Meet the Ensemble
We are passionate about making music and supporting the arts in our community. Our annual spring and holiday concerts directly support the programs of local arts non-profits.
VALLEY OF THE MOON CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Dr. Brian Sebastian, Director & Tenor
After many years singing with various church choirs and choral groups, Brian began conducting as an amateur, when he founded the Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble in 2007. He has served as the Ensemble's director since its inception. VOMCE is his first real choral conducting experience - but he clearly has a natural talent. While his doctorate is actually medical and not musical, he has a passion for music and a vision for the group.
Brian spends most of his time as a general internal medicine physician in Sonoma, where he has lived since 1997. He shares life in Sonoma with his domestic partner, Richard Mabe. He studied medicine at Duke University, and subsequently completed a residency in internal medicine at Georgetown in 2000. Brian can be found in his off-hours doing Crossfit and Bikram Yoga.
Hannah Aclufi, Alto
Hannah sang in various choirs throughout her childhood, and then took a break from singing to study classical guitar at UC Santa Cruz. Later, she returned to music written for voice, this time learning to read original notation of the late renaissance and early baroque periods, and performing it on facsimile flutes and recorders. More recently she has become interested in son jarocho, folk music from Veracruz, Mexico.
Hannah teaches Spanish at Sonoma High School. When she isn't teaching or singing you might find her hiking to remote places to identify and photograph native wildflowers and mushrooms.
She would like to dedicate her work in the ensemble to the memory of her father, Jacob Aclufi, who sang in his synagogue as a young man, played guitar and sang folk songs with Hannah growing up, and imbued so many things he did with a spirit of musical playfulness.
Ruth Baillie, Soprano
Ruth grew up singing in churches in England and then in a variety of cathedrals, including several years at Coventry Cathedral. She has sung in most of the cathedrals in England and when she moved to the US in 1996, she maintained her cathedral singing, which included soloist and section leader positions in New Hampshire, Florida and California. Her singing has also extended to many different small ensembles, most recently a women's quintet, focusing on the music of Hildegard von Bingen and other medieval music. Ruth was privileged to participate in choral workshops with Sir David Willcocks, and Chanticleer. She currently sings weekly at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in Camerata, and also daily with her pet parrot, Harold (who is also a soprano!).
When not singing, Ruth is a diet and lifestyle medicine practitioner working as a cancer and health coach, both individually with clients and with groups, teaching healthy nutrition and then cooking together. She also makes silver and color anodized aluminum jewelry. Ruth lives in Glen Ellen with her husband John (and Harold, of course) and the other birds at Birdland Vineyards, where they grow Merlot and Godello grapes.
Dr. Suzannah Bozzone, Soprano
Suzannah joined VOMCE in 2010, and is thrilled to resume performing after a brief hiatus during her medical residency in Denver. She studied classical voice for over 10 years, and has performed as a soloist and chorus member with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, various churches in Tennessee, and at Davidson College.
She is a Family Medicine physician in Sonoma, and is married to the incredibly talented artist, George Dawnay.
She has a toddler, Gabriel, and new daughter Madeleine. Her ideal spare moment would be spent practicing yoga.
Beth Carter, Associate Director & Soprano
Beth joined the Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble in the Spring of 2011, coming out of an early retirement. In addition to her time with VOMCE she also has directed and performed with choirs across the country, taking a hiatus to marry her husband, Eliot, and have their two children.
Beth holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State Universities,
respectively. Current projects also include performing with the Sonoma Valley Chorale, the Consort Chorale of
Marin, and various solo performances. She resides here in Sonoma where her musical life extends to the
Sonoma United Methodist Church where she is also the Choir Director.
Frank Hernandez, Tenor
Frank is a tenor who has sung in the North Bay area for many years. He has performed with the Napa Valley Choral, Sing Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Symphony Chorus, and The First United Methodist Church of Napa. Frank has also performed on stage at the Napa Valley Opera house in "1776".
In addition to his vocal talents, Frank has performed with various Symphonies and Chamber ensembles playing the viola. Frank is also a guitarist and singer of Songs along with his family of eight siblings who have recorded four albums of mostly a capella music.
Mago Huffman, Alto
Mago was raised in Sonoma, and began her musical career in church choirs, high school band and choir, and the Sonoma Valley Chorale. She couldn't wait to get out of the one horse town, so she quit high school and did her undergraduate work at University of the Pacific, with a minor (back when they still had minors) in music from the conservatory. She has a Masters in Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Her plans were to have a musical ministry. She was distracted by Rock & Roll and a few things that "just happened" in life.
After a few years, she decided that she really did want to move back to Sonoma (who knew?). She came home, continued singing with the Chorale, various chamber groups, bands and some musical theatre. Upon returning to Sonoma, she looked around and said, "Hmmm, I need a career that allows me to live here . . . what shall I do?" So she joined the wine industry. She's now the Global Director for Strategy, Architecture and Innovation at Treasury Wine Estates. Again with the "who knew?"
Rev. Rob Angus Jones, Baritone
Rob was born into a family of musicians, and began a lifetime of making music in his church choirs, school and university chorales, jazz bands, orchestras and marching bands, and brief forays into musical theater - and of course around the family piano at every opportunity. Rob has been a featured singer, performing his own compositions, for numerous events, including Durham, North Carolina's first Gay Pride day. Rob is a huge fan of medieval and early Renaissance music, Appalachian ballads, and shape note/sacred harp hymnody.
