People
Founder, MUSIC Director and Conductor
Cathy Humphers Smith
Cathy and her husband Kent founded the Terrible Adult Chamber Orchestra with the first sessions in their living room. They wanted to create an open, welcoming place where anyone who wants to, can play great symphony music, without the usual barriers of audition, rehearsals, pressures of perfection and performance.
Cathy started piano and violin lessons at a very young age, and continued studying piano seriously through college. She enjoyed folk music and her introduction to choral music came with the experience of singing with the Coro Juvenile de Rosario as an AFS exchange student in Argentina, 1972-73. While a music major at CSU Sacramento, she sang in the chorus, before transferring to UC Santa Cruz, where she obtained a BA in Latin American Studies and continued to study piano. She went on to earn an MA in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, where she also sang with the University of Chicago Chorus.
To develop her conducting skills, most recently Cathy participated in the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute with Diane Wittry and Anna Edwards. Prior to this she studied with Tom Gentry (CSUS), Charlene Archibeque, Jeffrey Benson, Ed Harris (all of SJSU).
Board members/Committee Chairs/advisors
Secretary
Amy Monbourquette
Communications/Public Relations
Gina Atkinson
Membership/Registration
Ann Ibaraki
Social/Hospitality
Christine Garcia-Large
Volunteer at Large
Lawrence Troxell
Volunteer at Large
Joan Berman Segall
Advisor
Mary Morison Winby
Advisor
Elaine Sulzberger
Advisor
Kent Smith
NOTABLE GUESTS
Conductors
Jeffrey Benson - Artistic Director of Peninsula Cantare; Chair of Choral Activities at San Jose State University
Tony Quartuccio - Music Director, Nova Vista Symphony; Associate Conductor, San Jose Chamber Orchestra; Music Director, South Valley Symphony, Former Conductor, Opera San Jose
Lara Levy - Instrumental Music Teacher, Pioneer High School, San Jose
Fred Cohen - Chair, Department of Music and Dance at San Jose State University, Orchestra Conductor and Composer
Anna Wittstruck - Conductor of the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra
Vince Gomez - Conductor of the Mountain View Adult Ed Orchestra, Jazz musician, String coach, and festival adjudicator
Jason Kneebone - Instrumental Music Teacher, Mountain View High School
Jacob Mashak - Tiny piano expert; Freelance musician
Vivian McNulty - Shared music planning, conducting, and library development in early TACO years; Retired Instrumental Music Teacher, Blach Intermediate School, Los Altos
TACOCAT ~ Our very own Composers, Arrangers, and Transcribers
Bill Maney
Elaine Miller
Bill Stivers
Dave Decker
Dave Papay
BIOs
Cathy Humphers Smith – Founder, Music Director, Conductor
Cathy and her husband Kent founded the Terrible Adult Chamber Orchestra with the first sessions in their living room. They wanted to create an open, welcoming place where anyone who wants to, can play great symphony music, without the usual barriers of audition, rehearsals, pressures of perfection and performance.
Cathy started piano and violin lessons at a very young age, and continued studying piano seriously through college. She enjoyed folk music and her introduction to choral music came with the experience of singing with the Coro Juvenile de Rosario as an AFS exchange student in Argentina, 1972-73. While a music major at CSU Sacramento, she sang in the chorus, before transferring to UC Santa Cruz, where she obtained a BA in Latin American Studies and continued to study piano. She went on to earn an MA in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, where she also sang with the University of Chicago Chorus.
To develop her conducting skills, most recently Cathy participated in the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute with Diane Wittry and Anna Edwards. Prior to this she studied with Tom Gentry (CSUS), Charlene Archibeque, Jeffrey Benson, Ed Harris (all of SJSU).
After taking a leave of absence from clinical social work to raise two boys, she found opportunities to return to her love of music through involvement in the public schools, which led to a second career as a music educator. She worked for Music for Minors, for several years as a docent, and then as staff Program Director. An active volunteer in the local high school music program, she also led independent after-school children’s choruses and had a brief stint as the director of the San Jose Peace Chorale.
