Mentors & Staff

RSSoM STAFF

Walter Bitner

Musician and writer Walter Bitner is the Director of Education & Community Engagement for the Richmond Symphony. He has led a multi-faceted career as a teacher and performer; Walter is a multi-instrumentalist and singer, teacher, arranger/composer, and conductor. He has performed and studied a wide variety of music from nearly all periods of the Western art music tradition, rock, and jazz on piano, harpsichord, lute, recorder, and as a singer.

His teaching career from 1991 – 2014 spanned public and private schools in New York, Florida, and Nashville — from Kindergarten through 12th grade — and included a broad array of music education formats including general music, choir, strings, piano, and music theory. He taught at alternative and progressive schools, traditional college preparatory schools, and a public arts magnet high school. He is Conductor Emeritus of Music City Youth Orchestra, which he founded and directed from 2007 – 2012.

From 2014 to 2019, he served as Director of Education & Community Engagement for the Nashville Symphony, where he established the award-winning Accelerando program designed to prepare gifted young students of diverse backgrounds for pursuing music at the collegiate level and beyond.

Walter holds a B.A. from Charter Oak State College, CT, and he completed his teacher certification training in both vocal and instrumental music at Belmont University in Nashville. Walter speaks regularly about music, education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion at regional and national conferences, and he writes extensively on these topics for national magazines, professional associations, and on his website Off The Podium at walterbitner.com.

RSSoM STAFF

Jennifer Tobin

Jennifer Tobin is a recent graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she earned a Master’s degree in flute performance. While at McGill, she performed with the McGill Symphony Orchestra, advised undergraduate music education students as a teaching assistant, and initiated the school’s first ever Flute Day, bringing together international artists for master classes and workshops. Concurrent to her studies, Jennifer also earned an executive graduate certificate in social entrepreneurship from the Global Leaders Program (GLP), which aims to use music as a means of social change. In January of 2020, Jennifer co-organized and taught at a flute festival in Santiago, Chile, completing GLP fieldwork as one of 45 international cohort members. She has previously honed her studies in programs at the Eastman School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, Orford Music Academy in Quebec, and at the Conservatoire Paul Dukas in Paris. Jennifer has performed professionally as a member of the Eastern Wind Symphony and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

A New Jersey native, Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s degree in music education from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where she graduated as valedictorian in 2014. She enjoyed a career in public school education as a middle school band director in Edison, NJ. Jennifer has coached chamber ensembles, marching band sectionals, and maintains an active private flute studio.

RSSoM STAFF

Jonathan Sanford

Jonathan Sanford is RSSoM’s Registrar and Program Manager and plays a number of roles to ensure the Richmond Symphony’s education programs run smoothly. Some of his main duties include creating and monitoring registration systems, social media, and websites; maintaining communication with constituents; distributing information about education programs to the community; and setting up and running events and rehearsals. The Education team has been hard at work creating and managing the Richmond Symphony School of Music in order to continue providing music education to the community, even during a time of social distancing. Jonathan earned a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology as well as a music minor from James Madison University, where he was a member of Dr. Andrew Lankford’s trombone studio.

Jonathan’s career in arts administration began at James Madison University’s Forbes Center for the Performing Arts as a House Manager and Box Office worker. Since then he has worked in a number of performing arts venues and organizations including Central City Opera (Central City, CO), Dairy Center for the Arts (Boulder, CO), Richmond Ballet, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (Norfolk, VA).

RSSoM STAFF

Marcey Leonard

Marcey W. Leonard, a Richmond, VA native, has been the Admissions Assistant for VCUarts Music since January 2017. Marcey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in arts business and development from Virginia Commonwealth University (2019) and loves that with her work, she can give back to the department and community that gave so much to her. Besides communicating with prospective students and their parents during the admissions/audition process, Marcey organizes and produces VCUarts Music Shadow Days, a recruitment program designed to help prospective students get a glimpse of life as a VCUarts Music student. In addition, she helps current students navigate the “day-to-day” of college life in the music department with support and encouragement.

In early 2020, Marcey was appointed Dean of Students for Wintergreen Music. With the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Marcey became part of the team that created and managed the innovative Wintergreen Music Online Community. In this reinvented role, she assisted with concert operations, program proofing, and social media planning and monitoring. Previously, she worked as a supervisor for Kings Dominion’s Festival of Music, and for 14 years as Camp Administrator/Co-Director for Mid-Atlantic Camps, Inc. She administered the Greater Richmond Youth Wind Ensemble (GRYWE) at its inception and was co-director of the VCU Honors High School Music Institute. She began playing the flute at age 10, performs regularly at churches and other venues in the Richmond area, and is a member of Commonwealth Winds.

RSSoM STAFF

Amy Pintea

Amy Casper Pintea joined the staff of the Richmond Symphony in 2019. In addition to coordinating the Musical Ambassadors Program, she is also the program manager for the new Richmond Symphony School of Music. Amy has flute performance degrees from Indiana University and The University of Texas at Austin. In 2016 she moved to Richmond from Austin, TX, where she maintained a large private studio as well as held positions with the Abilene Philharmonic and Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra. She has a passion for music education and has taught clinics and masterclasses around the country, as well as serving on the faculty for numerous summer programs. Still an active performer, Amy plays frequently with the Richmond Symphony as well as with the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music Festival.

RSSoM STAFF

Ingrid Keller

Dr. Ingrid Keller is an active recitalist, collaborative artist, and teacher. With over 20 years of experience, Ingrid has served on the faculties of University of Oregon, Northern Kentucky University, University of Dayton, and Indiana University, in addition to maintaining a very active private studio. She has regularly presented workshops and masterclasses and is a frequent adjudicator for local and state competitions. She is currently on faculty at the University of Richmond where she teaches piano and coaches chamber music.

Ingrid strives to provide an encouraging and nurturing environment for her students, preparing them for a lifelong appreciation of music. She has mentored aspiring young musicians and is devoted to their development as a whole musician. She is equally as adept at teaching beginners as advanced students, and many of her students have won top honors at statewide competitions and festivals.

Ingrid has performed nationally at such distinguished venues as the Kennedy Center, Banff Centre, Jordan Hall, and Tanglewood, as well as internationally. She began her early training in Boston at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and is a graduate of Northwestern University (B.M.), and Indiana University (M.M. and D.M.), where she studied under the tutelage of world renowned pianist, Menahem Pressler.

Since moving to Richmond in 2016, Ingrid has grown a successful teaching studio and is also the rehearsal pianist for the Richmond Symphony Chorus.

RSSoM STAFF

Ju Hye Kim

Ju Hye Kim is an intern with the Education Department of Richmond Symphony. Her passion for nonprofits and music led her to start her internship with the Richmond Symphony through the Bonner Scholars Program starting in January 2019. From the beginning stages of the Richmond Symphony School of Music, she has researched music development programs and assisted students in classes.

Originally from Hawaii, she is part of the University of Richmond’s Class of 2022, double majoring in Leadership Studies and Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) with a concentration in Philosophy and minoring in Chinese Studies. Although not professionally studying music, she grew up playing the piano and violin since the age of eight and is a member of the University of Richmond Symphony Orchestra and chamber ensembles. Being part of the Block Crew dance team and taking Opera Production courses have exposed her to various forms of art. She aims to pursue a career in performing arts administration as a means of encouraging the arts in her community.

RSSoM STAFF

Mimi Laws

Mimi Laws is an intern in the Education Department of Richmond Symphony. She has been working with the Richmond Symphony through the Bonner Scholars Program since January 2019. Since the founding of the Richmond Symphony School of Music, she has played a role in the school’s development by researching learning management software and facilitating classes.

Coming from New Jersey to be a part of the University of Richmond’s Class of 2022, she is majoring in Leadership Studies and minoring in Business Administration. Though she is not pursuing a degree in music, Mimi has a strong passion for music as she has played the viola and participated in a number of different ensembles since she was nine years old. Some of her more recent ensembles include the University of Richmond Symphony Orchestra and chamber ensembles. Her interest in music drives her aspirations to learn more about music education in the nonprofit sector and management within the performing arts industry.