Choral & Vocal Program Faculty and Staff
The Moorpark College Choral & Vocal Program has a world-class faculty devoted to student success. Faculty are active in the field as professional musicians and bring that experience into the classrooms and lessons every day. Learn more about our MCCV faculty below.
David Castillo serves as an Assistant Professor of Music and is the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities and the Applied Music Coordinator at Moorpark College. His pedagogy is a translation of his vast, industry-expert experience into accessible, relevant, and practical skill sets for learners of all types. Within the first two years of his choral ensembles, he premiered commissions from Matthew Brown and Vicente Chavarría; led recent works of Juhi Bansal, Saunder Choi, Germaine Franco, John Powell, Fahad Sadat, Diana Syrse and Eric Whitacre; and conducted the grand works Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem. He has a formidable, multi-genre applied voice studio and teaches courses in vocal technique, music appreciation, opera, musical theatre, music business, and music industry. His students have been accepted and received scholarship into USC, UCLA, CCM, Berklee College of Music, MSM, Pepperdine, Chapman, and CalArts. At the Neighborhood Music School in Boyle Heights, he resided as a Teaching Artist with a vocal studio of all ages and directed the CORO, a youth choir he founded. Since 2007, his 1:1 voice studio develops vocalists of all genres and experiences.
David dives into Hollywood on-camera and in-studio as an actor, a musician, and acting as a musician. He appeared on-camera in several national commercial campaigns, on Amazon Prime Video’s Hunters, in a Camila Cabello music video playing his trumpet, in a pop-opera group on America’s Got Talent, and on the 97th Oscars performing Mozart’s “Lacrymosa” for the In Memoriam and backup to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s “Defying Gravity” and to Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue “I Won’t Waste Time.” His voiceover work can be experienced on commercials, on podcasts, and in dozens of characters for several Netflix series’. As a session singer, he recorded the soundtracks of Lorne Balfe, Kris Bowers, Germaine Franco, Ludwig Göransson, James Newton Howard, Alan Menken, Hector Pereira, John Powell, Xander Rodzinkski, John Williams, and Christopher Willis in works such as Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, The Call of the Wild, Despicable Me 4, Encanto, Haunted Mansion, How to Train Your Dragon (live action), Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Marvels, Superman, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Wicked: Part I, Willow, and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse.
As a soloist on-stage, David’s favorite highlights include performances in Paris, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Rady Shell with the San Diego Symphony, Severance Hall with The Cleveland Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall with conductors Paolo Bortolameolli, Christian Campos, Michelle Di Russo, Gustavo Dudamel, Grant Gershon, Louis Langrée, Rafael Payare, Franz Welser-Möst, and Eric Whitacre. He loved performing Héctor in Germaine Franco’s “Un Poco Loco” from Disney’s Coco with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Neighborhood Music School, Germaine on percussion, and her original band from the movie in a Gala honoring her at Walt Disney Concert Hall. For two seasons, he hosted over a dozen performances with the San Diego Symphony. He traveled with Schubert's Winterreise for years performing it in Paris, New Orleans, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and in a choreographed version with Luminario Ballet. He premiered Eric Whitacre’s The Gift of the Magi as Jim, Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent as King David/Narrator, and Diana Syrse’s “Alas de noche” all with the LA Master Chorale; Guerrerio’s OC Fan Tutte as Will with Salastina; and Louis Andriessen’s Theatre of the World as Goethe and Annie Gosfield/Yuval Sharon’s War of the Worlds as Officer both with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
As a producer, he focuses on numerous senses and perspectives as entry points to the important, challenging conversations our communities need to surface. His productions of Seven Deadly Sins and INNERVISIONS:revisitedcollaborated with dozens of New Orleans’ best chefs and powerhouse movers and vocalists. His first collaboration in fashion began as producer and performer of Project Runway winner/composer Kentaro Kameyama and writer William Nedved’s The Passion of McQueen. He joined the duo again to perform their next project Medusa at the Getty Villa and Deaf West Theatre. On a note outside production, David recently continued with Deaf West Theatre to workshop several stages of Beethoven's Fidelio as Don Pizarro with the LA Phil. David and Kentaro created and produced the fashion/art exhibition “for anna.”
