For the first time ever, the Lynbrook Viking Marching Band will be joining forces with the Monta Vista Matadors. We are so excited to welcome our neighbors from LHS into our incredible MVMB community!

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Born and raised in Pacifica, CA, John Gilchrist is a Bay Area local. After graduating from Terra Nova High School, John earned a BM in Music Education from San Jose State University, where he also studied percussion under the mentorship of Galen Lemmon. While there, John served as principal percussionist of the SJSU Wind Ensemble and won several awards for his playing. Notably among them: First prize in the California PAS Marimba Competition, and also in the 2016 SJSU Concerto Competition. John would later go on to complete his student teaching in FUHSD at Homestead and Lynbrook High Schools respectively. Before landing at Monta Vista, John spent nearly two years teaching at Milpitas High School. In addition to teaching, John stays an active performer, serving as the Principal Percussionist of the San Jose Wind Symphony.

Jubilee Hardwick has 10+ years of color guard teaching experience. Born and raised in the Bay Area, her dance training started at the age of 4 with traditional Chinese Folk dance, acrobatics, and ballet at Jupin's School of Dance. She continued to strengthen her acrobatics and ballet training at Jensen Performing Arts. She marched in the color guard program at her alma mater, Milpitas High School. After graduating, she continued to teach the program for 5 years. Jubilee later went on to perform with the Santa Clara Vanguard Winter Guard in 2016. Since Winter 2018, Jubilee has taught at Monta Vista with a focus on flag technique and show design. She became the Color Guard Director in Summer 2021. Jubilee attained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Cell and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry at CSU East Bay. She now works in Quality at Illumina, whose NGS instrument platforms are utilized for DNA tests such as 23andMe and have a broad range of uses diagnostically in hospitals and for research purposes.

In 2023, she was awarded the Teresa Moura Color Guard Director of the Year award by the California Color Guard Circuit (CCGC). She is now serving as the Secretary on the CCGC Board of Directors.

jubilee.montavista.colorguard@gmail.com

Katie Gilchrist is the Instrumental Music teacher at Peterson Middle School in the Santa Clara Unified School District. Before this current position, she taught elementary school music and high school band in the greater San Jose area. Katie graduated from San Jose State University where she earned her teaching credential and Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, where she studied saxophone with Dr. Michael Hernandez. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan. Katie is professionally involved with the California Music Educators Association and California Band Directors Association. She also serves on the board for CMEA Bay Section as one of the Solo and Ensemble Festival Coordinators, and is the CBDA Ensemble Host.

Katie has worked as both a music tech and visual tech with many high schools in the Bay Area including Homestead HS, Fremont HS, Saint Francis HS, Wilcox HS, and Santa Clara HS. She currently serves on staff at Monta Vista HS and Lynbrook HS and also works as a visual staff member for the Vanguard Cadets drum and bugle corps.

Shota Otaguro is a freelance percussionist from San Jose, California. He got his bachelor degree in Music Performance from San Jose State University, studying under Galen Lemmon to learn classic, orchestral, and contemporary percussion. He has also been to several music festivals like PASIC and ZMF to study under renown artists like Nanae Mimura, Mike Truesdale, and Jack Van Geem. He is currently a member of the San Francisco Brass Band playing timpani.

As a competitor, Shota has most recently won first place at Fremont Symphony’s Young Artist Competition in the summer of 2019. In the past, he has been a part of California’s PAS competitive festival and has won 1st place for Collegiate solo marimba in 2018, won SJSU’s concerto competition in the spring of 2019, and was a semi-finalist at the Great Plains International Marimba competition.

As an educator, Shota currently presents masterclasses in the Pre University Percussion Group, directs percussion sectionals at San Jose Youth Symphony and coaches at Monta Vista High School Marching Band. In the past, Shota has taught and arranged front ensemble music at Homestead High School Marching Band and Winter Percussion for three years and was also the percussion director of the Fremont High School Concert Percussion.

 Other than performing, teaching and arranging music, Shota also spends time recording, editing and producing concerts at SJSU for student recitals and chamber ensembles.