The SACC has graciously requested COSA musicians perform with the choir in presenting a program of choral masterworks by Bach and Handel. These pieces have rarely been heard in San Antonio and form a program entitled Deep Water, which reflects a precious natural resource and the spiritual refreshment of these deeply felt works: the magnificent Ascension Oratorio Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, the stirring Cantata 131: From Out of the Depths I Cry Unto Thee, and Handel’s Coronation Anthem, The King Shall Rejoice.

“I hope that this is the first of many collaborations with COSA,” said Helen Martin, Executive Director of SACC. Lori Skinner, COSA’s Executive Director: “This type of partnership with the renowned Chamber Choir fits so well with COSA’s mission.”  On Mother’s Day weekend, honor your mother’s presence or memory by experiencing Deep Water, the closing program of the Chamber Choir’s 2011-2012 season. Tickets are available at www.sachamberchoir.org and at the door: $5 students / $15 senior & military / $20 general.

Read the complete story about the evening at:   http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/life_columnists/nancy_cook_monroe/article/Cook-Monroe-Picasso-exhibit-is-perfect-fit-for-3424379.php

SAN ANTONIO

Ms. Skinner’s role for the past few months has been very significant, and as COSA gets ready for its Inaugural Season this fall, the Board realizes the importance of appointing Ms. Skinner to the position permanently.  Ms. Skinner received Board Certification in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“We have been very impressed with Ms. Skinner’s abilities, hard work, and experience,” said Mario Vazquez, COSA Board Chair.  “We have generated a tremendous amount of momentum and achieved incredible organizational structure under her leadership, and we know that she will continue to provide that impetus toward our first season.”

Skinner is the mother or twin boys who are intellectually disabled.  For 22 years, she has been involved in the special needs community, including the Special Olympics and the Northside ISD.  This engagement will be an invaluable asset as COSA looks to fulfill part of its mission by performing concerts for the special needs community.  Skinner is also proud of her daughter who plays violin for her high school orchestra.

Skinner is headquartered at COSA’s downtown office space, located at 400 N. St. Mary’s, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78205.

The Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and opens its first season in Fall 2012.  It is devoted to cultivating the realm of classical music for new and versed music lovers through education, performances, and festivals that present rarely experienced as well as timeless works.  In addition to the “typical” concertgoer, COSA hopes to reach children and adults with special needs, the elderly, the underprivileged and underserved populations, as well as minorities.

COSA Board Member, Mahendra C. Patel, MD, who specializes in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and practices at Methodist Children’s Hospital and Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, has generously offered to sponsor this performance for the young patients at Methodist Children’s Hospital.  In the spirit of the holiday season, COSA’s Quintet visited each floor of the hospital, taking classical holiday music directly to the children.

Part of the Chamber Orchestra’s mission is to use its flexibility to share the emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits of classical music to listeners wherever they may be.  Dr. Patel says, “I could think of no better way to do that than to have COSA play here during the holidays to bring some joy to these precious kids.”  The quintet finished with a performance in the hospital lobby for the public and for the ever-diligent hospital staff who care deeply for their patients.  Mark McLoone, CEO, Methodist Children’s Hospital:  “We are so grateful to Dr. Patel and COSA for giving their time and talents to serve these kids and our medical community.”

The Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and opens its first season in Fall 2012. It is devoted to cultivating the realm of classical music for new and versed music lovers through education, performances, and festivals that present rarely experienced as well as timeless works. In addition to the ‘typical’ concertgoer, COSA hopes to reach children and adults with special needs, the elderly, the underprivileged and underserved populations, as well as minorities.

See the interview on Telemundo

Vazquez has a long history of community involvement in both San Antonio and Laredo, where he was reared. He comes to KLRN from NuStar Energy where he was the head of the Contract Administration Department. For the past 3 years he has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alamo Public Telecommunications Council (aka KLRN-TV). It was there that his passion for the arts and for Public Television were ignited. “San Antonio has an abundance of world-class arts organizations that deserve more visibility and support and I’m glad to be a part of this community. Arts programming is a core part of KLRN’s mission and is a vehicle for communicating it to the community. This is the perfect fit,” said Vazquez.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from UTSA, Vazquez has also commenced his MBA. His passion for the arts and education is clearly demonstrated by the organizations he serves, including: the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, the San Antonio River Foundation, and the Old Spanish Missions Advisory Committee. He previously served on the Board of the San Antonio Symphony, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum and currently Co-Chairs the Mahendra and Kirti Patel Endowed Scholarship for Ethics and Humanity in Medical Education at the UTHSCSA, as well as being a Co-Chair for the UTSA “Great Conversation!” Committee.

