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MUSIC > Instructors
Meet the talented group of teachers who instruct and inspire at Bird:
Brandi Brandes | Nick Culp | David Karsten Daniels | Ben Davila | Amy Foote | Dave Mihaly | Peter Murray | Tony Peebles | James Touzel | Elyse Weakley
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Brandi Brandes: Voice/Piano/Keyboards/Drums
Brandi Brandes is a multi-disciplinary percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and resident artist of
the Climate Theater in San Francisco. She studied with San Francisco Ballet principle percussionist David Rosenthal,
Machete Ensemble composer and arranger John Calloway. Brandi's musical foundation is in theater and competitive
marching band, evolving with her involvement in diverse ensembles of San Francisco in Punk Rock Orchestra, Granada
Arabic and Flamenco Quintet, Rennea y Sus Amigos salsa and Venezuelan folk music ensemble, The SFSU Afro Cuban ensemble
and the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. Original theater compositions include City Circus' Kamikaze Heart, Brava Theater;
Tim Barsky's 7 Beggars; collaborating with Summer Shapiro's Legs and All at the Climate Theater; and Territories at
the Magic Theater. Theater orchestra credits include "Tommy," "West Side Story," "The Wiz" and a regular stage band
member for San Francisco's award-winning, sketch comedy troupe, Killing My Lobster. Brandi holds a Bachelor's Degree
in music with an emphasis in World Music from San Francisco State University.
More info: www.myspace.com/brandibrandes
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Brandi Brandes: Voice/Performance
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Nick Culp: Piano/Keyboards
Nick is a classically-trained pianist whose influences include classical, jazz, pop, Brazilian,
Latin and contemporary music. Shaped by diverse musical experiences and achievements, from L.A.
jazz clubs to formal classical competition and a conservatory degree from the École Normale de Musique
in Paris, Nick composes, records and performs solo, with local artists and with his band, The Culprits.
More info: www.myspace.com/yourculprit
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Nick Culp: Piano/Keyboards
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David Karsten Daniels: Guitar/Piano/Drums/Voice
David grew up singing in school and church choirs and went on to major in Music Composition at Southern Methodist
University, where he played double-bass in the Symphony Orchestra.
A key instructor and inspiration was Kevin Hanlon. His early albums feature experiments such as dropped coins
and pencil scratches in place of drum kits, or lyrics composed by rearranging the contents of the daily newspaper.
He formed the Bu_Hanan Collective with longtime friends and band mates,
Daniel Hart (St. Vincent, John Vanderslice, Polyphonic Spree) and Alex Lazara. In 2006, David was signed by Fat Cat Records of
Brighton, England. David has been teaching music since 1994. His influences include Gustav Mahler, John Cage, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Lars Van Trier, high school jazz band, Minimalism and found sound.
More info: www.davidkarstendaniels.com
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David Karsten Daniels: Guitar/Piano/Drums/Voice
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Ben Davila: Guitar/Bass
After graduating from music school in June of 2006, Ben packed up and moved from Liverpool
to San Francisco, where he lives "at the peak of three enormous hills." His influences include
Jim Henson, The Marx Brothers, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen Hawking and "all the music (good and bad)
that has ever crawled in my ear and layed its eggs in my brain."
More info: www.myspace.com/bendavila
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Ben Davila: Guitar
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Amy Foote: Voice
Amy Foote grew up in San Diego, California and began studying piano and singing at an early age.
Her study of folk, blues and pop music gradually led her to classical music and she began studying classical
voice at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music with Dr. Sarah Holman. She performed many operas at
Wheaton College Conservatory including Ellen in "The Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters," Just Jeanette in
"Too Many Sopranos" as well as Beth in "Little Women." She received her Bachelors Degree in Music with
elective studies in arts and culture in 2008 and is currently working on her Masters Degree of Vocal
Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she is a student in the voice studio of
Professor Sylvia Anderson. During her Masters studies, she studied jazz and improvisation under Mark Levine
and also continues to study extended vocal technique as well as her classical vocal technique. At the
Conservatory, Amy performs with the New Music Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Opera Theatre and pieces with the
String Chamber Music department. Beyond the conservatory, she enjoys performing and touring with her
Chamber group, Blue Rider Collective, as well as working on New Works with many Bay area composers.
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Amy Foote: Voice
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Dave Mihaly: Drums
Dave has been teaching music for 31 years, in New York, New Jersey and California.
He received a B.A. in music theory and history and a B.A. in psychology from Drew University,
and studied drums and percussion privately in New York and San Francisco with Andrew Cyrille,
Barry Altschul, Zakir Hussain, Jack Van der Wyck and Richard Perrini.
He also plays piano, marimba and guitar. Mihaly has toured the U.S, Canada, Europe and the
South Seas and is featured on recordings by Iron & the Albatross, Jolie Holland, Sean Hayes,
After the End of the World Coretet, and his own Shimmering Leaves. His first string quartet
was played at U.C. Berkeley's Center for New Music and Audio Technology and the
S.F. musician's union hall, and he has written for singers, jazz bands, dance bands, rock bands
and other idioms.
