Who We Are
The Big Picture of MIM.
The Big Picture
Music in the Mountains (MIM) is a unique organization that marries world-class performances with a deep commitment to music education. Our location in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills’ historic gold rush communities of Grass Valley and Nevada City leads a special ambience to everything.
At the heart of MIM is the SummerFest classical festival. In the days leading up to July 4th, it’s a thriving performing arts festival celebrating music, community, art and culture. The concerts culminate in a joyous celebration of our country’s birth.
SummerFest features the MIM Festival Orchestra and soloists – comprised of extraordinary professional musicians from all over the country – and our own MIM Chorus of dedicated volunteers. You’ll thrill to powerful masterworks, pop favorites, and new pieces hot off the presses.
SummerFest takes place in several different venues:
- The Nevada County Fairgrounds, in the charming “red barn” of the Amaral Center – magically transformed into an elegant concert hall – as well as outdoors on the lawn under the stars amid the tall Ponderosa pines.
- Peace Lutheran Church with its fantastic acoustics.
- The Dunham Estate where great music, food and atmosphere combine for an unparalleled experience.
Woven throughout MIM is a deep commitment to music education. Balancing in-depth initiatives such as our nationally recognized Young Composers Project, and broad reach programs such as Carnegie Hall’s Link Up, MIM’s multi-faceted approach touches the lives of over 5,000 students each year. We work closely with school districts, music teachers and parents in advocating for the importance of music education. And where schools cannot provide due to lack of budget, MIM steps in to create solutions. Such programs include Take 5 for Music, Link Up, Peers for Peers and MusicLive, all of which bring classical music to school age children.
About an hour’s drive from both Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, the region is known for its thriving arts and culture scene, historic architecture, extraordinary landscape, and growing eco-tourism. California Gold Country, including Nevada City in particular, has been listed among the top 10 travel destinations by Lonely Planet. We are rated #2 of best “river cities” in America by Outside magazine. For more on the region, check out Go Nevada County.
Meet Our Staff
Ryan Murray
Artistic Director and Conductor
Ryan Murray is currently the Associate Conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Artistic Director and Conductor of Music in the Mountains. He is also the newly appointed conductor for the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s premier orchestra and the Auburn Symphony. An award-winning opera conductor, Ryan spent his early career working as an assistant conductor and repetiteur [a tutor or coach of ballet dancers or musicians, especially opera singers], and is currently the Music Director of Opera Modesto. He has served as assistant conductor for opera productions at the Sacramento Philharmonic, is the past Music Director of Fresno Grand Opera, and previously worked as a staff conductor for the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute (BASOTI) and The Opera Academy of California in San Francisco. Effortlessly moving between genres, Ryan currently enjoys a wide range of performance genres and platforms, including traditional orchestral and operatic repertoire, pops performances, movies in concert, and a notable emphasis on contemporary American operatic works.
Ariel May
Chorus Director
Ariel May is a dynamic conductor, singer, and educator whose passion shines through her work. A California native, she earned a B.M. in Music Education from the Hall-Musco Conservatory at Chapman University and M.A. in Teaching Music from UC Irvine. Ariel taught classical voice and choral music at Fullerton College, voice and piano at the Young Americans College of Performing Arts, and was the Director of Vocal Music at Canyon High School. Under her baton, choirs have received unanimous superior ratings at festivals nationwide and performed in NYC’s Carnegie Hall. Ariel is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician, celebrated for her meticulous detail, expressive conducting, and ability to inspire deep connections with music. A versatile singer, she has recorded jazz albums and performed with numerous professional choirs, including Pacific Chorale, Meistersingers, and Orange County Women’s Chorus. A champion of equitable teaching, Ariel developed a music program for adults with intellectual disabilities in Santa Ana, CA, and was featured on NPR for her inclusive teaching practices. Outside of music, Ariel enjoys hiking, gardening, and baking with her family.
Matthew Oshida
Orchestra Personnel Manager
Matthew Oshida is the Orchestra Personnel Manager for Music in the Mountains. Contact Matthew by emailing [email protected].
In addition to this position, he has served as Personnel Manager for Oakland Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Mendocino Music Festival, and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and as Librarian and Director of Youth Orchestras for San José Chamber Orchestra. An advocate for musicians and diversity in American orchestras, he has served as Treasurer and Executive Board Member for Regional Orchestra Players’ Association and as a committee member of National Alliance for Audition Support sponsored by the Sphinx Organization. As a contractor, he has hired musicians for such artists as Andrea Bocelli, Bernadette Peters, Marie Osmond, Steve Hackman, and Mason Bates. He holds a B.M. from Indiana University and an M.M. from SUNY Stony Brook.