KLRN President & CEO, William G. Moll said, “Mario brings exceptional skills to this new position. He was trained as a classical pianist, practiced as a paralegal, holds a degree in political science, and has long demonstrated a commitment of service to the communities of San Antonio, Laredo and South Central Texas. He will be an invaluable asset to KLRN, to the community, and to the many organizations with whom we partner.”

KLRN-TV

KLRN-TV is the Public Television station for South Central Texas and broadcasts to a 30-county region. The mission of KLRN is to enrich the lives of people throughout South Central Texas through the power of communication – providing quality programs and services that advance education, art and culture, and community.

Learn more about KLRN:  www.klrn.org

Consultant:  Marketing, Public Relations and Development

Carolyn has lived in San Antonio for 27 years and likes to say she’s ‘from here.’  She has lived in New Mexico and New Jersey, having had a parent from each state.  Carolyn’s mission is to serve nonprofit organizations and their volunteers, staff and donors, with her knowledge and understanding in fundraising, public relations and marketing.  She has helped the American Red Cross, San Antonio Symphony, Animal Defense League and YMCA of Greater San Antonio grow as a staff member and served on several nonprofit boards as a volunteer officer. 

Carolyn most recently helped the San Antonio Area of the American Red Cross establish a special philanthropic group of local donors in the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders.  She is currently working with the Fort Sam Houston Preservation Society to fund and build the new Fort Sam Houston Museum and School of Military History.  In addition to serving the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, she is a current member of The Oakes Club and serves on the Program Committee.

Carolyn served as marketing communications director of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio for almost fifteen years, where she helped the Y grow from an eight million dollar human services organization with eight area branches to an eighteen million dollar agency with twelve branch YMCAs.

Carolyn is a current member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in San Antonio and a former president of the American Marketing Association, San Antonio Chapter.  She has also served on the board and chaired the Council for Lion’s Field Adult and Senior Citizen Center where renovation plans and a thrift store were established during her tenure as chair.  She is also a past president of American Women in Radio and Television here in San Antonio and won 2^nd in the nation in what’s now known as the Gracie Awards, in the talk show category.

Carolyn’s mother and siblings are living in various locations along the east coast and she has one daughter who is a veterinarian in Magnolia, Texas and one grandson.  She enjoys sailing, archeology and music of all kinds.

COSA Development Co-Chair

Executive Vice President & Station Manager, KLRN-TV

Interim Board Chair, Ballet San Antonio

Mario Vazquez was born in San Antonio, but spent his formative years in Laredo, Texas graduating from JW Nixon High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has credits toward an MBA. He is the Executive Vice President and Station Manager of KLRN-TV in San Antonio.

Vazquez is the founding Chairman of the Board of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio and serves on the Boards of the San Antonio River Foundation, Old Spanish Missions Advisory Board (Las Misiones), and Advisory Board of Ballet San Antonio. He currently Co-Chairs the Mahendra and Kirti Patel Endowed Scholarship for Ethics and Humanity in Medical Education at the UTHSCSA and Co-Chairs the UTSA Great Conversation! Committee. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the San Antonio Symphony, Alamo Public Telecommunications Council (aka KLRN-TV) and the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in Cuero, Texas.

Mario has served in many capacities in political campaigns at the Federal, State and local levels for over 25 years. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison appointed Mario to her Steering Committee for Governor where he Chaired a section for Bexar County, and was recently appointed by George P. Bush to serve on the Steering Committee of Hispanic Republicans of Texas; he has served as delegate to state and national political conventions as well as leadership appointments. Mario served as Podium Page for President Reagan at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas.

Vazquez is former classical pianist having studied 14 years of private piano study. He continues to play for pleasure and his service on the Chamber Orchestra Board keeps him close to his musical passion while continuing his community work and support through KLRN.

Paul M. Montalvo, born and raised in San Antonio, has worked as a firefighter for the City of San Antonio for over 15 years.  He owes his love for classical music to his parents who introduced him to piano lessons at a young age.  From that gift grew his strong desire to pursue the study of music in his mid-twenties.

Paul Received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Composition from The University of Texas at San Antonio where he studied composition with Dr. James Balentine and Dr. David Heuser, with an Emphasis in Piano from Dr. Elisenda Fabregas.  During and following the completion of his degree Paul studied conducting with Mr. Wayne Wyman and participated in Conducting Workshops in the Czech Republic, Miami, and San Francisco.  His instructors included Mr. Larry Rachleff, Mr. Kirk Trevor, Mr. Johannes Schlaefli, and Mr. Tsung Yeh.