Her work as a piano accompanist for a local middle school orchestra, led to a productive relationship with Vivian McNulty (retired middle school music teacher) who joined TACO for several years, helping to build the TACO music library and share conducting responsibilities.
Cathy was the recipient of a Gardner Award for Community Service in recognition of her work establishing TACO. She is a frequent guest conductor and advisor to our spin-off group, TACO Los Angeles, run by Jazmine Rampas. As the Director of TACO, Cathy looks for every opportunity for musicians to experience success and joy in making music.
Linh Tran – Operations Director
A cellist and arts management professional focusing on performing arts and arts education, Linh has extensive experience in non-profit arts administration, working with professional, university, and youth orchestras. She has supported a wide range of art organizations, from start-ups to well-established institutions.
Linh joined the TACO Advisory Board in 2022, helping with organizational development, operations, website development, and grant writing before becoming TACO’s Operations Director in 2023.
Vicki Levy – Administrative Assistant
Vicki works behind the scenes as administrative assistant, applying her organizational skills and thoughtful support to TACO. She is a registered nurse who specialized in pediatric oncology and later worked in hospice care. After having children, she spent many years volunteering in community service including working with the MVHS Music program. Vicki plays piano and her daughter, a bassoonist, is a high school music teacher. She enjoys musical theater, folk and classical music concerts, and attending all of her daughter’s concerts.
Amy Monbourquette – Secretary
Amy took on the role of Secretary in September 2023. Amy plays clarinet with TACO, and also enjoys playing the piano, reading fiction and birdwatching. She is a corporate paralegal, currently working for National Mortgage Insurance Corporation, and previously for Silicon Valley companies in the areas of software, genetics, cybersecurity and manufacturing. Amy has a bachelor's degree in Classical Studies from Dartmouth College.
Helen Morris – Treasurer
Helen originally played clarinet during high school and college in the UK, playing for the Cheshire County Youth Orchestra. As a highlight, she played at the United Nations while on tour in New England, based out of the orchestra's sister city of West Chester, PA. Many years later after moving to the US with her husband, Helen resumed her clarinet playing while volunteering with her children's high school Marching Band. She chanced upon TACO as a great outlet to continue that experience. Helen has also been active in the Cupertino/Los Altos area with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and school PTA.
Helen holds an International MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is a UK Chartered Accountant. She currently works in Internal Audit at eBay.
Gina Atkinson – Communication/Public Relations
Gina has been playing flute with TACO since 2012. She also plays both alto flute and C flute with Bel Canto flute choir. She has been an editor of psychoanalytic books and articles since 1999 (now semi-retired), and she translates Italian psychoanalytic material into English; her latest book translation was published in December 2022. She holds a B.A. in Art History and an M.A. in Italian from San Francisco State University. She is a steady participant in dance aerobics, step aerobics, and bike riding. When not engaged in music, linguistics, or physical activity, she can often be found baking or cooking, volunteering at Los Altos History Museum, hanging out with friends, or taking care of her cat, Jason.
Ann Ibaraki – Membership/Registration
Ann, our Registration Chair, brings extensive professional and volunteer experience to TACO. She held clerical positions at UC Berkeley and Stanford University Hospital, and actively participated in PTA boards and school events. Ann was involved with the Mountain View High School Music Parents Association and volunteered for the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Pony League Baseball. Originally from Hawaii, she earned a B.A. in Sociology and represented the state as a sewing champion at the 1969 National 4-H Congress in Chicago.
Now retired, Ann enjoys dance aerobics, visiting family, and occasional trips to Japan. She is an enthusiastic A's fan who loves reading, gardening, and music. Her husband, Ron played clarinet in TACO. Since 2015, Ann has efficiently managed registration for TACO, ensuring smooth check-ins and reconciling registrations with our database, city rec and the foundation fund.
Christine Garcia-Large - Social/Hospitality
Christine is a born and bred New Yorker. She received her Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University and practiced civil litigation before deciding to shift from legal practice to join Teach America as a bilingual Spanish educator. She moved to California and taught at the elementary level in Oakland, Union City and Redwood City. She earned an administrative certificate and ran a private school for one year and then retired. Christine also holds a project management certificate from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Christine is our Hospitality Chair, making sure we have all the supplies needed and laying out a welcoming spread with contributions from attendees, for a break with networking in mind. She has also initiated a more organized volunteer recruitment effort. Although she does not play with the orchestra, her husband Andrew plays trumpet with TACO and together are avid travelers, science fiction fans and bicyclists. Christine studied Tae Kwon Do for 4 years and is currently learning Karate.
