Katie Gerber, Founder & Artistic Director
Katie has enjoyed a highly versatile career as a professional singer, classroom music teacher, private voice instructor and choral director. She completed her undergraduate degree at I.U Jacobs School of Music, where she received a double degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education with a Choral Music emphasis. Following this, Katie resided in Sydney, Australia for several years, where she was head of Vocal Department at Stella Maris College, created curriculum, and directed several of the school’s internationally award-winning choruses. Following this, Katie relocated to San Francisco, in order to complete her MM in Voice at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. At SFCM, Katie sang the role of Pamina, in “The Magic Flute”, Clori in “L’Egisto”, and the role of Armida in “Rinaldo”, with Conservatory Baroque. Upon graduating from SFCM, Katherine was awarded with several distinctions, including the Dean's Award in Excellence for Opera Performance, and the Dean's Award for Performance in Baroque Vocal Music.
Katie has worked as a choral director in several schools and choruses, including the world renowned children's choruses, the Piedmont East Bay Children's Chorus, Cantabile Youth Singers in Los Altos and the Nueva School for Gifted Learning, where she directed the school choruses and was Head of LS Music. Katie has also directed music at two prominent Bay area churches over the past several years, while maintaining a busy private voice studio at home. Her most recent project has been through a grant-funded project at UCSF/Mt. Zion, directing a chorus for the hearing impaired. Katie is also the Associate Director of the well-known summer program for gifted education, SummerGATE, where she also enjoys coordinating music classes and performances and directing a small Glee Club.
Christopher Rhodes, Associate Conductor
Christopher Rhodes is a singer, pianist, and educator from the Bay Area. He developed an interest in singing from an early age, and his love of music has taken him all over the world. Christopher is a bass-baritone and graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he pursued studies in voice and music education. He has sung as both a soloist and a chorister with professional ensembles in the Bay Area, New York, Montreal, Istanbul, and Warsaw.
Christopher believes that music education is an engaging medium which facilitates human connection, fosters creativity, and enriches the spirit. Christopher is a strong supporter of music in the classroom, and is involved in a number of advocacy efforts to promote music as a vital part of every child’s education.
As a voice teacher, Christopher has a holistic approach to singing which combines mind, body, and spirit through the awareness of breath. A self-proclaimed language nerd and polyglot, Christopher has a passion for pronunciation, diction, and all things linguistic, which he uses to explore the physicality of singing in a playful way. In his free time, Christopher likes to travel, learn foreign languages, and practice Bhakti yoga.
Jihye Kim, Pianist
Korean Pianist Jihye Kim began studying piano at the age of five. She attended Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School and continued undergraduate musical studies at Ewha Womans University where she was awarded the Challenge Semester Scholarship. Jihye attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for her graduate and post-graduate studies, receiving the Master of Music in Piano Performance in 2021 and the Professional Studies Certificate in 2022. Jihye studied with Professor Corey McVicar. During her time at SFCM and the Bay area Jihye has been actively performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator; she has performed in masterclasses for pianists Jean Yves Thibaudet, Yuja Wang, Alexander Korsantia, Jeremy Denk and Aviram Reichert. Some performance highlights in her native Korea include concerto soloist with the Ewha Womans University Orchestra in Kimyoungui Hall in Seoul and an engagement at the prestigious ACE Sponsored Recital in Seoul. Other performances at KBS Hall, the Korean Rising Star concert, the Buam Young Artists’ concert, and also an Outdoor Concert Event for the city of Gimpo. Jihye has had numerous competition successes including first prize in the 2015 Sejong Orchestra Concours in Seoul, first prize in the 2017 Jeonju International Competition and second prize in 2017 Korean Young Artists competition. Other successes include the Youngsan and Baekseok competitions. In addition to solo performances, Ms. Kim enjoyed accompanying ensembles such as the Sinchon Church choir, and Ewha & Yonsei University joint choir. In 2018, she worked with Soprano Yeji Son to release an album. She currently volunteers as the main accompanist at the Full Gospel San Francisco Church.
MADISON SMITH, Guest Clinician
Soprano Madison Smith is renowned for her thrilling, golden voice and versatility across classical and contemporary music. She has performed extensively around the world, including at Davies Symphony Hall, and has been a featured artist with the acclaimed new music ensemble Volti. Smith holds degrees in Voice Performance from The Boston Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Kent Nagano, Vance George, Barbara Bonney, and Karl Paulnack.
In addition to her singing career, Madison is a coach who blends more than 20 years of professional singing with years of dance training, extensive work with physical therapists, and over a decade of Integrative Alexander Technique study. Drawing from her experience transitioning into motherhood, she helps clients connect with their bodies, redefine expectations, and achieve fulfillment in their personal lives and careers. She guides others to achieve powerful transformation via private sessions and group workshops. Learn more at www.madsoprano.com
TRICIA CRONIN, Choreographer