AIM Ensembles

Ensemble presentations are developed to be interdisciplinary and musicians are trained by the San Francisco Symphony to be effective in education settings.

ARMANDO ATANDA, VIOLA, is in pursuit of his master’s degree in viola performance, studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Yun Jie Liu of the San Francisco Symphony. He has won numerous awards, including the Landon Classical Music Competition, Marker Pioneer International Competition, Kings Peak Competition, and was also a finalist in the Ocala Symphony Concerto Competition. He has performed in many orchestras including the Golden Gate Symphony, Nicaragua Symphony, and Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville. When he’s not engaging in musical activities, he enjoys skateboarding around cities, playing ultimate frisbee, and is an avid movie reviewer!

CHRISTOPHER JASIEWICZ, VIOLIN, is an acclaimed violinist and a member of the Boise Philharmonic in Idaho. He also holds degrees from the San Francisco and Peabody Conservatories of Music. Christopher has performed with prestigious orchestras, including the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Monterey Symphony, and New World Symphony. He is deeply connected to his Polish heritage, having received numerous accolades, including the Kosciusko Scholarship Award, which celebrates the fusion of music and culture. In addition to his performance career, Christopher also specializes in videography and video editing. An avid traveler and sports enthusiast, he enjoys exploring the world and embracing new adventures, soaring to new heights on his electric skateboard!

OCTAVIO MUJICA, CELLO, is a Venezuelan American artist with an extensive background in performance and teaching. He recently earned his master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Octavio has won several awards including the Latin Grammy Foundation Scholarship, the Blair Scholarship, the Barron String Orchestral Scholarship, and the William E. Duckwitz Talent Scholarship. He has performed as a soloist with the SFCM Baroque Ensemble, Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Táchira, and the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. In his free time, Octavio enjoys playing sports, singing, and reading a good book.

JENNIFER REDONDAS, VIOLIN, is originally from Cuba and has performed as a soloist in the United States, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, France, and Cuba. She has participated as a violinist and violist at the Oregon Bach Festival and Berwick Academy under the direction of Jos van Veldhoven. Her passion for Cuban music and jazz led her to perform at SF Jazz with renowned artists like Chris Potter, Anat Cohen, and Chucho Valdés. Jennifer earned her master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During her free time, Jennifer loves painting.

DEREK SMITH, STEEL PAN, is a California native who has been playing percussion ever since his mother bought him a drum set at age five, and he continued to study music passionately throughout his childhood. Derek discovered the steel pan when he saw the 30-piece Humboldt Calypso Band playing at Humboldt State University and decided to study music to join the band. He became a professional musician, studying in Trinidad, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. During his time in Trinidad, Derek performed in the national “Panorama” competition with a 100-member band entirely made up of steel pan! He has appeared on a variety of recordings, and he loves to perform all types of music.

AARON GEMAIN, ELECTRIC BASS, began his musical career in Massachusetts, and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years. Playing both upright and electric basses, he plays diverse genres of music and even composes his own music! Aaron has performed with musicians such as Yusef Lateef, Stanley Jordan, Randy Brecker, Paul McCandless, and many others. Aaron has toured all over America and the world, and has even performed at the Great Pyramids of Egypt! He has three albums of original music, Before You Go, Chance, and Bell Projections. 

ROBERT RANGEL, CONGAS, has been immersed in music since childhood. His father was both his first inspiration and his first teacher! Over the years, Robert has worked diligently to develop music versatility—he loves to transcend barriers between salsa, jazz, R&B, and rock. Robert plays with multiple bands throughout the Bay Area, including Northern California’s top cover band, Pop Fiction, and his father’s 10-piece salsa band, Orquesta America. Robert also teaches percussion and has been featured as a percussionist on many recordings. He also has percussion endorsements with Latin Percussion, Soultone Cymbals, and Vater Percussion. 

MARLON ALDANA, DRUM SET, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is a multi-genre musician and educator based in Oakland. Throughout his career, Marlon has been part of many acts exploring different music styles such as jazz, flamenco, salsa/timba, funk, rock, Brazilian, cumbia, reggae, and more! He has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Grammy Award winner Antonio Rey, legendary Bay Area rumbero John Santos, the Oakland Symphony, and many more. He has toured around Mexico and the United States with a wide variety of bands and labels. Marlon is now building an independent recording studio and writing some music of his own. 

MAX BRODY, GUITAR, is an Oakland-based guitarist, composer and arranger in styles including jazz, funk, rock and folk. He went to Diablo Valley College. He can be found performing with groups including Coexist, Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, and 90’s pop band Britney’s Peers.

EDAN SHALOM MOR, SAXOPHONE, was born in San Francisco. He started playing the alto saxophone when he was 10 years old, at which point he was already an avid music fan. He was so inspired that he later attended the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) and then continued on to the Global Jazz Studies department at UCLA. Edan enjoys composing, performing, and bringing the joy of music to as many people as possible!

CY THOMPSON, DRUMS, is a dynamic percussionist whose work spans the rich tapestry of African-diaspora and global music traditions.  Specializing in trap drums and mixed percussion, Cy’s musical exploration is rooted in Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, and Afro-Haitian rhythms, while seamlessly integrating elements from Black American Music forms such as jazz, funk, and hip-hop. Cy’s work reflects a deep respect for musical lineage and a commitment to pushing boundaries, making each performance a testament to the power of rhythm and improvisation in connecting diverse musical worlds.

