BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Lifting Voices, Uplifting Lives

Graham Seel, President (he/him)

Graham Seel grew up in London, England and moved to California in 1985 while working as a technology manager for Bank of America. He was educated at Latymer Upper School in London and the University of Essex, where he received a BA (Hons) in Mathematical Economics. His career has largely focused on technology and business strategy, particularly in the banking industry. In his non-profit roles, he served on the board of a private Christian K-12 school for nine years, four of them as President. He also volunteers with, and consults for, several local and global community development organizations. Graham has a lifelong passion for music, and is convinced of its power to change lives and communities. In 2018, he joined the Cantare Chamber Ensemble for its unique mission to bring about social change through multigenerational choral music.

Eric Wendlandt, Treasurer (he/him)

Raised in a family of career musicians in New Hampshire, Eric Wendlandt has been in the Bay Area since college days, and part of Cantare Chorale since 2003. He is passionate about Cantare’s mission to nurture community of compassion and understanding through choral music, and has been thrilled to volunteer in Cantare’s after-school music programs with elementary school students in Oakland Unified School District. Eric lives in Walnut Creek, where he and his wife Donna raised two great kids, and where he’s an avid backyard gardener. He works as an IT Director for a global medical device company.

Charlene Escalante (she/her)

Charlene grew up in diverse Bay Area public schools, where she first-hand how the diversity in backgrounds, cultures and voices could create beautiful and uplifting music. She participated in Hayward High School’s award-winning music program, and later served as Director of Sacred Music and Liturgy at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Walnut Creek. Her professional expertise lies in finance and accounting, including five years at GiveWell. Charlene looks forward to pursuing Cantare’s mission because, “Music to many people in the Bay Area is a lifeline and a glimmer of hope that through all the hardships they face, there can still be beauty, that they hold the keys to creating that beauty.”

David Hofmayer, Secretary (he/him)

David Hofmayer grew up playing piano accompaniment for singers, first his talented sister, Lauren, and later larger choral and theatrical ensembles. He joined Cantare's Chorale in 2019, having enjoyed several concerts in which Lauren and his mother, Ann, performed. David is a practicing lawyer at Farella Braun + Martel in San Francisco.

Leah Schatz, Youth Board Member (she/her)

Leah is currently a sophomore at Skyline High School in Oakland, CA. She has been singing in Cantare as a part of Nova Youth Choir since she was in 6th grade at Melrose Leadership Academy, and is proud to say she survived doing choir online for a year. Aside from singing, she enjoys playing the saxophone in her high school’s jazz band, and is a set designer for its technical theater department. In her spare time, she likes to explore her interests in reading, creative writing, and linguistics. She lives with her parents, younger sister, and 2 adorable cats in Oakland, and is also a member of Nova’s Leadership Team. This is her first time serving as any sort of board member in an organization, so she is excited to learn more about Cantare!

Angela Aquino (she/her)

Angela was born and raised in the Philippines. She taught in Oakland and Berkeley schools, as well as at an International School in South America. She later worked as an Assistant Principal and then Principal for Oakland Public School District, where she saw firsthand how Cantare’s vision came to life at her schools and advocated for our programs. She continued to support school leadership as an adjunct professor in the Mills College Principal Administrative Program, and as a Principal on Special Assignment supporting principals and schools in Oakland. Angela is currently also a small business owner and baker at Silver Dahlia Baking. She lives with her family in Oakland.

Mercedes Harrison (she/her)

Mercedes Harrison was first introduced to Cantare in 2014, when her granddaughter, Cora, began singing with the Lincoln Music Stars. Cora moved up to the Nova Youth Choir, and she and Mercedes were the first grandmother-granddaughter pair to perform in a Cantare concert together. Driven by her love and strong advocacy for the children of Oakland, Mercedes joined the Cantare Board as Education & Outreach Chair for the Children’s Music Program. Raised in the Bay Area, she and her late husband, Clifton, have called Oakland home since 1981.

Kenn Keitt (he/him)

Kenn Keitt is a Senior Director with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. With 15+ years in healthcare, he works with senior leadership across the organization, with extensive experience in building teams to develop and manage sustainable growth and retention. He majored in Computer Science at the University of San Francisco and has received certificates in business and executive management from Stanford, Duke and Oxford Universities. Kenn is a major supporter and participant in fundraising activities in support of AIDS and HIV prevention: he has participated as a cyclist and roadie in the California LifeCycle 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles (545 mi), and a 7-day bike ride from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Paris, France (~400 mi) for AIDS Relief in Africa. Kenn currently sings with the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus and various other musical organizations across the Bay Area.

Dayana Merino (she/her)

Dayana Merino grew up in West Oakland and has been with Cantare Con Vivo since 2005. She started as a Music Star singer at Lafayette Elementary, and later joined the All Stars and Nova. As a first-generation graduate, Dayana received her AA in Social and Behavior Science from the College of Alameda. In 2017, she graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Francisco State University. With a passion for education advocacy, she received her Master's of Science in Counseling, specializing in School with PPS Credentials. Currently, she works as a school counselor at MetWest High School (OUSD) and continues to sing with Cantare with the Adult Chorale.