Our People

Danielle is serving as Acting Director of Music while Michael Taylor is on leave. The church office can connect you with her about the Chancel Choir and music ministry.

Rita joined our staff as Worship Band leader for our blended service. Music and ministry have always been part of her life, beginning with performances by her family, The Johnson Family Singers. In the 1980s Rita spent two years touring with a Minneapolis ministry group called Lifeline. In the 1990s, her brother formed a Christian rock band called The Balance, which played primarily for mass youth gatherings across the United States. Rita is a professional performing musician, worship leader, piano teacher, and choir director. She has recorded six albums with Christian bands and produced and recorded two children’s albums. Rita enjoys spending time with her family, especially her daughters Katlynn and Julia, yoga, tap dancing, playing cards, and walking by the ocean.

Jennifer Baham graduated with a B.A. in K–12 Choral Music Education and specializations in organ performance and music liturgy from Dordt College, where she studied organ with Dr. Joan Ringerwole. Since college, Jennifer has received training in Orff Schulwerk at Mills College, conducting at San Jose State University, and vocal pedagogy at San Jose State. She has experience as a music educator, organist, accompanist, piano teacher, conductor, and composer. Jennifer has served as an accompanist for more than 20 years at schools, festivals, and churches in Iowa and California. Outside music, she enjoys spending time with her daughters Camille and Erin, gardening, hiking, and walking by the ocean.

Ruthanne Adams Martinez joined us as handbell director. She holds a B.A. in music and B.S. in accounting from Santa Clara University, where she graduated magna cum laude and won several awards, and an M.A. in music from San Jose State University. Over 27 years she has studied harp, piano, and organ and become an accomplished campanologist, directing, guest-conducting, and playing in several bell choirs, performing solo, and arranging music. In her free time, she likes to paint, quilt, and ballroom dance.

Katie Gueorguieva has been an active participant in Bay Area music since 1997. A native of Bulgaria, she graduated in 1993 with a B.A. from the State Academy of Music in Sofia, where she studied music theory, piano, and choral conducting. In 1997, Katie received a scholarship to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she earned a Master of Music degree in 1999 and studied piano with Mack McCray. She has taught piano since 1997. Her students have won prizes at prestigious piano competitions, and several have been selected to perform at Carnegie Hall. Katie lives in San Jose’s Almaden Valley with her husband Ken and daughter Nickie.

Kirim Eom was born and raised in South Korea. Growing up in a Christian household planted a desire to use her musical gifts for God’s kingdom and drove her further musical study. She was pianist for the church where she grew up and continued pursuing music at Sookmyung Women’s University, majoring in music composition with a minor in piano and earning a certificate in music teaching. Kirim received the Frasier Organ Scholarship from the American Guild of Organists’ San Jose chapter and earned the AGO Service Playing Certificate. She is also a pianist for the Cupertino High School Choir.

Michael joined us with 23 years of experience managing and building church music programs. His background includes choral and instrumental conducting, and he trained primarily as a vocalist, earning a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has taught voice for twenty-five years. In addition to directing opera, oratorio, and musical theatre, he has written words and music for three church musicals, a Seven Last Words, a Requiem, a fully staged opera, and numerous choral pieces. Michael continues working with children in opera outreach, writing, arranging, and directing condensed operas with students and opera singers through San Francisco Opera and West Bay Opera outreach programs.