IVY WOODS, DOUBLE BASS, is a bass player living in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are originally from Louisiana and moved to San Francisco to pursue experimental film and writing. They love to ride their bike between piers 40 and 80 to see what sounds the tire makes over different surfaces. They try to bring elements of humor and improvisation into their playing.

PEDRO ROSALES, PERCUSSION & VOCALS, was born in Lima, Peru. Percussion has always been a passion for him. At age 14, while taking classes in Lima, he discovered the cajón as his main musical instrument. In 1992 he traveled to San Francisco, co-founding the experimental ensemble Malambo Kombo, mixing Afro-Peruvian elements with rock and jazz, with pianist Jorge Molina. Pedro has also accompanied the most accomplished Peruvian touring singers and artists for more than two decades. He co-founded the De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, which works for the preservation and diffusion of musical traditions from the coastal region of Peru.

JOSE ROBERTO HERNANDEZ, GUITAR AND VOCALS, was born in Tabasco, Mexico, where he learned to play a multitude of instruments from the real masters: his pueblo’s street musicians. Early on in his musical education, he learned to play the baroque flute. Soon, he turned his attention to what he describes as his lifelong companion, the guitar. Jose Roberto studied at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Musica in Mexico City, where he also learned to play the charango, cuatro, traditional flutes, tres, vihuela, violin, and countless percussion instruments. Today, Jose Roberto plays over forty traditional Latin American instruments, and he also works as a singer, composer, and producer.

BRAULIO BARRERA, PERCUSSION AND VOCALS, was born in Lima, Peru. Coming from a family of cultivated musicians and singers of Creole Peruvian music, Braulio was always fascinated by the sounds of his native instrument, the cajón. At age 19, Braulio began his professional career as a percussionist and vocalist in Peru. His musical versatility led him to become one of the lead musicians to perform with Cecilia Barraza, one of Peru’s most respected singers. In 2000, Braulio began touring across the U.S. with various artists, ultimately deciding to take up residence in California as a full-time musician. This move led to opportunities for teaching, composing, and performing Peruvian and Latin American music with numerous cultural groups, including playing cajón on the soundtrack for the Award-winning film The Motorcycle Diaries. He is a founding member of the Grammy award-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra.

JAVIER TRUJILLO JURADO, GUITAR, was born in Lima, Peru. His father was a sound engineer, so Javier grew up around a recording studio, where he experienced many different types of music as a child. He went to the National Conservatory of Music in Lima, where he studied classical guitar. While at school, Javier traveled and performed all around South America. He then received a scholarship to study musicology at UC Berkeley. Currently, Javier plays Brazilian and Latin Jazz music with different bands all over the Bay Area. He also teaches classical guitar at Holy Names University, BAM Academy of Music, Los Cenzontles, and the Vibo School of Music.

ELMER CARTER III, CELLO, is from Oklahoma, and started playing cello when he was 10 years old. He has studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has always loved the sound of the cello and loves making music with friends. When he is not playing music, he likes to watch movies, TV shows, and play video games. 

DORIS DU, VIOLA, is from China and started playing the violin when she was just four years old. When she turned 16, she switched to the viola. She recently attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Besides music, Doris enjoys reading books about self-improvement, staying active through sports, and spending time in nature. 

MATTHEW VOUSE, VIOLIN, is from Connecticut and started playing when he was in fourth grade. He recently earned his bachelor’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition to classical music, he also loves jazz, drum & bass, and even movie soundtracks! When Matthew is not playing violin, he likes to be in nature, ride his bike, and watch anime. 

WILL BERG, SAXOPHONE, is from Vacaville, California, where his passion for music grew in the public school bands and jazz band. He went to San Francisco State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music and found a new home in San Francisco. While saxophone is his primary instrument, he also loves to play flute and clarinet in musical theater pits and jazz bands throughout the Bay Area. When not playing music, Will loves to teach music, read, hike, and spend time with his family.

DANIEL FABRICANT, DOUBLE BASS, began studying music when he was 12 years old, and his first instrument was the trumpet. Since then, he has learned the guitar, cello, sousaphone, and his main instrument, the double bass. Daniel graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in music education, and he also studied the Orff method. He has taught preschool, elementary school, and college music classes for the past 15 years. Currently Daniel is teaching middle school orchestra at the Community Music Center, as well as keeping an active performance career in a wide range of musical settings. He loves to garden and hike and is also an instructor in rock climbing and sea kayaking.

LISA LIU, GUITAR, is a guitarist based in San Francisco, California and is always on the move playing shows around the world. She plays jazz, gypsy jazz (manouche), folk, rock, and solo guitar. Lisa is an Artist Ambassador for Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Sadowsky Guitars, Larkspur Guitars, and Krivo Pickups. She has been published in Acoustic Guitar magazine and has performed and taught alongside Mimi Fox, Martin Taylor, and John Knowles CGP. Lisa is also a Teaching Artist at TrueFire and Django and June and has been an Artist in Residence at The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and La Maison De Beaumont.  

AMI MOLINELLI, PERCUSSION, is a percussionist and educator specializing in American, Brazilian, and Latin music. Ami received her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Her performance and recording credits include theater and television. Ami is a three-time San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Artist recipient and has been featured at the Chamber Music Association live showcase. She co-leads Grupo Falso Baiano, with three albums to their credit. Grupo Falso Baiano has been featured on NPR, Radio Latina, and Pandora LIVE! Ami used to live in Brazil and speaks Portuguese.

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