The members of the Golden Gate Park Band are all professional musicians who collectively bring centuries of musical experience to the band. All are members of the American Federation of Musicians. Most have been with the band for many years.
Following is a list of our regular personnel. During any given Sunday there may be a few substitutes for players who are absent due to illness or other commitments. Players listed as acting are either taking a position pending an audition, or filling in for a regular player on leave for the season. Individual photos courtesy of Willy Johnson. The formal photos of the band courtesy of Musical Images.
Derick Yih – principal flute/piccolo – is currently a member of the Boise Philharmonic in Idaho, and has performed locally with the Modesto, Santa Cruz, Monterey County, Berkeley and Oakland East Bay symphonies. As a soloist, Derick has performed both flute and piccolo concerti with the PaloAlto and Mission chamber orchestras as well as Symphony Parnassus and the Golden Gate Park Band. Derick holds a Masters Degree in Flute Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory.
Kris Palmer – flute/ piccolo, is a Second Prize winner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, a Carnegie Hall Recital Debut winner with Artists International, a First Prize winner in the Carmel Chamber Music Society Competition, and a recording artist with two album releases. Dr. Kris Palmer is the founder and director of The Black Cedar Trio, winners of four grants from the Zellerbach Foundation and InterMusic SF and creators of ten new commissions for flute, cello, and guitar. She is also the Artistic Director of Music at St. Jorge Winery, a former member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and former Principal Flutist with the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. With a D.M.A. from Rice University in 18th century ornamentation, Dr. Palmer conducts lectures and masterclasses throughout the United State on Baroque and Classical performance practices.
Keith Sklower – oboe – is currently in his 8th season as a member of the Golden Gate Park Band. Althoughretired as a staff programmer at UC Berkeley (with degrees in physics and mathematics), he nonetheless regards music-making as his reward in life, and has performed with many musical organizations, including the San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Freedom Band (31 years), the Prometheus Symphony Orchestra (25 years) the UC Berkeley Orchestra, the wind-band of the northern division of the French National Railroad (L’Harmonie du chemin de fer du Nord), and the California Bach Society. Mr. Sklower also serves as an audio archivist, and his recordings have aided several local groups, both amateur and professional, in applying for grants. One of his recordings of the Sonos handbell choir has been broadcast nationally on NPR. Keith serves on the board of GGPB.
Sarah Korneisel Jaegers – principal clarinet – began subbing with the Golden Gate Park Band in 2021 and was appointed to her current position in 2022. She also performs as principal clarinet with the Rhode Island Recording Ensemble, Latin quartet Araya, and the DesertLake Duo. She regularly performs with other ensembles in the Bay Area, including the Fresno Philharmonic, Santa Cruz Symphony, and Berkeley Playhouse. She previously performed in central Washington with the Walla Walla Symphony, the Mid-Columbia Symphony, and the Tri-Cities Big Band. Dr. Jaegers is the Clarinet Teaching Artist at Enriching Lives through Music (San Rafael), an instructor at Amabile School of Music (Moraga and San Francisco), Mentor Artist and Music Specialist with Youth in Arts (San Rafael), and maintains an active private studio. Since 2017, she has commissioned six new works for clarinet (as well as numerous new arrangements with Araya). An international performer since 2011, Dr. Jaegers has toured in countries throughout Europe. She has a strong interest in world music, expansion of the clarinet repertoire, and diversification of the canon. Dr. Jaegers holds a DMA in clarinet performance from The Ohio State University, an MM from Michigan State University, and BM and BA degrees from Iowa State University. Her principal teachers include Dr. Caroline Hartig, Dr. Guy Yehuda, and Dr. Gregory Oakes. For more information, please visit her website at https://www.sekjaegers.com.