Paul continues to fervently study classical music, with a concentration in conducting.  As a co-founder, Board Member, and the Artistic Director for COSA, Paul is eager to serve the community and help present classical music to a wider audience through education and performance.

Valero Energy Corporation

Robert C. Ehlers, Staff Environmental Engineer for Valero Energy Corporation, has for the last seven years managed environmental liability and ambient monitoring projects, consulted for resource recovery initiatives, and advised on federal regulatory affairs. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Upon completion of his degrees, he worked at the nonprofit Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio for ten years. He is a local member of the Air & Waste Management Association and provides financial support to the Sunshine Cottage School for the Deaf.

Though Robert is an engineer by profession, he has always enjoyed literature, the visual and dramatic arts, and music as a balance to his more rational endeavors. In addition to being married to a concert pianist, Silvia Santinelli, he grew up listening to his mother, Elaine George Ehlers, perform organ recitals. This exposure to music, along with his family’s perseverance and patience, helped Robert overcome his severe hearing loss with communication skills that enabled him to attend public school and university despite doctors’ denial of that possibility. Aside from being a high-level tennis player, Robert has played at varying levels of proficiency the clarinet, piano, organ, guitar, and violin.

As an avid listener and collector of classical music, Robert has traveled nationwide in pursuit of quality performances of chamber music, solo pieces, and symphonic works, while enjoying more than sixty opera productions. As a Co-Founder, Board Member, and Artistic Advisor to COSA, and as a native Texan who has lived in San Antonio for most of his life, he hopes to further serve the San Antonio community, including the disabled, with his abiding esteem for the fine arts.

JD is the co-owner of a consulting company, Garza-English & Associates.  He is currently consulting for the United States Air Force where he is evaluating, standardizing and replacing outdated Information Systems.  After 37 years of military service, he retired in 2003.  He spent seven years enlisted service in the United States Marine Corp and then transferred to the United States Air Force where he graduated as a distinguished graduate from Officer Candidate School and served his remaining years as a Fighter Pilot.   He received many rewards for serving his country throughout his career.  JD also retired as an International Pilot for American Airlines.

As a native San Antonian, JD graduated from Highlands High School.  He then received a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University.   In his years of volunteer service, he served on the Board of the Mental Health Association in Greater San Antonio, the San Antonio Airport Advisory Board and was the Texas Air National Guard Community Liaison Officer.  Other volunteer activities included many years of mentoring at-risk students, building homes for Habitat for Humanity and the Children’s Hospital fund-raisers.

His interest in music greatly increased over the years as his son, Joseph Gonzalez, matriculated at the University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern University in the field of music.  He is now a premiere percussionist who has studied with the top percussionists in the country.  Joseph recently completed his summer performance with the Aspen Music Festival and he currently performs with the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the New World Symphony in Florida.  JD and his wife, Anna, attend all of his performances.

Secretary

Heart and Soul-Mates

Innovative Encounters, LLC

Melanie Matcek is a rare breed: a San Antonio native, and the only Certified Matchmaker and Relationship Coach for singles in San Antonio and South Texas.  There are currently only 305 Certified Matchmakers worldwide.  Describing herself as a “business-minded romantic”, Melanie coupled her background in the security industry with her desire to help people find happiness and fulfillment in their lives.  She formed Innovative Encounters, LLC in March, 2007, earned her Certification in Matchmaking in April, 2007 at the Matchmaking Institute in New York, and opened for business as Heart and Soul-Mates in May, 2008.  To further assist her clients, Melanie has subsequently become a Relationship Coach for Singles.  This enhancement to her business was a smart coupling further assisting the singles she works with.

A dedicated mother of two sons and an entrepreneur with a vision, Melanie’s commitment to service in the community is outstanding as well.  For many years she has been an active volunteer for the Greater San Antonio Tourism Council, North Chamber Golf Tournament Committee, and has organized a singles event for the Habitat for Humanity-”Grab a Hammer and Show Some Heart”.  She was nominated and was a finalist in 2009 for the North Chamber Small Business Leaders Award.  Ms. Matcek has been interviewed and published in Texas Monthly, The San Antonio Business Journal, San Antonio Magazine, WOAI Radio, and KENS5.com/KHOU.com.  Melanie has also been featured on WOAI’s San Antonio Living and KENS5′s Eyewitness News Saturday Morning offering relationship advice.  She also enjoys freelance writing on the topic of love, relationships and dating.