David received a Master of Music from the USC Thornton School of Music and Bachelor of Music from Loyola University New Orleans, graduating with distinction from both institutions. He trained at Anthony Meindl’s Acting Workshop, Charlie Adler’s Acting for Animation, the Sign Language Center, The MoCap Vaults, The HALP Network Entertainment Academy, The Voicecaster, Adventures in Voice Acting, Killian’s Commercial Workshop, New Orleans Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, The Yard Muay Thai, Wild Card Boxing Gym, Bitter Root Pottery, and the Aspen Music Festival and School.
He is a member of the Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, AGMA, AFT, and MACCC.
Stephanie Aston is “fearless” in her pursuit of new repertoire (Steve Schick). She has participated in numerous American and world premieres including Luigi Nono’s Guai ai Gelidi Mostri, Michael Gordon’s What to Wear, and George Aperghis’ Sextuor: L’Origine des espèces. She has appeared on L.A. Philharmonic Green Umbrella, Noon to Midnight and Chamber Music Series, (Re)Sounds at Stanford University, and at REDCAT. Ms. Aston is an original member of Kallisti, and a founding member of ROMP Ensemble, ASTRALIS DUO and Accordant Commons. She has performed with Los Angeles Philharmonic, wasteLAnd, Long Beach Opera, The Industry, Red Fish Blue Fish, Gnarwhallaby, Chamber Cartel, 18-squared, and ad-hoc ensembles at Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Norfolk Contemporary Music Festival, UC San Diego, Stanford University, Chatter ABQ and Los Angeles. Stephanie is an affiliated artist with San Diego New Music. Noteworthy performances include Brian Ferneyhough’s Etudes Transcendantales, John Zorn’s Rituals, Jason Eckardt’s Tongues, John Adams’ A Flowering Tree (Kumudha), Edgard Varese’ Offrandes, Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and Alberto Ginastera’s Cantata Para America Magica. Stephanie can be heard on the soundtrack for the movie Downsizing. Ms. Aston holds a D.M.A. from University of California San Diego, an M.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts, and a B.M. from University of North Texas and currently teaches at Moorpark College and Mount St Mary’s University.
Marcus Klotz is a tenor, music educator, and conductor. He has recently served as faculty at Pepperdine University, teaching and conducting the Concert Choir. Formerly, Klotz served as a faculty member of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach where he directed the university’s treble chorus Bel Canto, and served as the assistant conductor of the Bob Cole Chamber Choir, winners of the Choir of the World Eisteddfod in Llangollen Wales (2016) and Spittal Choral Competition in Austria (2017).
Klotz has appeared with local opera companies such Pasadena Opera Guild, Palm Springs Opera Guild and Opera Buffs Inc. singing in opera galas, showcases and productions. Klotz sang the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème with the Pasadena Opera Guild. Abroad, Klotz has appeared on a variety of stages, including Smetana Hall where he was a soloist in the Prague Proms performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana alongside the Czech National Symphony. At CSU Long Beach, he was the tenor soloist in the university’s performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. He has studied with exemplary artists such as Vittorio Grigolo, Vladimir Chernov and Stephanie Blythe.
Professor Klotz holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from CSU Long Beach and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Pepperdine University. He also serves as the choir director at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village.
Sharmay Musacchio, contralto
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Contralto Sharmay Musacchio has won critical acclaim for her work spanning both the dramatic repertoire and contemporary opera, notably: singing the role of Swift in Ruinous Gods, a new opera by Layale Chaker and Lisa Schlesinger for the Spoleto Festival, USA. Originating the role of Iphigenia the Elder in the world premiere and ongoing tour of …(Iphigenia) a new opera by Wayne Shorter and esperanza spalding at Kennedy Center and various venues. She made her debut as the Auntie in The Scarlet Ibis a new opera by David Cote and Stefan Wiseman- A Chicago premiere presented by the Chicago Opera Theatre. Last season at The Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Musacchio returned to their artist roster for Akhnaten. Ms.Musacchio also made her role debut as Sotopenre in Akhnaten with the LAOpera.