Luis Cruz Escalante – clarinet, joined the band following auditions in the 2023 season. Luis is a Mexican-born clarinetist that received two music degrees in clarinet performance and music education under Sandra McPherson at the CSU Sacramento School of Music, and a masters degree under the instruction of Jerome Simas at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He maintains an active teaching studio in the East Bay, as well as a band director position with Oakdale Joint Unified School District.
Mike Ryan – Bb clarinet – also plays bass clarinet and saxophone. He holds a BA in Music from San Francisco State University, where he was Assistant Conductor of the Symphonic Band. He has also performed as first clarinet in the Pacific Philharmonic, and as a free lance performer throughout the Bay Area. He was a public school music educator for 27 years, and served for 11 years as a High School administrator.
Renée Deeter – Eb & Bb clarinet – has been performing professionally for over 30 years on Clarinet, Saxophone and Flute covering a broad range of music in a variety of styles from Classical to Jazz and Dixieland into Rock and Roll. She has performed throughout North America and Europe in many Jazz festivals, some of which include; Edinburgh, Bude, the Amsterdam Winter Festival, Montreal, St. Louis, Monterey, Sacramento and others too numerous to list. She has enjoyed working with some very notable artists and doing short stints with some; Cab Calloway, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Phil Harris, George Burns, Hal Linden to name a few. She was a member of The Turk Murphy Band including the Carnegie Hall performance and continued with the band until after it was disbanded following Turks passing. For 23 years her own band was featured at Marine World Africa USA. Currently she is still performing with numerous ensembles both locally and abroad including; appearances as a guest artist, her own Trio and Quartet, and as a member of the Fremont Symphony.
Lindsey Ha – clarinet – began subbing with the Golden Gate Park Band in 2022 before joining the band as a regular member in 2024. She holds a Bachelor of Music from UCLA and a Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a freelance musician, Lindsey performs with orchestras, bands, operas and ballet companies across the Bay Area. She also enjoys performing in chamber ensembles, musicals and in studio sessions. Her music has taken her all over the world, performing in countries such as Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Mexico. In addition to performing, she is also an educator currently working for Vacaville Unified School District.
Joffria Whitfield – clarinet – holds an AA, BA, Teaching Credential and MA -summa cum laude from Cal State East Bay. Miss Whitfield is a multi-instrumentalist, (strings, woodwinds, percussion, handbells), teacher and dancer. She is equally fluent in classical, jazz, gospel, and popular music. She has performed with the Santa Rosa, Napa, Modesto, Stockton, San Francisco Youth and Vallejo Symphonies and numerous music, theater and dance ensembles.
Additionally, Miss Whitfield maintains a private studio in Walnut Creek and teaches instrumental music in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. She has been a featured soloist with the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, New Millennium Strings, the First Sunday Series at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, (harp), and Cal State University East Bay’s memorial concert in honor of Nathan Rubin (viola).
In the fall of 2004, Miss Whitfield was selected to perform Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” with the University of the Virgin Islands’ Concert Choir and her own solo arrangement of “Silent Night” (harp). The concert was filmed by St. Thomas’ local television station.
Lawrence Rhodes – bassoon – Rejoined the band in the 2018 season. He was a member of the band decades ago under Robert Hansen when the band had two bassoons. He has substituted in the band on sax and bassoon. Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University. He has performed in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco in musical theater doubling sax, bassoon, clarinet and flute. He has also performed with the San Diego Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony as well as the opera in both cities. He was the personnel manager of the San Diego Ballet and has performed with with the San Francisco Ballet. He can also be heard on two Tom Waits albums, Black Rider and Mule Variations. He is very busy with the Freeway Philharmonic having contracts with four different orchestras.
Bill Aron – alto saxophone – has been a professional bay area musician for the last 45 years. He has performed with organizations such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Sun Valley Symphony as well as most of the “Freeway” symphonies of the SF bay area. His major performances have been with the San Francisco Saxophone Quartet, of which he was a member for more than 28 years. He has played many featured parts with several symphonies as well as the SF Conservatory, Other Minds and other organizations.