Lawrence Toxell – Volunteer at Large
Lawrence has been playing violin with TACO since 2016. He usually plays in the second violin section and had never played in a second violin section until 2016 and has found it more challenging because the second violins often don’t have the melody.
He worked as an organic chemist after graduating from UC San Diego and, after six years as a chemist, entered pharmacy school at UCSF and then went on to complete a residency there. He was the Director of Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy Services at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara before retirement. A few years before retirement he started playing with the South Bay Old Time Fiddle Jam group occasionally and still has a lot to learn about fiddle playing and hopes to play with the group more than occasionally now. He has been swimming with competitive swimmers most of his life and now swims with a Masters team.
Joan Berman Segall – Volunteer at Large
Joan has been involved in TACO from the beginning, playing flute in the very first group of musicians to enjoy making music together in Cathy’s living room. She has seen TACO grow over the years to a wonderful community orchestra that gathers musicians of all stripes and all levels of experience to play on a regular basis. She has been secretary of the board from 2015 - 2023.
There was always classical or jazz music playing in her home. She grew up in a family that loved music…with the Cleveland Orchestra nearby and summers as a camper at Interlochen Music Camp or a member of the audience. Joan has had a clinical social work practice in the Palo Alto area since 1987 working with children, parents and adults. She is the District Coordinator of the Midpeninsula/Silicon Valley Chapter of the California Society for Clinical Social Work.
Mary Morison Winby
Mary joined TACO as an Advisor in 2020 focused on leadership coaching, operational and strategic planning, guiding the process to implement and document operational aspects of the work that supports the orchestra, which now serves as the foundation for strategic planning towards sustainability of the orchestra.
Mary is an active cellist in the South Bay Philharmonic and a local string quintet. She is also a member of a wind quintet, where she plays flute. Read more about Mary’s professional work here: www.ewinswinby.com
Elaine Sulzberger
Elaine retired from Philips Semiconductor as the North American Sales Controller. During her career, Elaine’s contributions in the workplace were recognized by being named a Silicon Valley Twin (Tribute to Women in Industry). Elaine was a board member and served a term as president of the board of Child Advocates Silicon Valley and also volunteered as a child advocate for many years.
Elaine has served as Treasurer for the TACO board from 2015 - 2023, helping develop the budget, presenting regular finance updates to our board, and interfacing with the finance director of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation. In addition to the TACO board, Elaine concurrently serves on the board of Parisi House on the Hill, a residential program for women recovering from addiction. Additionally, Elaine volunteers at Stanford Health Care teaching fall prevention to aging adults. In 2019 she was awarded the Jeanne D. Kennedy Volunteer of the Year Award from Stanford Health Care for her contributions. When she is not volunteering in the community, Elaine can be found riding a tandem bike with her husband.
Kent Smith
Kent is the co-founder of TACO and plays viola and harmonica. He retired as a physician from Kaiser Permanente, giving him time to play a lot of chamber music with friends, perfect his golf game, astrophotography, and taking in as many jazz, blues, symphony, opera and chamber music concerts as possible. Kent is a valued advisor, reminding us to keep things simple and fun, and continues to help producing sessions. He plays viola with the orchestra.
Rachelle Talag
Rachelle “Chelle” served on our first board as Marketing Chair. She brought a range of talents to TACO. She has experience as a research and labor analyst, specializing in advertising and marketing. Her organizational skills were honed through managing events and fundraising for various organizations, including her son's marching band. Originally from the Philippines, she has a passion for travel and has completed races and triathlons. Chelle enjoys watercolor painting, swimming, and cooking, and has a weakness for chocolate and bread. While not a player herself, she proposed an event that brought a ukulele group to perform with TACO. Her son Tim played tenor saxophone with TACO.
