WHO WE ARE
Susan Willats, Executive Director
Susan worked as a program administrator at the University of California, Santa Cruz for over 30 years. She discovered Community Music School when her daughter first enrolled in Kid Camp. Susan served on the CMS board of directors for seven years before stepping into the executive director position when Shelley Phillips stepped down. As someone who greatly benefitted from both private piano lessons and a robust public school music program growing up, Susan is an ardent believer in exposing kids to music. In addition to her work at Community Music School, she also serves on the advisory board of the Cabrillo Youth Chorus, and works with Arts Now Santa Cruz County to advocate for equitable access to arts education in local K-12 schools.
Shelley Phillips, Founder and Artistic Director
Shelley has a Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has appeared on more than 20 albums on the Gourd music label, including her solo albums TheFairie Round, Pavane, The Butterfly, and The Wood Between the Worlds, as well as a duet album with husband Barry Phillips called Wondrous Love. In addition, she teaches at several other summer programs, including founding The Boxwood Flute Festival's children's, teens and seniors' programs in Nova Scotia, and teaching music-related crafts at various primitive skills gathering in the west.
Board of Directors:
Tom Padula, President
Wren Reeve, Vice President
Cheryl Golich, Treasurer
Thérèse Johannesson, Secretary
Lisa Charnock
Juliet Davoren
Neal Hellman
Sophie Widman
We are grateful for the support we’ve received from:
California Arts Council
Santa Cruz Arts Council
Omega Nu
Santa Cruz Rotary
El Vaquero Winery
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Scotts Valley
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist