About Us

World class music in friendly Tahoe spaces!

Tahoe Music Alive was founded in 2023 to fill a gap in the musical menu of the greater North Tahoe region. Our three prototype concerts in 2023 confirmed the need, and in 2024 over one thousand people experienced TMA's exceptional concert performances and community outreach.

From every corner, near and far, the resounding feedback has been "MORE -MORE -MORE."

With your continued support, we will do just that! We are deeply grateful!

Check out the 2025 Series. It includes 4 chamber music concerts, and jazz to be added.

Tahoe Music Alive

OUR VISION

Tahoe Music Alive is the premier provider of small music ensembles in the greater North Tahoe area, offering a variety of programming to diverse audiences, including outreach to schools and community groups.

OUR MISSION

Through concerts and community outreach, Tahoe Music Alive inspires lives and builds community through the transformative power of classical and jazz music performances.

OUR GOALS

Tahoe Music Alive's 3-5 year objectives include:

· Achieving viable and sustainable operations model for bringing world class musicians to North Tahoe to provide exceptional listening experiences.

· Becoming recognized in the greater North Tahoe for its leadership in providing classical chamber music and jazz.

· Inspiring local appreciation and proficiency in classical chamber music and jazz.

Tahoe Music Alive operates on the unceded territories of the Washoe people.

Our Team

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

From the first prototype, we are always learning - learning about the appetite of regional and North Tahoe residents and visitors for superb listening experiences, learning about the available venues with great acoustics (and especially those with performance-worthy grand pianos), learning about the community and personal impact that music makes on the quality of life.

Music builds community and brings together local residents and visitors as they gather to enjoy diverse musicians from across the country.

We are committed to booking highly acclaimed artists, despite higher cost, for the enjoyment and benefit of our audiences and as a way to strengthen the perception of greater North Tahoe as a leisure destination that offers a variety of cultural entertainment options.

Board Member, Tresasurer

Marty Anderson

My affiliation with Tahoe Music Alive started with an invitation to listen to live music performed in homes by local artists. Wth Martha, we began discussing how to regularly bring world class musicians to North Tahoe. We formalized the Board, incorporated as a non-profit organization, and offered a couple of pilots programs - three full-house concerts in 2023. It is a great thrill to be helping Tahoe Music Alive build and execute a mission of bringing this level of talent in small ensembles to friendly venues in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe. The musical artists have been amazing!

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Board Member

Scott Fitzgerrell

I met Martha when she joined me as I led the first annual circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe on behalf of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, located near my home in Incline Village. Next up: she founded Tahoe Music Alive, and I was enlisted as a board member and graphic designer for the fledgling organization. (It’s been fun to ply my old trades.) To say that TMA has been a resounding success would be an understatement! We have a history of sold-out concerts across two seasons, plus active plans for 2025. What would life be without music (and kayaks)?

Board Member

Barbara Klencke

I joined TMA’s Board in part for the opportunity to work with an amazing team of people, all working together towards a shared vision of enhancing cultural opportunities in North Tahoe. A tremendous amount of coordination, planning, and effort has gone into founding the organization, planning the season, ensuring the success of each individual concert, and building in opportunities for music education, so it has been gratifying to see the community response to what TMA's offer - world class musical artists to Tahoe for live, small venue concerts at very affordable ticket prices.

Board Member

Barton Tretheway

I joined TMA’s Board as an opportunity help bring world class classical and jazz musicians to the Truckee/North Lake Tahoe Community. I have a passion for all things Tahoe having first come to the lake in 1946. I also have a deep love for music. TMA is making a difference by providing classical and jazz music to the greater Truckee and North Lake Tahoe community. This difference provides a platform to impact the lives of others through music education and live small venue performances by world class musicians.

Board Member, Secretary

Charlene Simmons

The first time I attended a TMA concert I knew that I wanted to help bring such wonderful musical experiencers to our community and also for my personal enjoyment. I encourage everyone to contribute so that we can continue to enrich our lives with beautiful music.

Board Member, President

Martha Russell

When I moved to Truckee in 2021, my search for local Tahoe musicians with whom I could play chamber music led me to a community of music fans who love world class chamber music. An exceptionally talented team stepped up to form Tahoe Music Alive and provide leadership. Extraordinary musicians from SF, NY, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico agreed to make side trips up to Tahoe to perform concerts in our small venues.

