Board of Directors
-
Edward Francis, Founder and Executive Director
Pianist/Educator, Thousand Oaks, CA -
Lawrence Blonquist, President
Turnberry Financial/Analyst, Westlake Village, CA -
Joyce Osborn, Fiscal Development
Violinist/ Educator, Woodland Hills, CA -
Gary Cobb, Development Director
Organist/Pianist/Professor, Newbury Park, CA -
Joseph Cancilla, Chief Financial Officer
CPA, Newbury Park, CA -
Vince Lopez, General Director, Business Liaison
Trumpet/Entrepreneur and Insurance Agent, Thousand Oaks, CA -
Michael Glenn Williams, Treasurer
Composer/Pianist, Newbury Park, CA -
Nancy Israel, Director
Arts Advocate/Philanthropist, Thousand Oaks, CA -
Phyllis Rautenberg, Director
French Horn/Educator, Agoura Hills, CA -
Saul Lessler, Director
Attorney, Somis, CA -
Peter Yazbeck, Director
Pianist/Educator, Camarillo, CA -
Pierre Escaron, Director
Retired Engineering and Manufacturing Manager, Agoura Hills, CA - Richard Rintoul, Conductor
- Klara Bergman, Director of Donor Development
Principal of Bergman Group LLC, Santa Maria, CA -
Kyung Lee, DMA, Director
Pianist/Educator
Our Founders
Edward Francis
Born and first educated musically in Ohio, he moved to California in 1965, where his major teachers were Mildred McGowen-Ryan, and Peter Yazbeck. He entered CSU Northridge, as a scholarship student in the music department, where he earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano Performance. During his years at the university, he won many awards in solo and chamber music performance. He was the music department's candidate for the university President's Award, as top graduate student. His principal teacher was French Pianist Francoise Regnat. He was an invited participant in the master classes of Polish Pianist Jakob Gimpel for six years. Post-graduate study continued with Edward Auer. His study and research in pedagogy and music history were with William Richards, Rosalie Ligget, George Skapski, and Eleanor Russell.
Shortly after completing his master's degree he was hired as music faculty at Oxnard College in Ventura County. He has taught Class Piano, Music Appreciation, Music Fundamentals, History of Rock & Roll and has conducted one of the college choirs. Subsequently he has been added to the Applied Piano faculty at Moorpark College and Pepperdine University. He has taught at CSUN for two summers, as part of an exchange program with the Superior Conservatory of Music-Seoul, Korea, and CSUN. In 1998 he was invited by CSUN to replace his former piano professor Francoise Regnat, while she took a one-year sabbatical.
He is a member of two active performing groups. The Westlake Chamber Ensemble has played regular chamber music concerts for over ten years. They have performed at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, the Thousand Oaks Library, the Recitals at Four series at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which was broadcast live on KUSC radio, Moorpark College, and numerous other venues. They gave the opening recital for the 1996 City of Ventura Chamber Music Festival, and they were the 1998 Chamber Music Artists for the Music Teachers' Association of California Convention held during the summer of 1998 in Los Angeles.
The DeCesare/Francis piano duo has been designated "Artists-in-Residence" at Moorpark College. They have played recitals at Moorpark College, UCLA, Pasadena City College, and the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Their CD titled Piano Music for Four Hands, was released in 2000.
He has been concerto soloist with the Ventura County Symphony, the Conejo Valley Symphony, the Moorpark College Symphony, and the Pepperdine University Symphony.
He has given master classes for several branches of the MTAC, the Utah Valley Music Teachers' Association, the Sarah Compinsky Master Class study group, and several private teacher studios. He has lectured on a variety of topics that include: "Parents' Responsibilities in Music Study" and "The X-ray Technique for Confidence in Performance." He presented two papers at conventions sponsored by the Music Teachers' Association of California and the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, titled: "Etude, Brute: The Advanced Etude," and "The Concerto: Literature for the Emerging Young Artist."