Jonah Cabral – alto saxophone, is a Bay Area based saxophonist from San Francisco, CA. He has been able to share the stage with highly respected musicians in both Jazz and Classical such as Carl Allen, Smith Dobson Jr, Nicholas Beard, Akira Tana, John Daversa, Andreas van Zoelen, Paul Cohen and many more. He has played throughout the world South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Slovakia and extensively throughout the United States. Jonah earned a Bachelor of Music from San Jose State University and a Masters from Fontys Conservatory in the Netherlands. During his studies he has performed in the top Jazz Ensembles, Wind Band, Orchestra and various formations of chamber music groups. Some of Jonah’s awards consist of being one of winners in La Jolla Symphony’s Young Artist Competition, a finalist Fremont Symphony’s Young Artist Competition, Delta Symphony’s Young Artist Competition and in the Northern American Saxophone Alliance National Competition.
Hal Richards – tenor saxophone – born in New York City, a versatile woodwind specialist (saxophones, flutes, clarinets, oboe and bassoon) has been performing and recording with many of the Bay Areas finest musicians since 1976. Currently performing with Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra and Septet, The Berkeley Saxophone Quartet, The Dave Parker Quintet, The California Pops Orchestra, and the Golden Gate Park Band, Hal has appeared with Carol Channing, Terry Gibbs, Eric Marienthal, Bill Perkins, Bob Florence, Omar Clay, Lenny Niehaus, Fred Radke, and at The North Beach Jazz Festival. As a Bay Area freelance musician, Hal also performs with many original Jazz and World music groups. Theater experience includes several musical productions, television soundtracks, the Bay Area Revels, San Francisco Children’s Opera, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Magic Theater, S.F. Playhouse, Broadway By the Bay, Marines Memorial Theater, Berkeley Playhouse, Contra Costa Musical Theater and the Peninsula Civic Light Opera. Classical endeavors have included various chamber groups, Bay Area orchestras, Verismo Opera and a stint with The Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra. Hal recently retired after a long and distinguished career as an instrumental music teacher in the San Francisco Public Schools.
Jeff Sanford – baritone sax – has been with the band for over 20 years. He is in great demand as a performer and teacher throughout the Bay Area. Check his web site for a biography and for news on his current projects, including the Cartoon Jazz Orchestra. website
Mark Nemoyten – solo trumpet/cornet – started playing as a substitute with the band in 1981. He became a regular member in 1996. He has performed many solos with the band, including the trumpet concertos of Hummel, Haydn, Artunian and Warren Barker , the Claude T Smith Rondo for Trumpet, The Debutante by Herbert L. Clark, and the The Carnival of Venice & Variation by J.B. Arban. Mark held the position of second trumpet for over twenty years with the late Napa Valley Symphony, and has performed as an extra or substitute member of the SF Opera, SF Ballet, The Russian National Orchestra, and many regional orchestras, including the Santa Rosa Symphony, Sacramento Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Modesto Symphony among others. He performs with many Jazz and Pop music groups, and as a soloist, recording artist and chamber musician. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Corte Madera Town Band, a community concert band based in Marin County.
Mark has been a private trumpet teacher and music educator in public and private Bay Area schools for over 35 years. He also has an audio recording and production company, Hear and Now Audio and has worked as a live sound engineer. For a detailed biography please see his website. Mark now serves at the President of the Golden Gate Park Band and is the web master for the band.
Michelle Latimer – trumpet – is also an accomplished singer and jazz recording artist. Michelle joined the GGPB in 2003. Check her website for a complete bio. Michelle serves on the board of directors of GGPB as Vice President and principal Grant Manager and Writer.
Eric Wayne – trumpet – joined the band in 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He has an active freelance performing career in the Bay Area. He is also a professional audio engineer and has started his own music label, Digital Victrola. Eric serve s on the board of directors of GGPB as Secretary and is our Music Librarian.
