Teacher Bios
GEORGE CURTIS VAN LIEW
George Curtis Van Liew started playing the Trumpet in 3rd grade. He started taking private lessons one year earlier than most schools allow students to join concert band so that when he entered 4th grade he could skip the beginning band and move right up to the intermediate level. George stayed in this grade school band through his high school years to help keep the band going. A few years later, George was offered the position as Teacher of the band he had played in for more than 8 years. He has gone on to run music programs at four different schools around Contra Costa County and continues to teach Music and Art to students and adults. He composes music for a local high school orchestra where they commission and perform his pieces twice a year. George has also been teaching the art of Watercolor for years and is one of his favorite hobbies.
Adam Mackintosh Performance Program Director
Adam Mackintosh, a unique American songwriter from Fremont, CA, has achieved significant milestones in his career. His composition "Forbidden Fruit" was performed by The Portland Symphony and Storm Large and later recorded by Storm Large and her band Le Bonheur, with members of Pink Martini. It was later released on Heinz Records alongside such artists as Tom Waits, Jacques Brel, Cole Porter, Randy Newman, Rodgers and Hart and Lou Reed.
Mackintosh is an International Touring Artist with four full-length original releases in Europe and the U.S. He has worked as a producer, performer, and co-writer with artists from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, Wisconsin, Barcelona, Nashville, Memphis and many places in-between. He is credited on over 60 recorded and released co-writes with writers from around the world. Perhaps most notably, his composition "Forbidden Fruit" for Storm Large and Pink Martini is performed by symphony orchestras globally.
In addition to his performing and recording music career, Mackintosh has been involved in alternative music education for over 15 years, teaching over 500 students. He authored The Mackintosh Music Method, which condenses his 15 years of experience into a 60-minute video presentation. His curriculum and song creation approach offer unique insights to students and creators beyond traditional single-instrument instruction.
Adam has an extensive performance history, sharing stages and recording with notable artists such as Earl Slick, James Hall, Joseph Arthur, Jackson Browne, Storm Large, Clyde Stubblefield, and many more. He has performed over 500 concerts in the US and Europe.
Film credits for his music appear on the soundtracks of June Falling Down, Damaged Goods By David Walker and "Westbound" by Arketype Inc. He currently resides in California, performs solo and as the lead singer of The Last Dancers, and is actively involved in multiple writing and recording projects worldwide.
Doug Wendt
Doug earned his B.A. in Guitar Performance from California State University of the East Bay (CSUEB). Also an experienced chef, including over ten years as sous-chef at Walnut Creek's top class Italian Restaurant "Prima," Doug decided to make his part time music activities into a full time career about ten years ago. As a classical guitarist, Doug has worked and performed extensively with Gordon Rowland of www.guitarwork.com. Check Gordon's website for public performances and workshops throughout the year. Doug has maintained a long time collaboration with vocalist Tré Taylor including their current jazz quintet "Dangerous Martini." Earlier bands with Tré included, "Soul Attraction," a 10-piece R&B soul band, and "Earl Slide Ride," featuring Motown and Blues. Doug's new wife, Deborah Kuhl, (singer, songwriter, pianist), who regularly performs a repertoire of French music, borrows Doug on occasion and featured both Doug and Gordon Rowland on her CD, Carte Postale. A member of the Armando's Martinez family , Doug shows up regularly to perform at their jam nights including jazz, blues, open mic and bluegrass.
August Stevens
August Stevens is a musician and songwriter from Hercules, California. She has a background in classical piano having trained with the Suzuki method. At age 12 she deepened her training at Oakland School for the Arts where she studied classical piano. In addition she studied classical and contemporary voice and performed as a member of the Concert Choir.
Her main vocal genre rests in Soul and Folk but she enjoys Musical Theater, Pop, Classical, Jazz, and gospel.
Jim Thorne
Jim has been a professional drummer in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. Originally from New York he moved to California with his family as a child. At 17 he started teaching and soon had 40 students. He has continued teaching to this day. Many of his students have gone on to professional music careers. In college (Chabot and Cal State East Bay) he played in the jazz bands with Dave Garibaldi and other great players. He has played thousands of gigs and is fluent in many genres such as: Jazz, Fusion, Rock, Brazilian, and more. He has played and/or recorded with: The Temptations, Pete & Juan Escovedo, Tom Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), the Tommy Dorsey Ghost Band, John Handy, Art Lande, Bud Shank, the Mike Vax and Full Faith & Credit big bands and many more.
Maria Meza Murillo
Maria is a wonderful violinist who is extremely well-rounded and a great musical role model. In addition to the traditional classical style that most teachers offer, she also plays fiddle, mariachi, pop, and swing - and she loves to play and teach them all!