An experienced evaluator he has judged countless competitions and festivals, and is in demand as an adjudicator. For many years, his piano studio has produced many competition winners. Many have been featured soloists with orchestra as winners of Young Artist competitions, or in special award recitals. Many of his students have matriculated at important music schools around the country, winning scholarships upon entrance. (Eastman, Indiana University, New England Conservatory, USC, CSUN, UCLA, University of Michigan, Arizona State U., Juilliard)
In 1998 the Arts Commission of Thousand Oaks presented him with the "Encore Award for Excellence in the Arts." The award is given for past and continuing contributions to the performing arts in the community and surrounding areas.
He has served in various board positions, including two terms as President of the Conejo Valley MTAC. His work with the Music Teachers National Association, state affiliate, CAPMT, includes his current term as Vice President, Convention Chair. He was a long time committee member of the New West Symphony's Education Outreach, and has served as editor for the Piano Education Web Page, where he was the featured "Artist-Educator of the Month" in November of 1997.
Thomas Osborn
In August 2006, after being on a two week vacation to the North Pole with his wife Joyce, Tom Osborn returned to Los Angeles International Airport, and collapsed when disembarking from the plane. He had a massive heart attack and died. We were all saddened by his untimely passing, which was only a week before the Project: Brahms that the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic was to perform that very weekend. Since Tom was looking forward to conducting the concert and everything was scheduled and in place, his wife Joyce, felt that the concert should go on. It did, with Tom’s spirit present, the soloists and orchestra gave outstanding performances.
A formal tribute was given to Tom during the second concert of the Brahms weekend at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The orchestra, guest conductor, and each board member participated. Board members each shared a personal experience that they had with Tom. Some were poignant, others humorous, but all focused on Tom’s love for music and education.
Shortly thereafter, the family arranged for a memorial service, which was attended by nearly 1000 people at Forrest Lawn in Hollywood. As was fitting, the service was filled with music performances given by members of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Downey Symphony, and the Roger Wagner Chorale.
The Osborn family has established the Thomas Osborn Endowment Fund. To donate, checks or money orders bay be sent to: Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, PO Box 4195, Thousand Oaks CA 91359. For more information or to make a donation with credit card please contact Edward Francis, the executive director of the T.O. Phil.
Our Conductor
Richard Rintoul
Richard Rintoul (DMA in Conducting, UCLA; MM in Orchestral Conducting, USC; BFA in Viola Performance, Cal Arts) 
conducts the orchestra and teaches conducting at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is also the founding conductor of the Orchestra da Camera at the Colburn School of Performing Arts (Los Angeles) since 1987. Dr. Rintoul founded and for nine seasons conducted the Colburn Chamber Orchestra, with which he toured England & California, did national radio & television broadcasts (winning an Emmy in 1994) and recorded a well-reviewed CD, currently in international release. He spent a decade as the Director of Orchestral Activities and Director of Strings at California State University, Long Beach. There he founded the Studio Orchestra and taught advanced and graduate level conducting as well as directing the string chamber music program. He helped build the Pasadena Young Musician’s Orchestra, the Glendale Youth Orchestra and the Crossroads School Music Department (Santa Monica) into strong organizations. As a choir director, Dr. Rintoul served three southland churches for nineteen years. He was conductor of the Idyllwild Arts Summer Youth Symphony (Idyllwild, California) for eighteen seasons and for two summers, he conducted the Interlochen Philharmonic at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan.
His educational guest conducting includes work with student Honor Orchestras and High School Ensembles in a dozen states. Professionally, Dr. Rintoul has conducted the San Diego Symphony, the Downey Symphony, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Inland Empire Orchestra, and recording sessions for episodes of Star Trek “Enterprise” and the “Medal of Honor” video game series among a variety of projects. He has conducted productions of “the Medium,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” “The Daughter of the Regiment” and opera galas at CSULB. Additional operatic conducting credits are for “The Mikado,” “HMS Pinafore” and “Trial By Jury” with Opera a la Carte, the world premiere and subsequent performances of “Monticello” for radio station KCRW and a stint as chorus master for the Long Beach Opera. Dr. Rintoul has also been filmed conducting much of the standard orchestral repertoire for IVASI Systems’ “Video Conductor” DVD training materials. Having played viola professionally on hundreds of film soundtracks, he remains active in the recording industry.