Faculty Bios
Full-time Faculty

Timothy Harris
Music Department Coordinator/Director of Bands
Timothy Harris is Director of Bands and Music Department Coordinator at Chabot College where he directs the Wind Symphony and Contemporary Music Ensemble. In addition to his duties at Chabot, he teaches at San Jose State University. Professor Harris maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician in the region including appearances at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, California All-State Music Education Conference, CMEA Bay Section Conference, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Florida Citrus Bowl, and Carnegie Hall. Professor Harris is published in Teaching Music Through Performance in Band as the author of research guides on the works of Larry Daehn, Yo Goto, Jan Van der Roost, Samuel Hazo, Christopher Tucker, and Frank Ticheli. He has been awarded the Gilbert T. Freitas Award for Achievement in Music Education by the CMEA Bay Section along with the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching at Chabot College. Harris holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, California Band Directors Association, California Association for Music Education, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity of America.
Email: tharris@chabotcollege.edu
Office: 1111 | Phone: 510-723-6833
Lucas SchwyterMusic Recording TechnologyYoung Kwang (Lucas) Schwyter is a working audio engineer, A/V technician, certified Pro Tools user and guitarist with over fifteen years’ experience, mainly focusing on classical guitar performance. He received his BA from UC Berkeley where he studied musicology, computer music and performance. He then received an MM in Music E ducation from San Jose State University during which he taught music theory and received the award as most outstanding graduate student. At Chabot College, he studied classical and jazz performance. He performed with artists such as Eric Marienthal, Bobby Shew, Terrence Brewer, Edgardo Cambon, and the group “Crossing 32nd Street”. During his bachelor studies, Lucas worked in recording studios around the Bay Area including Fantasy Studios and Skyline Studios, first as an intern but later as a recording/mixing engineer. Over the years, he has worked with artists such as Bill Frisell, Nels Cline singers, Thomas Pridgen (The Memorials) and Sly and the Family Stone. In the last couple years, he helped form the podcast “East Bay Shortwave”, a non-profit podcast promoting local musicians. During his BA studies, he also participated in experimental projects such as attempting to break the Guinness World Record for most glass bottles used in a musical performance and composing for UC Berkeley’s “Multimedia Orchestra”. Lucas also collaborated to create “Voices of a Fugue”, a VR musical performance with Polar Productions, which received critical acclaim from the Montreal International Animation Film Festival (Animaze) and the Seattle Transmedia Independent Film Festival. Lucas has over a decade experience with Ableton and Pro Tools, reaching the certification of “Expert Music” and “Expert Post” for Pro Tools which can be found on the AVID website . He has taught multiple courses such as Live Sound, Advanced Mixing, Post-Production and Sound Design on campuses around the Bay Area at San Jose State University, SAE Expressions College, and Diablo Valley College. He lives in San Lorenzo with his wife and son. Website: https://lucasschwyter.com/home |
Jon Palacio Jr.Director of Jazz StudiesOver the past few years, Jon Palacio Jr. has emerged as one of newest writer/arranger’s in the Bay area. His writing style is best defined as the melding of strong rhythmic concepts with lush melodic content. Mr. Palacio is most readily recognized as one of the bay area’s authentic Latin big band writers. He incorporates powerful melodic and harmonic texture with the true spice of Latin rhythms to his charts. Whether it is the complexity of the music or it’s rich harmonic structure, Palacio’s compositions possess the passion and intensity that musicians enjoy playing. College and university jazz bands frequently perform his charts across the country; however, a growing number of professional groups have started recording and performing his songs as well. Not only is his published works known in the United States, Palacio’s music is spreading to countries like Peru, Argentina, Philippines, Chile, Brazil, and Italy to name a few. Although he specializes in Latin charts for big bands, Palacio also composes for orchestra, symphonic bands, chamber ensembles and choral groups. He has written for commercials, musicals and other recording projects. He is in demand for writing commissioned works for high schools, colleges and private organizations and continually adds new works to his repertoire. Mr. Palacio attended California State University--Hayward where he received a B.A. in composition under the tutelage of composer/trombonist Dave Eshelman and M.A. in composition under Dr. Jeffrey Miller. While at CSUH, Palacio matured into a talented jazz pianist and prolific writer, earning national awards for composition and performance. Jon Palacio has returned to Chabot College as the Director of Jazz Studies. Email: jpalacio@chabotcollege.edu |
