The Team

Rebecca Jackson-Picht, Artistic Director

Violinist Rebecca Jackson-Picht’s performances have been described as “riveting” and characterized by a “fierce spirit.” Rebecca has been a part of commissioning and premiering 12 chamber works. In 2019, she performed the San Jose and San Francisco premieres of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s, Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope [made possible by Music at Kohl Mansion and Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions]. During her five seasons as acting member of Santa Fe Opera Orchestra the company won 2019 Grammy for Best Opera Recording for (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Her foundational belief is that music possesses power to heal and unite. This has propelled her career and professional outreach around the globe, having performed in marginalized communities across the U.S., Ukraine, Romania, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nepal, Costa Rica and Lebanon. While maintaining a regular performance schedule with a variety of groups, including as member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, she contemporaneously produces projects that build community through music outside the concert hall. Her largest project to date, she is the Founder and Artistic Director of Music in May, an annual chamber music festival established in 2008 with one division dedicated to engaging incarcerated youth. The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that this outreach “revives the evocative and visceral power of music that can be too often deadened in more formal concert environments.” In 2013, she co-founded Sound Impact and Ensemble San Francisco, organizations with missions tied to many of her personal core values. In 2018, Rebecca received a KSBW Jefferson Award in recognition of her volunteerism and public service. The following year, she and her father coauthored the biography of her mentor David Arben, Holocaust survivor and former associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The book, ARBEN: David Arben’s Life of Miracles & Successes, by Dr. John Jackson and Rebecca Jackson is available on Amazon and at www.davidarben.com and their story featured on NBC News. Jackson-Picht received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and a Master of Music from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jolene Woo, “Mom” to Festival Artists

Since meeting Rebecca and becoming part of the MiM family, I started to see that there was a need for someone to provide the visiting guest artists a space to relax, rehearse, and be themselves as they would be if they were at home. MiM needed a “mom" to provide guidance when needed, or maybe helping to figure out the driving time of getting somewhere, or serving homemade soup after a tough rehearsal. Over time, my grown son has joined me in being the anchors for the MiM music concerts. We love MiM’s dedication to helping our community and we love supporting MiM to allow them to do that.

Juan Jaramillo, Festival Manager & Youth Outreach

I am a violinist from Venezuela that won a scholarship in 1996 to study in Pittsburgh. I learned to play through the "El Sistema" program growing up, and now I am a full time member of the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet, Sarasota Opera and also the principal second for the Wheeling Symphony. Besides music, I love cooking, enjoy the outdoors, connecting with people, and watching movies. Rebecca and I connected right away performing together, but also sharing our passion for community outreach through Sound Impact, a non-profit organization that Rebecca co-founded. I feel very passionate about bringing music to all sorts of audiences, particularly those who are not usually exposed to it. New to the MiM team, I closely identify with MiM's mission with music at the center of it all.

Tu Cam Truong, Art Director

Tu’s introduction to MiM was a chance encounter during a concert in Carmel with Jolene Woo, where she met Rebecca Jackson-Picht. This meeting quickly became a friendship, and they collaborated to establish a new MiM aesthetic style. Tu is a seasoned UI designer with a wealth of experience, having worked for top companies like AOL, Apple Computer, and PayPal. She brings her vast skill set to MiM, where she has served as an art director since 2018. Her dedication to the brand, her passion for design, and her commitment to giving back make her an invaluable asset to MiM. She is currently the principal owner at TúDesigns, where she leverages her diverse skill set to the fullest, working with clients in various industries, domestic and overseas. tudesigns.net

Matt Carr, Audio/Visual Recording

Classical Recording Engineer and Producer Matt Carr, works with artists from around the world, regularly producing recordings for commercial release. His recordings have garnered acclaim, characterized as having "purity that verges on miraculous" (Fanfare) and a "first rate sound" (Gramophone). Matt has engineered and produced recordings for notable artists including the San Francisco Symphony, Daniel Hope, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Alexander String Quartet, Andy Akiho, Amit Peled, and Sarah Cahill. During the summer, Matt works as the Assistant Recording Engineer for the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival alongside 6-time GRAMMY winning classical engineer Da-Hong Seetoo.

