Ensemble Directors

Kent Jue, Artistic and Executive Director; Director of Concert Group and Choral Scholars

Kent Jue is an experienced choral conductor, music educator, and facilitator for lifelong learning in music. An energetic teacher, adjudicator, guest clinician, workshop presenter, and mentor, he is known for building high-level musicianship skills through his engaging style and rapport with students. Kent has conducted Ragazzi in performances with the San Francisco Symphony and for Chorus America. An avid collaborator, he has prepared ensembles and soloists for organizations such as Symphony Silicon Valley and Opera San Jose. Kent has also conducted youth choruses at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and performed and recorded with the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus and the Gay Men’s Choruses of San Francisco and Boston. He holds a Master of Music Education with a Kodaly Emphasis from Holy Names University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of the Pacific. Under Kent’s direction, Concert Group and Choral Scholars had the honor of performing as a host choir for the Chorus America conference in San Francisco in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, Concert Group and Choral Scholars performed at the Western Region American Choral Directors Association (WACDA) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National conferences, respectively. Kent continues to advocate for new choral music and has recently commissioned new works from Andrea Ramsey, Eric Tuan, Katerina Gimon, Zach Moore, and Saunder Choi. As Ragazzi’s second Artistic Director, Kent is honored to continue Ragazzi’s legacy of musical excellence and its tradition of developing choral artists of character and distinction.

Travis Rogers, Young Men’s Ensemble Director

Travis Rogers has been a professional choral conductor for 50 years. He retired from Napa High School in Napa, California, in June of 2017 after thirty-seven years as the choral music director. Mr. Rogers directed the activities of over 300 students (at least half of them boys) each school year in seven different ensembles. Choirs at the school toured frequently nationally and internationally, performing in world famous venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, St. Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedrals in Dublin, Notre Dame in Paris, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Westminster Abbey in London, and Sagrada Familia and the Barcelona Cathedral in Spain. NHS ensembles also earned top honors at several national and international competitions in New York City, Hawaii, Australia, Austria, and England as well as top ratings and awards at local, regional and state festivals and competitions.

In 1981, during his second year of teaching at Napa High, Mr. Rogers began the school’s first Men’s Choir with 20 students. In subsequent years, as many as 220 young men sang in one or more of three separate male ensembles at the school. Typically each year, up to 80% of new enrolling male singers did so with no previous choral training yet earned “Unanimous Superior” ratings at area choral festivals for the quality of their performances. The 2016-2017 NHS Beginning Men’s Choir was the subject of the documentary “Top Row,” currently available on Amazon Prime, which chronicled the group’s preparation and subsequent performance at their first choral competition.

Mr. Rogers has served the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) California Chapter in many capacities including repertoire and standards chair for high school and male choirs, summer conference chair and President. He is also a Past-President of the western region of ACDA. Travis Rogers has conducted over thirty honor and district choirs in northern and central California. He has been a choral competition/festival adjudicator and clinician for nearly 40 years as well as a frequent presenter at professional conferences for ACDA and California Music Educators Association (CMEA).

Christopher Borges, interim avanti director

Christopher Borges has been teaching vocal music and directing choirs since 1992. He started his career in the East Bay teaching middle and high school choirs, and directed the Bakersfield High School Choirs from 2000-2018. While in Bakersfield, his choirs performed at Carnegie Hall in 2018, at the California State Capitol in 2016, and in 2014 at the ACDA Western Division Convention in Santa Barbara. Since 2018 he has taught vocal music at international schools in Brazil, Morocco, and Nepal, and currently teaches middle school music at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Theory/Composition from Azusa Pacific University and a Master’s in Choral Music Education from Florida State University.  He has served on the boards of the California Music Educators’ Association Central Section and the California Choral Directors’ Association and has presented at state and regional conferences as well as guest conducted honor choirs throughout California and abroad.

He lives in San Francisco, where he enjoys spending time with his dog (a Brazilian “vira-lata”) Pirata on long walks in Golden Gate Park.

