Musicians
David Shepard, Music Director
David Shepard is well known in the Bay Area as a pianist, cellist, organist, composer, and conductor. As a pianist, he is active as a recitalist working mainly with vocalists and instrumentalists. As a composer, David has many compositions to his credit and is a recipient of a Marin Arts Council grant for his setting of Sylvia Plath's poems for choir and small ensemble. He recently completed a score for the award-winning movie Shelf Life (produced by 5 Corner Films and Arthur's Realm productions of Los Angeles). As an arranger, he created and performed music for several dance films including America Dances! 1897-1948, produced by Dancetime Publications. A student of Denis De Coteau, he is active as a musical director and conductor throughout the Bay Area. David has twice been nominated Best Musical Director by the Bay Area Critics Circle. A few of the productions that he has directed are The History of the American Film Oh Coward ! and Tintypes. David was musical director/conductor for the acclaimed production of Pal Joey starring Kathryn Crosby at the Marin Theater Company, directed by Albert Takazauckas. In February 2006, he produced a recital devoted to the vocal and instrumental music of Francis Poulenc at St. Hilary Church of Tiburon and was Music Director for The Classical Christmas Special produced by Chamber Music San Francisco at the Palace of the Legion of Honor. Formerly with the San Francisco Ballet Association, Mr. Shepard is now Music Director of the Marin Ballet.
Robert Ellis
Rob has been an accompanist at the Marin Ballet since 2005. He began his career in Seattle accompanying Pacific Northwest Ballet, Bill Evans Dance Company, Cornish School of The Allied Arts, University of Washington, and other companies. Since 1977 he has worked for over 40 ballet companies. Rob is an avid lover of improvisation and is adept in many styles of music. He studied Piano at the University of Washington as well as composition. For 8 years he traveled the world as a cruise ship musician playing in jazz ensembles as well as a soloist. Rob also has a love of singing and has accompanied several choral groups throughout his career including Dominican University of San Rafael and the Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley. He has composed several original works, songs, and about 400 computer generated opuses.
He has lived in Sonoma County since 1991.
Janeen Jones
Janeen Jones, while still in high school, studied with Edelgard Hainke at the University of Utah. She went on to work as a ballet accompanist while in high school and while attending college as well. For 18-20 years, she was a volunteer organist and piano accompanist. In 1990, she took the position of Organist at Grace North Parish, and, in 2003, became Organist at Second Church of Christ Scientist in Berkeley. That same year, Ms. Jones also re-entered the ballet world, working throughout the Bay Area. Ms. Jones holds degrees in Education and Russian Literature, and has always entertained thoughts of becoming a professor of Russian Literature. Ms. Jones joined the Marin Ballet artistic staff in January 2006.
daniela aleco-sima
Hailing from Romania, Daniela is a professional musician who is a teacher, recitalist, and a highly experienced accompanist for classical ballet. Educated at the Academy of Music (Ciprian Porumbescu) with a Master of Arts in piano, she taught piano, performed in numerous recitals, and played for classical ballet classes in Bucharest before immigrating to Israel. While in Israel, she worked as an accompanist for various ballet studios, notably becoming an official pianist for the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). Before immigrating to the United States, Daniela resided in Canada where she worked with the Canadian Children’s Dance and Theater Company (Deborah Lundmark and Georgina Haybull). Currently Mrs. Aleco-Sima works for Marin Ballet and the LINES School of Dance (Dominican University BFA program).
tim K. murphy
Tim K. Murphy, well known in the San Francisco Bay Area ballet community since 1973, celebrates his 40th year as a ballet accompanist in 2011. His love affair with ballet began at the San Carlos Opera House in Naples, Italy when, by chance, he attended a performance by La Scala in 1960. That same year he started at the piano under an American conductor, Robert Freed. In his words, "With ballet I see outside what I feel inside when I play." Under the mentorship of Aiko Hiratsuka, the senior accompanist for the National Ballet in Washington, D.C., Tim accompanied his first classes at the Washington School of the Ballet in 1971. Arriving in San Francisco in 1973, he began to play for Carlos Carvajal/San Francisco Dance Spectrum, Merriam Lanova/San Francisco Conservatory of Ballet, John Pasqualetti/Pacific Ballet, and Richard Gibson/Pacific Dance Center. By 1980 he was a company pianist for the San Francisco Ballet. In the 1990s Tim had the opportunity to train more deeply in musicianship with the brilliant, former Juilliard master teacher James Wimer. Tim was honored and is forever grateful to have been the accompanist for the renowned Irena Jacobson, at her request, at the San Francisco Ballet School from 1987-1993. He has accompanied many of the best dance teachers of our time, including Erik Bruhn, Lew and Harold Christensen, Anatole Vilzak, Sasha Mintz, Terry Westmoreland, Jocelyn Vollmar, Michael Smuin, Mary Day, Janet Sassoon, Maria Veigh, and Margaret Swarthout. Tim is also a composer, arranger, teacher and choral conductor. |