Nancy Donahue
Patron Services Manager
Nancy Donahue has been a member of the MIM staff for over 25 years. Along with recently setting up her remote box office (most of the time on the porch of her cottage in the forest), she is enjoying learning new technical skills for presenting virtual MIM events. Formerly an elementary teacher, technical writer, secretary, and music copier in the LA music business, she says her favorite job has been working at MIM. Along with fulfilling her dream of being a part of a creative team preparing for events, she also delights in engaging with the patrons and volunteers! Music is her first love; she has been in the MIM chorus since 1991, plays piano, and recently took up the violin after many years in order to play in the Sierra College volunteer OLLI orchestra (in the very back, she says). She now has some extra time to get back to her second love of painting and is also looking forward to “socially-distanced” kayaking and camping with friends this summer.
Hilary Hodge
Marketing Manager & Volunteer Coordinator
Hilary Hodge has worked for nearly a decade as a marketing professional specializing in community outreach through digital marketing and innovative technology. She is a councilperson on the Grass Valley City Council. As a member of the Rural Working Group for the California League of Cities, Hilary has worked closely with government and policy makers on bridging the digital divide for Rural California. Hilary sits on the Board of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and serves as the City Liaison to the Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce. She graduated from UC Davis in 2004 with a Degree in English Literature.
Kevin Ross
Donor Services & Sponsor Manager
Kevin Ross moved to Grass Valley in 1976 with his immediate and extended family, where they owned and operated a tire store in the Brunswick basin for fourteen years. His grandmother inspired him through encouragement and exposure to fall in love with singing choral music. This was further supported by all the public schools he attended here in Grass Valley: from Mrs. Rocker’s second grade class where Kevin sang everyday with his classmates while she would play the piano, to singing in the Nevada Union chamber choir with the legendary Don Bagget. While earning a degree in Secondary Education from Reno Nevada, he found small choirs to join to fulfill his passion to sing. Soon afterwards, he moved back to Grass Valley with his three-year-old son Avery, knowing it was a wonderful community for his son to grow up in. Soon he auditioned and joined the Music in the Mountains chorus. Kevin is an active member in the community, volunteering for other nonprofits, and singing and acting in local theater companies.
Marge Shasberger
Education Programs Manager
Marge Shasberger was born in Pensacola, FL, spent her early years in Buffalo, NY, and then moved to southern California where she attended junior and senior high school. During her adolescent years she worked on a thoroughbred racing horse rehab and breeding farm to support her own horse. She went on to earn a B.A. in Music. Several different jobs followed: teaching band and choir in private music academies and public schools and administrative work that included with a bank that was closed by the FDIC! A move to Nevada County led to administrative work in the Placer County Office of Education and back to school, where she earned her M.A. in Informational Technology. She then began working with main-frame computers, and training teachers and administrators. She “retired” and promptly became office manager at her brother-in-law’s dental office for several years. She “retired” again and volunteered at MIM before being hired on staff. All the while, she has taught children’s music at church and is still teaching handbells there today.
Hayley Watson
Administrative Assistant
Hayley has played the violin since she was six years old and was a member of the first class of the Music in the Mountains Youth Orchestra. Hayley was a longtime volunteer with Music in the Mountains before joining the staff in the business office in 2024. She still enjoys playing the violin, now in MIMYO concerts as a mentor. Hayley Watson is currently working toward a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and hopes to serve her community with her education in the future.
Shannon Devir
Youth Orchestra Conductor
Flutist and piccolo player Shannon Devir received her Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers include Timothy Day, Catherine Payne, and Keith Underwood. She is a member of the InConcert Sierra Orchestra and freelances with the Victoria Symphony, Ballet Victoria, and Opera Pacific. Ms. Devir has held teaching positions at the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Waldorf School, and Nevada City School of the Arts. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Music in the Mountains Youth Orchestra and enjoys sharing her love of music through different MIM education projects and teaching flute privately. Backpacking, sailing, and costume design keep a smile on her face when she’s not making music.
Kasandra Klassy
Assistant Director of MIMYO
Kasandra Klassy began her studies of violin and viola at age 9. After studying music at UC
Berkeley she was certified as a Suzuki teacher. After that she went to Matsumoto Japan to study directly with Dr. Suzuki at his Talent Education Institute. She has had a very successful career of teaching both in Nevada County and the bay area for 45 years!