Dr. Alia Kuhnert, trumpet (acting), is a native San Franciscan who began playing trumpet at age ten. Alia originally chose the trumpet to disturb the peace and annoy her mom but ended up falling in love with the instrument. Growing up, she studied piano and was a member of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, where she performed all over the Bay Area and sang regularly at Davis Symphony Hall. Today, you can see her perform in groups such as Oakland Symphony, Marin Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Modesto Symphony, Stockton Symphony, and more. Committed to education, Alia is a faculty member at SFCM PreCollege Division, East Bay Center for Performing Arts, Schools of Sacred Heart and Cazadero Music Camp. She conducts weekly coaching sessions and masterclasses at schools all over the Bay Area and maintains a private studio of successful trumpet players of all ages and experience levels.
Alia received her Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory, her Masters of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University in New York. While living and performing in New York, Alia was a founding member of eGALitarian, an all female brass ensemble dedicated to inspiring and improving the lives of women and was a regular substitute teacher at the Juilliard PreCollege. Her principal teachers include Catherine Murtagh, Ben Wright of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tom Siders of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Kevin Cobb of the American Brass Quintet.
Tom Bertetta – trumpet – joined the band as a regular member in 2016, after acting as a substitute for many years. Tom holds a Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance from San Jose State University. He has worked as a professional trumpet player and teacher in the SF Bay Area for over 35 years.
Dr. Jon Mayhew Anderson – Principal French horn – joined the band following auditions in April 2024. A native of Northern California, Jon Mayhew Anderson is currently a full time musician with the United States Air Force Band, performing in several ensembles and managing operations. Additionally, Jon performs extensively as a freelance musician throughout Northern California, including Santa Rosa Symphony, California Symphony, Opera San Jose, Oakland Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Music in the Mountains, Fresno Philharmonic and others.
Jon’s education includes a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Miami in Florida,, a Masters in Performance from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Davis. His primary teachers include Mars Gelfo, Elizabeth Freimuth, Richard Deane, Eric Ruske, Pete Nowlen and Alexander Kienle.
Diane Ryan – French horn – joined the band in 1997. An active free lancer, she also performs regularly with the West Bay Opera, Theatreworks, the Brass Act Quintet, Schola Cantorum, and many other groups. Diane received her B.A. in performance from San Francisco State University.
Daven J. Tjaarda-Hernandez – Principal trombone, joined the Golden Gate Park Band after regional auditions in 2024.
Curtis Azevedo-2nd Trombone-has enjoyed an increasingly diverse career as a trombonist. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in trombone performance in 2017 and 2021, respectively, from San José State University. There, Curtis was mentored by well-known Bay Area trombonist Tom Hornig. Curtis also has received tutelage from esteemed players such as Mike Hoffman, Henry Henniger, and Tim Conner. He finds himself equally as comfortable on the stage in orchestras such as the Berkeley, Monterey, and Stanford Symphonies as he is under the stage in pit orchestras with local youth, college and community musical theater companies. In addition to both tenor and bass trombone, Curtis has also utilized his self-taught skills as a timpanist/percussionist in the San Jose Wind Symphony, San Ramon Symphonic Band, and the Ohlone Wind Orchestra. When he isn’t embarking across the Bay Area for a gig, Curtis spends his time in Oakland adding to his record collection and frequenting movie theaters to enjoy classic cinema. Curtis joined GGPB during the 2023 season.
Ryan Liu – bass trombone – studied trombone performance at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University under Dr. Denson Paul Pollard and Dr. Brittany Lasch. He has played with WayneWallace Latin Jazz Ensemble, IU Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductors Orchestra, and Trombone Choir. He joined the band in 2023.