Our Amazing Staff and Friendly Volunteers

Caitlin Grooms - Administration and Events

diradmin@tahoemusicalive.org

Christine Braud - Volunteer Coordinator

Alice Verham - Accounting

Volunteers - Cheryl Allen, Allan Baum, Marie Colbert, Janet Coudurier, Heidi Doyle, Sandy and Peter Golze, Ursula and Jeff Heffernon, Nancy Himelstein, Justine Jacob, Wyn Knapp, Jennifer Moon, Carol Morris, Dick and Nileta Morton, Lynette Powell, Gale Rankin, Kieth Rutherford, Sue Sage

Board Members and Advisors - Brief Backgrounds

Martin G. Anderson

Marty Anderson, who recently retired from 38 years in Financial Planning and Investment Management, including 34 years with Merrill Lynch, moved to Truckee 6 years ago. He served on the Tahoe Donner Finance Committee for 4 years and earlier has served on several Boards including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the International Society for the Arts, Science and Technology. His love of music is long, deep and covers many styles. He currently serves on the Board of the Tahoe Truckee School of Music and plays guitar in the TreeTones, a local jazz band.

Barbara Klencke

An Incline Village resident, Barbara is a physician and accomplished oncology drug developer, who recently retired as Chief Medical Officer of Sierra Oncology. Formerly a practicing oncologist whose career included academic clinical research, teaching, and patient care, Barb later moved into biotech, where she made substantial contributions to the development and approval of numerous cancer medications. In 2022, she was named to PharmaVoice’s list of the top 100 trailblazers in the life sciences, which saluted her as an innovator and noted her reputation for combining compassion for patients with business savvy acumen. Barb currently serves on the Boards of several biotech/pharma companies. She is a lifelong competitive swimmer and hiker, and since moving to Tahoe in 2017 has been an active kayaker and supporter of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center and other environmental organizations.

Scott Fitzgerrell

For some years Scott was associate editor at Sunset Books, has enjoyed a varied career that has included stints as a schoolteacher, photographer, editor, art director, and general creative person. As a graphic designer he has created logos and IDs for clients ranging from the City of Piedmont to a custom guitar builder, as well as endless marcomm pieces for companies high-tech and low. Prior to retiring he worked with his wife, Debi, designing kitchens and baths and other remodels for her Piedmont real estate clients and his own. He has actively pursued photography since sixth grade and is still at it today. He paddles sea kayaks he has built himself and plays guitar for fun. He and Debi live in Incline Village and are active supporters of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Sierra Watch, Earth Justice, and other environmental organizations. Scott is only too pleased to be working with Tahoe Music Alive. After all, what is life without music?

Martha Russell

In her professional endeavors, Martha’s guiding North star has always been an unswerving dedication to the power of shared vision. On nonprofit boards and in leadership roles with local, orchestral, and festival music organizations, Martha’s interests in interdisciplinary approaches and penchant for “always learning” have stimulated discovery and novel solutions. Martha Russell is Emerita at Stanford University, where she led the University’s visionary MediaX institute, forging business alliances and interdisciplinary research focused on the intersection of human interests and the development of new information technologies. Drawing on her doctoral degree in Policy Analysis from the University of Minnesota, her systems perspective has informed planning/evaluation systems for local, regional, national, and international joint ventures that have sought to optimize the influence of innovation, collaborations and ecosystems. Martha moved to Truckee in 2021, following her daughter and family’s move to Olympic Valley. Martha plays ensemble and solo flute and piano (not at the same time) and is an advocate for environmental stewardship of planet Earth.

Charlene Simmons

Initially from the Bay Area and Davis, now full-time in Truckee, she has applied her Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California, at the Universidad Anáhuac in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, and as Assistant Director of the nonpartisan California Research Bureau in the California State Library. As Senior Consultant to the Assembly Select Committee on Ethics, she was instrumental in a major legislative ethics reform (enacted by voters as Proposition 112). She also served as a Senior Consultant in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and as Federal Liaison for the California Employment Development Department. In Truckee Charlene has been active in the Tahoe Donner Trails and Open Space Committee, the Tahoe Donner Hiking Club and Elections Committee, the Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Soroptimist International. She and her husband Dan are avid skiers and hikers and enjoy and appreciate excellent music. Charlene Simmons is past chair of the California Council for the Humanities, the Yolo Family Service Agency, and Friends Outside.

Barton Thretheway

Barton Tretheway has had a passion for all things Lake Tahoe since he first visited in 1946. Though Chicago, Illinois is his primary residency, he and his wife Jennifer enjoy several months, winter and summer, at their home in Rubicon Bay. In addition to having been an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, Barton is founder and managing partner of Rubicon Solutions Group and is a nationally recognized expert in strategy, governance, and new product/service development. He serves on several nonprofit boards and is past chair of the Medic Alert Foundation International. For the past thirty years, Barton has helped non-profit organizations in strategic planning, management and development. Barton currently serves as Director of the Sierra Parks Foundation and was the Foundation’s immediate past Treasurer.