For the Covid-19 impacted 2020-2021 season, her planned engagements included a return to The Metropolitan Opera performing the role of unborn 5 and covering a Voice from above in Die Frau ohne Schatten. And debuting Berta in Sacramento Opera&Phil’s production of The Barber of Seville.
Sharmay Musacchio made her Metropolitan Opera debut as a novice in Suor Angelica, while also covering La Servante in Manon, and Sotopenre in Akhnaten. Recently at the LA Opera, Sharmay performed the roles of Frasquita in El Gato Montes, La Voix in The Tales of Hoffmann, Giovanna in Rigoletto, covered Herodias in Salome, and covered Nefertiti in Akhnaten. In previous seasons, Ms.Musacchio has performed the roles of Mrs.Grose in The Turn of the Screw and La Vecchia in L’Amore dei Tre Re both with the New York City Opera. Dame Carothers in The Yeomen of the Guard with Winter Opera Theatre St.Louis, Zita in Gianni Schicchi with Pacific Opera Project and Opera Southwest, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff with Pacific Opera Project, Principessa in Suor Angelica with Opera Southwest, Eunice in a Streetcar Named Desire with Fresno Grand Opera and Townsend Opera, The Mother in Martinu’s Tear’s of the Knife presented by Bodhi Tree Concerts at the San Diego International Fringe Festival and was a Maiden in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in their Grammy award winning production with LA Opera. Ms.Musacchio is looking forward to her debut as La Frugola in Il Tabarro with On Site Opera in the Spring of 2023, and her Spoleto Festival USA debut as Swift in a new opera Ruinous Gods by Layale Chaker and Lisa Schlesinger in 2024.
On the symphonic stage, Ms. Musacchio has performed as the Alto Soloist in: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with The Peninsula Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem with The Masterworks Chorale, Vivaldi’s Gloria at Carnegie Hall, Handel’s Messiah with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, San Diego City Ballet Symphony and at Davies Symphony Hall with SFCM. Ms. Musacchio recently joined the Applied Music Faculty at Moorpark College, where she teaches voice. Sharmay has her M.M and B.M. in Vocal Performance from the SFCM.
Kevin Su Fukagawa enjoys playing piano in a wide range of situations. Among the various playing opportunities that Kevin is involved with, Moorpark College and Thousand Oaks High School are two programs where he finds himself collaborating with vocalists and instrumentalists. At Moorpark College, Kevin works with the Concert Choir, Vocal Ensemble, Fundamental Vocal Techniques, Advanced Vocal Development, and works directly with students in the Applied Voice program. On the weekends, Kevin gets to play at a local church and jazz in Santa Barbara. Kevin received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Media from Eastman School of Music (2004) and a Masters of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from California Institute of the Arts (2007).
Marilyn Anderson has long been an active force in the musical environment of Ventura County as a versatile educator, director and performer.
A member of Moorpark College’s music faculty since 1975, Anderson’s students have been accepted with scholarships to many prestigious universities and conservatories-USC, UCLA, Oberlin Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Chapman University, in addition to several CSU campuses. The founding director of the long successful Moorpark Music Theater, she has directed over 50 different works from opera, operetta, and musical theater. Students from this program have gone on to contracts with professional companies, both nationally and in Europe, and have advanced to national competitions. She has received the Academic Senate President’s Award, the Outstanding Faculty Award (only adjunct to receive this award,) and was honored as Champion of the Arts by the High Street Theatre Foundation.
Her commercial directing credits include The Desert Song at the Moorpark Melodrama, and music direction at The High Street Theatre (The Man of La Mancha,) and Camarillo Community Theatre (Nunsense, The Wizard of Oz, and Pippin.)
A dramatic coloratura soprano, Anderson’s performance credits include a wide variety of appearances in opera and musical theater including her recent critically acclaimed performance as the Mother Abbess in Cabrillo Music Theatre’s The Sound of Music for which she received the StageSceneLA award for Outstanding Performance-Featured Actor in a Musical. Operatic roles include The Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflote,) Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus,) The Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors,) Mme. Silverklang (The Impresario,) and the Baroness in
La Vie Parisienne, among others. She has appeared as Fiona in Brigadoon, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, and also Elsa in The Sound of Music. In addition to recitals, she has been heard as soprano soloist in major oratorio works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass and Solemn Vespers, Handel’s Messiah, Poulenc’s Gloria, Brahm’s Requiem, Bach’s St. John Passion, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Chorale Fantasia, and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. She has appeared with the Los Robles Master Chorale numerous times, both locally and in Europe, with the Moorpark Symphony Orchestra, the Conejo Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Music Theatre, and was heard in a televised performance of Haydn’s Orgelmesse in Graz, Austria. In the United States, she has a variety of television, film and recording credits.
