Kira Dixon is entering her 17th year of teaching in public schools at her alma mater, Abraham Lincoln High School in San José, CA. She earned her M.A. in Music from Kansas State University in 2013, and received her B.A. in Music Education with an emphasis in voice from San José State University in 2006.

In addition to teaching, Miss Dixon currently serves on the Board of Directors for Peninsula Cantare, a semi-professional chorus based in Palo Alto. She is also the president of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, a foundation which supports members of an international professional music fraternity.

Kira is one of the Founders and Executive Directors of the non-profit organization California Summer Performing Arts Academy (CSPAA) which serves the South County youth in providing music education opportunities, the main of which is a weeklong engaging summer camp.

President
president@mpefoundation.org

**Dr. Matthew Hoch,** is professor of voice at Auburn University. Prior to coming to Auburn in 2012, he spent six years as assistant professor of voice at Shorter College. His students have gone on to successful careers in both classical and music theater genres and have won awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC), NATS, MTNA, ACTF, the Vann Vocal Institute, and others. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Vox Consort, Harmonie Universelle, the Hartford, Rome, and Nashua symphony orchestras, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Chattanooga Bach Choir, Griffin Choral Arts, and the United States Coast Guard Chamber Players.
Hoch is the 2016 winner of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, awarded jointly by the Voice Foundation and NATS. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of eight books, and his articles have appeared in over a dozen academic and professional journals, including the *Journal of Voice*, *Journal of Singing*, *Voice and Speech Review*, *Opera Journal*, *Choral Journal*, *The* *Chorister*, *The Hymn*, *College Music Symposium*, *Classical Singer*, *American Music Teacher*, *Kodály Envoy*, *Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music*, and *Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians*. Hoch has presented his research at many national and international conferences, including ICVT, PEVOC, PAVA, NATS, VASTA, MTNA, NOA, CMS, HICAH, SAM, NAfME, AGO, ASA, IHS, the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, the Voice Foundation Symposium in Philadelphia, and the International Symposium on Singing and Song in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2018, he presented performances and master classes in the United Arab Emirates as was awarded the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award. In addition to his academic life, Hoch serves as choirmaster and minister of music at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Auburn, Alabama.
He earned his BM from Ithaca College with a triple major in vocal performance, music education, and music theory; his MM from the Hartt School with a double major in vocal performance and music history; his DMA from the New England Conservatory; and a certificate in vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech. Hoch was initiated into the Lambda chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon at Ithaca College in 1995, and his fraternity awards include the 1999 Sterling Achievement Award, 2013 ACME recognition, and the 2021 Award of Merit. He is proud to continue serving on the board of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation.
**Philanthropies Coordinator**
philanthropies@mpefoundation.org

**Sean Kilgore** is entering his third year of service on the MPE Foundation Board. Prior to holding this position, he served as Board Treasurer for two years. Sean has a diverse educational background. He holds a B.S. in Arts Administration from Butler University, where he also studied Viola, an M.S. in Cybersecurity & Risk Management from Indiana University, along with a J.D. and Intellectual Property Certificate from IU McKinney School of Law. He is now a licensed attorney in Indiana, working for the United States District Courts as a Judicial Law Clerk.
Along with his day-job, he owns, operates and plays with The Deoc Ensemble, which provides various string ensembles for weddings and events throughout Indiana. His ensemble regularly performs more than 100 events per year. Sean is also a frequent pit violist/violinist for the Civic Theatre’s musical productions in Carmel, IN and subs when available for local orchestras.
When he is not performing or working, Sean can be found traveling or enjoying Indianapolis with his husband, Max, and dog, Phoebe.
**Vice President**
vicepresident@mpefoundation.org

**Isabel De La Cerda** is a music educator and fine arts advocate who holds a B.A. in Music with an emphasis in vocal performance from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
Interested in learning about her culture and having a passion for music at an early age, Isabel studied mariachi music during her time at the University of Texas at San Antonio. There she performed with Mariachi Los Paisanos and was showcased in the vocal Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán annual statewide competition. Isabel is the music director at St. Luke Catholic School, where she teaches elementary music, theater, and choir.
When Isabel is not teaching in the classroom or on stage, she is a musical director/vocal coach at various schools and theater companies in the San Antonio area. Isabel is dedicated to serving her community by promoting multicultural representation. Isabel is a Teatro Audaz board member, serving in the only Latinx theater company in San Antonio, Texas. She serves as Director of Marketing & PR and Special Events. Isabel joined Mu Phi Epsilon when she was in college and later co-founded the St. Mary’s University Zeta Nu chapter in 2012.
After college she joined the San Antonio Alumni chapter where she currently serves as Vice President. She has been the District Director for South Central 1, 3, & 4 for eleven years, assisting collegiate chapters all over Texas. She is thrilled to be serving as Director of Philanthropies for the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation. Isabel aims to share her passion for the advancement of music in the community through the promotion of musicianship, scholarship, and music education with an emphasis on service through music.
**Treasurer**
treasurer@mpefoundation.org

A charismatic and versatile clarinetist, **Dr. Katsuya Yuasa** has been praised by critics as a “born performer with rare ability to express the beauty and soulfulness of the composer’s music.” He has toured in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia as a concert soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestra player.
Born in Kobe, Japan, he is presently the Piatigorsky Foundation Artist, Mu Phi Epsilon Secretary Board (formerly International Concert Artist), and Adjunct Clarinet Faculty at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is a founding member of Duo Esplanade (flute, clarinet) and Cosmos New Music (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano).
Dr. Yuasa completed his Bachelor of Music at the San Jose State University, Master of Music and Artist Diploma at the Boston Conservatory, and Doctor of Music at the Florida State University. An inventive artist, he explores a wide repertoire of classical, jazz, ethnic, pop, rock, and contemporary music.
**Secretary**
secretary@mpefoundation.org

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “rich tone and deft technique,” Hannah Porter Occeña is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Northern Iowa and Principal Flutist of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra (Topeka, KS). The 2021 Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition Winne, Dr. Occeña has performed as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and clinician throughout the US and abroad.

Committed to the rich heritage and new horizons of the repertoire, Dr. Occeña strives to make classical works accessible and engaging to diverse audiences. Some of her most meaningful musical experiences have taken place during performances at special needs schools and concerts in association with Autism Speaks.

As a chamber musician and collaborator, Dr. Occeña has worked to bring works by living composers to life. She is a commissioning member of the Flute New Music Consortium and has co-premiered works by Zhou Long (Confluence, 2015) Carter Pann (Giantess, 2018), Valerie Coleman (Amazonia, 2020), and Samuel Zyman (Intuition, 2022).

Dr. Occeña is a 2018 DMA graduate of Stony Brook University, where she studied with Carol Wincenc; she holds a Master of Music Dip.RAM from the Royal Academy of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. When not performing, Dr. Occeña enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. She can be heard onthe solo flute album Confluence, which is available on major streaming platforms. She is a Miyazawa Artist and plays on a Miyazawa Elite.

Board Member
admin@mpefoundation.org