Penni Bengston, Online Ticket Management

Penni describes herself as a "Silicon Valley refugee," after spending her first career at Apple and Sun Microsystems. More recently, Penni founded Finish Line Productions, a race production and sport timing company that produces running events, triathlons, and open water swims. Penni is a certified USA Triathlon coach as well as a US Masters Swimming coach and Adult Learn to Swim instructor.

Abigail Kaun, Content Creator and Editor

Abigail Kaun is the daughter of MiM co-founder David Kaun, and a current member of the MiM board of advisors. Abigail began her career as an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Yale University. She currently serves as executive adviser to the dean at the UCSC Baskin School Engineering, where she is responsible for conceiving and launching a variety of special projects and strategic initiatives. Abigail is a native of Santa Cruz and moved back in 2017 to be closer to family as well as to partner with David on his philanthropic adventures.

Drake Ducham, Videography and Social Media

As a freelance video editor and graphic designer based in Scotts Valley, Drake Ducham was excited to participate in the Music In May concert series. With a passion for creativity, he left the corporate world and now works on projects that help other independent creators and local communities. In addition to editing and digital design, he enjoys crafting posters and making movie trailers. Outside of work, he cherishes spending time with his wife and two kids and making memories in the beautiful Santa Cruz area.

Benjamin Goodwin, Student Intern

Benjamin Goodwin is a first-year student at Oberlin Conservatory, majoring in composition. He is a violinist with a background in music theory and piano. He has written chamber music for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Student Staff program and premiered an orchestral work with the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony. He has also participated in other ensembles, like the CCS Honor Orchestra and the Papillon string quartet.

Maya Huet, Student Intern

Maya Huet is a sophomore at Pacific Collegiate School. She is the concertmaster and current featured soloist for the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony. She also plays chamber music and piano, and has been concertmaster for many youth orchestras. In her free time, Maya enjoys going to Korean Martial Arts Academy and crocheting. She is super excited to gain experience through the MiM program.

Scot Goodman, Photographer

Scot, a MiM junkie, is a veteran stage and theater photographer. He has photographed for Smuin Ballet, Aurora Theatre, Musaic, and World Institute on Disability, among others. He teaches photography classes for the REI Outdoor School. Scot’s connection to MiM started in 2008 when a chance meeting with cellist Wendy Law during a photo shoot at the Copacabana Club in New York City led to attending a MiM concert in Santa Cruz a year later, a moment he considers an “intervention.” Scot has two of the greatest nephews in the world, and loves to listen to them laugh and play music.

Kai Christiansen, Musicologist

Kai Christiansen is a musicologist specializing in classical chamber music. Based in San Francisco, Mr. Christiansen writes and lectures throughout the Bay areas, working regularly with such organizations as Music at Kohl Mansion, Monterey Bay Chamber Music, Music in May and the San Francisco Community Music Center, as well as a number of international chamber music presenters. Leveraging a multi-decade career in software engineering and technical training, Mr. Christiansen is also the founder of earsense.org, an extensive online chamber music exploratorium that features one of the world’s most comprehensive databases of chamber music literature, spanning 500 years of history. While living in Santa Cruz for over a decade, Mr. Christiansen hosted a weekly radio show on KAZU in Pacific Grove, an educational exploration of Blues and Jazz. For relaxation, Kai plays cello and guitar for his cat.

Robin Whitehouse, Sound Engineer and Tech Support

I have always been driven to craft the sonic experience of music. Since graduating high school, I’ve spent the past 15 cold hard years engineering audio for both recorded and live music through many genres and mediums, the bulk of it including musical theatre, collegiate a cappella, rock bands, and classical music. My professional work is informed by being a multi-instrumentalist who plays primarily for self-enjoyment. The past 5 years have provided for a somewhat lateral career shift into the world of piano tuning and technology, in which I am now a partner at Santa Cruz Piano - still working towards creating that ideal music experience. My first year recording Music in May was 2014 and happens to be one of the earliest serious classical music concerts I captured, and also when I realized that I was joining a vibrant musical family. It has been a warmly symbiotic relationship ever since, and I am honored to work with these incredible musicians each year.

Board Members & Advisors