Graciela A. Cigarroa is a private practice attorney specializing in nonprofit law.  Cigarroa serves as past chair of the Mental Health Association of Texas, co-chair of The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio’s Council for Excellence in Women’s Health and is chair elect of the Women’s Leadership Council, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.   She also has a gubernatorial appointment on the Department of State Health Services Council. Cigarroa is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association, the San Antonio Bar Foundation and the State Bar of Texas and is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. She serves on a number of community boards including San Antonio Opera, San Antonio Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. Cigarroa received her Bachelor’s and Law Degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and a Master of Laws from Boston University School of Law.

Partner/President

Guerra-DeBerry-Coody

Trish DeBerry began her career as a reporter, anchor and producer at KENS-TV, where she worked for a decade before launching her career in public relations.  She joined Guerra DeBerry Coody as Partner in 1995, and has since made a strong name for herself by negotiating clients through divisive community issues.  She has applied her leadership and expertise on projects for San Antonio Water System to spread awareness of the water utility’s positive impact in our community.   For H-E-B Grocery, Trish has led the public relations team through crisis management, community relations and public involvement campaigns for 10+ years.   She also works with Forestar Real Estate Group on developments throughout the city that focus on taking the San Antonio lifestyle to the next level, while maintaining environmentally friendly building standards

As a passionate advocate for community improvement and advancement, Trish has aided initiatives for educational reform, improved transportation and the betterment of quality of life for San Antonio residents.   Recently, Trish was behind a campaign to extend the city’s visitor tax to fund improvements to the AT&T Center, extend the River Walk by 14 miles and build youth sporting facilities throughout the city.   Additionally, Trish was a guiding force behind two successful votes that approved a $675 million bond package to improve the offerings of the North East Independent School District (NEISD).

Trish is highly involved in the SAISD Foundation and is a founding board member of the South Texas Hispanic Fund.  Other boards of note that Trish commits her time and talents to include the San Antonio Children’s Museum Board, San Antonio Literacy Board, Downtown Alliance Board, San Antonio Downtown Rotary Board, Free Trade Alliance Board and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where she served as Vice Chair, Public Affairs Committee Chair and Communications Committee Chair.

Her success has been well recognized through awards and honors including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the NEISD Outstanding Alumni Award and the National Association of Women Business Owners Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.

La Prensa

Texas A&M University-San Antonio

On Friday, February 12, 2010, The Texas A&M System Board of Regents named Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier the first president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.   Her history with TAMU-SA began in April 2008 with her appointment as executive director when the university was operating as a system center.   The next year Ferrier was named interim president, and was the force behind the university’s recent growth and development to successfully become designated as a stand-alone institution of higher learning.  Ferrier continues to provide dynamic and energetic executive leadership; on-site coordination of academic, administrative, and student services; vision and guidance in strategic planning; and collaboration with external constituencies from the local community and businesses as well as local, state and national leaders.

Prior to her career with A&M-San Antonio, Ferrier held a number of national education appointments.   In 2002, President George W. Bush named Ferrier to direct the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students in the U. S. Department of Education.   She rose first to Deputy Undersecretary and next to Assistant Deputy Secretary, serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Education on all matters pertaining to limited-English proficient students, and Hispanics in general.   Ferrier also advised businesses and organizations with an interest in building or expanding education partnerships as a liaison between chambers of commerce across the nation and the Department of Education.

Other national appointments include the Corporation for National and Community Service, whose mission is to strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering; and, in 1992, Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander appointed her to Director of Bilingual Education & Minority Language Affairs.

Ferrier currently serves on the Hispanic-Serving School Districts/Hispanic Serving Institutions Advisory Council for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and University (HACU).   Her prior involvement with HACU includes serving as co-chair of the HACU National Leadership Team, a group of college and university presidents committed to higher education success for Hispanics.   In this capacity, and as part of the secretary’s cabinet, she delivered presentations in Spanish in front of the Mexican Minister of Education as a representative of the United States at the annual Bi-National Meeting in Mexico.   She also formed the department’s faith-based Hispanic task force, whose mission was to reach and apprise parents of English language learners of their rights and opportunities under the new educational federal law.

Ferrier is an active member of the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors (CPUPC), a forum of chief executive officers of Texas public universities that encourages inter-institutional cooperation in meeting the state’s goals for higher education.   The organization recently made recommendations concerning opportunities to increase the number of students transferring from community colleges to institutions of higher learning, an increasingly relevant discussion in public higher education.

