Teachers & Staff

Mr. Jow
Music Director, Redwood Bands

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Jonathan Jow's journey into the professional music realm is rooted in Saratoga’s music programs. He has been teaching in Saratoga for 18 years, first as the music program assistant for three years, thoroughly enjoyed a year as one of two elementary music teachers, and currently serves as the lead music director at Redwood Middle School. A regular face to Saratoga music students since the Fall of 2006, Mr. Jow has actually been involved coaching and teaching music in the community since graduating from Saratoga High School more than two decades ago. Embedded in his teaching comes a genuine love of the very same programs for which he now works. He is alumnus of the current "era" of SUSD and Saratoga High music programs including its very first strings class during his fourth grade school year, the Redwood choir, concert bands, marching bands, jazz bands, and even guard for a winter season.

A native Saratogan, Mr. Jow was actively involved in his larger school community, serving positions from representatives to presidents of various school student councils and other student organizations throughout elementary to high school and receiving various recognitions including Redwood's Molly Woodruff Leadership Award. He served as a drum major of the Saratoga High Marching Band for two years and participated in numerous Santa Clara County Honor Bands and the California All-State Honor Band. Mr. Jow is also a recipient of many Saratoga Music awards, the most notable being the Roland Schwab 8th Grade Music Scholarship, Saratoga High School Outstanding Bandsman, the John Philip Sousa Band Award, and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award – all voted upon him by his peers.

Mr. Jow is a U.C. Berkeley graduate with a B.A. in Mass Communications/Media Studies and a minor in Music. He graduated with high distinction in general scholarship (magna cum laude) and highest honors in his major. His academic excellence yielded him invitations and membership into the Golden Key International Honour Society and Phi Beta Kappa. Soon after graduating from Cal, Mr. Jow continued his studies in music at San Jose State University, from which he received his music education credential. In addition to his academics, he studied saxophone with Professor Dale Wolford, played in the SJSU Saxophone Ensemble, the SJSU Symphonic Band under the direction of Dr. Diana Hollinger, and the SJSU Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Edward Harris. In addition to teaching, Mr. Jow has also served as an Area Representative for CMEA Bay Section from 2012-2015. He was honored as a 2011-2012 Redwood teacher of the year and received the CMEA Gilbert T. Freitas Award for Achievement in Music Education in 2015. Most recently, Mr. Jow was honored as the 2016 Saratoga USD Teacher of the Year.

Ms. McPherson
String Orchestra Director & 5th Grade Instrumental Music

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Isabel McPherson, a native Saratogan, is very excited to join the music team at Redwood. Her musical journey when she picked up the violin in third grade and later added baritone/euphonium in fifth grade. She decided to switch to bass her freshman year of high school, playing it in both orchestra and jazz band while continuing to play baritone in the marching band. In her senior year, Ms. McPherson was accepted into Santa Clara County Honor Band and All-State Orchestra on bass, and served as drum major for the Saratoga High School Marching Band. She was then accepted into the bass studio at Northwestern University, and went on to receive a B.M. in Music Education and a minor in Japanese. At Northwestern, Ms. McPherson studied bass under Andy Raciti, while continuing to practice euphonium as well. She had the opportunity to perform with all six of Northwestern’s major and non-major bands and orchestras, as well as the “Wildcat" Marching Band. She also played bass and bass guitar in the pit for numerous musical theater and opera productions.

In her summers off from college, Ms. McPherson was an assistant teacher at SUSD Summer Music for one year, and marched two seasons of World Class Drum & Bugle Corps on euphonium. She is a proud alum of both the Sacramento Mandarins and the Phantom Regiment. After drum corps championships, she returned to Saratoga to assist with orchestra and marching band.

After graduating from Northwestern and completing student teaching placements in high school band and middle school orchestra, Ms. McPherson moved to Japan. For one year, she lived in the rural town of Toki and taught English at three elementary schools and two middle schools there. This opportunity allowed her to observe the differences between the Japanese and American education system, use Japanese in daily life, and eat lots of delicious food.

Ms. McPherson considers her continued passionate involvement in both orchestra and band to be her greatest achievement. She loves both equally and hopes to use techniques she learned in band to challenge her orchestras in new and interesting ways. 

Mr. Ramirez
Redwood Bands, Percussion & Choir

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Jemal Ramirez has worked professionally in multiple facets of the music industry, including composition, instruction and performance. His musicianship has given him opportunities to work with accomplished musicians such as Eric Reed (Wynton Marsalis), Marcus Shelby, Joshua Redman, Mark Levine and many of the bay area’s best community bands and jazz musicians.

