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The Team:

 
Music Director/Teaching artists

• Amalia Diaz (Orchestra): Originally from Colombia, Amalia Diaz is a former student, music teacher and conductor at Batuta, the second largest El Sistema program in the world. She supported the creation of programs in Colombia, Jamaica, Haiti, St. Lucia and the United States and is currently the conductor of the Watsonville Youth Orchestra. She is a graduate of the Orchestra of the Americas, with a professional certificate in Civic Leadership, Teaching Artistry, Cultural Agency, and Social Entrepreneurship. ​
• Camilo Ortiz (pre-orchestra): Camilo is Orff certified (Level 3) through the San Francisco International Orff Course and recently completed an Orff teacher training program. He was a founding teaching artist and pre orchestra director at Youth Orchestra Salinas, and has been involved with the development of El Sistema Santa Cruz/El Sistema Pajaro Valley since 2014. As a musician he is the recipient of several awards in guitar competitions and has performed in different venues including Carnegie Hall, NY in 2022.
• Miran McPoland (curriculum): holds a degree in music education from Willamette University and is Orff certified through the San Francisco International Orff Course. She has over a decade of experience in El Sistema inspired programs including Youth Orchestra of Salinas and Seattle Music Partners where she has done everything from teaching kindergarten to conducting high school symphony orchestra. When she is not teaching, she is performing on violin and viola.
• Juan Ospina (audio-recording): Juan Ospina is a seasoned flutist/percussionist. His education credits include a Bachelor of Music degree from the National University of Colombia and a Flute Performance Degree from Texas Christian University. He has performed with orchestral organizations like the Dallas Opera, Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogota. Juan's passion for creation still runs forth in his recordings of original music with his band “Olemano”. ​

Teaching artists:

• Samuel Nicolier: pre-orchestra
• Momo Wang: pre-orchestra/strings
• Adam Scow: strings
• Susanna Blake: winds

Executive Director:
Isabelle Tuncer:  has over 20 years of experience in academics, international trade, development and project management. She first came to the United States as a Fulbright  scholar at the University of Texas, School of Law, held positions at the Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Turkey and the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development, Switzerland. Founder and director of El Sistema Santa Cruz since 2012.