Ferrier’s accomplishments include the creation, development and/or implementation of many highly successful programs, such as City Year, a national service organization that became the model for the now federally-funded program known as AmeriCorps; the first elementary school chapter of Students Against Driving Drunk; Partners in Pride, the first in-school mentoring program in Texas; “Safety Kids”; Helping Academic Leadership Through Theater; the Community Resource Fair; Nimitz 50, a school/business partnership with Valero Energy Corporation; “The Nimitz Blue,” matching adjudicated youngsters with police officers serving as mentors; the Southwest ISD/Kelly AFB Mentoring Partnership; and the multi-district Partnership School for expelled and adjudicated youngsters.  Many of these model programs have been replicated in other schools throughout the nation.

Ferrier has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Golden Deeds Award from  the Administrative Leadership Institute (2010); the San Antonio Silver Stars’ “Women of Inspiration” Award; San Antonio University Roundtable’s “Best and Brightest” Award (2009); the Life of Idealism Award from City Year-San Antonio (2005); the Hispanic Heritage Award from the Department of Labor (2003); the “Point of Light” designation from the White House (1990); the Minority Leadership Award from the National Community Education Association (1989); and the Imagineer Award from the Mind Science Foundation (1988).

In 1999, Our Lady of the Lake University chose Ferrier as the first Distinguished Visiting Professor for the doctoral program of the university’s Center for Leadership Studies.

Ferrier served as the general editor for the Handbook on Choosing Your Child’s Education (2007), published by Focus on the Family, and provided the editor’s foreword for the newly released book, Arise & Ascend – A Woman’s Cry to Freedom (2009), published by Xulon Press.

Ferrier has been named the spokesperson for San Antonio’s No Kill campaign, “Talk About It.” She currently serves on the board of directors for a variety of organizations, including the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, Southwest Independent School District Foundation, KLRN-TV Public Television, Southwest General Hospital and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Lackland AFB Joint Land-Use Study Executive & Advisory Committee, and serves on the HACU Hispanic-Serving School Districts/Hispanic-Serving Institutions Advisory Council.

Ferrier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and a Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a Doctorate of Educational Administration from Texas A&M University.

Community Leader

The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio

William L. Henrich, M.D., M.A.C.P., is President of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.  Dr. Henrich, a specialist in kidney diseases with expertise in dialysis therapy, blood pressure regulation and effects of atherosclerosis on kidney function, was named to the presidency in June 2009.  From 2006 to 2009, he was Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at the Health Science Center.  A graduate of Baylor College of Medicine and author of more than 380 scientific publications, Dr. Henrich was recruited to San Antonio from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he chaired the medicine department and held an endowed chair.  He previously enjoyed a distinguished tenure as a faculty physician at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  Among his numerous honors, he served as President of the prestigious American Society of Nephrology in 2006-2007, and his stellar career achievements resulted in selection as a Master of the American College of Physicians (M.A.C.P.).  He remains clinically active, serving as an attending physician on the renal consult service at University Hospital and the Audie L. Murphy Division of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System and is active in kidney research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.  As President of the Health Science Center, he oversees a $750 million budget, 6,000 employees, and activities such as the recent construction of the $106 million Medical Arts and Research Center, a state-of-the-art ambulatory care center that was opened in 2009 in the South Texas Medical Center, and a $150 million modern research facility that will be opened in 2011.

She founded JJM Consulting, a boutique financial consulting firm that provides clients with practical and immediate leadership in accounting and finance disciplines as well as in strategic initiatives, in 2008, after completing a transaction as CEO of Analytical Surveys, Inc. (“ASI”), in which Axion International Holdings, Inc. (“Axion”) acquired a controlling interest in ASI.  Ms. Jones served as Chief Financial Officer ASI, a publicly held energy and geo-spatial mapping company from January 2004, until she was elected Chief Executive Officer in December 2004, and in which capacity she served until March 23, 2008.  Ms. Jones has also served as chief financial officer of a four other publicly held company and was a partner with Tatum CFO Partners LLP.

COSA Education Chair

Music Educator

Anna Kiefer Piano Studio

Northeast Lakeview College

Anna Kiefer has been a music educator in San Antonio for over twelve years.  She is the creator of and teacher at the Anna Kiefer Piano Studio, an independent music studio where she teaches piano, music theory, and basic composition to over fifty children and adults.  She is also a member of the adjunct faculty at Northeast Lakeview College, where she teaches class piano, applied piano, and music appreciation.

Originally from Iowa, Anna moved to San Antonio to attend Trinity University, where she received, with honors, a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Performance (Piano) and a minor in German.  At Trinity, she studied piano with Carolyn True and completed additional studies in composition with Timothy Kramer, which resulted in the premiere of her piece for full orchestra, Leonardo and Janet, by the San Antonio Symphony.  Anna continued her education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she graduated with a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance, studying with Elizabeth Gutierrez.