Jemal has valuable real-world music performance experience and is a talented music educator. He has taught for Music in Schools Today (MUST), Stanford Jazz Workshop and Starting Arts, and currently teaches music at University Preparatory Academy in San Jose and private drum and percussion lessons at SJG Music School at the Campbell Community Center. Jemal earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and his Music Credential at San Francisco State University.

Mrs. Williams
Redwood Flutes

Bio coming soon! • torawilliams.com

Ms. Gessner
Redwood Oboes

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Alli Gessner (OboeAlli.com) plays and teaches oboe and English horn. She maintains an active teaching schedule of students aged 9-adult, and her students are her inspiration for her Oboe Auntie videos on TikTok and Instagram. Since her recent move to San Jose, CA, she’s performed with Bay Area groups including the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Symphony Silicon Valley, and One Found Sound Ensemble. From 2012-17 she held the Second Oboe and English Horn chair of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, as well as performing as substitute oboe and English horn for orchestras throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Iowa.

Alli is also a passionate chamber musician. Recent performance highlights include “American Duos” an oboe duo livestream recital of music by living American composers, and a performance of “Concerto for Frenemies” a comedic, interactive performance centered on the Mozart Concertos for Flute and Oboe. She earned her Master’s in oboe performance from DePaul University where she studied with Jelena Dirks. When not playing or teaching the oboe, Alli enjoys yoga, hiking, and watching or reading science fiction.

Ms. O'Hanlon
​Redwood Clarinets

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Ms. O’Hanlon’s (musical-excursions.com) love of music spans across decades. She first learned the Piano at age 5, Clarinet at age 7, Saxophone at age 11, and Bass Clarinet at age 14. Whenever someone asks her “Which instrument do you like the most?”, she always responds “I firmly believe each instrument has its own unique sound, and each one has something special to contribute. For me, it’s impossible to pick a favorite because I love them all.”

In December of 2011, she graduated from CSU Sacramento with a double emphasis in Clarinet Performance and Composition.  In high school, she went to Japan with the Monterey All Star Jazz Ensemble playing Bari Sax, sponsored by the Monterey Jazz Festival. She also played Clarinet in the C.M.E.A. All State Honor Band. In college, she played Bass Clarinet in the C.B.D.A. Western Division Intercollegiate Honor Band. As a composer/arranger, her orchestral arrangement of Rialto Ripples was performed by the Sacramento State University Orchestra.

In her professional career, she has performed in many groups, notably the New Flamingo Swing Orchestra, the Monterey County Pops Orchestra, & the Battle of the Big Bands. She toured Barcelona playing the Clarinet with a group called Catafornia - a combination of musicians from both California and Catalonia. She was the resident Piano accompanist for the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula. After living in Santa Cruz for 10 years, she decided to lay down roots in Los Gatos/Saratoga. She currently teaches at several music schools in the area in addition to her own home studio in East Los Gatos.

​Suffice it to say, her experience in music has been varied and far reaching. She looks forward to sharing her experiences with her students as well as her love for music.

Mr. Russo
Redwood Saxes

Bio coming soon!

Ms. Hurley
Redwood Trumpets

Bio coming soon!

Ms. Hesterberg
Redwood Horns

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​Ms. Hesterberg grew up singing in her church's children's choir and pretty much everywhere she went. Her instrumental musical journey began in middle school, when she played trumpet in beginning band. After one year, she decided to switch to French horn, which she played throughout high school. The positive experience at her performing arts magnet school with both choir and band inspired Ms. Hesterberg to become a music major. She enrolled at West Valley College, unsure if she wanted to study voice or French horn. After two years of studying both disciplines, she decided to study horn in college and transferred to San Jose State University.

​Ms. Hesterberg has studied with Wendell Rider (former principal horn for the San Jose Symphony), Mathew Croft, Doug Hull (horn player for the San Francisco Opera), and Kevin Rivard (principal horn for the San Francisco Opera). She graduated from San Jose State with a Music Education degree and teaching credential, and began teaching general music in local schools. In time, she returned to her roots, and became the traditional music director at Calvary Church Los Gatos, where she is the director of choir, orchestra, and handbells. In addition, Ms. Hesterberg operates a private French horn studio in San Jose. In her free time, she loves going to baseball games, gardening, swimming, and spending time with family and pets!

Mr. Ismael
​​​​Redwood Low Brass

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Filipino-American trombonist Keefe Ismael (keefeismaelmusic.com) is a rising professional musician and music educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A versatile performer, recent engagements include, but are not limited to, the Vallejo and Cambrian Symphonies, a four-trombone plus rhythm section band known as Bonecore, and performing in Meredith Monk’s live premier of the multidisciplinary work “Indra’s Net”. He is also a grant recipient of Lift Music Fund, an organization dedicated to uplifting emerging BIPOC artists in the music industry.

