In order maximize efficiency of our organization, SC3 is thrilled to have some tremendously talented people who lend us their gifts.  While these advisory councils are voluntary, their impact is immeasurable to helping us achieve our mission!  Currently, we have an Educational Advisory Council and a Compositional Advisory Council.  If you are interested in serving on an advisory council, please let us know!

Eductional Advisory Council

Kay Hoyama, Education Advisory Council Chair, was born in Japan and currently lives in Cottonwood Heights on a large ranch. Kay has run a very successful international marketing consultancy practice in both the US and Asia. Her husband George Gerpheide is the co-founder of Cirque Inc. Kay is currently homeschooling their two children and brings extensive marketing, education, and fundraising experience to the organization.

Jana Edward is the principal of Jackson Elementary, a Title I school. Jana brings her educational, administrative, and volunteer experience to Salty Cricket

Violinist Jakob Hofer is currently on faculty at the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City and Utah Valley University, and maintains a studio of over 45 students. Mr. Hofer was selected at age 16 to participate in Juilliard’s Summer Music Academy, and won several competitions at an early age. He has since served as Concertmaster of the Loudoun Symphony and has performed with several ensembles including the York Symphony, Baltimore Baroque Band, and the Salt Lake Choral Artists. As a founding member of the Rosco String Quartet Mr. Hofer has won first place in the National MTNA Chamber Music Competition, was placed as a finalist in the American Prize Competition, and has studied with the world’s foremost chamber musicians including members of the Takacs, Juilliard, Emerson, Muir, Tokyo, Miro, and Brentano String Quartets. Mr. Hofer has received performance degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Utah

Hana Janatova — founder, executive director, and artistic director — is the visionary of the Mundi Project. She created the non-profit entity with the other founding members in 2006, and specifically worked on board and program development, fundraising, grantwriting, and community and educational outreach. Since August 2011, she has been responsible for the daily operations of the organization, as well as developing new procedures, protocols, and evaluations that are essential to the new growth experienced. She continues to strengthen and develop old and new partnerships with other nonprofit entities in the community. As Artistic Director, she brings twenty-five years of professional teaching experience and an MMUS in Piano Performance. She ties her love of visual art and modern dance into creating inter-disciplinary performance projects to make piano performances experiences that are accessible to developing pianists and underserved communities. She has passion and vision in her participation with the board members, staff, and the piano and artistic community.

Sigifredo Pizana-Hernandez, born in Zacatecas, Mexico in 1991, and Holland High School (Holland, MI) class of 2010 is a pianist, violinist, guitarist, and a composer. He started teaching himself how to play the piano at the age of 13 years old. Later when he was 16 he thought himself to play violin, and after that he picked up the guitar. Sigifredo wrote his first piece when he was just 15 years old, a solo piano piece. But now he has written pieces for piano and strings, a piece for an entire symphony, and as well as music for voice. Sigi (as he likes to go by) moved to the United States when he was 11 years old and lived in Michigan for 10 years before moving to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2013. He has played music with church groups, choirs, and even played with the Utah Symphony for their 2014 Pro-Am concert. He currently plays the violin for the West Valley Symphony, Wasatch Symphony, and with Mariachi Alma de Mexico.

Compositional Advisory Council

Devin Maxwell is a multi faceted musician, percussionist, composer, producer, and arranger whose keen interest in experimental music and music technology have put him at the forefront of experimental music interpretation, composition, and digital audio best practices. Devin received a B.M. in performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, an M.F.A. as a Performer/Composer from California Institute of the Arts, and will receive his PhD. in music composition at the University of Utah in May, 2016.  He serves on the board of directors of the Wielenmann School of Discovery, The Louis Moreau Institute for Contemporary Music Performance, Listen/Space, and is the chair of the Vu Symposium on experimental, electronic, and improvised music.  He was a co-founder of the LoudLouderLoudest Music Production company, a Brooklyn-based leading provider of mobile audio production services.

