Emma Roche
Artistic Director
Director of Bel Canto and Amadeus
Emma Roche holds music degrees from both Westminster Choir College and the USC Thornton School of Music. She started out singing as a young girl in Los Robles Children’s Choir and proudly continued until the age of 18 when she left the Conejo Valley for college. After completing a master’s degree at USC, Roche spent several years as an opera singer traveling throughout the United States performing with companies including LA Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Charlottesville Opera and San Diego Opera. In 2017 she became a Roster Chorister and soloist with the Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) performing in their regular season at Walt Disney Concert Hall with additional performances at the Hollywood Bowl and with the LA Philharmonic. Highlights with LAMC include singing the soprano solos in Handel’s Messiah, recording vocals for the Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker soundtrack under the baton of John Williams and winning a Best Choral Performance Grammy for the live recording of Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the LA Phil and world-renowned conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. Equally passionate about music education, Roche has 15 years of experience teaching at both the elementary and high school levels. She is currently the children’s choir director and music teacher at St. Patrick’s Day School in Thousand Oaks. She is absolutely delighted and honored to be chosen as the next Artistic Director of Los Robles Children’s Choir where her journey originally started.
Donna Young
LRCC Founding Director
Vocal Coach for Amadeus
Donna Young is the Founding Director of the Los Robles Children’s Choir which she developed into a four-choir, multi-level organization over a period of 15 years from 1997-2012. During her tenure as Artistic Director, the choir toured internationally in England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. National tours included Denver/Colorado Springs, Nashville with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, and New York City where they sang in Carnegie Hall.
Mrs. Young is the proud recipient of the 2003 Excellence in the Arts Encore Award, presented by the City of Thousand Oaks Arts Commission for her work with the Los Robles Children’s Choir. She has served as a clinician for children’s choir festivals and has directed children’s choirs in churches and choruses in both schools and church settings including the United Methodist
Church Westlake Village where she also served on the faculty for the Pizazz Music Camp.
Mrs. Young taught voice and piano to private students and was the owner of music schools in Ventura and Santa Paula. For several summers, she taught music for the Creative Arts Summer Program in Ventura.
Ms. Young studied Music Education at the University of Maryland and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Pepperdine University where she studied under and served as student assistant to their Distinguished Professor of Choral Music, Dr. Roger Wagner.
Mrs. Young’s professional vocal experiences include a decade of touring worldwide in the Roger Wagner Chorale. Besides her role as a singer, she was the Administrative Assistant for Roger Wagner and Manager of the Chorale. Ms. Young was also a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Besides vocal recitals and appearances as soprano soloist for various choral works, she sang leading roles in several stage productions including “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, “H.M.S. Pinafore”, and “Die Fledermaus” with the Ventura County Master Chorale and Opera Association.
Alex Robinson
Bel Canto Choir Assistant
Collaborative Artist
Alex Robinson received both her Bachelor's and Master's in Music degrees from University of Miami. She is a professional vocalist, pianist, composer and educator and has performed in major concert series such as the Stanford Jazz Festival and Jazz Roots at the Adrienne Arsht Center. In 2019, she spent a week performing original music in Zagreb, Croatia as part of the International Association of Schools of Jazz. She can be heard as a backing vocalist on various projects, from star-studded concerts to educational material for children. As an arranger, her work has been featured in the New York Voices Vocal Jazz Camp and the Jazz Education Network independent arrangers' reading session. She has worked with all ages and experience levels, privately and in large student groups and choirs. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Miami, she directed a jazz vocal ensemble, designed and taught courses, and taught private lessons.
Amy Komie
Collaborative Artist
Amy Komie is enjoying her fourteenth year with the Choir. She also serves as the accompanist for Oaks Christian High School and Middle School choirs, as well as Simi Valley High School and Moorpark Presbyterian Church choir. Ms. Komie received her B.A. in piano from the University of North Texas. In addition to accompanying for choirs and soloists, she teaches private piano lessons in the local area. Ms. Komie is passionate about sharing the love of music with others and enjoys continuing to learn and grow as a musician.
Christine DeKlotz
Collaborative Artist
Christine DeKlotz received her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Southern California. She plays with local symphonies and accompanies soloists and choirs in performances throughout the southland. She has accompanied Los Robles Master Chorale, and toured Europe with them. For fifteen years, she has been a pianist with Los Robles Children’s Choir. She accompanies the Amadeus Choir as well as Village Voices in Westlake Village. She enjoys performing chamber music as well as teaching piano and leading recorder groups. She is the music director at Faith Lutheran Church in Moorpark. According to Chris, “Music has a way of filling all the nooks and crannies.”
Tomiko Hamada Taylor
Collaborative Artist, Apprentice Choir
Tomiko Hamada Taylor was born in Tokyo, Japan. She studied music and received her teaching credential for middle school in Japan before deciding to become a music therapist. During her studies in music therapy, she spent ten years conducting research and writing case studies about schizophrenia patients and their music. In 1991, she came to the US and graduated from CSUN with a major in Music Therapy. Since 2001, Tomiko has been annually producing the “First Classic Concert for Children and Families” concert series with the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra, where she accompanies various guest artists. She has a music therapy practice in Ventura County and a private piano studio in Newbury Park. She is also a member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California.
Mary Linn Daehlin
Choir Manager
Mary Linn has been a non-profit administrator and program director for more than 15 years with a community based organization in Moorpark. Her experience includes contract administration, grant writing, program planning and building community partnerships. She has been involved with many arts organizations in Ventura County including Cabrillo Music Theatre , Kingsman Shakespeare Festival, Chaparral Music Boosters, and Los Robles Children's Choir. She is a mother of three adult children, the youngest, Kira, is a Los Robles Children's Choir alum having sung with both Amadeus and Camerata choirs under Dana and Ed Rouse. As a choir parent she volunteered for the uniform and fundraising teams. In her spare time she enjoys theatre, painting, and crafting.
Dana Rouse
Executive Director, 2012-2022
Dana Rouse was Executive Director of Los Robles Children's Choir for 10 years, conducting both Apprentice and Bel Canto Choirs. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Biola University and her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Eastman School of Music. She has appeared as a solo oratorio artist in many works including Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Verdi’s Requiem and Handel's Messiah. Dana has a love for teaching and has run the Rouse Music Studio for more than 23 years. She has also taught voice at State University of New York in Fredonia, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and California Lutheran University. Dana has been a member of the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and Los Robles Master Chorale, and currently sings with the professional vocal quartet Seraphour.
Ed Rouse
Artistic Director, 2012-2022
Ed Rouse was the Artistic Director of Los Robles Children's Choir for 10 years, conducting Amadeus and Camerata Choirs. A native of California, he studied choral conducting at Biola University, where he received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education. He then studied at the Eastman School of Music, gaining his Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting. Ed is active professionally as a chorister and soloist and has sung in different ensembles around the country. He currently is singing with Areté Vocal Ensemble and is active as an adjudicator and choral technician in the Southern California area. Ed is a vocal coach and the Director of High School Choral Studies at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village.