Karyn Silva, Peninsula Girls Chorus Artistic Director, PGC Coastside, Concerta and Ensemble Director, has a passion and infectious enthusiasm for the art of choral music. With over twenty-five years of conducting and teaching experience, she is sought after as a master teacher, clinician, and mentor in her field. She has been a featured choral clinician for the California Music Educators Association, the American Choral Directors Association and the Northern California Association of Kodaly Educators. Choirs under her direction have performed in such venues as Canterbury Cathedral and the Sydney Opera House.

Ms. Silva is actively involved in choral education and performance organizations. She has served as the Youth Honor Choir chairperson for the Organization of American Kodaly Educators and on the board of directors of the California Music Educators National Conference. She is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, the National Association for Music Education, and she frequently performs with the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir.

Ms. Silva is a graduate of Holy Names University, where she earned her Master of Music Education degree with a Kodaly emphasis. Ms. Silva was awarded the distinction of “Teacher of the Year” for the Lincoln Unified School District in 1996 and in 2007 was honored by the California Music Educators Association as “Classroom Music Teacher of the Year.” With the exception of Repertoire, she has conducted every choir level at the PGC.

Sarah Cane, Repertoire Director, earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from CSUEB, a Master of Music at Holy Names University, and was winner of the Sarolta Kodaly Scholarship to study music education and choral conducting for a year at the Kodaly Institute in Kecskemet, Hungary. She has taught music to every level, K-12, at one time or another in her 30 years of teaching, including Peninsula School in Menlo Park, Addison Elementary and Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto. She has also been an English teacher at Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont High Schools.

Sarah has made a study of folk music, dance, stories, and games and is currently learning old time fiddle. She loves to work with the youngest girls to instill a love of music making in playful ways, incorporating dance, improvisation and games.

Is the past president of Northern California Association of Kodaly Educators.

Kate Roseman, Brava and PGC Coastside Director is a graduate of the University of Redlands where she earned her Bachelor Degree in Music Education. Ms. Roseman studied at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary, where she specialized in pedagogy and methodology, music history, conducting and ear training. She has furthered her study of the Kodály approach by completing her Kodály Certification in pedagogy, musicianship and choral music at Azusa Pacific University in July 2022.

This is Ms. Rosemans 13th year as a director at the Peninsula Girls Chorus. An alumna of the PGC herself, she has been a part of PGC for more than 20 years. In addition to teaching at the PGC, Ms. Roseman is the choir director at Borel Middle School in San Mateo. She is an active member of both the American Choral Directors Association and the Organization of American Kodály Educators.

In her spare time, Ms. Roseman likes spending time with her family, hiking, and walking her dog, Linus.

Isabella Custino, Allegra Director, is a passionate choral conductor and music educator from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a California state certified K-12 music teacher with degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University (MA Music & Music Education) and the USC Thornton School of Music (BA Choral Music). Isabella is a proud alumna of PGC, where she began in Allegra under the direction of Karyn Silva.

In addition to her position with PGC, Ms. Custino will be conducting the Primary Group and assisting with the Concert Group/Chamber Singers at the Ragazzi Boys Chorus under Kent Jue. She feels lucky to be returning to the Bay Area choral scene as an educator under the mentorship of her previous music teachers from childhood.

In addition to teaching and conducting, Ms. Custino has participated in various choral ensembles. During her time at USC, she was a member of the prestigious USC Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe. She was also Conducting Intern for the Orange County Women’s Chorus under the direction of Eliza Rubenstein in 2021-2022. With these ensembles, she has performed at various venues such as Desert Trip with the Rolling Stones and Walt Disney Concert Hall as well as touring to destinations like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Ms. Custino is also an active member of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), NAfME (National Association for Music Educators), and OAKE (Organization of American Kodály Educators). She finds immense value in networking and collaboration with her choral colleagues nationwide and internationally.