Adjunct Faculty
Shauna FalliheeVoiceShauna received her B.M. in Voice Performance (with distinction in performance) from the New England Conservatory of Music as a scholarship student of Carole Haber. She pursued graduate work in Musicology at the University of New Hampshire. Shauna holds an M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy from Holy Names University in Oakland and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Find out more about Shauna at http://www.shaunabethfallihee.com/ |
Richard FloresGuitar, Guitar Ensemble, and Harmony & MusicianshipRichard Flores earned both his Bachelor of Music degree and his Masters degree from Cal State Hayward studying under Jim Bertram. Mr. Flores has been teaching at Chabot College since the fall of 1992. For the past several years Mr. Flores has performed in the Flores/ McGuinness Duo featuring soprano and guitar. They have premiered numerous works written for guitar, voice and various instrumental combinations. He has also performed with the Austin Chamber Ensemble, the Coro Hispano de San Francisco as well as numerous choirs in the Bay Area. Click HERE to listen to Professor Flores. Email: rflores@chabotcollege.edu |
Caitlyn Smith FranklinHornCaitlyn Smith Franklin , a native of the Chicago area, is an active Bay Area performer and teacher. She has been the principal horn of the Stockton Symphony since 2013. She is also principal horn of the Santa Cruz Symphony, utility horn with the Santa Rosa Symphony, second horn with the Monterey Symphony, third horn with Symphony San Jose, and fourth horn with Opera San Jose. Additionally, Caitlyn is a frequent substitute with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera and Ballet and has performed on several domestic and international tours with the San Francisco Symphony. She has performed under some of the world’s best-known conductors, including Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Herbert Blomstedt, and Simon Rattle. Aside from her orchestral work, Caitlyn works regularly as a studio musician, recording with up-and-coming singer-songwriters and in recording sessions at George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch for Blizzard video games. Caitlyn has performed with megastars such as Andrea Bocelli, Adele, and Phish and was even the featured hornist on the 2014 Oscar-nominated animated short film The Dam Keeper. In addition to her busy performing schedule, Caitlyn joined the music faculty at San Jose State University in 2017 and Chabot College in 2022, where she has been dedicated to helping her music students achieve their musical goals. Caitlyn Smith Franklin graduated summa cum laude in 2008 from the University of Miami where she earned bachelor’s degrees in music (horn performance) and biology. She subsequently earned her Master of Music degree in horn performance in 2011 and her Professional Studies Diploma in 2012, both from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music while studying under Robert Ward, principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony. During the summers, Caitlyn has also performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Brevard Music Center, and the Monteux School and Music Festival. |
Elizabeth HendersonOboeElizabeth is an active freelancer and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, the Phoenix Symphony, Symphony San Jose, West Bay Opera, Island City Opera, and Merced Symphony among others. Notable conductors she has performed under include Michael Tilson Thomas, Carl St. Clair, Carl Topilow, Tito Munoz, and Edwin Outwater. As a music educator, Elizabeth maintains a private studio of talented students from across the San Francisco Bay Area. She is on faculty as the oboe instructor at Chabot and Las Positas Community Colleges, coaches woodwind sectionals for middle and high schools across the Bay Area, and has served as an adjudicator for the Contra Costa County Honor Band. In addition to private lessons, Ms. Henderson also teaches reed-making masterclasses.A native of Rochester, NY, Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College and Master of Music from Arizona State University. Her primary teachers include Martin Schuring, Eugene Izotov, Mingjia Liu, Laura Griffiths, and Paige Morgan. Email: elizoboe@gmail.com |
|
Victoria LingtonPianoDr. Victoria DiMaggio Lington holds a BM and MM in piano performance from the University of Houston, Moores School of Music, where she studied with Nancy Weems and received a DMA in piano performance and accompanying from the University of North Texas, where she studied with Pamela Mia Paul. Dr. Lington performed her first public recital at the age of eight and was a soloist with the Mesa Symphony Orchestra at the age of fourteen. She has participated in many state, national, and international competitions, winning numerous awards and recognitions along the way. In demand as a collaborative artist, Dr. Lington regularly performs recitals in the Bay Area with instrumentalists and vocalists, as well as with chamber groups. She has performed both solo and collaborative recitals in Eastern Europe and throughout the United States. She is currently on faculty as staff accompanist and lecturer at San Jose State University, and works with Opera San Jose as a rehearsal pianist. Email: victoria.lington@sjsu.edu |
Christian ManzanaLow Brass and Jazz TromboneA San Francisco Bay-Area Native, Christian Manzana has been playing professionally for over a decade both as a freelance musician as well as a member of several ensembles. Manzana received his BM in Music Performance with a concentration in Bass Trombone at San Jose State University under the tutelage of Thomas Hornig a premiere trombonist in the bay area. He later continued his Graduate work at San Jose State University receiving an M.A. in Jazz Studies under the tutelage of Scott Whittfield, a renowned jazz trombonist/vocalist. He has also been teaching locally in the San Francisco Bay Area for eight years working with Fremont Unified School District, Stanford Jazz Workshop, as well as private students ranging from classical music to jazz. Along with teaching, Manzana is an active working musician playing in various groups throughout the San Francisco Bay Area ranging from classical music, salsa, jazz, funk, hip-hop, and r&b. He has performed with Aretha Franklin, Tower of Power, and has toured Europe with Jon Faddis. Manzana is also a member of a soul/funk/jazz band that plays video game music called the “Super Soul Bros.” which actively performs all around the country in major events/conventions such as “Comic-Con”, “E3”, and “PAX East”. He has also performed in major Jazz Festivals such as, San Jose Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Jazz à Vienne. PHOTO CREDIT: follow on instagram @bydoratsui (Dora Tsui) Email: cmanzana@chabotcollege.edu |
Jesse MicekCollaborative PianistJesse Micek has been working as a piano accompanist in the Bay Area for over twenty years. An alum of the Chabot College music department, he received his B.A. in classical piano performance from Cal State East Bay. He is the principal accompanist for the Danville Girls Chorus and a past accompanist with the S.F. Girls Chorus. Mr. Micek works regularly as a pianist for National Assoc. of Teachers of Singing (NATS) festivals. Besides his work as a performer, he operates a piano teaching studio at his home in Castro Valley. He is a former President of the Southern Alameda County Branch of the Music Teachers Assoc. of CA (MTAC). Email: jessemicek@yahoo.com |
Lenny OttTrumpetLeonard Ott is professor of trumpet at Chabot College. He holds the B.A. from California State University-Hayward. His major teachers include David Burkhart, Marvin Nelson, Laurie McGaw, and Roy Poper. His is also currently teaching trumpet at California State University-Stanislaus, University of the Pacific, and in the past has taught at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Mr. Ott performs regularly with the Modesto Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Oakland Ballet Orchestra, Monterey Symphony, at the Carmel Bach Festival, Bear Valley Festival Orchestra, and occasionally with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the International Trumpet Guild, Chamber Music America, and the American Federation of Musicians, Local 6. Email: lott@chabotcollege.edu |
Richard KrishnanBassoon
As a performer, Mr. Krishnan can frequently be found in musical theatre pits covering any woodwind book and the occasional keyboard book or working as Music Director. He recently joined the national tour of How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical as the reed 3 player. When not busy in the pit orchestras of musicals, he can be found playing clarinets and bassoons in symphony orchestras, saxophones in jazz bands (including San Jose’s 7th Street Big Band), or any number of instruments in the classic wind band setting. Find out more about Richard at https://www.richardskrishnan.com/ Email: rkrishnan@chabotcollege.edu |
Ken RawdonDirector of Choral StudiesKen Rawdon received his BA and his MA degrees in piano performance at California State
University, Fresno where he was the recipient of the Amparo Iturbi Piano Award. He