Kasandra’s students have won many awards over the years in the Music in the Mountains
competition, and other similar competitions in the bay area. Many of her students have gone on to be professional musicians and teachers. Her program is highly motivating and includes four concerts a year, including Classical music of all kinds, and fiddle music from around the world.
Her passion is studying the baroque violin after years of playing with Berkeley Baroque Strings in the east bay area. Currently she teaches privately in Penn Valley, and taught the after school violin class sponsored by Music in the Mountains at Nevada County School of the Arts.
Kimberly Ewing
Teaching Artist
Kimberly is a Teaching Artist for MIM’s Music For Young Minds program. She has been a credentialed public school teacher for over twenty years, with arts education as her focus. She has taught, coached, and mentored other educators in the latest California Arts Standards and arts integration methods. She has taken Carnegie Hall’s Musical Explorers Professional Development and now reaches nearly ten music classes each week. She’s a local performing artist in theatre and dance and she’s a broadcaster on the local radio KVMR station.
Meet Our Board
Timothy Geckle
President
Tim Geckle is a Minister, Attorney, and Farmer. His professional career began as a Youth Minister with a graduate degree in religion from Catholic University. Thereafter he continued to serve various Christian and Interfaith communities in many different capacities. He received his law degree from the University of San Francisco and practiced as a corporate attorney with the firm of Piper and Marbury (now DLA Piper). For 25 years Tim was Senior Vice President and General Counsel for The Ryland Group, a NYSE national homebuilder headquartered in the Los Angeles area. Most recently, he and his fiancé bought a 6-acre farm in Grass Valley. Their greatest joy is growing vegetables, playing on the land, and enjoying the richly artistic community of Grass Valley. Music in the Mountains reminds them that music gives us a future of hope and happiness.
John Jeffery
Vice President
John is a mostly retired professional chaplain and clinical educator. His career includes a decade of service as parish pastor; 12 years as a non-profit organizational and program consultant; a hospital/hospice chaplain and was a director of spiritual care services for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. John is a graduate of The Pacific School of Religion/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees and has extended graduate studies in Social & Environmental Ethics. He still works some as founding Director of The Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations. John lives with his wife Nancy in Nevada City.
Terry Brown
Treasurer
Terry Brown received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Florida State University. Upon graduation, he immediately moved to California and lived in San Francisco for several years, working in Customer Relations for a major corporation before moving to Nevada County. In 1982 he helped found Music in the Mountains, was its first Executive Director, and stayed in that position for 18 years – learning via the school of hard knocks and liberally begging, borrowing, and stealing from others. He then became a Financial Advisor. Today, he is an independent advisor through Commonwealth Financial Network, working as a Certified Financial Planner to help clients reach their financial goals. He consults with other area non-profits, is a proud Rotarian, and enjoys traveling, gardening, tinkering with solar projects, and cycling. Although he is somewhat retired from his solo career, he continues to derive joy from raising his voice in song with the other MIM choristers. He is a lifelong learner and enjoys the discoveries that each day brings.
Cara Jones
Secretary & Orchestra Representative
Cara Jones is on the board because I value the important partnership between the Board and its orchestra musicians. I also believe that access to high quality classical music has never been more important, and we ALL have a part to play in bringing high quality musical performance to the community and making sure music education is for all kids. Hornist Cara Jones is an active free-lance artist in Northern California and a member of the Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra. She has performed with many orchestras, including the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Modesto Symphony, and Santa Rosa Symphony, to name a few. Cara performs with the Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra and the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra. A Pi Kappa Lambda graduate of California State University, Sacramento, she earned both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees with Honors. Cara has been an active teacher and coach for brass ensembles and youth symphony members. She and her husband live in Elk Grove, CA with their son, daughter, and two cats.
Julia Amaral
Board Member
Julia Amaral’s post-stewardess career got its start in Real Estate in Marin County during the 70’s and 80’s. During that time, she served for several years on the Board of the Marin Ballet. In 1993, she married Mark Strate, moved to Grass Valley and managed their own properties. She also chaired the Nevada County AirFest for two years and served on the board of the Foothill Theater Company. Currently, she serves on the Hospice of the Foothills Board of Trustees, the Center for the Arts Advisory Committee and the MIM Education Committee, as well as continuing to manage their real estate properties. She serves on the Board “to grow, improve, and share classical music” in our community.
Mark Strate
Board Member
Mark Strate started his work career in the travel business in Southern California, primarily in resort hotel sales. Over the course of time, he was employed by hotel chains in Hawaii, Tahiti and a worldwide chain. He was then offered an opportunity to manage the daily operations of a small gourmet food manufacturing business in the San Francisco Bay Area. After several years in the food business, he sold his interest in that company, married Julia, and moved to Grass Valley. While they had been attending MIM concerts before living here, they soon became more involved. Mark joined the MIM Board for the first time in 2000. He also served on a small advisory committee at Habitat for Humanity before serving on their Board Development Committee for four years. Mark is now back for his third stint as a Board member.
Judith Ciphers
Board Member
Judith Ciphers was born in San Francisco and spent her first 50 years in the Bay Area. After a career with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph she and her husband retired and moved in 1992 to Nevada City, hardly believing the good fortune that brought them to this beautiful location, including a sense of community they had not experienced before. While contributing financially to a number of the local organizations that do necessary and valued work in the community she was especially drawn to Music in the Mountains: first to the Chorus that offered the opportunity to do the singing she loves and lives, and to the professional orchestral concerts. She joined the volunteer group that supports the entire organization, serving as their President for a term, was President of the Chorus, and continues on the Board of Directors that steers MIM, applying leadership skills from her corporate life. She says: “This is where I found the core of my new community and where I can feel I’m contributing to the quality of life in Western Nevada County.”
Nancy Kendrick
Board Member
“Music has been a vital, life-giving part of my journey. At a very young age I remember listening to my Dad play piano and singing with my Mom – it was just there, a part of our family from the beginning. Piano lessons and choral music at school helped me to begin to understand the power and mystery of one of the most beautiful art forms on our dear planet. Whether performing or listening, music has always been and will continue to be, one of the joys of my life. Its breadth of expression, ability to evoke emotion, touch our spirit, lift us up and bring us together, are just a few reasons I support the mission and vision of Music in the Mountains.” Nancy started piano at age six and taught as a teenager into her 30’s. She was on the MIM Board 1984-87 before moving to the Bay Area where she sang as a volunteer in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for 22 years. In 2019, when she and her husband moved back to Nevada County, she rejoined the MIM Chorus. She was a Senior Communications Consultant with Kaiser Permanente Health Plan working in Public Affairs, Marketing, and HR Communications. She and John (Jeffery) enjoy their four children, sons and daughters-in-law, and three grandsons. Along with traveling, reading, and gardening, fixer-upper projects are always on the to-do list. Nancy wants to be an advocate for helping people to experience and participate in music that unites us as a community.
Nicole Arbaugh
Board Member
Owner of a downtown business, Executive Board Member for the Grass Valley Downtown Association, GVDA, and co-chair of the Economic Vitality Committee, Nicole Arbaugh is very connected to the pulse of Grass Valley and the Nevada County business community. She understands the symbiotic relationship necessary for both profit and nonprofit to flourish together, and can help those partnerships build. Nilcole’s store, Stucki Jewelers, was the first sponsor of Music in the Mountains in the early 1980’s and the business continues to be a Visionary Sponsor because Nicole understands the importance of creative thinking, art, music and the culture it manifests. Always a lover of classical music, she sees the desire for growth for MIM and the endless potential as many people moving, and visiting, to this area enjoy the cultural diversity offered through musical experiences like Summer Fest and the Holiday Concert Series. Nicole loves to collaborate and work with like-minded individuals towards a common goal. She enjoys getting to brainstorm at a board level on ways to continue MIM progress and help directly with events such as the Benefits Gala.
Nancy McRay
Board Member
Music has been Nancy’s main focus and identity for her entire life. She first heard of MIM in 1997 when her son, Scott Macomber, was asked by Paul Perry to play principal trumpet in the SummerFest Orchestra. She traveled from Chicago to attend several MIM concerts and collaborated with Scott in a recital for MIM’s 1999 SpringFest, never dreaming that she would be a Californian in another decade! Born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Nancy earned music degrees in piano from Denison University and Northwestern University. For over forty years, she had a busy music career in the Chicago area, teaching and performing. She especially enjoyed being a musical director for Broadway shows. When Nancy moved to the area in 2011, Sierra Stages coaxed her out of retirement to play keyboard for a dozen shows. Locally, she also accompanied for the MIM Chorus and Sierra Master Chorale, and she continues to play for/with many individual musicians. She and her husband, Richard (her friend since second grade), share their home in Lake Wildwood with Lily, her seventh dachshund!