Rob earned his Masters of Divinity at Duke University and is an ordained Anglican pastor. He works as a
pastoral counselor here in the Valley. Rob and his partner David moved to Sonoma in 2010.
Douglas MacPherson, Tenor
Doug started singing in the Carboniferous Era with the A Capella choir at San Rafael High School,
followed up by the Kings Point Glee Club at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He has sung with
the Marin Opera Chorus, Sonoma City Opera, the Sonoma Valley Chorale, (for 30 years) and the Congregational
Church choir in Sonoma. He is very happy to be singing with VOMCE and looking forward to next season.
Tim Marson, Bass
Tim has performed as a singer since the age of 9, starting out as a treble - and later head chorister - of his school chapel choir in his native England. Developing into a bass, he was a member of the chapel and chamber choirs at The King's School, Canterbury, and later, while studying Classics at Oxford University, he sang with the chapel choir of Oriel College. During his 12 years in London he performed with vocal groups including Vox Cordis, The Purcell Singers, London Bach Players, Pegasus, and The Syred Consort. Since relocating to Napa in early 2011 Tim has sung with Circa 1600 (part of Sonoma Bach) and the Napa Valley Chorale.
Tim has performed a wide repertoire from Early to Contemporary in churches and concert halls in several countries, including St John's Smith Square, the Royal Albert Hall and No.10 Downing Street (for Tony Blair's Christmas party!), and has also been recorded by Classic FM and the BBC. His particular passion as a singer is Renaissance Polyphony and the music of JS Bach. He also plays the violin and trumpet. Tim has worked in the wine industry since 1997 and is currently a buyer for a wine club operator based in San Rafael. He became a Master of Wine in 2009 - one of only 297 in the world.
Jessica Short, Alto
Jessica has been performing with VOMCE since the fall of 2008. Her musical training began with piano lessons at age 5 and voice lessons throughout her high school and college years. She has enjoyed singing in many school choirs and musical theatre productions. She has also performed with the Sonoma Valley Chorale and the Napa Valley Chorale.
Jessica has a BFA in theatre from Stephens College and has appeared in productions with Sonoma Stage Works, Sixth Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, and Narrow Way Stage Company in Rohnert Park. She has been a mentor in the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance since 2009. Jessica lives in Sonoma with her fiancé Biller Mader, who is also a talented musician, and their sweet dog Sophie.
Dr. Jerome Smith, Tenor
Jerome has been singing with VOMCE since its inception in 2007. He began his love of singing in middle school and has since been involved with everything from traditional choral groups such as the Duke University Chorale and Chamber Singers, to sacred music with the Schola Cantorum of St. Paul the Apostle in Los Angeles to directing and singing with the Lactones, an a capella men's group at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
Jerome's day job is being the pediatrician for Prima Medical Group in Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, where he can often be found singing to children of all ages. He has lived in Sonoma with his husband José since 2006 and enjoys being part of such a vibrant community.
Sheila Whitney Stanfield, Soprano
Sheila received a Bachelor of Music from Dominican University. She has continued with vocal study and teaching along with study of improvisational dance, jazz and acting as part of her quest for the most satisfying singing sound. Sheila has sung and been soloist in choirs all of her life, including College of Marin, Dominican University and Sonoma Valley Chorale performing Renaissance, Baroque, Opera, Jazz, Big Band and Musical Theater. She has written, directed and performed several one woman shows and is currently the soloist at Trinity Episcopal Church. Sheila invites you to learn more here: divasheila.com
Sheila is a vocal instructor and coach. She raised her son Bill, a budding jazz saxophonist and lives with
her new husband Todd.
Charlene Virts, Alto
Charlene (Charlie) joined VOMCE in 2011. She has been singing since childhood gathering around the piano at family events. She sang in church and school choirs since she can remember, always enjoying singing the harmony parts. Most recently Charlie sang with the Saint Francis Yacht Club's female a cappella group the High Seas, performing tightly knit classic jazz arrangements. Her favorite music is still the "old timey" American religious music, Celtic ballads and shape note songs.
Charlie shares life in the Sonoma Valley with her husband Ted.
Steve Wolf, Bass
Steve was born into a musical family. His dad sang bass and his mother was accomplished on piano and organ and was the church organist. Steve sang in the church childrens' choir at 4. He remembers singing on the radio in Los Angeles ("I've Been Working on the Railroad") at 5 years old with his little brother (who sang the harmony). Steve sang as a soprano in church choirs, the Lincoln Boys' Choir, and suddenly was singing bass II in church, high school and college groups in Minneapolis.
Steve has been married forever to his wife and wonderful friend Gail and has 3 grown children and 2 granddaughters. The family moved to Sonoma in 1976. Steve joined The Sonoma Valley Chorale (28 years) and Sonoma Valley Chorale Chamber Ensemble (24 years) in 1984 and has also sung with Sonoma Song.
In real life, Steve enjoys his work as an active real estate broker/associate (since 1985) with Pacific Union International in Sonoma Valley. He is very pleased to be singing with VOMCE.
Monica McKey, Accompanist
Monica has been involved with music since she began piano lessons at the age of 8. She sang in choirs throughout her schooling in Texas, serving as accompanist for several, and played guitar and sang in several folk groups. Since moving to Sonoma in 1981, she has served as the bass voice for several female quartets and has dabbled in cabaret singing, as well.
Monica's other passion is theatre, which she has been active in for the past 30 years, as an actor and director.