is better known as the vocal music director at Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, California
where he taught for 30 years. Over that time his choirs were recognized as some of
the finest high school choirs in the state of California. They were often featured
at both CMEA and ACDA conventions and conferences. Under his direction the Mt. Eden
High School Concert Choir and the Mt. Eden High School Chamber Singers competed at
the prestigious GOLDEN STATE CHORAL COMPETITION and frequently won 1st place, and
placed within the top five choirs every year from 1997-2017. His choirs have performed
3 times in New York City at Carnegie Hall and at the Alice Tully Performance Hall
at Lincoln Center. |
Michael RosenMusic Recording TechnologyMichael Rosen is a producer, engineer, studio owner, and adjunct professor in the Bay Area. Michael got introduced to the recording industry in Los Angeles through a chance encounter with an engineer who worked at Capital Studios. The engineer brought Michael into the studio where he watched Booker T and the MG’s record; the vibe was electric, and Michael knew he found a home. Michael's first paying gig was at The Automatt in San Francisco. He went from errand boy to assistant to engineer. He then moved to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley where he struck out on his own. Michael’s credit list features dozens of punk, rock, metal and (yes) even a country and new age record. He’s worked with Rancid, AFI, Less than Jake, Lars Fredrickson and the Bastards, Journey, Tesla, Todd Rundgren, The Old Firm Casuals, Papa Roach, Greg Kihn, Testament, Vicious Rumors, Death Angel, Violence, and dozens more. Michael also engineered the Grammy award-winning song Game of Love for Carlos Santana. Michael has developed curriculum in mixing, audio production and recording at San Francisco State University and Chabot College to help develop the next generation of producers and beat makers of the future. Michael is currently the owner and operator of East Bay Recorders in Oakland, California |
Scott SorkinJazz Guitar
Scott leads his own trio, co‐leads the international jazz group Crossing Borders with Jennifer Scott and Kristen Strom, and is a member of the Kristen Strom Quartet, and Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo. He’s been featured at many festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Earshot Jazz Festival, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, and Jazz on the Wing, in Whitehorse, Yukon. Scott is on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and has been a clinician for
Stanford University, San Jose Jazz Summer Camp, San Jose State University, Mission
College, Kuumbwa Jazz For more information about Scott, visit https://www.scottsorkin.com/ Email: ssorkin@chabotcollege.edu |
Artie StorchPercussion and Percussion EnsembleAn active Bay Area free-lance musician who enjoys performing in many diverse styles, Artie
Storch is a regular extra percussionist for the San Francisco Symphony, Symphony Silicon
Valley, Opera San Jose and other orchestras. In the pop realm, he has performed with
acts including The Who, Metallica, Weird Al Yankovic and Andrea Bocelli, and he is
a frequent player in the Bay Area theater scene, playing in the world premieres of Beautiful (The Carole King Musical), The Prince of Egypt, White Christmas, as well as the Bay Area runs of Phantom of the Opera and many other shows. Website: http://www.artiestorch.com/
Email: astorch@chabotcollege.edu |
Cory TiffinClarinet
|
Cory Tiffin is the principal clarinetist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, having performed in this role with numerous orchestras, including the Green Bay Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, and New Hampshire Music Festival, in addition to numerous other orchestras around the country. As a chamber artist and soloist, Tiffin has performed in recital with the Grammy Award-winning Chicago Chamber Musicians; the Grammy- nominated Lincoln Trio; collaborated with Chicago’s leading new music ensemble, Fulcrum Point New Music Project; and performs regularly with Access Contemporary Music’s resident ensemble. Tiffin enjoys being featured as a chamber musician across Chicagoland, throughout Las Vegas, and elsewhere in North America and Europe. Tiffin has been invited to perform concertos with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra multiple times. Time Out New York called Tiffin a “clarinet maverick” and Lawrence Johnson of Chicago Classical Review wrote: “…Tiffin’s understated virtuosity was the fulcrum of the performance – as it was all afternoon…” Tiffin is currently the clarinet instructor at Chabot College. Prior to relocated to the bay area, he served as the Instructor of Clarinet at Loyola University, DePaul University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and The Chicago High School for the Arts. He appears as a guest clinician and lecturer at universities and schools nationwide. Tiffin can be heard on the Southport and Albany record labels. Email: ctiffin@chabotcollege.edu |