George Husaruk
Board Member
Robbie Merchant
Chorus Representative
When not singing in the MIM Chorus, Robbie can be seen in musical theatre productions around Nevada County, as well as at his “day job” with Quietech as a computer technician.
Harriet Davis
Board Member
Barbara Hampton
Board Member
Prior to MIM, Barbara Hampton and her husband had two dinner theaters with 300 employees. They produced all of their own productions and won numerous awards. They have also purchased, remodeled, sold, or rented 27 houses in a two-year period.
The Music in the Mountains Chorus
The Music in the Mountains Chorus is an auditioned community chorus, made up of about 80 singers from the region. We perform several times a year, sharing our love of great choral music with the community.
Recent performances include an array of great choral works, such as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, and Faure’s Requiem.
The chorus has its roots in the Golden Chain Chorale of the 1970s, a group of 20-40 members, part of the Sierra Musical Arts Association. In the mid-1980s Music in the Mountains formed (with the chorus at its core) and renamed the group the Festival Chorale. The chorus has since grown into one of the top community choirs in the Sierra foothills. Many of the founding members are still part of today’s choir.
Since performances have expanded beyond MIM’s seasonal festivals, the choir dropped “festival” from its name in 2013, becoming the MIM Chorus.
AUDITIONS
What To Expect:
Auditions take place in a welcoming environment with the director and assistant(s). Auditions will include vocalization to assess range, pitch-matching, sight-reading, and a prepared solo. The prepared solo will be sung a cappella (without accompaniment). Singers should have some experience in reading music.
Prepared Solo: The prepared solo may be no longer than three minutes, and should demonstrate the singer’s vocal quality, technique, and musicality. If the song is longer than three minutes, please make appropriate cuts. Style recommendations include classical, musical theater, folk, patriotic, jazz, or hymns/spirituals.
Singers may select their song or choose from the following lists:
Classical: Down By the Sally Gardens, Come Again Sweet Love, Sebben Crudele
Musical Theater: If I Loved You, On The Street Where You Live, Edelweiss
Folk: Danny Boy, Shenandoah, The Water is Wide
Patriotic: My Country ‘Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, God Bless America
Jazz Ballad: Skylark, Summertime, Moonlight in Vermont
Hymn/Spiritual: Amazing Grace, Deep River, Shall We Gather at the River
Interested singers should be able to read music and have sight-reading skills. The individual auditions will be in three parts: vocalization, pitch memory and sight singing.
Rehearsals are held Monday evenings from 7-9 pm, September through mid-June, with a break during January. Rehearsals are at Peace Lutheran Church (828 West Main Street) in Grass Valley. Concert and additional dress rehearsal dates are announced early in the season, and members are expected to be available. Singers must read music and attend rehearsals regularly and are asked to purchase the group’s official “concert black” attire.
Once each semester, in the fall and spring, the Chorus hosts an all-day workshop and retreat on a Saturday. With the visiting vocal experts, pot luck lunch and extensive work on our music for the season… we have a great time!
Chorus Charter
Singer Participant Agreement
The Music in the Mountains Orchestra
The MIM Festival Orchestra is anchored by our long term Core members and augmented by professional players from across the country.
SummerFest Core Orchestra
Violin I
Robin Mayforth, Concertmaster
Karen Shinozaki Sor, Asst Concertmaster
Mutsuko Ikenouchi Tatman
Eline van den Ende
Daniel Zuckerman
Matthew Oshida
Sarah Wood
Anna Gendler
Violin II
Rae Ann Goldberg, Principal
Michelle Maruyama
Brooke Aird
Claudia Fountain
Randi Soule
Eugenia Wie
Ryo Fukuda
Sergi Goldman-Hull
Kristen Autry
Viola
Tamas Strasser, principal
Chad Kaltinger
Melinda Rayne
David Thorp
Nancy Ewing
Cello
Janet Witharm, Principal
Adelle-Akiko Kearns
Noriko Kishi
Ellen Sanders
Dahna Rudin
Bass
Bill Everett, Principal
Andy Butler
Richard Worn
Flute
Jane Lenoir, Principal
Carol Adee
Oboe
Neil Tatman, Principal
Jason Sudduth
Clarinet
Tom Rose, Principal
Geordie Frazer
Bassoon
Carla Wilson, Principal
David Riddles
French Horn
Richard Burdick, principal
Cara Jones
Philip Richardson
Trumpet
Scott Macomber, Principal
Kale Cumings
Trombone
Don Benham, Principal
Wayne Solomon
Doug Thorley, bass trombone
Tuba
Tony Clements
Percussion
Matthew Darling, Principal
Scott Ney
Thomas Rance
Mission & Values
Our Mission and Values
We envision a thriving community inspired by transformative music.
