ROBERT FARRINGTON
Robert Farrington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C.L.A. and a Master of Arts degree from Cal Sate University at East Bay. He has been the Director of Bands at De Anza College since 1981 where he has conducted the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Groups, and also teaches Jazz History, Beginning Winds, and Music Business. He studied conducting with Dennis DeCoteau at CSUEB and Michael Charry at
Mannes College in New York. His most significant woodwind teachers were Victor Morosco and Gary Gray. Robert started his teaching career as Director of Bands and Orchestra at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, Ca. where his ensembles earned superior ratings and students were selected to State Honor Groups. He directed the Pasadena City College band for the 1981 Rose Parade.
In addition, Robert is an active performing woodwind musician having played with the San Francisco, San Jose, Marin, Oakland/East Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Modesto Symphonies; recorded five CD’s with Dave Eshelman’s Jazz Garden Big Band; numerous other freelance shows such as Natalie Cole, Mel Torme, George Shearing, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Rod Stewart, the Temptations and the Four Tops, Bob Hope, Manhattan Transfer, Frankie Valli ; and National Touring Companies of “A Chorus Line”, “Annie”, “Sugar Babies”, “My Fair Lady”, “Camelot”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “The Producers”, and “Westside Story”. Robert is also in demand as an adjudicator and clinician for jazz, band, orchestra, and solo and ensemble festivals as well as conducting honor groups.
FREDERIC PALMER
Frederic Palmer, double reed clinician at Carlmont High School, has a BA degree in Music from California State University, East Bay, where he majored in oboe, and an MA degree in Music from Stanford University. He has served on the faculty of the Music and Arts Institute of San Francisco as oboe instructor and as Resource Specialist in oboe for the Mount Diablo Unified School District. In addition, he has been teaching oboe privately in the Belmont-San Carlos area for over forty years and was a member of the Music Department staff at California State University, East Bay for thirty-eight years until his retirement in 2008. He has performed with various orchestras throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as well as appearing as an oboe soloist.
ASHLEY DEVINE
Ashley Devine began her violin studies at the age of 8 and has been teaching privately in the San Mateo area since 2007. She began her teaching career heading the 5th grade music program in the San Mateo and Foster City school districts. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.M. in violin performance. Ashley has played with the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Golden Gate Opera, the pit orchestra for musicals around the Bay Area, and regularly gives solo and chamber music performances in the Bay Area. Recently, she was invited as guest faculty to coach the music programs at Borel Middle School, Carlmont High School, Hillsdale High School, Ralston Middle School, and Taylor Middle School. In addition to her private lessons, Ashley was the strings director at the St. Matthew Catholic School for the past 10 years. She is currently on the Peninsula Youth Orchestra faculty and heads the violin sectionals throughout the year as well as their summer camp. In 2018, Ashley co-founded nom nom music, a chamber music and cooking camp.