Teaching Artists
Violinist Fiona Cunninghame-Murray previously studied at the Peabody Pre-Conservatory in Baltimore (MD) with Lenelle Morse where she was concertmaster of both the Peabody Youth Orchestra and the Baltimore School for the Arts Orchestra. She then went on to earn her Bachelor's degree at The University of Michigan under Professor David Halen, concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony.
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Fiona is currently pursuing her masters degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Chen Zhao of the San Francisco Symphony. From 2017 to 2019 she spent her summers at the Meadowmount School of Music studying with Gerardo Ribeiro and Sally Thomas for solo repertoire and Kikuei Ikeda of the Tokyo String Quartet for chamber music. Following Meadowmount, she attended the Aspen Music Festival under Robert Lipsett.
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Most recently, Fiona accompanied Gil Shaham in the Aspen Festival Orchestra and Winton Marsalis with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She taught privately for three years in the Ann Arbor area as well as at the Aspen Music Festival as a student educator. Fiona has performed in master classes for Hilary Hahn, Midori Goto, Daniel Ashalamov of the American String Quartet and Daniel Philips of the Orion String Quartet.
Recently retired from a 30-year career teaching band, orchestra and jazz band at Presidio Middle School in the San Francisco Unified School District, Diana Wyneken Gomez is currently off the podium and performing on flute and piccolo. She received her Bachelor of Music from San Francisco State University in 1976, and continued studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, under Paul Renzi and Lloyd Gowen of the San Francisco Symphony, with masterclasses under Jean-Pierre Rampal, Julius Baker and Marcel Moyse. Her most recent work in large performing groups includes the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Municipal Band, San Francisco Civic Symphony, Golden Gate Park Band, San Francisco Wind Ensemble, and various freelance work around the Bay Area. She spends time playing chamber music with Zephyrus Woodwinds, and maintains musical relationships with churches and choirs around the Bay Area.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Santa Monica, California, Eleanor Hammersly is a violist, artist, and community organizer. Since picking up the viola for the first time at age nine, her musical endeavors have led her to perform throughout the United States, South America, and Europe, as an orchestral, chamber, and solo player. Since graduating from UT Austin's Butler School of Music in May 2023, she has enjoyed many performance opportunities, playing with the American Youth Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, and the newly formed Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles. Ella was a finalist in the 2024 American Viola Society's Orchestral Audition Competition and has spent previous summers at the Napa, Round Top, Trentino, Green Mountain, and Tanglewood Institute festivals, holding principal positions.
Ella holds a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Roger Myers. This fall, she will begin her Masters degree program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Jonathan Vinocour.
In addition to her classical background, Ella is skilled in playing and teaching pop, jazz, and improvisatory music styles, and has performed with international superstars Rick Springfield and Michael Buble.
Ella has eight years of experience teaching violin and viola, from ages 6 through 16. Most recently, she has taught at Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), an El Sistema music education program of Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic that provides free instruments and group instruction to students throughout the city. She firmly believes that studying music has intersected with and empowered her in all areas of her life, particularly her passion for climate activism. Ella wants to make the field and study of music more joyous and accessible to everyone, and she is excited to return to the city she was born in as both a teacher and student.
Catherine Heusner is a member of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra and for 10 years, she was Assistant Concertmaster of the Stockton Symphony Orchestra. She currently works as a substitute teacher in the Davis Unified School District (Davis, CA) and maintains an active private studio.
Her education includes studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of Southern California where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance. Her private teachers at SFCM and USC included Eudice Shapiro and Isadore Tinkleman.
Catherine is the proud mother of two sons; both graduates of the University of California-Santa Barbara. At Music Mission San Francisco, Catherine teaches violin.
Fabiola Marinero began her musical journey as a violinist with El Sistema in El Salvador, a program dedicated to using music for social transformation. She has since built a multifaceted career as a performer and educator, working with the Harmony Project in Los Angeles and the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra to empower young musicians from under-resourced communities.
A former Concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA), Fabiola frequently performed alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, gaining invaluable experience in collaborative and professional orchestral settings. She has also performed with iconic artists such as Herbie Hancock, Diana Ross, Billie Eilish, Weezer, and Los Tigres del Norte. During her time at UC Berkeley, she has collaborated with celebrated musicians Jacob-Joseph Hansen and Sarah Usher. Her performances have graced prestigious venues like the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Staples Center. She has also appeared as a substitute with the New World Symphony and in Billie Eilish's acclaimed *"Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles."*
At UC Berkeley, Fabiola is an active member of both the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (violin) and the UC Berkeley Philharmonia (viola), having taken up the viola during her college studies. Her dual-instrument expertise has deepened her musical versatility and enriched her artistic expression.
Fabiola has expanded her musicianship through participation in prestigious programs such as the New England Conservatory Summer Orchestra Institute, Interlochen Arts Camp, Pacific Crest Music Festival, and Princeton University’s Gustavo Dudamel Residency. These experiences have shaped her artistry and provided opportunities to engage with world-class musicians and educators.
Fabiola is pursuing her degree in music at the University of California, Berkeley, and will graduate in the spring of 2025. Through her teaching and performances, she continues to cultivate her artistry and inspire future generations of musicians.
Federico Strand Ramirez is a San Francisco-based cellist and native San Franciscan. He began learning cello at the age of 11 in his public middle school, and obtained degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Mannes School of Music in New York City. His major teachers include Bonnie Hampton, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, Fred Sherry, and Louella Hasbun.
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Federico currently works as a cellist for the Berkeley Ballet Theater and is a founding member of the Sixth Station Piano Trio, which performs regularly at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral.
Federico has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, The DiMenna Center, SF Jazz’s Miner Auditorium, Davies Symphony Hall, the Asian Art Museum, Center for New Music, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
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A passionate teacher, Federico maintains a private studio and serves as faculty for the Golden Gate Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Federico’s music festival appearances include Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Academy.
Trombonist Miriam Snyder lives in San Francisco, California, where she recently
completed a master’s degree in trombone performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of
Music. Before moving to San Francisco, Miriam lived in Rochester, New York, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Her primary teachers have included Dr. David Hamilton, Larry Zalkind, and Paul Welcomer.
Miriam currently teaches private lessons and freelances in several Bay Area orchestras
including symphonies in Stockton, Santa Rosa, Marin, and Monterey. As a passionate solo and
chamber musician, Miriam has succeeded in several competitions, with the most recent
including being a finalist in the 2023 SFCM Winds, Brass Percussion, and Harp Concerto
Competition, runner-up in the 2022 SFCM Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition, placing first
in the 2021 American Trombone Workshop’s Quartet Competition, and placing third in the
national level of the 2017 MTNA Senior Brass Competition.
As an educator, Miriam holds positions as instructor of brass and piano at Vibo Music School, brass instructor at Music Mission San Francisco, and general and instrumental music teacher at Sunset Elementary School. Throughout spring 2024, Miriam will be performing in elementary schools across San Francisco as a member of Gusto Winds for the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures In Music program.
Through a unique partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, select Conservatory students are now working as Bridge to Arts and Music (BAM) teaching artists at Music Mission San Francisco.
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