Steering Committees & Advisory Board
Coachella Valley Steering Committee
Vicki Pedrini is a third generation Angelino whose Grandfather founded Pedrini Music in Alhambra in
1938. Raised by two musician parents; she couldn't help but get music in her blood. She produced a "Live Jazz Series" at Pedrini Music for seven years, featuring musicians such as John Clayton, Alan Broadbent, Gary
Foster, Gerry Wiggins, and Buddy Collette, among others.
She decided there were so many living composers who had arranged for many musicians living in the Los Angeles area that she started a "Meet the Composer" venue. With joy, she was able to get Johnny Mandel, David Raksin, Neil Hefti, Steve Allen and Michael Feinstein (who supported so many composers) to the store and introduced them to "everyday people.” Ms. Pedrini was the first recipient to receive the Teri Merrill award from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. The Pedrini Family received the award again in 2001. Ms. Pedrini’s current Orange County contact for Jazz is LagunaBeachLive.Org.
Sue Townsley worked at UCLA for 30 years, during which time she co-founded the Friends of Jazz at
When she moved to the Palm Springs area, Ms. Townsley created the Coachella Valley Steering Committee for CJF. She also informally works with the American Jazz Institute, based in Palm Desert, which
offers a 24/7 straight ahead jazz internet radio station (KAJI).
Additionally, she volunteers for several nonprofits in the Valley and has received two separate Volunteer of the Year awards.
ADVISORY BOARD
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John Acosta
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Barbara J. Brighton
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John Clayton
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Buddy Collette *
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Chris Dobbs
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Deborah Ewing, Esq.
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Terry Gibbs
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E.J. Gold
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Hanne Johnson
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George Kahn
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Joseph L. Kahn, M.D.
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Lainie Kazan
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Gina Kronstadt
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Hon. Arnold Levin (Ret.)
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Stephen Maitland-Lewis
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John McClure
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Mike Melvoin *
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Phil Norman
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Catalina Popescu
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Frank Potenza
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Richard Ritz
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Dr. Bobby Rodriguez
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Cathy Segal-Garcia
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Alan G. Sieroty, Esq.
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Richard Weissman, Esq.
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April Williams
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Richard A. Williams, M.D.
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Jeffrey A. Winston
* In Memoriam