Anna has won several awards and scholarships, most notably the prestigious Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which gave her the opportunity to study for one year at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany, where she studied with renowned German pedagogue, Uli Molsen.  During her time in Stuttgart, Anna attended seminars and researched German methods, techniques, and philosophies of piano pedagogy.  She also assisted in undergraduate student-teacher pedagogic training.  Furthermore, she served as a cultural ambassador, representing Rotary District 5840 by giving presentations on American life and culture to ESL classes and Rotary clubs.

In addition to piano, Anna has extensive experience as a cellist, playing for nine years in school and community youth orchestras.  She was an All-State cellist twice in the state of Iowa and, while in high school, accepted an invitation to perform in the United States Youth String Ensemble on their European tour.  In San Antonio, she spent two years as an assistant string teacher in the North East Independent School District’s fifth grade strings program.

Anna is fond of developing and directing special programs for students that enhance their musical experiences.  Examples of past student programs include: interaction with a living composer and a festival of their works, a multi-piano ensemble concert and fundraiser that benefited the USO’s Injured Soldiers’ Fund, and a course of study that explored the relationship between visual art and music.

In addition to COSA, Anna is involved with many other music organizations.  She is the current Arts Awareness and Advocacy Chair for the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA), and serves as TMTA’s representative to the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education.  She is the treasurer and a board member of the Crownridge Music Club, which is the local affiliate of the National Federation of Music Clubs and the Texas Federation of Music Clubs.  Anna is also a member of the San Antonio Music Teachers Association and the Music Teachers National Association.

Anna is very much looking forward to serving as the Education Chair for COSA!

KENS5-TV

Deborah Knapp is an Emmy award-winning anchor who has been inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame.   She knew at the age of 14 she wanted to be a reporter when she took a creative writing class at MacArthur High School here in San Antonio.   After getting her degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, Deborah began her broadcasting career in San Antonio.

She was hired by the CBS owned and operated station in Philadelphia, WCAU-TV.   While there, she was awarded an Emmy as Best Television News Anchor.   After the birth of her daughter, Deborah decided to return to San Antonio.  She has been back at KENS 5 since 1987.

Deborah currently co-anchors KENS 5 Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. and regularly reports.   She has had numerous national and international assignments including covering the tragedy at Columbine and was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit and provided live reports for South Texas viewers.  She regularly reports on religious issues and traveled to the Vatican to cover the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

In 1999, she helped launch the KENS 5 Excel Award, recognizing an outstanding public school teacher from every local district.  Education and community service are important to Deborah and in 1994 she established a scholarship at her Alma Mater,The University of Texas.   Each year a San Antonio student who has demonstrated a commitment to community is awarded the Deborah Knapp Scholarship to help pay for his or her education. Active in the community, Deborah is currently serving on the boards of Any Baby Can, the Boy Scouts of America, and Prevent Blindness.   She was also selected to serve on the Las Misiones Capital Campaign to raise money to restore San Antonio’s historic Mission churches. Deborah is the mother of two children.

Private Banking Manager

AmegyBank of Texas

Howard joined Amegy Bank in 2009 to establish a private banking division in San Antonio.  In this role, he is responsible for increasing Amegy’s focus on the affluent market, in addition to managing the private banking division’s overall strategy, growth and performance.  Before joining Amegy, he spent the last 10 years in various leadership and advisor roles for JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America in both a domestic and international capacity.

He earned an MBA in International Business from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio and received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin.

He is actively involved with the San Antonio Downtown Rotary Club, The University of the Incarnate Word, Leadership San Antonio, The Witte Museum, the McNay Museum, the San Antonio Zoo, Young Texans Against Cancer, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, Bexar County Medical Society, San Antonio Medical Group Management Association, First Presbyterian Church.

San Antonio Symphony

Ken-David Masur first attracted international attention in 2007 when he won the audition of the San Antonio Symphony and became its Resident Conductor beginning in the 2007-2008 season.  During the San Antonio Symphony’s 08-09 season, Masur will conduct the complete Pops, Young People’s Concerts, Interactive Family Concerts and neighborhood series concerts, as well as concerts for New Year’s Eve, the Nutcracker with the Ballet San Antonio, and all other special events such as Veterans Day and the Tobin Endowment Memorial Day Concert, which is annually broadcast live on public television.