- We are serving a community of engaged, connected, and caring people in harmony with each other and their surroundings.
- We are presenting inspiring concerts and accessible educational programs for everyone.
- Our music brings hope, joy, and comfort.
Our Mission is to inspire, engage, and connect our community through extraordinary musical experiences.
- We will provide transformative music by presenting inspirational concert experiences.
- We will present accessible education programs for everyone.
Core Values
Accessibility: Our concert programming, presentations, and music education programs are approachable and accessible for all.
Artistic Excellence: We value performances at the highest level of talent and artistry and strive to present guest artists and performers who embody this standard of excellence.
Building Community: We value creating connections among the diverse members of our community, fostering communication and unity through the beauty of music.
Collaboration: Recognizing the interdependence of our social, economic, and artistic community, we value collaboration and a collaborative spirit.
Donor Centric: We believe that all types of donors – monetary, volunteer or otherwise – are central to our success.
Education: Because we know that learning changes minds and lives, we value creating knowledge through the teaching of appreciation for music.
Engaging Programming: We strive to create programs that foster a sense of peace, joy, inspiration, and belonging through exciting musical experiences.
Ethical: In all that we do, we strive to be honorable, fair, transparent, and accountable to the community we serve.
Inclusion: We foster an inclusive community that celebrates all the rich contributions of our audience members, staff, performers, and volunteers.
Nurturing the Human Spirit: We believe music is more than entertainment; Music has the power to unite, heal, and transform people.
To further expand on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion we are developing statements that more fully explain our commitments.
Our History
In the Beginning
A small brave band of music lovers with a big dream gathered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to produce a few summer concerts. Four decades later, Music in the Mountains brings the classics to life in new ways, in new places and in new formats.
1981
Initial organizing meetings take place. City Opera (founded in 1978 by Paul Perry and Terry Brown in San Francisco to present little known works of opera) moves to Nevada County as sponsor. A new Board of Directors is elected with the mission to produce a Summer Festival called Music in the Mountains (MIM).
1982
The first Music in the Mountains Summer Festival takes place in St. Joseph’s Hall, Grass Valley, in June. The local volunteer Golden Chain Chorale, already under the direction of Paul Perry, is the core of the Festival, and professional musicians are hired from orchestras throughout the United States.
1985
The corporate name is changed from City Opera to Music in the Mountains, and the Golden Chain Chorale is renamed the MIM Festival Chorale.
1987
The Allegro Alliance is formed as the hospitality and benefit event auxiliary. The Young Musicians’ Competition debuts, adding educational activities as an integral part of MIM’s mission.
1994-95
Two “mini-fests”, one in the spring and one in the fall, are added to augment the Summer Festival and the Holiday Choral Concerts.
2001
A joint project with the Nevada County Fair creates the ability to transform an exhibit hall into The Amaral Family Festival Center concert hall.
2008
Paul Perry, the founding Artistic Director and Conductor retires, and Ryan Murray is hired as Choral Director.
2009
Gregory Vajda is hired as Artistic Director and Conductor (2009-13).
2013
Peter Nowlen is hired as Artistic Advisor.
2014
Ryan Murray’s role expands to include the title Resident Conductor, in addition to Choral Director.
2015
Paul Perry, Artistic Director Emeritus dies.
2016
Peter Nowlen becomes the Artistic Director.
2017
MIM Youth Orchestra (MIMYO) debuts.
2019
Peter Nowlen retires and Ryan Murray becomes Artistic Director and Conductor as well as Choral Director. MIM Offices moved to Grass Valley.
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic forces multiple cancellations and the SummerFest, MIMYO and more go virtual.
Today
MIM continues to be powered by volunteers: The Board of Directors, the renamed MIM Chorus and MIM Alliance.
Today
Professional musicians grace our stages indoors in many locations, and outdoors on the Great Lawn at the Fairgrounds, continuing the tradition of delighting audiences in enchanting settings.
Today
The Education programs have grown to encompass numerous in-school activities: the biennial Young Musicians’ Competition; The Young Composers Project; opportunities to play “Side By Side” with professionals; and the MIM Youth Orchestra.