Marcelyn Cohune - Advisor

As a member of the Truckee community for over 30 years, Marcelyn Cohune’s passion for theatrical and musical production has led her to be active in acting and directing theater productions for Plumas Players and Truckee Actors Guild, along with producing her brainchild, the ever popular Tahoe Donner Concert on the Green. That experience opened the door to her most passionate next 5 years as Executive Director of the Lake Tahoe Music Festival. Following a background as legal assistant to bothlarge and small law firms, from San Francisco to Tahoe, she used her skills to assist the General Manager and Board of Directors in the opening of the first gated, luxury private community and golf club in the area, Lahontan. While at Lahontan she attained her Community Association Certification but switched gears to join Chase International Real Estate as a California Associate Broker and Nevada Real Estate licensee. She says she is thrilled to work with this most passionate and talented group at Tahoe MusicAlive.

Libby Craig - Advisor

"The trajectory of TMA from fledgling to fantastic in its first two years has been stunning, bringing stellar opportunities to audiences and visiting artists alike.

The enthusiasm of the Tahoe residents and visitors who attend TMA’s concerts is palpable, and the renowned musicians TMA brings to the region — most performing at Tahoe for the first time — talk about their ability to engage with these eager audiences as inspirational. TMA’s contribution to music education for area youths and adults through masterclasses and deep listening events also fills a longstanding need, solidifying TMA’s position as a unique and wonderful community treasure.”

Ernie Grossman - Advisor

Active in community events in the Tahoe/Truckee community for over 40 years, Mr. Grossman, an attorney, is a founding Board member of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation. For 25 years he took an active role in the Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival, much of that time as CEO and/or President.

David Kirkpatrick - Advisor

David Kirkpatrick is an attorney in Walnut Creek, specializing in nonprofit legal issues. He holds a law degree from Harvard University

and has practiced law in California for over 50 years.

David W. Nelson - Advisor

David Nelson was granted a Ph.D. in music theory/composition in 1979 from the University of California at Santa Barbara. As a professor at Cerritos College in the Los Angeles area for over twenty-five years, he taught music theory, music history, composition, violin, piano, guitar, recording arts, and computer generated music. David has worked in a variety of institutions, ranging from the secondary level to college and university. Nelson’s musical training started at age 9 with the study of the violin. Over the last 45 years, Dr. Nelson has composed numerous works, including symphonies, tone poems, choral pieces, chamber music, music for film, popular music, incidental music for plays, eBooks, and computer generated music. Recently he completed a two-hour Requiem for full orchestra and chorus, as well as number of musicals, Haight, L.A. Vida, the Fitzsimmons Diary, and The Lion of Freedom (based on the life of Frederick Douglass). In the spring of 2019 the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus premiered Dr. Nelson’s Truckee Historical Revue chronicling the fascinating history of this unique mountain village. Over the years David has received numerous commissions. Besides being a violinist, he is also a proficient guitarist, pianist, and pedal steel guitarist. David Nelson earned a Ph.D. in music theory/composition ('79) from the University of California at Santa Barbara. As a professor at Cerritos College in the Los Angeles area for over twenty-five years, he taught music theory, music history, composition, violin, piano, guitar, recording arts, and computer-generated music.

Lesley Robertson - Advisor

Founding member of the internationally celebrated St. Lawrence String Quartet (1989-) Lesley Robertson (viola) is proud to make her life at Stanford University where she teaches viola and along with her SL colleagues, directs the chamber music program, and coaches. At Stanford, Lesley also spearheads the St Lawrence Emerging String Quartet Program and the annual Chamber Music Seminar. A graduate of the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School, Ms. Robertson also holds a degree from the University of British Columbia where she studied with mentor, Gerald Stanick. Ms. Robertson toured internationally for more than three decades, performing 100+ concerts worldwide per season while performing. She has served on the jury of several international competitions including the Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Recent festival engagements include performances at Spoleto Festival USA, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Banff Festival, Festival of the Sound, Santa Fe Chamber Music, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Bravo Vail, Music@Menlo, Summer Music Vancouver and more.

Eric Smith - Advisor

E. Doctor Smith is a drummer, producer, electronic percussionist and recording artist with Edgetone Records, who has performed with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Bon Lozago, Howard Levy, Trey Gunn, Fareed Haque, John Wubbenhorst, Steve McQuarry and many more! He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick.

Katie Veni - Advisor

Katie Veni has been involved in non-stop pro-bono work for over 10 years. She has had a long and notable career in the music industry and the world of performing arts. Her passion for music led her to a second career as a fundraiser in 2002, working first in performing arts and then in conservation. Her fundraising experience includes department management, major gift cultivation and solicitation, board and volunteer engagement, proposal development, and strategic planning.