Director's Note
Since 2019, our Music Department has celebrated the music of Disney as part of our annual holiday traditions. This year is no exception, but we've expanded the canon: we are showcasing music from the Disney franchise and including music from DreamWorks Pictures.
Saddle up as we cross vast landscapes with Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Hold the reins tightly as we soar through the skies with music from How to Train Your Dragon. Dance the night away with music from Trolls. After last year’s smashing success and rave reviews, we are bringing back our voice professor, Justin Su'esu'e, to sing a special number with the WVC Symphonic Band: Christmas on Broadway.
We are also putting our students on the podium! The inaugural winner of what will now be our annual Sleigh Ride conducting competition is Blix Carmona, who will lead the band in this holiday classic.
As a final treat, we have invited over a dozen West Valley College Music alumni to return and perform with us in this concert. It's a great community we celebrate here, and we are overjoyed to share our music with you!
Biographies
Troy Davis is the Director of Instrumental Music and Jazz Studies at West Valley College in Saratoga, California. He is also the Camp Director at Hayward La Honda Music Camp, Director Emeritus of the Oakland Municipal Band, and has served on the faculty at Boston University, San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, the College of San Mateo, and Aragon High School.
Dr. Davis was honored as the CMEA “Outstanding Music Educator of the Year” in 2017, recognized as a "Distinguished Music Educator" by Yale University in 2011, received the “Outstanding Achievement Award in Music Education” from Boston University in 2020, and earned the coveted “Oak TREE Award” for exemplary service to West Valley College in 2020.
Troy completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music education at Boston University, a Master of Arts in Teaching with a music education focus at Notre Dame de Namur University, and a Bachelor of Music in oboe performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His publications include “Empathy and Deep Listening in Jazz Improvisation,” a book chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education, and “Self-Assessment in Jazz Improvisation,” an article in the Psychology of Music journal.
Esther Archer Lakhani has been a member of the music faculty at West Valley College in Saratoga, California, since 2010. An experienced collaborative pianist and music educator, Esther specializes in performance coaching for both instrumental and vocal music majors. Before finding her home at WVC, Esther served as Director of Music at the Conservatory of Vocal and Instrumental Arts in Oakland, California, during its inaugural year, and as a faculty member at Chapman University in Orange, California, where she accompanied the renowned Chapman Choirs under the direction of Dr. William D. Hall.
Esther grew up in California and has been an active member of the musical community since the age of nine, when she joined the Berkeley and San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestras as a cellist. Her professional career has been a rich collection of diverse experiences, including serving as Music Director at The Community Church of Mill Valley from 2003 to 2014 and as Conductor and Collaborative Pianist for the Piedmont Children’s Choirs over the span of two decades.
Her artistic collaborations include work with the California Bach Society, Berkeley’s Chora Nova, the Santa Fe Opera Summer Festival, the music departments at the University of California, Irvine, and California State University, Long Beach, as well as numerous California school districts, including Mount Diablo, San Ramon Valley, and Acalanes Union High.
Esther Archer Lakhani holds a California Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, a Master of Music in Chamber Music and Collaborative Arts from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Martin Katz, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was honored with the Eisner Award for creative achievement in music.
Tenor Justin Fatu Su’esu’e is a Professor of Voice at West Valley College and also maintains a private voice studio. He served for many years as both Musical Director and Assistant Choreographer and Director for the Y.E.S. (Youth Entertainment Stage) Company in Modesto, California.
In addition to teaching, Su’esu’e is an active performer in both musical theater and opera and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. He has performed with Spoleto Festival USA, Opera San Jose, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, USC Opera Theater, Bavaria Academy, Opernfest Prague, and Arizona Broadway Theatre. Last summer, he appeared in a “Golden Age Musical Theater” concert with Dan Micciche, musical director of Wicked on Broadway.
Mr. Su’esu’e was also recently part of two world premieres in Southern California. First, he was a featured soloist in Extraordinary Tales, a concert musical based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and then in The Janitor, a short operetta inspired by the works of Kurt Vonnegut, in which he played “The Devil.”
Mr. Su’esu’e holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College, a Master of Music in Opera, and an Artist Diploma in Voice, both from the USC Thornton School of Music.
Explore More from the WVC Performing Arts Department
View the Concert Program
Read the full program including a complete list of West Valley College student performers: Disney and DreamWorks Holiday Spectacular program.
Upcoming Performances
Discover upcoming concerts, recitals, and theatre productions from the WVC Performing Arts Department: westvalley.edu/cilker-events.
Music Faculty
Learn more about WVC's outstanding, dedicated music faculty on the Music website.
Support the Arts at West Valley College
Your donation helps us provide students with access to high-quality instruments, performance opportunities, and professional mentorship: donate.wvm.edu/cilker-school-of-art-and-design.