Staff Report
Music Academy of the West, a full-scholarship summer school and festival for classically trained musicians ages 18 to 34, has named two people to its Board of Directors.
A shareholder at the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Gamble Parks Douville is a certified specialist in Estate Planning and Trust & Probate Law by the California Board of Legal Specialization. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Cottage Health System and the Santa Ynez Family School and is a past board member of the Music Academy of the West, Dog Adoption & Welfare Group (DAWG), the Santa Barbara Hospice Foundation, and the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts.
In 2012, Parks was named one of the South Coast’s “40 Under 40” business leaders by the Pacific Coast Business Times. As a member of the Board of Directors, Gamble will serve on the Advancement/Marketing and Communications, Governance and Audit committees. Parks and her husband, Gary, are raising their young son in the Santa Ynez Valley.
“I was honored to be asked to return to the board and continue the academy’s tremendous work in the community,” Parks said. “The year-round effort to move the classical music industry forward is remarkable.”
Also welcomed to the board was Bridget Foreman, CPA for Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, LLP. Foreman integrates tax planning, compliance and consulting services for her clients as well as orchestrates the efforts of their other advisors, including investment managers, bankers and insurance agents.
Located on a 10-acre oceanside campus in Santa Barbara, Music Academy of the West is a place where fellows study, perform and participate in public masterclasses with more than 70 exceptional faculty, teaching artists and guest speakers, as well as forge close connections with community members through a unique Compeer Program. Fellows and alumni receive invaluable career-advancement opportunities through the academy’s Innovation Institute and its partnerships with the London Symphony Orchestra and Beth Morrison Projects. Seminars and residencies explore entrepreneurial musicianship and the future of classical music, while the annual Alumni Enterprise Awards provide grants for a wide range of creative projects. Committed to expanding access to transformative music education and performances, in 2018 the Academy launched “Sing!,” a free, after-school choral initiative for local elementary school students. Community Access tickets are available for all academy events and free for those under 18 years old. For more information, visit musicacademy.org.