Ken Masur, San Antonio Symphony’s Resident Conductor, is a “brilliant and commanding” [from the Leipziger Volkszeitung] conductor with “unmistakable charisma” [from the Bild].  This high praise has followed Ken Masur since his conducting debut in 1998.  He co-founded the Columbia University Bach Society Orchestra and Choir in 1999 and as its first Music Director, regularly led performances of cantatas, oratorios, symphonies, operas, chamber music and choral works from the 17th to the 20th century, appearing at such venues as New York City’s Miller Theatre, Riverside Church, The 92nd Street Y, the German Consulate and the University Club.  Under Masur’s leadership, the Bach Society released its debut CD in 2002, which included works by J.S. Bach as well as symphonies by Bach’s two oldest sons, W.F. and C.P.E. Bach.  The Bach Society’s 2001 concert tour of Germany was met with critical acclaim, prompting one critic from the Leipziger Volkszeitung to write about its performance and staging of Handel’s opera Acis and Galatea, “The marvellous score could simply not have been any better realized.”  Masur was also music director of the Columbia Orchestra for Asian Music and in 2002 conducted the Manhattan School of Music Laureate orchestra made up of principal players of the New York Philharmonic and their students.

During the 2004-2005 season, Masur served as Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France, covering such large-scale works as Honnegger’s Jeanne d’Arc and Grieg’s Peer Gynt.  When he prepared J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion in 2005 with the Chœur de Radio France and the children’s choir, La Maîtrise de Radio France, subsequent reviews of that concert repeatedly praised the choirs’ performance: “Of the entire production, it was the choruses who shined and did justice to Bach’s masterwork, . . . [delivering] a penetrating reading of [The Passion’s] heavenly polyphony and powerful balancing of voices” [ResMusica].  Masur has since then been a frequent guest conductor of the Chœur de Radio France, with whom he led its first-time collaboration with the orchestra of the Paris Conservatory in the 2005-2006 season opening concert.  In 2006-2007, Masur gave a conducting master class for the choral conductors of the 4800-member Hong Kong Children’s Choir, collaborated with Sir Colin Davis in Orchestre National de France’s production of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, and led the Youth Orchestra of Opole, Poland as part of the 2007 annual EuroSilesia Festival.  Concerts in prior season also have included Masur’s debut with the Orchestre National de Toulouse, the Rio de Janeiro Symphony, as well as with the Fort Bend Symphony in Texas.

As the San Antonio Symphony’s Resident Conductor for the 2009-2010 season, Masur will conduct twenty-four performances in the San Antonio Symphony’s Young People’s Concert Series, four performances in the Family Classics series, the 70th Anniversary Celebration Concert and assorted other Pops, Educational and Community concerts.

Born in Leipzig, Germany, Ken Masur began his comprehensive musical training at age 6 with the piano and at age 9 as boy-soprano in the legendary Gewandhaus Children’s Choir.  As an undergraduate at Columbia University, Masur studied orchestration with French composer Tristan Murail, composition with Joseph Dubiel and conducting with Jeffrey Milarsky.  He served as Principal Trumpet of the Columbia University Orchestra and of the National Youth Guild Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. Masur has also participated in master classes with conductors Jorma Panula (St.Petersburg), Zdenek Macal (New Jersey Philharmonic), George Manahan (New York City Opera) at the Manhattan School of Music, and Kurt Masur in São Paolo Symphony Orchestra’s first two international conducting master classes in 2001-2003.  Masur is also an accomplished concert and Lied singer.  After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in music from Columbia in 2002, he studied voice for five years as a master student of renowned bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin.  Masur has given numerous Lied recitals in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Berlin, Detmold, and at the Festival “les muséiques” Basel, and has been featured both as conductor and singer on broadcasts for such stations as WKCR New York, RTHK4 Hong Kong and Radio France.

Ken-David Masur currently makes his home in San Antonio with his wife, pianist Melinda Lee Masur, and their daughter, Magdalena.

St. Mary’s University

Rafael Moras, Ph.D. is Director of the Industrial Engineering and the Pre-Freshman Engineering Programs at St. Mary´s University.  His masters and doctoral degrees are from the University of Texas at Austin.  He is a graduate of Monterrey Tech (Mexico).  He has published numerous articles and presented conference papers in the areas of lean production, six-sigma quality, and professional ethics.  Moras offers consulting services in these areas.

