Randy Plimpton (Co-Founder) is an arts benefactor based in Rochester, NY. He has always had a keen interest in music of all genres and generations. It began during his childhood playing 45s by artists including the Shirelles, the Chiffons, and Ronnie Spector. In middle school, he and a classmate made trips to the Boston Garden via train to hear such artists as Sam & Dave and Chuck Berry. In recent years, his focus on music has grown to include opera and orchestral works. At the same time, a passion for helping the underprivileged and underrepresented led him to broaden his giving, explore more possibilities, and center projects and philanthropy to benefit Native American musicians and creators. His hope is that, together, this foundation can help musicians from diverse backgrounds achieve their career goals.

Timothy Long (President and Co-Founder) is a pianist and conductor of Muscogee, Thlopthlocco, and Choctaw descent who is Music Director of Opera at Eastman School of Music.  He was assistant conductor for three years at the Brooklyn Philharmonic and was subsequently named an associate conductor at the New York City Opera for two seasons.Tim’s training as a pianist and multi-instrumentalist led to conducting engagements with such companies such as Boston Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Colorado, Utah Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Juilliard School, Yale Opera, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Prague Summer Nights Festival Orchestra, the Trondheim Sinfonietta, and off-Broadway with The New Group.  Tim has been on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Opera America, American Lyric Theater, and the Urban Artist Initiative/NYC. He is the Artistic and Music Director of Eastman Opera Theater.

Passionate about making the arts accessible to all, Anna Louise Martin (Director of Operations) endeavors to create opportunities for them to thrive in the 21st century. In 2021, she founded Rochester Summer Opera to create free performance opportunities for students and provide accessible opera to the Rochester community. Anna Louise has interned at organizations such as the Ravinia Festival, Portland Opera, and Portland Summerfest. She is the Executive Assistant to the Chairman at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. In the past, she has served as a Project Manager at The Institute of Music Leadership and a Project Coordinator for Sing for Hope. She is proud to be a part of The Plimpton Foundation as a member of the board and their Director of Operations.

Anna Louise is a recent Master’s of Music graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and a graduate of DePauw University, where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Vocal Performance and Business.

www.annalouisemartin.com

Scott Ashley is a highly experienced fundraising professional with over two decades of service in advancing the missions of nonprofit organizations across diverse sectors, including higher education, healthcare, and the performing arts. His career is defined by a strong commitment to fostering philanthropic engagement and driving organizational sustainability through innovative and strategic fundraising initiatives.

Scott's visionary approach has significantly contributed to the expansion of programs, the enhancement of diversity in the performing arts, and the increased accessibility of music and art to broader communities.

Throughout his career, Scott has successfully spearheaded annual giving programs and secured principal and major gifts that have funded scholarships, professorships, medical research, patient care programs, and vital campus development projects.

Beyond his fundraising expertise, Scott is adept in leadership development and has a proven track record in designing and implementing volunteer management programs. Currently, Scott serves as the Senior Director of Advancement at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of philanthropy and organizational growth.

Christopher Dylan Herbert is a baritone and musicologist who performs frequently throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee. He holds a B.A. in Music from Yale University, an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and a D.M.A. in Voice from The Juilliard School. He is the head of the voice program at William Paterson University in New Jersey. His current research focuses on the music of the eighteenth-century Ephrata Cloister in Pennsylvania. He was the baritone in the critically acclaimed ensemble New York Polyphony from 2010 to 2020.

www.christopherdylanherbert.com

Andrew S. London is a Professor of Sociology and the Associate Dean for Washington Programs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is affiliated with the Aging Studies Institute, the Center for Aging and Policy Studies, the Center for Policy Research, and the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. He has published three co-edited volumes and more than 100 articles and book chapters addressing the health, care, and well-being of stigmatized and vulnerable populations. In addition to various awards for teaching and research, he received the 2004 Foundation Award for outstanding contributions to the LGBTQ+ community at Syracuse University. He has been the nationally elected Chair of the Medical Sociology and Drugs & Society Sections of the American Sociological Association, and the Chair of the Youth, Aging, and the Life Course Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He formerly served as (Co-)Chair and in various other roles on the Boards of Directors of the Empire State Pride Agenda and ACR Health.  With his husband, Alan E. Curle, MD, he is a co-recipient of a Centennial Award from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

Peggy Monastra is an arts manager and consultant with over 30 years of experience in the field of contemporary music with a focus on promotion, composer and project management, and publishing. She is currently Vice President at legendary music publisher G. Schirmer, Inc./Wise Music where she has worked since 1993 and previously held positions as Artistic Director and Director of Promotion. She has been a trusted advisor as New Works Creative Consultant for Opera America, and with Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Bethany Arts Community and for select large-scale projects and independent composers. Earlier positions include that of Music Specialist at the Library of Congress Music Division, and as professor of music history and private piano instruction. With a background in piano performance, pedagogy, musicology and gamelan, her greatest interests have always been in contemporary music across the performing arts and in advocating for creative artists. She holds degrees from Loyola University College of Music and the Eastman School of Music; and lives in Ossining, NY with her husband Steven Osgood and two sons.

A critically acclaimed Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano, Marion Newman also comes from English, Irish and Scottish heritage. One of Canada’s most accomplished singers, Marion is sought after for her portrayal of Indigenous characters in most of the new operas and oratorios written within the last two decades. She is also a busy oratorio and recital singer across the US and Canada and in the UK. Marion sits on a number of boards and advisory councils as an advocate for equity and inclusion and as a representative of her communities. Holding organizations that express a wish to be at the front of the changes needed within the arts is one of her true passions. In addition to her extensive performing career Marion is a curator, a dramaturge, a developing director, Co-Founder of Amplified Opera and the host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera on CBC, Canada’s national broadcaster. 

www.marionnewman.com