu Symphony, played dozens of other musical theater and opera productions, recorded for movies and TV, including having his music used in the Emmy winning documentary “Liquid Stage” and worked closely with composer Tyler Bates in the Emmy nominated “Rated X”. In 1999 he founded the Hutchins Consort, the first permanent ensemble that plays on the 8 scaled violins of the New Violin Family. He has lead several tours domestically and internationally, as well as recordings and national broadcasts in the US, Mexico and Ireland. He has worked directly with 7 Pulitzer Prize winning composers, collaborated with a further 8 MacArthur grant recipients, several of the US’s major museums, and taught at every level from toddler to centenarians; from tabulae rasae to Phi Beta Kappa Society. He is a shishya of Pandit Kartik Seshadri of the Maihar Gharana, and can trace his musical lineage back to musicians who worked with Mozart on the European side, and to the 15th century musical mystic Swami Haridas in Indian Classical music. As a luthier he has restored or built many instruments, including those of his own invention, as well as creating a complete set of Hawaiian Ka’eke’eke for use in his upcoming opera about Prince Humehume of Kaua’i. As a mariner, he crews for the Schooner Bill of Rights and is part of a team that trains US Navy Sea Cadets. In 2021 he created a new training program to teach young sailors the musical traditions of seafarers. Joe has performed as a bass soloist in 10 countries.
Duncan Moore, percussion
Duncan grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and began drum studies at the age of eight. He majored in music at the University of Iowa, studied with Tom Davis and played with local jazz groups until his move to San Diego in 1977. Over the last thirty years, he has performed and recorded with a number of national and local artists, including: Ray Brown, Kim Carnes, Dave Carpenter, Deanna Carter, Joe Chambers, Billy Childs, Jeff Clayton, Sara Evans, Holly Hofmann, Ricki Lee Jones, Kenny Loggins, James Moody, Peter Sprague, Steve Wilson, and Mike Wofford. Mr. Moore has a home recording studio where he records drum and percussion tracks for various projects. Duncan Moore teaches private percussion and is drum set instructor at Mira Costa College in Oceanside California, as well as California State University San Marcos.
Jeff Nevin, trumpet
Jeff is an award-winning classical composer whose works have been performed by the San Diego Symphony, La Jolla Symphony, California EAR Unit, Peninsula Symphony, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, and Sol de Mexico Symphony Orchestra. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Mariachi Champa–a Nevin, as well as principle trumpet for the La Jolla Symphony, and a frequent substitute with the San Diego Symphony. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in music theory and composition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990. At Arizona State University he received his Master of Music degree in music theory and composition in 1992 and completed his Ph.D. at UC San Diego in 1998. Dr. Nevin is currently Professor of Music and Director of Mariachi Activities at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA, where he is developing a mariachi curriculum that is the first such program of its kind.
Andrea Overturf, english horn and oboe
Andrea holds the Dr. William and Evelyn Lamden English Horn Chair of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, a position she previously held with the Florida Orchestra. Ms. Overturf has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National and Seattle Symphonies and in solo recitals throughout the U.S. and Asia. She has been a guest soloist with the San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony and Aspen Music Festival. Her work includes La Jolla SummerFest, the Mainly Mozart Festival, the Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Overturf has collaborated with artists such as James Conlon, Lorin Maazel, John Harbison and James Levine, including the American stage premiere of Elliott Carter’s opera, What Next? Andrea Overturf is also the first oboist in the history of The Juilliard School to graduate from the prestigious solo-intensive Artist Diploma Program where she also received her Master’s Degree. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music, graduating with the Performer’s Certificate, the highest performance distinction awarded to undergraduates. Her principal teachers include Elaine Douvas, Pedro Diaz, Nathan Hughes, Richard Killmer, Richard Woodhams and Rebecca Henderson.
Pamela Pendrell, vocals
Pamela Pendrell is a versatile live and session vocalist who grew up on the East Coast and has been a San Diego resident for almost 20 years. Her invaluable vocal coach, renowned jazz singer Kevyn Lettau, introduced Pam to Peter Sprague, who has become another treasured musical mentor. Around town, Pam performs with Lust for Life, a soul/funk/R&B cover band, and Play it Forward, a group covering mostly classic rock that donates all performance proceeds to local non-profits. Singing is a creative outlet and source of joy for Pam; she’s always exploring opportunities to share her voice and make music with others. Though Pam cherished her various choral and musical theatre experiences as a child and teen, she focused on academic and career pursuits in college and beyond.
Ryan Simmons, bassoon
Ryan received his Bachelor of Music in performance from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and began performing with the San Diego Symphony in 1998. In the 2001-2002 he played in the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Associate Principal Bassoon, and then spent two seasons as Principal Bassoonist of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 he won
the national audition for the job of Second Bassoon in the San Diego Symphony and began playing as Principal Bassoon of Orchestra Nova San Diego. He has studied with of the legendary bassoon teachers Bernard Garfield,
Steven Maxym and Norman Herzberg. Ryan has participated in many festivals including Marlboro, Tanglewood, the National Repertory Orchestra, Mainly Mozart and La Jolla SummerFest. He has also performed with the
National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra Philarmonica de Tenerife and the Moscow Radio Orchestra. In addition to performing, Ryan Simmons is the owner of RS Woodwinds, a woodwind repair shop.
Peter Sprague, guitar
Peter is a highly acclaimed musician and composer. With his thirty plus years as a professional guitarist, Peter has evolved into a musical powerhouse, having produced and played on over 190 recordings. He has published eleven songbooks of his own music. Peter conducts the majority of his endeavors in Southern California, staying close to his family, and where he is, without dispute, San Diego’s premier Jazz talent. He has won numerous awards for his artistry including Best Jazz Artist for San Diego. He has worked with some of the greats: Dianna Reeves, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, David Benoit, and many others too numerous to count. The full list and discography can be found on Peter’s website www.petersprague.com.
Tripp Sprague, saxophone
Tripp Sprague is a jazz saxophonist based out of the San Diego area. Tripp also plays flute, chromatic harmonica, and EWI. He has performed extensively with the area’s top jazz musicians including his brother guitar player Peter Sprague, bassist Bob Magnusson, and pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Tripp‘s musical versatility has led to invitations to perform with international acts such as jazz singer Mose Allison, Kenny Loggins, Motown legends Smokey Robinson. Tripp also co-produced and performed on the self-titled CD from the group “Blurring the Edges” which won the “best pop-jazz ” album at the San Diego Music Awards. Tripp also runs a recording studio from his home where he has produced and recorded CDs for numerous local artists.
Susan Wulff, double bass
Susan graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double Bachelor of Music in bass and vocal performance at CSU, Sacramento, completing her Master of Music at the University of Southern California. She has been Associate Principal Bassist with the San Diego Symphony since 2004 and had the privilege of working with many highly regarded orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla SummerFest, Mainly Mozart, Pacific Music Festival in Japan and the National Repertory Orchestra where she was a featured soloist and principal bassist. She has held positions with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and New West Symphony and continues to perform regularly with the boundary-pushing San Diego based chamber ensembles; Art of Élan and Luscious Noise. Ms. Wulff has gained international recognition for her innovative workshop that utilizes dance as a way to connect musicians with their inner groove.
Leyla Zamora, bassoo
Leyla Zamora is a bassoonist and has been a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 2005. Before coming to San Diego, Leyla held for 11 years the position of principal bassoon with the Memphis Symphony. As an avid collaborator, she has participated in orchestral and chamber music festivals in the United States, Japan, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Puerto Rico. Leyla has also presented master classes and recitals in Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, as well as in several universities throughout the United States. Leyla studied the bassoon at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Baylor University and DePaul University in Chicago with Bruce Grainger.
Sarina Zhang, piano & cello
Born in Canada and raised in San Diego, California, pianist and cellist Sarina Zhang made her debut with the Juilliard Orchestra and Maestro Susanna Mälkki in December 2016. Sarina has performed as a soloist with the St. Louis, Detroit, San Diego, Albany, and Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Prague Youth Philharmonic, among others. Most recently, she was selected to be in Louis Vuitton’s Classe D’excellence, performing and studying in Paris with Gautier Capuçon. Sarina received her Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School, where she studied piano with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Hung-Kuan Chen, cello with Richard Aaron and David Finckel and was a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. She continued to pursue a Master’s degree in Germany from the Franz Liszt Hochschule für Musik, where she studied with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Balázs Szokolay, and is currently finishing her studies from home.
Camarada Around Town!
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Camarada Jazz
@ Mingei International Museum
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