Mike Basta – euphonium – became a substitute with GGPB in 2013 and is now a regular. A native of Oakland, he grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from Cal State University, Hayward, with a BA in music. Mike has played with numerous groups in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Symphony and the Ice Follies. He also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, accompanying such notable musicians as John Faddis, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He has also played regularly as principal trombonist for the Fremont Symphony, Cambrian Symphony, South Bay Symphony, Saratoga Symphony, Holy Names College Orchestra, the San Ramon Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Chabot College Orchestra, and the municipal bands of Hayward, Fremont, and lastly, San Leandro, for which he was also Assistant Director.
Bin Love – principal tuba, received Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from The Juilliard School, where his principal teachers were Warren Deck, Dave Fedderly, and Joseph Alessi. He is a versatile freelance tuba player with experience in genres ranging from solo, band, and orchestral to jazz, dixieland, and circus. He has been a lecturer in tuba at Columbia University and the St Thomas Choir School in New York. His performance credits include the Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Washington Symphonic Brass. Bin substituted in GGPB starting in the 2022 season, and was appointed to a regular position with the band following regional auditions in 2023.
Steve Doherty – electric bass – joined GGPB in August 1984. Steve studied electric bass with guitarist Warren Nunes and studied piano with Gilda Monte. He holds a business degree from CSU East Bay. He has worked in music publishing as an editor and copyist and is the coauthor of several music instruction books including The Complete Book of Chords, Jazz Piano, and Improvisation Techniques for Jazz Bass. One of his many talented students was the late bass legend Cliff Burton. As a bassist, he has performed in just about every city and community in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. When not playing with the Park Band, you can often find Steve as a 25+ year docent volunteer at the nearby California Academy of Sciences.
Robert Hamaker – percussion – graduated from Los Medanos College in 1979 with his degree AA in Music. and Cal State Hayward in 1983 with his BA in Music Performance. While at CSUH he studied with Jack Van Geem (former Principal Percussionist with San Francisco Symphony) and Jerry Neff (former Principal Percussionist of The Oakland Symphony). He studied drum-set and Jazz Drumming for over 30 years under Chuck Brown. He has private teaching studios in Walnut Creek, House of Woodwinds in San Ramon, and Fiat Music in Pinole. He was on the Faculty at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg for over 10 yrs, where he taught private students and directed the LMC Percussion Ensemble. He is currently Principal Percussionist for Vallejo Symphony Orchestra and has been Principal Percussionist, Personnel and Stage Manager for Diablo Symphony Orchestra for over 35 years. And is the Timpanist with the Walnut Creek Concert Band. He is a long time permanent member of Pacific Sticks Percussion Ensemble and has played percussion concerts in hundreds of schools and performance venues all over the Bay Area and beyond with them. He also holds the principal drum chair with the Golden Gate Park Band, and for the SF Speakeasy, an immersive Theater show in San Francisco. Robert has been a featured soloist with numerous groups. You will find him playing with many other Symphonies, Bands, and Theater groups all around the Bay Area. For more you may visit his website roberthamaker.com
David Dieni – timpani/ percussion – is a graduate of both the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and San Francisco Conservatory. As a drummer and percussionist, his experience encompasses everything from rock to classical, jazz, and musicals.
David is currently timpanist with the Golden Gate Park Band and percussionist with the California Pops. He’s served as principal percussionist with the Napa Symphony and assistant principal with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Stockton Symphony. He’s performed with the Mendocino Festival Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony (MA). During his career, David has been fortunate to perform with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Dave Brubeck, Carol Channing and Judy Collins.
As theater drummer, David was in the West Coast revival of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Marin Theater Company; performed with Sharon McKnight in California Cabaret’s production of Ruthless! and with Lee Meriwether in Happy End. He’s performed in many shows with Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Broadway By The Bay and Woodminster Summer Musicals.
In 2017 David published his first book: Drumming In All Directions- A System for Achieving Creative Control. Modern Drummer calls it, “An extensive take on developing coordination from the ground up.” The print edition is published by Hal Leonard, digital version published by Wisdom Media on Hudson Music.
David maintains a busy teaching schedule at his SF Drum School, which has proved an active training ground for the next generation of drummers and percussionists.