Katrina WalterFlute
Ms. Walter has been fortunate to work with many world-class musicians, including the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, where she replaced the LSO’s ailing piccolo player with one hour’s notice on the Bay Area portion of their US West Coast tour. Her playing has been praised as “beautiful” (Gustavo Dudamel) and “super” (Esa-Pekka Salonen), and she has worked with many other noted conductors such as Marin Alsop, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Kurt Masur, Peter Oundjian, David Robertson, Donald Runnicles, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, Osmo Vänskä, and David Zinman. In 2008, Katrina was privileged to perform chamber music with the inimitable Paula Robison, and she has shared a stage in an orchestral setting with musical luminaries such as Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Ray Chen, Jeremy Denk, Vladimir Feltsman, Renée Fleming, Midori, Itzhak Perlman, and Gil Shaham. In 2012, Katrina served as Guest Principal Flute of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for six months, appearing on three of their Naxos label recordings. She has performed with the San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Opera, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, and many regional orchestras. Also accomplished as a soloist, Katrina’s solo performance highlights include winning the 2006 concerto competition at the Music Academy of the West, as well as flute recitals on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, the Orpheus Young Artist Series, and the Noonday Concert Series at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. She has performed concerti with the Marin Symphony and at the Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo. Radio broadcasts of her recitals and other solo performances have been featured on classical music stations WFMT-Chicago, WNIB, and KDB-FM. Katrina has been a winner of competitions sponsored by the New York Flute Club, Union League Civic and Arts Foundation of Chicago, Musicians Club of Women, Flute Society of Washington, Society of American Musicians, Chicago Flute Club, Music Teacher's National Association, and National Flute Association. A graduate of Northwestern University (BM, summa cum laude) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (MM), Katrina has also studied and performed at a number of music festivals: the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen, Spoleto USA, and Castleton Music Festivals. Her principal teachers were Timothy Day, Walfrid Kujala, and Donna Milanovich, with additional influence from Donald Peck, Richard Graef, and Mark Sparks. Website: https://www.katrinawalter.com/ |
Adam R. Wilke, D.M.A.Dual Enrollment Teacher![]() Adam Wilke is a Dual Enrollment teacher for the music department at Chabot College.
In addition, Dr. Wilke is also Director of Bands at James Logan High School and conductor
of the James Logan Wind Symphony, a position he has maintained since 2012. He is also
Department Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department. The band program at
James Logan has been very successful in recent years winning 2014, 2016, 2017, and
2024 WBA 4A/5A Grand Championship; 2021, 2022, and 2023 WBA North Regional Championship;
2014, 2015, and 2017 WGI World Class Color Guard Bronze Medal; 2013 WBA 5A Class Champion;
and 2013 WGI World Class Concert Percussion Gold Medal. The James Logan Wind Symphony
performed at the 2015 and 2020 California All-State Music Education Conference and
was a featured performer at the 2016 WASBE Regional Conference in Prague, The Czech
Republic. The Wind Symphony consistently receives high praise from adjudicators at
various wind band festivals throughout the state.
Dr. Wilke is an alumnus of Fresno State having received his B.A. and teaching credential
in 1998 and his M.A. in conducting in 2009. In 2019, Wilke completed his D.M.A. in
music education from Boston University. His dissertation research is on composition
and creativity in a band setting. Additionally, Wilke is active as a guest conductor,
most recently conducting the California All-State Jr. High School Concert Band in
2024.
Dr. Wilke is happy to have served the music education profession as a Past President
of the California Band Directors Association. Dr. Wilke also served two years as the
President and seven years as the Bulletin Editor of CBDA. Wilke has been a member
of CBDA since 1999. Dr. Wilke is currently the graphic designer for the CMEA Magazine,
CBDA Bulletin, and CASMEC.
|