Katie Gerber, Founder & Artistic Director
Katie has enjoyed a highly versatile career as a professional singer, classroom music teacher, private voice instructor and choral director. She completed her undergraduate degree at I.U Jacobs School of Music, where she received a double degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education with a Choral Music emphasis. Following this, Katie resided in Sydney, Australia for several years, where she was head of Vocal Department at Stella Maris College, created curriculum, and directed several of the school’s internationally award-winning choruses. Following this, Katie relocated to San Francisco, in order to complete her MM in Voice at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. At SFCM, Katie sang the role of Pamina, in “The Magic Flute”, Clori in “L’Egisto”, and the role of Armida in “Rinaldo”, with Conservatory Baroque. Upon graduating from SFCM, Katherine was awarded with several distinctions, including the Dean's Award in Excellence for Opera Performance, and the Dean's Award for Performance in Baroque Vocal Music.
Katie has worked as a choral director in several schools and choruses, including the world renowned children's choruses, the Piedmont East Bay Children's Chorus, Cantabile Youth Singers in Los Altos and the Nueva School for Gifted Learning, where she directed the school choruses and was Head of LS Music. Katie has also directed music at two prominent Bay area churches over the past several years, while maintaining a busy private voice studio at home. Her most recent project has been through a grant-funded project at UCSF/Mt. Zion, directing a chorus for the hearing impaired. Katie is also the Associate Director of the well-known summer program for gifted education, SummerGATE, where she also enjoys coordinating music classes and performances and directing a small Glee Club.
Christopher Rhodes, Associate Conductor
Christopher Rhodes is a singer, pianist, and educator from the Bay Area. He developed an interest in singing from an early age, and his love of music has taken him all over the world. Christopher is a bass-baritone and graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he pursued studies in voice and music education. He has sung as both a soloist and a chorister with professional ensembles in the Bay Area, New York, Montreal, Istanbul, and Warsaw.
Christopher believes that music education is an engaging medium which facilitates human connection, fosters creativity, and enriches the spirit. Christopher is a strong supporter of music in the classroom, and is involved in a number of advocacy efforts to promote music as a vital part of every child’s education.
As a voice teacher, Christopher has a holistic approach to singing which combines mind, body, and spirit through the awareness of breath. A self-proclaimed language nerd and polyglot, Christopher has a passion for pronunciation, diction, and all things linguistic, which he uses to explore the physicality of singing in a playful way. In his free time, Christopher likes to travel, learn foreign languages, and practice Bhakti yoga.
Ariela Dea, Assistant Conductor and Director of Development
Ariela Dea is a local musician and educator who has been playing music since the age of 3. Starting on piano, she then moved on to mastering the trumpet, French horn, and ukulele. Miss Dea grew up singing in the Peninsula Girls Chorus, and was classically trained as a singer until college. Miss Dea studied vocal jazz in college and graduated from San Francisco University with a BA in Music. During her time at SFSU, she sang and played with the SFSU Jazz Choir, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, and Afro-Cuban Ensemble. From 2017 - 2023, Miss Dea was a Music Teacher with SFUSD, earning her Teaching Credential in 2020, learning much of teaching her craft from Susan Appe at West Portal Elementary School. She continues her passion for music education and fostering community through music by staying active in the live music scene, playing in community bands, and is absolutely thrilled to be joining the faculty at SFYC for the 2025-26 season as Director of Development, Voice Instructor, and Assistant Choral Conductor to all chorus levels. Miss Dea will be making her teaching debut with SFYC at SummerGATE this summer, where she will teach music to grades K-5 in Session II, and co-direct the Glee Club.
Parker Grant, Pianist
Parker Grant is a pianist and teacher based in San Francisco. Since graduating from University of Miami in 2013, he has been in demand playing piano and keyboards in ensembles across a wide variety of styles throughout the Bay Area.
He performs regularly with his jazz trio and is an accompanist at Christ Presbyterian Church in Terra Linda.
MADISON SMITH, Guest Clinician
Soprano Madison Smith is renowned for her thrilling, golden voice and versatility across classical and contemporary music. She has performed extensively around the world, including at Davies Symphony Hall, and has been a featured artist with the acclaimed new music ensemble Volti. Smith holds degrees in Voice Performance from The Boston Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Kent Nagano, Vance George, Barbara Bonney, and Karl Paulnack.
In addition to her singing career, Madison is a coach who blends more than 20 years of professional singing with years of dance training, extensive work with physical therapists, and over a decade of Integrative Alexander Technique study. Drawing from her experience transitioning into motherhood, she helps clients connect with their bodies, redefine expectations, and achieve fulfillment in their personal lives and careers. She guides others to achieve powerful transformation via private sessions and group workshops. Learn more at www.madsoprano.com
TRICIA CRONIN, Choreographer