Like most kids, Maria started playing classical violin in her school orchestra. After graduation, she continued playing the violin in various groups all around San Francisco. After a long stint with a working mariachi band, Maria moved on to other styles including Western Swing fiddle. She is currently playing professionally with a Bluegrass band called Spinning Wheel and another band called Bonafide Americana.
Maria teaches students of various levels and backgrounds, from beginners to advanced students, in private or group lessons. She covers the basics quickly and thoroughly. You will learn to read music and eventually be able to pick up a music book and just play. How cool is that? Learning by ear can also be fun and very useful in your playing with other groups or attending jams. You will also learn how to improvise which is really not a big deal once you get started. Maria says, "One of the most important goals for me is to make learning fun and very enjoyable!" Call us today for more info on lessons with Maria.
Jeff Brown
Jeff has been playing saxophone for over 15 years, flute and clarinet for 10 and has been teaching lessons for over 10 years as well. He has a Masters degree in Saxophone Perfomance from the University of Nevada, Reno and a Bachelors in Jazz Studies from CSU Northridge. He has adjudicated Classical and Jazz Nevada All-State saxophone auditions and has given clinics at local schools as well run master classes and taught saxophone technique and improvisation for Hayward La-Honda Music Camp. Jeff has been featured as a guest artist at the Elko Jazz Festival and has played with the John Daversa Sextet, Kelly Park Big Band, Rory Snyder Big Band, Reno Jazz Syndicate, Reno Jazz Orchestra, etc... He is a current member of the renowned Purple Ones Prince tribute band that includes members that played with Sly and the Family Stone and Prince’s own Musical Director for his group NPG.
Isaiah Selva
As a local musician and resident of Concord, Isaiah has been around music and art throughout his entire life. While growing up, his family exposed him to all sorts of music such as The Beatles, Wings, The Beach Boys, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, and The Monkees just to name a few. He got his first guitar at around the age of 7 and eventually got a bass at around the age of 10 and has been playing ever since. Nowadays, Isaiah is currently attending Diablo Valley College to earn a degree in Music Industry Studies and plays in two bands (Busy Lighthouse and Hear In Color) while also pursuing solo material as well.
Jenna Pohlman
Jenna Pohlman has been teaching band and private lessons for over 10 years. She has experience with teaching lessons in both a group setting and 1 on 1.
She has performed with the Community Women's Orchestra, The Walnut Creek Concert band and many other groups.
She earned her BA in Music from Saint Mary’s College.
Gerardo Gonzalez
Gerardo Gonzalez, or Jr., is a bilingual 21-year-old guitar and piano instructor who started playing both at 10 years old. Since then he's received piano lessons from various instructors including award-winning and commissioned composer Barbara Becker and guitar lessons from former Santana guitarist Chris Solberg. His experience ranges from playing guitar for and helping lead a kids choir at his church, to playing vihuela, guitar, and violin in a mariachi band, to being a guitarist and keyboardist in two bands who continue to write, record, and perform together, to teaching both guitar and keyboard in schools such as Kings Valley Christian School, Bay Christian School, and finally at Rockin' Robbies. He is currently enrolled as a Music Industry Studies Major at Diablo Valley College where he has earned certificates in the recording software Pro-Tools and has acquired skills in production and recording as well.
Bob Montes
Tom Molyneaux
I first became aware of tenor guitars in the late 1960s when my brother found an article in the World Book Encyclopedia that explained standard tuning and pictured a young man playing one. We were immediately interested, since both of played the violin, mandolin and eventually the viola. It was 20 years before either of us actually saw one: a 1961 Gibson TG-0 that I still own and play.
In the early 1990s I switched my focus from electric bass to electric tenor guitar. My main tenors include a 1961 Gibson SG/Les Paul Jr., a 1987 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Jr., and a 1954 Gretsch Duo Jet. My main instrument is a custom 5 string Earnest Instruments Tenorcaster with an added low F string, shown on the right in the picture at:
http://www.earnestinstruments.com/tenorcaster.html
Angelica Camacho
“I come from a classically trained background in piano and have been playing for over fifteen years. As a middle schooler it quickly became a primary outlet of self-expression that also helped me pick up music theory and other instruments such as ukulele more quickly. I continued my studies at Diablo Valley College where I received my Associates in Music and it was there I learned how much I enjoyed teaching friends theory and piano. I also learned how much I loved jazz, one of my favorite college memories being getting to perform with my vocal group at the Reno Jazz Festival.
I loved performing with my friends during my time at DVC and today sometimes play a few gigs at local church in Oakland, but perhaps my favorite gig was at a nursing home in Clayton where I got to play renditions of my favorite standards. Among my favorite artists are Debussy, Chopin, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, and Gershwin.“