Jeremy raven, interim assistant conductor

Jeremy Raven is a San Francisco-based music director, baritone, educator and recording engineer. He is a graduate from Stanford University with a M.A. in Music, Science and Technology and a B.A. in Music. As a student, he developed his conducting practice under the tutelage of both Dr. Steve Sano and Gregory Wait.

He is the music director for the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo, and sings professionally with the SF contemporary vocal ensemble Volti. He has worked as a recording engineer for Stanford-based singing groups Fleet Street, Mixed Company, and the Stanford Chamber Chorale. An avid barbershopper, Jeremy has served as president and “Fog King” of the Fog City Singers since Fall 2022.

Jeremy’s history with Ragazzi dates back to October 2018, when he substitute directed the Young Men’s Ensemble during a “Singing Saturday”—his first-ever professional music directing opportunity. It has been his pleasure to have been in Ragazzi’s orbit in all the years since, and his honor to have been hired as the organization’s Interim Assistant Director in January 2026.

Kaori Nakano, PREMIERE DIRECTOR, MUSICIANSHIP TEACHER

Kaori Nakano graduated from Japan’s prestigious music school, Kyoto Horikawa Music High School, where she studied vocal performance. She earned her BA from Kobe College and graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with an MA in vocal performance, having studied with Herman Leroux and received an outstanding and first-place prize in the American Art Song Competition.

Nathan Wilen, PREMIERE DIRECTOR

Nathan Wilen teaches 4th & 5th grade choir and instrumental as well as K-2 classroom music at McKinley and Hoover Elementary schools in the Burlingame School District. He also has a growing private voice studio. Nathan is a veteran of the Ragazzi program himself, having been a chorister from age 8 to 18. He enjoys passing on Ragazzi traditions as a Ragazzi Premiere director. Nathan graduated from Chapman University with a B.M. in Music with a vocal emphasis in 2016, and graduated from Holy Names University with a Master of Music Education (Kodály emphasis) in 2020. He performs with Ragazzi Continuo and appears as a professional soloist and chorister around the Bay area. He is the tenor section leader of the Chancel Choir and the Oratorio Society at First Congregational Church, Palo Alto.

Nancy Whitecar, Training GRoups Coordinator, PRIMARY GROUP DIRECTOR, YOUNG MEN’S ENSEMBLE Assistant DIRECTOR, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST, Prelude TEacher

Nancy Whitecar is an active accompanist and instructor, supporting singers and instrumentalists throughout the Bay Area.  She has been on staff with the Ragazzi Boys Chorus since 2018, and teaches general music classes at The Music School at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. She is pianist for the Fremont High School (Sunnyvale) Choral Department, and Sycamore Strings Academy in Livermore, and has collaborated in performances with the Santa Clara Chorale. Nancy was accompanist and Associate Director with the BeckRidge Chorale in Michigan for 20 years, performing with the group in their regular season and on tours, including a two-piano performance with composer Mark Hayes during a concert featuring his work.  She was Assistant Director of Music for the First United Methodist Church in Plymouth, Michigan, and served as President of Livonia-Area Piano Teacher’s Forum, an affiliate of the Michigan Music Teachers Association and Music Teacher’s National Association.  Nancy has a composition for young voices published by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir Publishing House, which was performed by the ICC choir. 

John Collaros, Primary Group DirectoR

John Collaros is a professional choral director and music educator with over 20 years of experience inspiring young musicians. A graduate of New Mexico State University, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a Master’s Degree in Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Kyle Sofman, Primary Group Director, Prelude Teacher

Kyle Sofman is the Program Director at Music in the Schools Foundation where she manages a music program for students in underserved and low-income communities. For over 20 years, Kyle taught general music in preschool through 4th grade and adults with special needs. Outside of her work in music education, Kyle has performed with the Peninsula Women’s Chorus where she was the section leader, managed volunteers, and served on the Board of Directors. She performs in recitals and appears as a soloist at Foothills Congregational Church in Los Altos. 

Kyle received a Bachelor of Music Education at Oberlin College Conservatory and a master’s in music education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2015, she received her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from San Francisco State.

Kyle has a penchant for all things purple. When purchasing an item, her first question is usually, “Does it come in purple?” She also enjoys trying to grow sunflowers on her patio, dreaming of Italy, and spending time with friends and family.

Music Theory Faculty

Joey Krohlow, Interim Theory Coordinator

Joey Krohlow (he/him) holds a BA in vocal performance and linguistics from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He teaches voice and piano at the MidPeninsula Music Academy in Redwood City and works as a freelance singer and diction coach, specializing in uncommonly sung languages. Joey is pursuing a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology at San Jose State University. He was a founding member of Milwaukee-based early music ensemble Aperi Animam, through which he performed on Early Music America’s Emerging Artists Showcase and the Madison Early Music Festival’s Fringe series. Joey continues to serve as the group’s resident linguist, reconstructing and coaching historical pronunciations of Renaissance and medieval-era repertoire. In his spare time, Joey can be found at an ice cream parlor or in the cookware section of your local thrift store.

Collaborative Pianists

Peter Bassford, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Starting piano lessons at age 8 and clarinet at age 10, music became a vital part of Peter’s life. At San Francisco University, he earned degrees in Piano Performance and Music Education. While working for Bank of America, Peter pursued music through church work as organist and choir director and through community theater both as an actor/singer and music director. Peter is retired from teaching music in the Burlingame School District and is currently the organist at First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame.

YUXin Dai, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Yuxin Dai is a conductor and collaborative pianist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before coming to San Francisco, she was the Assistant Conductor of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestras at the Bienen School of Music.

An active conductor, Dai has worked with orchestras and festivals across the U.S. and abroad. She made her debut at the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival in 2018, assisting in a performance of Carmina Burana with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. The following year, she led the finale of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the CCM Summer Opera Festival. Her recent engagements include masterclasses with the Spokane Symphony and Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, guest conducting at the Hawaii International Music Festival, and competition appearances at the Miami Music Festival, Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest (2020), and the International Marktoberdorf and Los Angeles Conducting Competitions (both 2022). She was awarded the 2025 Female Conductor Fellowship by the Cascade Conducting and worked with Orchestra Northwest.

As a choral conductor, Dai has directed many choirs, such as the New England Conservatory Chamber Singers, Shanghai International Choral League, Shanghai Conservatory Choir, and Fudan University Student Choir. Dai was the youngest contestant in the Third China Choral Conducting Competition in 2017. In 2018, she led the Shanghai CEIBS choir to win the Silver Medal at the World Choir Games in Tshwane, South Africa. As a pianist, Dai has assisted many orchestras and choirs. She completed multiple concerts with the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, serving as an orchestral pianist. Dai also served as an accompanist for the NEC Chamber Singers, Shanghai International Choral League, and Shanghai Conservatory Choir.

Dai holds Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University and the New England Conservatory of Music and completed her undergraduate studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China. Her mentors include many world-renowned maestros, such as Victor Yampolsky, Donald Schleicher, and Donald Nally. She was also mentored by Johannes Schlaefli, Neil Varon, Sarah Ioannides, James Lowe, Ken-David Masur, Lydia Yankovskaya and Neil Thomson in masterclasses.

Yongyu Gao, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Music has been a part of Yongyu Gao’s life from a very early age.  She began playing the accordion at age four, establishing a strong musical foundation for piano studies she began at the age of 10. In 2005, Yongyu won first place in the Beijing National Accordion Competition, and third place in the Beijing National Piano Competition. This experience helped her focus on piano, and in 2009, she graduated with a BA from South China University in Music Education with an emphasis in piano performance. After moving to the United States, she played for the Inna Opera Group at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. Yongyu continued her study in piano performance as a Walker Scholar at San Jose State University, earning her Master’s degree in 2013. She accompanies for the Burlingame School District and Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, and is an active performer throughout the Bay Area. She also serves as a pianist and organist at Burlingame United Methodist Church. She is a member of the Music Teachers Association of California, and her piano students regularly participate in the Certificate of Merit and Royal School of Music programs and exams. 