As a music educator, Keefe has taught students from elementary school all the way through the adult amateur level. In the spring of 2023, he taught 5th grade band in the public schools of Mountain View, California through the Community School for Music and Arts. He has also provided coachings at several schools across the Bay Area, including Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School, Piedmont Hills High School, Henry M. Gunn High School, and Notre Dame High School. He also teaches students in one-on-one instruction through his private teaching studio.

Keefe Ismael received his Bachelor’s Degree in Trombone Performance from San Jose State University studying under Tom Hornig on scholarship. In his free time, Keefe likes to hit the gym, play chess (sometimes even well!), and take care of his family’s pets.

Mr. Downing
​Redwood Percussion

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Michael Downing is section percussionist with the Sacramento Philharmonic and the Stockton Symphony, as well as a founding member of the Orphic Percussion Quartet. He is the Adjunct Professor of Percussion at CSU Stanislaus, and holds Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Fresno State. An active freelance musician, he has performed with virtually every orchestra in Central California. For the last fifteen years, he has been invited to play with the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra in Grass Valley, CA. Michael also enjoys teaching private lessons and giving clinics for local schools, as well as being an active member of the California Chapter of PAS. 
 
Michael has been a soloist with both the Phoenix Symphony and the Stockton Symphony performing Uzu and Muzu from Kakaruzu. The double percussion concerto written by Avner Dorman was premiered by Michael and fellow percussionist Graham Thompson in 2012. He has also been a soloist with several other orchestras performing the third movement of Eric Ewazen's Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra, most recently presenting the exciting finale for the prestigious Music al Parcs concert series in Barcelona, Spain. He has also been featured as the vibraphone soloist for John Williams' Escapades.
 
Michael studied primarily with Jim Babor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Jacob Nissly of the San Francisco Symphony, and Dr. Matthew Darling of Fresno State. While preparing for orchestral auditions, he has taken lessons with such notable percussionists as Tom Freer, Richard Weiner, Trey Wyatt, Michael Rosen, and Rick Kvistad. Michael is a proud artist for Zildjian Cymbals, Freer Percussion, an Education Artist for Marimba One, and part of the Blackswamp Percussion Educator Network.

​Mr. Clark
​Redwood Percussion

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American percussionist and educator Sean Clark is known for his versatile skills in concert and marching percussion. A high-energy soloist and chamber musician, Sean has given clinics and performed across the United States and internationally. Whether it be teaching or playing, Mr. Clark aims to bridge the gap between classical and commercial music; making classical music more accessible to today’s contemporary audiences.
 
A Marimba One Ensemble artist, Mr. Clark co-founded a Central Valley percussion quartet “Orphiq”, and won multiple performance categories (duos, timpani, snare) of the 2017 and 2018 Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Northern California competition. He has performed professionally with numerous groups including the Fresno Community Chorus, Sequoia Symphony, and Orpheus New Music Ensemble. Last winter, Sean was involved in a clinic at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) with the prestigious Blue Devil Drum & Bugle Corps. As a soloist, he has been featured with the Orphiq Percussion Quartet, the Fresno State Percussion Ensemble and the Fresno State Wind Orchestra performing works such as Gene Koshinski’s Circuit Breaker, Michael Laurello’s Spine, Aurel Hollo’s José / beFore John 5, and Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto.
 
Outside of his concertizing, Mr. Clark is an up-and-coming marching percussion educator, arranger, designer, adjudicator and clinician. In his six years with the Blue Devil Performing Arts organization, Sean won three DCI world championships (2014, 2015, 2017), one open class drum title (2012), and the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award (2015). More recently, he received the Blue Devil of the Year award and was hired as the percussion caption head for the Blue Devils “B” Drum & Bugle Corps (2018). Mr. Clark began arranging and designing marching band shows in 2015. Since then, he has had the privilege to arrange and collaborate with Saratoga High School, California High School, Buchanan High School, and Clovis West High School. Additionally, Mr. Clark has given multiple clinics throughout California and adjudicated at local marching art events.
 
Sean graduated summa cum laude from CSU Fresno in 2018, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Instrumental Music Education. This upcoming year, he will begin his graduate degree at National University. Mr. Clark looks forward to his first year as the Director of Percussion at Saratoga High School.