Esther Megargel received a Master’s degree in composition from BYU in 2013. Her thesis is entitled “The Hearts of the Children,” a 20 minute cantata for choir and orchestra, performed by the Eagle Mountain Stake Choir and Chamber Orchestra. She has awards from Mu Phi Epsilon, the LDS Church, BYU (Vera Hinckley Mayhew award), and a commission as Composer of the Year by OMTA (Oregon Music Teacher’s Assn.) Her works have been performed by church choirs, children’s choirs and various chamber ensembles, including BYU’s Orpheus Winds.

Haruhito Miyagi, of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a Japanese-American composer and organist. He holds a B.M. and M.M. in Organ Performance from Brigham Young University and the University of Notre Dame with studies under Douglas Bush, Craig Cramer, and David Dahl, respectively. Miyagi is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Utah in Music Composition and has studied with David Sargent, Paul Johnson, László Martos, Miguel Chuaqui, Steve Roens, and Morris Rosenzweig. He is certified through the Organization of American Kodály Educators and was a visiting researcher at the University of Debrecen Conservatory of Music in 2010. Miyagi has taught on the faculty of the InterMuse Academy (Kodály Certification Program) from 2009-2011 and currently serves as a member-at-large and composer liaison for the Utah Fellowship of Local Kodály Specialists. As an organist, Miyagi has performed extensively throughout Germany, Hungary, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He is a performing artist for Rodgers Instruments and regularly concertizes on new organ installations across the country. Miyagi has served as director of music and organist at Orem Community Church, United Church of Christ; director of music ministry at First Christian Church of South Bend, Disciples of Christ; assistant organist at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church; and is currently the assistant organist at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and director of music at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. At Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Miyagi has initiated a Kodály-centered music education program for the Spanish-speaking community of Salt Lake Valley. In 2010, Miyagi was selected as the first non-Hungarian composer to be published with the exclusive Kontrapunkt Music, Budapest publishing house. Miyagi was also among the first Utah composers to be selected as a fellow for the Deer Valley Emerging Quartets and Composers Music Festival in 2013. Miyagi has been a featured composer on WSND radio and has been recorded under the Sanctus Records label. He has also had commissions by Musica Nostra Kórus of Budapest, the Von Trapp Children, among various other ensembles.

Dr. Marden Pond is a composer, arranger, conductor, producer, and educator. Author: books and articles on music theory, digital and electronic music, pedagogy, music education, jazz, music for theatrical dance, music in the home. Composer: music on twenty recorded albums; music for orchestras, choirs, ballet, film (including the Emmy Award-winning film, “The Shadow Of Light”), video productions, modern dance; chamber, studio, commercial & recording ensembles; electronic music, jazz.  The ASCAP catalog lists over 300 works. Pearl Award, Alfred Lambourne Prize, numerous commissions. Conductor: professional, recording studio, community, educational ensembles. Educator:  colleges, universities, seminars, festivals. Administrator/Advisor:  Utah, Montana, Idaho Arts Councils.

M. Ryan Taylor // “Incredible!” “Beautiful music.” “I was deeply touched.” . . . comments from audience members in reaction to the music of M. Ryan Taylor. Taylor is the author of operas such as The Other Wise Man and Abinadi, both of which have been produced live. Notable song cycles include A Light that Shames the Noonday Sun, All Heaven and it was One Hour Old, Leafs from the Diary of an Old Soul and The Moon Songs (a Vera Hinckley Mayhew Composition Competition winner in 2000). Taylor brings his sensitive vocal writing, born of his own university vocal studies, to his original choral music as well, and, as a former brass and wind player, is equally at home with instrumental chamber and orchestral music. He has written works that have been premiered or performed by the Utah Premiere Brass, The Chicago Brass, organists Neil Thornock and Carson Cooman, the Timpanogos Chorale, the American Fork Symphony, and more.

David Sullivan works as a programmer at Oracle. He is also a composer, actor, stand-up comedian, photographer, cellist, pianist, and the lucky bastard has perfect pitch. David also serves as the volunteer Executive Director for the Empress Theatre in Magna, Utah.

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