Moras is a classical accordion player and an avid opera and zarzuela fan. He serves as Director of the Spanish Choir at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Tenor Rafael Moras is a National Finalist in Classical Voice in the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts’ Talent and Recognition Search and was named a 2006 United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts.  As a Presidential Scholar Rafael met the President and made his Kennedy Center debut singing Gaetano Donizetti’s “Una Furtiva Lagrima” and the National Anthem. In 2007 Rafael attended a private Master Class with Maestro Plácido Domingo sponsored by the NFAA (National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts) in Washington, D.C. as part of a forthcoming HBO documentary series filmed by the Academy Award-nominated Simon & Goodman Picture Company.  He was winner of the 2009 San Antonio Tuesday Musical Club’s 2009 Young Artist Competition in Voice and was awarded the 2008 George Cortés Award for Classical Singing by the San Antonio Artists Foundation.  In 2007 he starred as “Tony” in a premiere performance of the opera “Tony Caruso’s Last Broadcast”, by Dana Gioia and Paul Salerni, as part of the Crittenden Opera Studio, with which he has worked several times.  In Spring of 2007 Rafael made his debut as “Prince Tamino” in the University of Texas at San Antonio Lyric Theater and Orchestra’s production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and has subsequently returned to sing “Ferrando” in “Cosi Fan Tutte” and “Frederic” in “The Pirates of Penzance”.  At the 51st Annual Metropolitan Opera National Council Southwest Region Finals on September 27, 2009, Rafael was awarded the chance to advance to the National Semifinals in New York City in order to compete in the National Semifinal Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera House in March of 2010.  Rafael is presently finishing his first Summer at the Wolf Trap Opera as one of the singers in their Studio Program.

Tenor Rafael Moras is a student of Dr. Diana Allan, Associate Professor of Voice at The University of Texas at San Antonio.  He is currently finishing his undergraduate studies at UTSA in pursuit of a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice Performance.

Univision Television Group – San Antonio

A native of Colombia, South America, Amparo H. Ortiz is the Promotions/Community Affairs Director for KWEX-TV, in San Antonio, the oldest Univision Television Network affiliate and the first TV station to broadcast in spanish in the U.S.  Mrs. Ortiz produces and hosts “Desde San Antonio” (from San Antonio), a weekly morning program that addresses issues and interests of importance, especially those of hispanic significance, in San Antonio and surrounding areas.

Mrs. Ortiz became an active member of the community from the time she arrived in San Antonio in the early 70’s.  In one year alone she participated in different community events while Community Affairs Director for KSAH Radio, in a brief period that she was away from KWEX-TV.  Among her major accomplishments was her participation in arranging the exhibit of Pre-Colombian gold pieces from the Museo del oro de Bogota, Colombia, to be shown at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and her being a key player in initiating, in coordination with the White House, the broadcasting, with simultaneous translation to spanish, of the U.S. President’s State of the Union addresses.

Mrs. Ortiz is married to Lorenzo A. Ortiz and she is very proud mother of Edward, Mark Phillip and Stephanie Marie.

Memberships

World Affairs Council

San Antonio 100

S. A. – Mexico Friendship Council

UTSA – Fine Arts and Humanities Advisory Council

UTHSCSA – Nursing School

S.A. Library Foundation

Latino Leadership for the Library

San Antonio Opera

Avance

Texas A&M San Antonio

Awards

2007- National Award presented by Hispanic Media

2008- national award presented by Adelante Leadership Organization in recognition for community leadership.

2002 – Journalist of the Year by SBA

National award presented by Anheuser-Busch in 1999 for her outstanding contributions toward hispanic culture and education

Award presented by La Prensa de S.A.

Honoree in the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame

Named “Sunday Women,” December 9, 1991, by the S.A. Light Newspaper, Outstanding Woman in the Community

Named “Outstanding Volunteer of the Year” by the S.A. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

United Way, for contributions to the annual campaign/allocations panel

March of Dimes, for helping for four consecutive years in “Walk America’

Leukemia Society, for helping with their annual campaigns

YMCA, for sponsoring their annual benefit events

Named “The Outstanding Volunteer of the Year” by Communities in School

Recognition by Governor Perry as SB Journalist Advocate of the Year, 2002

Other recognitions by: Avance, Consumer Credit Consultants, Hispanic Heritage Society, Social Security Administration, Adelante, American Diabetes Ass., American Cancer Society, American Heart Ass., etc.

Special Projects

Student of the Week  –  originator and conductor of the high school student of the week for 18 years, spanish spelling bee competition – seventeen  years of coordinating the spelling bee in spanish for area schools, grades 7-12, public  and  private schools,  scholarship day,  – Ayudarte – art exhibit and sale to benefit Catholic Charities, conference on latina health issues – and coordinator of the annual project Medication Brown Bag Day

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology