Leadership
Board of Directors (2024-2025) CAPMT
CAPMT President: Dr. Michael Krikorian
CAPMT District I Director (San Diego North and
South): Erica Calvert
Executive Board
District 1
San Diego North Chapter
PRESIDENT
Sean Bennett
Sean Bennett’s recordings have been downloaded 2
million times, performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #3 at 14, first recording
the famed Horowitz arrangements, and is an expert on why music sticks in peoples' thoughts. His studies include work with John
Browning, Peter Serkin, Emanuel Ax, Jerome Lowenthal, Seymour Lipkin, Leon
Fleisher, Dmitry Paperno, Vladimir Leyetchkiss and Gary Graffman. He gave 400+
concerts through his early years winning 50 local, national, and international
competitions including the Kosciuszko National Chopin Competition and 7
Steinway awards, and was awarded a Steinway B.
Bennett taught neuroscience and music at Harvard and
Cambridge, working with Steven Pinker and Noam Chomsky, winning the Bok
Teaching Award, and advised Bill Gates Sr. as Gates Scholar Chair. He currently
advises former Verbier Academy students, 5 winners of the National MTNA Piano
title, 1st prize Geneva, Rubinstein, Junior and Senior Tchaikovsky, Kaufman,
and Amateur Van Cliburn competition winners, including Alexander Malofeev,
Benjamin Grosvenor, Alexander Kantorow and others. Bennett is the CAPMT San Diego
North President and Artistic Advisor at the New Music School in Chicago. More
information at seanbennett.net
and recordings at www.youtube.com/slambennett
.
TREASURER
Tavner
Delcamp
Tavner Delcamp grew up in a musical family
in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied 15 years with
Frederic Gahr learning aspects of the technique and
interpretation needed for the performance of many well-known classical
works. He received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati
and continued his studies in graduate school eventually receiving a PhD in
biochemistry. He moved to San Diego in 1996 and worked at the Johnson
& Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development Institute. Since
2011 he has taught chemistry at Navy College and at several San Diego community
colleges. He has taught piano to young students for over 20 years as well
as serving on the board of the San Diego North Chapter of CAPMT. After
stepping down from a three-year stint as President he now serves in the
capacity of Treasurer.
DIRECTOR
James Gary
James Gary grew up in a musical
family, learning to play several instruments. After moving to San Diego from
northern California, he decided to focus on piano -
as being the most interesting. While studying with his mentor
- Ilana Mysior, he became staff pianist
for the San Diego Youth Symphony. Later Mr. Gary toured with that group as
piano soloist on their 1986 tour of the United Kingdom. James went on to
graduate from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music -
where he studied with Dr. Robert Greenberg, Dr. Laurette Goldberg, and studied
piano performance with Adolph Baller. Mr. Gary has appeared as soloist with
several orchestras, and has been heard on radio from
Mexico to the BBC. James has also concertized in recital, especially at the San
Diego main Library Concert Series. He opened a teaching studio in 1991, soon
after joining CAPMT. Mr. Gary has served on the SDNC board as advisor, and currently - director.
DIRECTOR
Lee Galloway
Lee Galloway is an accomplished
performer, composer, teacher, competition judge and conference presenter. He
graduated from San Diego State University with honors in 1977 and he continued
graduate music studies with the pianist, Steven Gordon, a Columbia Artist. He
has been a Featured Guest Artist for NBC television (2003) and a musical coach
for CBS television (1999) and was the lead pianist for a piano themed Super
Bowl Halftime show, produced by Radio City Music Hall in 1988. His piano
compositions are published by the Alfred Music Company and the Hal Leonard
Music Corporation, and his recently published Musician’s Success Journal has
been very popular among teachers who prepare students for evaluation programs.
He has been a popular presenter for
the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA), World Piano Pedagogy
Conference (WPPC), the Music Teachers’ Associations of various states
throughout the U.S., as well as in China, where he has given pedagogical sessions
and Master Classes. In 2012, he created and presented the ‘Professional Studio
Institute,” a day- long series of music teacher business presentations for the
Professional track at Pedagogy Saturday at the MTNA National Conference in New
York. He was the State President of the Music Teachers’ Association of
California from 2007 to 2009 and he is in continuing
demand as a competition adjudicator. Lee was the President of the North Chapter
of San Diego CAPMT from 2024-2025.
Contact SDNC CAPMT: