Meet Our Board of Directors
Jennifer Babineaux, President
Jennifer discovered the classical guitar in 2016 while living in Philadelphia, when a chance stroll down a small side street led her to the entrance of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Store. She immediately signed up for lessons and has been attempting to play the classical guitar since then. Jennifer was a member of and volunteer with the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society. She relocated to Ashland in 2019, where she was delighted to discover an active classical guitar society and resumed her classical guitar lessons.
Jennifer holds a BA in economics and an MBA in finance and accounting, both degrees from UCLA. Jennifer worked in finance and corporate development in the telecommunications field for 10 years before changing careers to become a veterinarian. She currently owns a specialty mobile ultrasound business and speaks nationally on veterinary ultrasound topics. But mostly she wishes she was a better classical guitarist.
Grant Ruiz, Secretary
Grant is founding member of the Guitar Society and has served alternately as president, secretary, and treasurer. Grant was introduced to the guitar at age 9 when his father, a bebop saxophonist and composer, brought home albums of classical and flamenco guitar. He studied classical guitar at age 10 with Maestro Seiko Sesoko in Anaheim, California. After a career in high tech, Grant followed his dream of being a professional guitarist and teacher in Southern Oregon, playing a variety of styles but staying close to his roots of classical and flamenco. He has performed in several shows at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, at the Britt Arts and Music Festival, and several other regional venues. He has taught guitar at Southern Oregon University, John Muir School in Ashland, and St Mary’s School in Medford. He has participated in a number of recording projects, including five albums and a documentary, and is a founding member of the group Flamenco Pacifico.
Kristi Schoenbachler, Treasurer
Music has been an important part of Kristi’s life since starting piano lessons in elementary school. She has dabbled with many genres and instruments over the years, from banjo to bass guitar. Jazz and classical – both guitar and piano are always at the top of her list.
To fund her music habit, Kristi has had a career in accounting and finance. A retired CPA, she moved to the Rogue Valley in 1995 to work for Harry and David. She subsequently spent many years as the CFO for Medical Eye Center. Her first attempt at retirement found her working for multiple non profit organizations in the area. She is once again attempting retirement and is looking forward to promoting the mission of GSSO.
Peter Jespersen
Peter Jespersen grew up in a musical family in the Washington D.C. metro area, starting piano studies at age 6. By age 11, he discovered the guitar in the music room at his free-roaming Montessori school, and struggled with the F major bar chord long before he was ready. At age 12, his rock ‘n roll hero at the local music store gave him life-changing advice: to become a truly accomplished player, study classical guitar. Lessons started forthwith along with terrifying recitals at the D.C. Classical Guitar Society featuring easy arrangements of Bach, Scarlatti and Brazilian folk tunes. He was hooked.
He ended up in Ashland to study music at the University with his new guitar hero, Joe Thompson. After graduation, he embarked on a Tech career that eventually took him to Portland where he studied with Scott Kritzer, whom he had first met in Ashland during a solo concert when Scott was fresh out of the San Francisco Conservatory.
Returning to the Rogue Valley for early retirement, he picked up the guitar once again and began serious practice with the pedagogical treatises of Stanley Yates, Ricardo Iznaola and Tonebase digital lessons. He currently studies with Elina Chekan, who together with René Izquierdo performs as Duo Exaudi. He has a special interest in contemporary guitar compositions, but enjoys all periods and ethnic traditions. The F major bar chord remains elusive.
