Meet the Faculty
Zachary Bruno
Music Fundamentals, Concert Band Director, Jazz Band Director, Symphony Orchestra Director, Musical Pit Orchestra Director, Music Major Applied Lessons Coordinator
Zachary Bruno is Professor of Music and Director of Bands and Orchestras at Skyline College in San Bruno, CA. He has appeared in concert with professional, community, and collegiate ensembles throughout the United States. Recent conducting engagements have included the Boston Civic Symphony, the Atlantic Union Wind Symphony, the Parkway Concert Orchestra, CAMP-of-the-WOODS, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra through the Eastman School of Music Summer Conducting Institute. He served for two years on the Board of Directors for the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Bay Section, frequently adjudicating at festivals for high school students all over California. As a guest conductor, he has led the high school honor orchestras of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Northern California, the California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), the San Mateo Union High School District, the Stanislaus County high schools, Cazadero Performing Arts Camp, and Pacific Music Camp. Dr. Bruno holds a B.A. in Music from UC Berkeley, an M.M. in Music Education from University of the Pacific, and a D.M.A. in Orchestral Conducting from Boston University.
Michelle Hawkins
Music Appreciation, History of Jazz, African-American Music, Vocal Jazz Ensemble Director, Contemporary Singing Styles, Beginning Piano Class
Michelle Hawkins is a choral director, arranger, and vocalist, and she directs the acclaimed vocal jazz ensemble, Soundscape, at Skyline College. Soundscape recently completed a performance tour to New York City (Apollo Theater and Carnegie Hall), and they performed at the 2018 ACDA Western Division Conference in Pasadena, CA. Her groups have won four Downbeat Music Awards for "Best Vocal Jazz Group" and have placed 1st at the Reno Jazz Festival and 2nd at the Monterey Next Generation Festival. Professor Hawkins also serves on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop (Palo Alto, CA) where she received the 2017 Outstanding Music Educator Award. She is an active choral clinician and adjudicator and serves as the Chair of Jazz Choir Repertoire and Resources for the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Western Division. Professor Hawkins holds degrees from the University of Southern California (M.M. in Jazz Studies) and UC Berkeley (B.A. in Music).
Jude Navari
Music Theory, Musicianship, Music Fundamentals, Composition, Concert Choir Director, Musical Theater Voice, Music Major Faculty Advisor
Jude Navari holds music composition degrees from the Eastman School of Music (B.M.) and University of California at Berkeley (M.A. and Ph.D.), where he also studied conducting with Marika Kuzma and Jung Ho Pak. At Skyline College, Jude teaches music theory, musicianship, class voice, class piano, and composition in addition to conducting the Skyline College Concert Choir and providing vocal music direction for the Spring Musical. He has also taught class piano and music theory at U.C. Berkeley, and over the past 20 years, he has conducted several Bay Area choral groups, including Sacramento Men's Chorus and Berkeley Opera Chorus. In 2008, Jude and his interdisciplinary performance art group, PlayWorks Productions, self-produced an evening of original art song, film, and dance theater at the NOHspace in San Francisco. In 2012, the professional choral ensemble Counterpoint performed an a cappella version of Jude’s “Shouts and Cradle Songs” on several concerts throughout Vermont. Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble, which Jude directed from 1999-2013, performed his complete choral cycle “Siddhartha Fragments” on their 25th Anniversary concerts in April and May 2017.
Meghan Dibble
Voice Class (all levels), Applied Private Lessons Voice
Meghan Dibble has been teaching privately for over 25 years. She began teaching during her course work at California State University, East Bay focusing on college aged students who were interested in exploring their singing voice. While attending Northwestern University, where she received a master’s degree in Vocal Performance and Literature, she specialized in vocal pedagogy with Karen Brunssen and worked at conferences with Richard Miller. Meghan currently teaches voice and piano at her private studio in Berkeley, Skyline College, and is professor of Vocal Pedagogy at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Meghan is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). As a performer, Meghan has enjoyed singing a variety of operatic and musical theater roles as well as newly composed music by local composers. Some of her favorites productions have been with Pocket Opera (Merry Wives of Windsor, Madam Butterfly), Lamplighters Music Theatre (The Pirates of Penzance), San Luis Obispo Opera (The Pirates of Penzance), Redwood Symphony (Candide), Rimrock Opera (Le nozze di Figaro, Carmen), West Bay Opera (Cosi fan tutte), as well as The Witch (Into the Woods), Governess (The Queen of Spades), La Maestra delle Novizie (Suor Angelica), Rosine (Signor Deluso), Fidalma (Il matrimonio segreto), and Siebel (Faust). Meghan currently collaborate with Skyline collaborative pianist, Margaret Fondbertasse, as Katzenduo, a cabaret duo celebrating modern art song. In the moments away from music, Meghan is probably watching cat videos or working at her farm sanctuary, Herd & Flock, with her wife, Katie Dwight.