Chelle contributed greatly to TACO's success by creating high-quality branded products that are successful as fundraisers and fun for fans of the orchestra.
Ola Marra Cook
Ola fulfilled her dream of playing with an orchestra through TACO. She has a diverse background, with degrees in theater arts, business, and international management. Professionally, she has worked in various fields including public affairs, fund development, marketing, project management, and interior design. Ola pursued her passion for music as an adult, studying flute, piccolo, and alto saxophone. She has performed at prestigious venues like Davies Symphony Hall and joined music groups such as the Really Terrible Orchestra and the Bel Canto Flute Choir. Ola's involvement with TACO has opened doors for many musical opportunities. Ola has served as our Communications Chair, and previously served on the board of the San Jose Chamber Music Society, and served in the US Army National Guard. She is also active in community organizations and enjoys travel, photography, and SCUBA diving. Currently, she works as a notary public.
Ich Nguyen
Ich is a retired electrical engineer. He managed the TACO PA system, audio engineering and was a regular part of the production crew. He is a talented photographer regularly taking photos of TACO sessions. Ich’s son Tim has played saxophone with TACO and his wife Rachelle is marketing chair. Ich generously sat on our board for Ed’s leave, as Operations/Production Chair.
Ed Tan
Ed served on our first board as Operations/Production Chair, representing team Ron Ibaraki, Ich Nguyen, Tim Nguyen and Kent Smith. Ed has held a variety of positions with start-ups as an electrical engineer throughout the Bay Area, while singing regularly with the Stanford Symphony Chorus and playing flute with TACO. Ed loves spending time with his family, settling now in the East Bay, but still keeps a part of his heart with TACO.
Operations/Production Crew at work: Ed Tan (standing) with
Tim Nguyen, Ich Nguyen, Ron Ibaraki and Kent Smith
Alison Kibrick
Alison has played keyboard and been a major supporter of TACO from the beginning. She is a classically trained pianist, has worked in tech and as a school librarian for many years, before taking the position of President of JustREAD, a literacy program in the Mountain View schools. Alison served on our first board as Hospitality Chair. She enjoys gardening, reading, studying history, travel, and good food.
Vivian McNulty Wilcox
Vivian joined TACO to play French horn, and as soon as she retired from Blach Intermediate School with 20 years tenure as the instrumental music instructor, she joined Cathy to share conducting responsibilities and help develop the TACO music library. A graduate of University of Arizona, Vivian studied French horn, but in order to teach middle school music, she mastered all of the instruments of the orchestra. For 20 years, she ran an excellent program including large popular daily classes for each 7th and 8th grade strings, and 7th and 8th grade bands. She regularly took her students to adjudications, to music festivals in throughout the state, and created the annual opportunity for students to make a CD of their music in a professional recording studio in Burbank. She became the Director & Conductor of the South Bay Community Orchestra through Mountain View/Los Altos Adult Education, before moving out of the area.
RC Wood
RC Wood is an artist and designer. She and her husband Michael Feliz played low brass with TACO before moving to Portland. Rachel created new fun swag in our Zazzle store.
Jazmine Rampas - Director of TACO Los Angeles
Jazmine has a degree in music from Cal State Northridge. She worked full-time as an Orchestra Assistant for the El Camino Youth Symphony in Palo Alto for two seasons before pivoting into a tech career. Jazmine worked as a Web Application Developer at Pepperdine University and in other technical positions before her current role as a Product Support Consultant at Google.
Jazmine discovered TACO in 2015 to encourage her sister to play the violin again. Relocating to Los Angeles, she missed playing music and wished there was a casual orchestra like TACO in town. Jazmine contacted Founder Cathy Humphers Smith in March 2019 about possibly starting a group in LA. With TACO's support, Jazmine launched the first TACO LA session in Burbank on October 6th, 2019. She promoted the group through social media and gathered 150 signups before the first gathering. Today, TACO has grown an active social media following and an email list with close to 500 members. After a hiatus during the pandemic, TACO LA relaunched in December 2021 and relocated to Pasadena. In the Fall of 2022, the group has a core of 40 members traveling from all parts of the Greater Los Angeles Area and Orange County to play with TACO.
Read about TACO Los Angeles here.