Dr. Sabouri
Redwood Violins & Violas

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Pasha Sabouri is one of the most sought-after and respected American violin pedagogues of the new generation. He has performed in recitals and concerts in Holland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, UK, throughout the United States and Canada. A passionate educator and a published author whose acclaimed book "Upbeat" guides middle and high school students and their families on the road to professional musical education and career. His students are competing and featured in such competitions and media outlets as Menuhin Competition, Sphinx Competition, Dallas Symphony’s Lynn Harrell Competition, ENKOR Competition, and NPR's From The Top, winning the coveted "Jack Kent Cooke" Award.
Pasha Sabouri is the founder and Artistic Director of the Texas Strings Festival, and it’s affiliate Master Series - a year-round educational initiative which provides the students with extraordinary opportunity to be guided and inspired by leading musicians of the day. Throughout the years the students of TSF have had the privilege to work with such luminaries as Miriam Fried, Vadim Gluzman, Mimi Zweig,Paul Kantor, Ida Kavafian, Jan Mark Sloman, Jinjoo Cho, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg, Robin Wilson, Grigory Kalinovsky and William Hagen. He is also the  founder and leader of Teachers’ Lounge – an online teachers collective designed to support and empower his colleagues with innovative ways of teaching and studio development.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, his primary focus is his highly successful private studio. Pasha Sabouri is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. He has also had the privilege to serve as Adjunct Professor at Concordia College as well as Artistic Director at the Concordia College Music Academy in Austin, Texas. Prior to this position, he was appointed Lecturer Violin Professor at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana and has also been faculty at Encore Chamber Music Institute, Omaha Conservatory of Music Institute, the Brian Lewis Young Artist Program, and has adjudicated at Carnegie Hall NYO/2 program, Jack McGehee and UT Concerto Competitions.
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Pasha Sabouri has appeared as a soloist at the opening of the Edinburgh Festival, performed with the Texas Chamber Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Henderson Symphony and the Ottawa Sinfonette. He was awarded the first prize at the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, was named National Finalist for Music Teachers National Association, The Texas Young Artist and the Coeur D’Alene Competitions. He is a graduate of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and the University of Texas Butler School of Music, studying with Won-Bin Yim, Naoko Tanaka and Brian Lewis. His violin is a Johannes Cuypers 1793.

Dr. Lin
Redwood Cellos

Dr. James Lin, cellist, moved to the Bay Area to join the associate faculty of West Valley College Music Department in the fall of 2008. He has become one of the most well-established cello teachers in the South Bay, with students of all ages and abilities participating in orchestral, chamber and solo performances throughout the Bay Area. His students have also won prizes at various local, nationwide and international competitions. Dr. Lin is a highly sought-after adjudicator and clinician for various competitions and elite music programs in Northern California.

Dr. Lin has orchestral experience with Milwaukee Symphony, Madison Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Fresno Symphony, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, I Musici de Montreal. Orchestral, solo and chamber performances have taken him throughout the North America and Europe. His performances have ranged widely from performing with members of the Emerson String Quartet to sharing stage with Jazz legend Arturo Sandoval to international concerts and recordings with The Yale Cellos. Dr. Lin has held fellowships at Banff, Orford, Musicorda, Spoleto, and Norfolk festivals. His major mentors were Uri Vardi, Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot and Colin Carr.
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Dr. Lin took a leave of absence from college teaching to start a family in 2012. 

Mr. Shaul
Redwood Basses

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Bassist Aaron Shaul has been an in-demand musician and educator in the Bay Area for nearly 20 years. He is highly regarded for his ability to interpret the classics in professional Orchestras, improvise in all Contemporary and Jazz idioms, and meet the rigorous demands for high profile National Theater Tours. Aaron can be found frequently performing with the Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Modesto, Stockton, Merced and Reno Symphony Orchestras. His fluency on both Double and Electric basses has allowed Aaron a diverse range of musical employment, from recording sessions for Skywalker Sound Studios to touring with "Hamilton, an American Musical".
 
As a music educator, Aaron is a sought after Double Bass coach and clinician at many schools throughout the Bay Area, including Berkeley High, Livermore High, Saratoga High, Mt. Eden High, Hayward High, and several Jr High schools in the East Bay Area. At the collegiate level, he has taught beginning low strings courses for Music Education degree programs at both CSU East Bay and Sonoma State University, and maintains a thriving private studio with a diverse range of students. For a decade, Aaron has been the featured Bass Coach for the Hayward La Honda Music Camp, one of the Bay Area's premier music camps. Aaron received his BA in Double Bass performance (cum laude) from CSU Hayward in 2005.

Mr. Renteria
​Redwood Color Guard

Mr. Cesar "Cece" Renteria-Caceres has been teaching Color Guard since 2019. He started his color guard career off in San Jose at Santa Teresa High School, then further advanced his experience with drum corps and independent winter groups.

Since graduating in 2019, Mr. Renteria has been a part of Inmotion Performance Ensemble (2019-2023), Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets (2019-2020), Santa Clara Vanguard (2022-2023), and the Concord Blue Devils (2023).

Mr. Renteria looks forward to creating a warm and welcoming environment that allows students to open up and express themselves in ways that words can't express.

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