Margaret Fondbertasse
Staff Accompanist
Margaret has served as an accompanist for the Music Department since 2010. She assists the vocal, Concert Choir, Studio Lessons & Musical Theater classes and collaborates with students, whether in groups or independently, with supportive ensemble work. Prior to Skyline College, Margaret has held accompanist positions in various Bay Area schools, including the SF Conservatory of Music. Passionate about performing, she currently is the accompanist for the Peninsula Women’s Chorus. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a recipient of the Hertz Fellowship.
Gail Hicks
Piano Class (All levels), Music Fundamentals
After Gail completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Gail headed out to California to find her way in the world. Within a few years she had teaching jobs at the Community Music Center in SF, North Peralta Community College and Skyline College while at the same time studying piano privately with the wonderful Marjorie Petray of UC Berkeley. Several years later, after completing her Master’s degree in Music Theory at San Francisco State University, she started teaching Class Piano at De Anza College and then, after an extensive hiatus from teaching there at a previous time, returned to teach Class Piano at Skyline College for the second time. Gail has taught on the community college level for over 40 years. In parallel with her music teaching career, Gail also had the opportunity to view firsthand the innovative and imaginative technologies being developed in Silicon Valley in the position she held as a technical writer there. She retired from her tech job in 2002. In her early years in California Gail studied jazz theory with a jazz arranger from the Berklee School of Music. In recent years she has been taking classes at the California Jazz Conservatory (CJC) in Berkeley and frequenting the Jazz Center in San Francisco to hear the world’s finest jazz performers.
Elizabeth Ingber
Piano Class (all levels), Violin/Viola Class (all levels) and Applied (Private) Lessons Piano
Elizabeth Ingber is a pianist, violist, and violinist performing and teaching throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She joined the Skyline College music department in 2006 and works with musicians of all ages through her private teaching studio. She currently performs in the Peninsula Symphony and Peninsula Scottish Fiddlers, and is active as a collaborative pianist and freelancer. As both a pianist and violist Ms. Ingber has been a member of the Chesapeake Chamber Orchestra, Columbia Orchestra, and Howard County Ballet Orchestra. Her performances have included chamber and orchestral concerts during summer seasons in Italy. Ms. Ingber received a Master of Music degree in piano accompanying from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a student of Timothy Bach. Prior to studying at the Conservatory she attended St. Mary's College of Maryland from which she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, studying piano and viola, as well as mathematics. After completing her graduate studies she joined the accompanying staff for the collegiate and preparatory divisions of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Since completing her formal education she has regularly attended summer programs for both performance and pedagogy, including courses at Aspen Music Festival, Interlochen, and Suzuki Institutes.
Robert Millar
Music Appreciation, Music Fundamentals
Robert is an emeritus Professor of Music and Humanities at Skyline College. After completing his studies at San Francisco State University, he went on to pursue post-graduate studies in performance in England. An accomplished pianist and conductor, he is also a proficient harpsichordist and percussionist. Professor Millar has performed in concerts throughout the U.S., Great Britain, and France, both as a soloist and with numerous performing organizations. A fervent, longtime advocate for the importance of the Arts in education, Professor Millar has been responsible for developing a number of new music and humanities courses at Skyline College, as well as revising existing courses for presentation as online offerings. He has taught internationally under the auspices of the U.S. Government International Exchange Teachers Program and was actively involved in the homeschooling of his own children. Additionally, he has been a writer and book reviewer for national magazines.
Christopher Motter
Guitar Class (all levels), Guitar Ensemble Director, and Music Technology/Electronic Music Production Instructor
Christopher Motter is a contemporary jazz guitarist with a career emphasis on education and performance. Mr. Motter received his first music degree from University of California Santa Cruz, where he was classically trained, before moving on to earn his Master’s degree from San Jose State University in Jazz Studies. Christopher has an eclectic performance history throughout the Bay Area in a variety of different styles including, jazz, rock, country, and pop. Christopher Motter is currently a guitar performance instructor at The Harker School as well as Skyline College.