Dace Samta, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Dace Samta graduated from Sigulda Music School in Latvia prior to obtaining BA degree in Piano Performance from Pacific University in Oregon. Dace worked as a staff accompanist at Pacific University for 5 years in addition to accompanying multiple high school choirs, theatre companies and church choirs. Currently Dace works as a Music Teacher and Choir accompanist at Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, plays piano for St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and teaches music at San Francisco Latvian School.

Marilyn Wells, COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

After graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in choral education, Marilyn taught high school music and humanities in Tempe before moving to the Bay Area in 1984. Marilyn created and implemented the music curriculum for a magnet school in Pacifica, teaching all grades from K-8. She has also directed adult and children’s choirs including a swing choir of college students and has a private piano studio. Marilyn’s three sons all sang with Ragazzi and she has accompanied the various groups as her boys moved through the program. Her other passion is quilting and sewing and to the delight of many, she has generously donated her handwork for many Ragazzi gala auctions.

Vocal Coaches

JON ELLIS, VOCAL COACH

Jon Ellis has brought his powerful tenor voice and dramatic presence to numerous concerts, operatic performances and solo recitals throughout the United States and Europe, as well as several televised and radio performances. Mr. Ellis has sung with Opera San Jose, Opera International, Torrey Pines Opera Theatre, Contemporary Opera of Los Angeles, OperaWorks, Chelsea Opera, Novato Concert Opera, Scholar Opera, Monterey Opera, Cleveland Opera Theatre, Seattle Civic Light Opera, appearing in a wide variety of roles including Cavaradossi (Tosca), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), and Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola). Mr. Ellis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Seattle Pacific University, a Master of Music Degree from Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master Degree of Music from Case Western Reserve University, focusing on Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy.

Mr. Ellis has enjoyed a long association and collaboration with Ann Baltz performing operatic improvisation, including two one–act operas with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival where the music was entirely improvised every performance. Mr. Ellis and Ms. Baltz have performed numerous operatic improv concerts in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles; performing improv recitals for several Classical Singer conventions, fundraisers and in 2020, performed at the National Opera Association conference in Cleveland, OH.

Mr. Ellis serves on the Board of Directors of Music in the Schools Foundation. Jon currently is a Certified Personal Trainer, Licensed Zumba Instructor and Certified Aqua Fitness Instructor specializing in the Senior Adult and Active Aging populations. Mr. Ellis has served for a number of years as a vocal coach for Ragazzi Boys Chorus’ Concert Group, working with soloists and choristers alike and also maintains a voice studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. His students have sung with many opera companies and symphony orchestras including, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony and Opera San Jose.

Founder

Joyce Keil, Founder and Artistic Director Emerita

Joyce Keil has served as panelist, adjudicator and guest conductor for music teachers and choirs throughout the Western United States. An experienced teacher, she has served on the faculties of the College of Holy Names, Notre Dame de Namur University, and Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. from Occidental College, where she studied with Howard Swan, known as the “Dean of Choral Music”. She holds M.A.s from the New School for Social Research and California State University Northridge, where she studied with John Alexander. Ms. Keil has prepared choirs for San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Symphony, for conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson, Donald Runnicles, Raymond Leppard and James Conlon. She is the founder of the choral program and Advanced Placement Music Theory curriculum at Crystal Springs Uplands School, where students received unanimous superior ratings for their ensemble and solo work. Ms. Keil has served as the Western Division and California State Chair of the Boychoir Committee for the American Choral Directors Association, and has sat on the College Board for Advanced Placement Music Exams. Ragazzi Boys Chorus, under Joyce Keil’s leadership, received a Grammy Award for participating in the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Stravinsky’s Perséphone. Under her baton, Ragazzi was named a CBS Best Choir of the Peninsula in 2013, made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2014, and has been cited by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of four elite youth choruses in the Bay area. At the 2016 Western Regional Conference of American Choral Directors Association, Ragazzi was acclaimed for its innovative programming and moving performance. Recognized nationally and internationally, Ms. Keil’s leadership built Ragazzi’s stellar reputation among American boys choruses.