Who are we, you ask?

President - Chris Memoli

Christopher Memoli is the Music Director of the Rivers Youth Orchestras and conducts the Rivers Youth Symphony Orchestra.  Under his direction since 2001, the RYO program has grown from one elementary orchestra to over 300 students in five orchestras.  In addition to his responsibilities at the Rivers School Conservatory, Mr. Memoli serves as the Director of Music for the Weston Public Schools where he supervises the K-12 music program and teaches high school band and orchestra.  Since 1998 in Weston, Mr. Memoli has overseen the development of what is now one of the most outstanding music programs in the State of Massachusetts.  He is the former Orchestra Director at John R. Lewis High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School) in Fairfax County, VA.  During his tenure at John R. Lewis High, he built an outstanding and award winning orchestral program.  Mr. Memoli is the former Music Director of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William, a large multi orchestra youth orchestra association located in Northern Virginia.  In addition to serving as the Music Director, he served as the conductor of the award winning Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Memoli holds the degrees Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Conducting from the University of South Carolina.  In addition, he holds a graduate degree in Educational Administration.  Mr. Memoli studied violin with Donald Portnoy, Luis Haza and Robert Gerle and conducting with Donald Portnoy, Harold Ferberman, Daniel Lewis and Lukas Foss.  Mr. Memoli has been a Head Director for American Music Abroad Honor Bands and Orchestras since 1995.  He is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, freelance violinist and violin teacher.  Mr. Memoli is a past chairperson of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association-Eastern District and currently serves on the Executive Board.  In addition, Mr. Memoli is Past-President of the Massachusetts and Virginia Units of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA).  Mr. Memoli was named the 2008 Massachusetts Orchestra Director of the Year.

President Elect - Lorenzo Sánchez-Gatt

Lorenzo Sánchez-Gatt (They/He) is a Lecturer at Boston University. They are a scholar-activist whose interests include anti-oppressive education, liberation, queer Black and Latiné experiences, Afrofuturism, and Critical Race Theory in music education. Lorenzo’s interests were shaped through their experiences navigating being a student, performer, and educator as a queer Afro-Latiné person. 

Dr. Sánchez-Gatt earned their PhD in music education at Michigan State University. They earned their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music education from Southeastern University and Florida State University, respectively. Prior to their academic endeavors, Lorenzo held a position teaching elementary and middle school orchestra, guitar, and music appreciation in central Florida. Their ensembles regularly earned top ratings in district and state-level festivals. They also performed as a freelance violist across solo, chamber, and orchestral performance opportunities. Dr. Sánchez-Gatt now blends their research and classical background into eclectic string playing, mixing a variety of traditions, styles, and techniques. 

Lorenzo has published solo- and collaboratively-authored scholarship across a variety of journals including Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, Arts Education Policy Review, and the Journal of Research in Music Education. Additionally, Lorenzo has been selected to present papers and workshops including the American Educational Research Association, International Society for Music Education, National Association for Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Educators, and various state conferences. Lorenzo serves as co-chair of the social justice and cultural diversity Area for Strategic Planning and Action for the Society for Music Teacher Education. Additionally, Lorenzo is a member of the steering committee for the MayDay Group, an international think tank of music educators.

Secretary - Joan Ellersick

Ms. Ellersick performs and teaches viola in the Boston area, working extensively with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, where she provides private lessons through BYSO’s Intensive Community Program and coaches sectionals for all five BYSO orchestras. She has also taught at St. Mark's School and the Fay School in Southborough, the Community Music Center of Boston and Longy School of Music.

Ms Ellersick began teaching viola during high school with the encouragement and mentorship of her school orchestra director and private teacher, Ted Eleftherakis. She studied at Indiana University with Georges Janzer and received her Bachelor in Viola Performance from Boston University where she worked with Bernard Kadinoff.

After graduating from BU, Ms Ellersick lived in Michigan for 14 years, serving as assistant principal viola of the Grand Rapids Symphony, playing frequently with the Detroit Symphony and teaching viola at Calvin College.  Since returning to her native Boston in 1994, she has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Cantata Singers, Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Emmanuel Music, Opera Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, Alea III and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ms. Ellersick has served MA-ASTA in several capacities: as Studio Teacher Representative, she organized Studio Teacher Forums, a monthly series of meetings on topics of interest to string teachers; as co-chair of ASTA-CAP Steering Committee she helped get that program off the ground, and she coordinated MA-ASTA’s Solo Competition in 2006 and 2008.

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Treasurer - TBA

Membership Coordinator - This could be you!

ASTACAP Co-Chair - Yumi Okada

ASTACAP Co-Chair - Dimitar Petkov

College Representative -

Student Representative -

RI Representative -

Studio Teacher Forum Coordinator -

MA-ASTA Master’s Coordinator -