Mihaly taught music in New Traditions, the Video Drums Clinic, and though the auspices of the
S.F. Academy of Sciences. He has had hundreds of students from the ages of 3 through 70 and
learns much through his teaching practice.
More info: www.davemihaly.com
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Dave Mihaly: Drums
Photo: Andrew Carver
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Peter Murray: Guitar/Bass/Piano/Keyboards
Peter says: "I have no band. I work alone. I am not lonely. I divide my time equally between writing "popular"
and "classical" music. In addition to my current pop project, I am finishing up a piece for string
quartet and clarinet. Next I will start work on a symphony. I write pop music constantly. I played
in all sorts of bands when I was younger. I can't be in a band anymore. Must have complete creative
control. I play piano, guitar and the human voice with equal proficiency. My music can be taken
seriously, as a joke, or anywhere in between. I have no preference."
More info: www.myspace.com/petercmurray
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Peter Murray: Guitar
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Tony Peebles: Saxophone
Tony was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, then moved to Philadelphia, where he has spent the
last 8 years studying music theory at the University of Pennsylvania, and jazz saxophone at
The University of the Arts. He has studied saxophone with Chris Farr, Ron Kerber and Ben Schachter.
In 2000, he toured Europe with the Hamilton All-Star Jazz Band, including stops at the Juan-les-Pins
and Montreux jazz festivals. Since then, Tony has played and recorded with a variety of fine original
groups including Big Breakfast, The Half Of It and the Abstract Truth.
In early summer 2008, Tony moved to San Francisco, where he currently lives, teaches and performs.
In his duo Illy Bogart (with Carl Barone), Tony stretches to his limits, playing both saxophone and
foot-pedal bass parts simultaneously, typically the work of two separate musicians.
More info: www.tonypeebles.com
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Tony Peebles: Sax
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James Touzel: Bass
James is a freelance clarinetist and bassist in San Francisco, CA. Before moving to the Bay Area,
he held the Bass Clarinet Chair in the Augusta (GA) Symphony Orchestra and the 2nd/Eb Clarinet
position with the Long Bay (Myrtle Beach, SC) Symphony. Additionally, he has played with the
Wilmington (NC) Symphony and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. James has played for such conductors as
David Zinman, James Dupriest, Julias Ruduel, Micheal Stern, Alasadair Neale, Donald Portnoy and
Damin Gupton. He has participated in the Aspen Music Festival.
Originally from Georgetown, SC, James completed his Bachelor of Music in Clarinet at the University of
South Carolina where he studied clarinet with Doug Graham. Other clarinet teachers have included
Gloria Campione, Dennis Smylie, Mark Brandon, Carey Bell and Ted Gurch. Currently, he studies with
Jerome Simas.
In addition to his interest in classical music, James is currently exploring many other styles of
music such as jazz, blues, soul, rock, reggae, hip hop, country/bluegrass, Klezmer, funk and latin.
He has performed with The Stylistics, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, Danielle Howle,
The Earl Brothers, The Sinators, Kenley Young and The Restless, Jackie Gore, and The Tams.
While at USC, James studied Jazz Bass with Jim Mings and Jazz with Bert Ligon. Presently, he studies
Upright Bass and Jazz with Ken Miller. Other upright bass teachers have included Craig Butterfield,
Djordje Stijepovic and Reggie Sullivan.
As well as freelancing on electric and upright bass, James is also comfortable on the saxophone and
flute, acting as a woodwind specialist for many musical theatre pits and jazz big bands.
James also enjoys spending time with his cat, Drusilla. Additionally, he enjoys professional baseball,
college sports, world cup soccer, surfing, food, wine, maps, tea, biking, swimming, reading, movies
and snakes.
More info: www.jamestouzel.com
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James Touzel: Bass
Photo: Pete Johnson
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Elyse Weakley: Piano
Elyse whiled away much of her childhood singing,
conducting and dancing along to recordings and playing her piano. Long-time favorites range from
Bob Marley to Bach, Miles Davis to Mozart, David Bowie to Debussy and the Rolling Stones to
Rachmaninoff. By the time she graduated from high school she'd performed piano, flute and voice
throughout Northern California and Nevada.
Elyse earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Colorado College and a Masters of Music in Piano
Performance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Along the way, she has
continued to perform extensively as a soloist; with diverse ensembles like the Collegium Musicum,
an early music vocal and instrumental group, and the internationally recognized Bowed Piano Ensemble;
and with the innovative San Francisco based band Varona.
Elyse studied piano with Susan Grace of the acclaimed piano duo Quattro Mani and flute with
Paul Nagem, principal flute for the Colorado Springs Symphony and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.
She was awarded a grant to travel to London for lessons with the renowned teacher Benjamin Kaplan.
She has also studied with master pedagogues Clifton Matthews and Allison Gagnon.
She spent two summers at the Brevard Music Center as an apprentice vocal coach for the Janiec Opera
Company under the direction of Andrew Campbell and currently enjoys an active career as a performer
and educator, including appearing in the University of California at Berkeley New Music Project
Series and serving as assistant director and accompanist leading the Concord High Concert Choir
to award-winning performances at the Boston Heritage Festival.
More info: www.steelnhammers.com
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Elyse Weakley: Piano
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