Anderson has also been a member of the music faculty of California Lutheran University since 1992, teaching applied voice and other classes in the vocal curriculum in addition to appearing in recital and concert.
A student of internationally renowned master teacher Elisabeth Parham, Anderson holds a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, Northridge, with additional studies at the University of Southern California and the American Institute of Musical Studies. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honorary.
Yue Yin is a soprano from China. She is a Doctor of Music in Vocal Literature and Vocal Performance from Indiana University, under Patricia Stiles. She had a bachelor’s degree from the Royal College of Music in London and her master’s degree from Indiana University.
Yue has cooperated with professional music companies and organizations in many countries. In terms. In terms of opera and opera scenes, her roles include Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Blonde in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Bianca in Pucci’s La Rondine, Susannah in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff , Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, First lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Sophie in Massenet’s Werther, Olympia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Morgana in Handel’s Alcina, etc. In terms of concerts and recitals, she performed as a soloist in Bach’s Mass in B minor, Mozart’s Mass in c minor, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Handel’s Messiah,etc. She worked with many professional groups and companies such as New York Lyric Opera, Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, Jakarta Festival Chorus, Dingyi Music Company, Singapore Lyric Opera, New York Lyric Opera, Bangkok Opera, etc. She was an award winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters competition (the Helen and Lynton Memorial Award) in 2020. Yue is a soprano soloist of ICCCS (International Christian Choral Conductor Society) and attend their concert tours annually.
Yue has studied with many professors and coaches, including Patricia Stiles, MaryAnn McCormick, Teresa Kubiak, Kevin Murphy, Gary Arvin, Charles Prestinari, Gerald Moore, Nancy Yuen, Lim Shieh Yih, Jessica Chen,Teresa, etc. She has also worked with conductors including Arthur Fagen, Walter Huff, Betsy Burleigh, Lim Yau, Volker Hartung, Joshua Kangming Tan, Lan Shui, and Guoyong Zhang, etc.
Choral & Vocal Program Interns
The Choral & Vocal Program is assisted by student interns trained to handle a variety of tasks to assist students, faculty, and staff. These students are committed to helping students and the overall MCCV program thrive!
The Choral & Vocal Program Office is staffed Monday through Thursday from 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. You may reach the MCCV office by calling (805) 553-4912, or email at mcchoralvocalstu@vcccd.edu. Current students may also drop in the MCCV Zoom Room. Please reference your syllabus or Canvas page for the Zoom link.
Capri Corwin is a Music Major at Moorpark College with a voice emphasis. She is in her 3rd semester being an intern for the music program, and loves every minute of it. Capri feels that her integrity, responsibility, and capacity has grown by being an intern. She also really enjoys assisting her classmates with questions, concerns, and important information about the semester! Capri’s goal in life is to get her Bachelors in Music Education, and to sing and perform everywhere she possibly can!
Rachel is a music major with a voice emphasis at Moorpark College. She hopes to transfer to a 4 year institution and receive her degree in Music Education. This is Rachel’s 3 year as an intern, and she describes her time in the internship as one of the most influential experiences in her academic journey. In addition to the internship, Rachel is also a student co-director of Contemporary Vocal Ensemble and the soprano section leader in Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble. Her favorite memory from her time in the Choral & Vocal Program is when she sang the solo for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
Katherine Pringle has been singing for as long as she can remember. She has been a member of several different choirs over the last seven years and performed in four musical productions while in high school. Currently, she is a second-semester Music major with a voice emphasis at Moorpark College. She cannot wait to continue developing her leadership capabilities through the Internship program and eventually reach her goal of becoming a choral director in the K-12 setting!
