Friends of BAAM

Friends of BAAM is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Berlin Academy of American Music (BAAM) orchestra in Berlin, Germany. Our mission is to champion American classical music on the global stage by funding concerts, educational programs, musical exchanges, and international tours.

We make it easy for American supporters and members of the BAAM transatlantic community to contribute through tax-deductible donations.

With active communities in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and New York, Friends of BAAM offers opportunities to connect with fellow music lovers and travel enthusiasts who share a passion for cultural exchange and global engagement.

By supporting Friends of BAAM, you're helping to promote a positive, dynamic representation of American music and culture around the world.

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Supporters

Board Members

"We Believe in the Power of Music to Connect Us"

Conductor and Founder of BAAM, Garrett Keast has received worldwide attention for his ability to create galvanizing and soul stirring experiences in concert halls and opera houses. Praised for “leaving audiences hungry for more” (Basler Zeitung), the Berlin-based conductor is recognized for his broad repertoire experience and for his American focus with his Berlin Academy of American Music, a professional orchestra founded during the pandemic that focuses on American repertoire. Keast is consistently admired for the enthusiasm and synergy he builds with musicians and audiences.

Keast began his career in New York as Associate Conductor of the New York City Opera before launching his career in Europe with engagements at the Paris Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Bonn, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester. Today, he regularly appears at venues including Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Brussel’s BOZAR, the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Aspen Music Festival, Theater an der Wien, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Described as drawing out “refined and concentrated playing” with “assured sensitivity” (Financial Times), Keast has conducted performances with orchestras such as the Tonkünstler Orchester Vienna, Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Borusan Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Garrett Keast, Executive Director

Board of Directors

Jonathan Dawe

Jonathan Dawe is a groundbreaking composer and longtime faculty member at The Juilliard School, known for his inventive fusion of historical styles with modernist techniques and fractal-based composition. Hailed for his “quirky, fascinating modernist variations on earlier styles” (Boston Globe) and “music of such vitality and drama” (New York Times), Dawe has received commissions from prestigious ensembles including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, and the New York New Music Ensemble. His accolades include awards from the Copland Fund, Koussevitzky Foundation, Fromm Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A Boston native, he studied at Oberlin and Juilliard, where he continues to serve on the composition faculty. His work is consistently recognized for pushing creative boundaries while drawing inspiration from the deep traditions of Western music.

Jerry Harris is a San Diego–based attorney specializing in tax and real estate, as well as an active real estate investor. He and his wife live in San Diego with their two teenage children. In addition to his professional work, Jerry is deeply committed to community service, particularly in support of individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly. He currently serves as Treasurer for both the Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled and Friends of BAAM.

Jerry is also the founder and former chairman of Sports for Exceptional Athletes, a nonprofit that provides recreational and social opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities. His past leadership roles include chairing the San Diego Meditation Center, the Balboa Park/Morley Field Recreation Council, and the San Diego Table Tennis Association.

Jerry L. Harris

William Anderson

Board President

William Anderson is a composer, guitarist, and producer who performs internationally and has appeared with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Metropolitan Opera Chamber Players. In 1985 he founded the Cygnus Ensemble, which has developed a significant repertoire of contemporary chamber music for plucked strings and has performed widely in the United States and abroad.

As a composer and arranger, Anderson is known for inventive work that bridges popular song and modernist traditions, drawing praise from critics for his distinctive approach. He has appeared on national radio and recorded widely. Anderson teaches guitar at Sarah Lawrence College and Queens College and has served since 2011 as Artistic Director of the Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music and its production arm, Marsyas Productions, supporting the creation and presentation of new music.

Dawn Wensel

Secretary

Dawn Wensel is a development and nonprofit leadership professional with more than 15 years of experience advancing mission-driven organizations at the local and national level. She currently serves as Director of Development at Hope Street Group, an education technology nonprofit that is combining the power of AI with the trust of the classroom to help every middle and high school student move from overwhelm to meaningful action for their future

Throughout her career, Dawn has partnered closely with nonprofit founders, CEOs, and Executive Directors to build and scale development programs and teams from the ground up. Prior to joining Hope Street Group, she served as Senior Development Officer at Sharp HealthCare Foundation and previously held leadership roles including VP of Development at Reality Changers, where she successfully secured $2 million through MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call.

A former public school teacher, Dawn is deeply passionate about education in all its forms and considers herself a lifelong learner. Based in San Diego, Dawn enjoys exploring the outdoors, discovering new food and wine experiences, and spending time with her husband and miniature schnauzer.

Sondra Kitchen

Sondra Kitchen is the owner and director of SAK Art Group, a New York–based art consultancy specializing in contemporary and modern art. Active in the art market since 1998, she previously served as a Photography Specialist and North American Representative for the Villa Grisebach Auction House before founding her own firm in 2005. Her work spans book publishing, art library curation, acquisitions, appraisals, collections management, and exhibition curation, with a focus on German Expressionism, African contemporary art, and 20th/21st-century photography. Committed to the belief that art should be accessible and collected with personal passion, she has served on the board of Black and White Project Space and co-edited notable publications including Making Tracks: The Complete Tracks and Made in Tampa Clay Pieces of Robert Rauschenberg. Sondra lives in New York City and frequently travels to Africa to engage directly with artists and cultural leaders.

Ken Meltzer

Ken Meltzer is a writer, educator, and consultant with decades of experience enriching the classical music landscape. He served as Program Annotator and pre-concert host for both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and has been a familiar voice on classical radio through his work with WBJC (Baltimore), WQED (Pittsburgh), and AM-1690 (Atlanta). As a narrator, Ken has appeared with major orchestras in works such as Peter and the Wolf, The Soldier’s Tale, A Lincoln Portrait, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. His program notes have been featured on recordings across multiple major labels, and he has advised symphonies and music festivals nationwide. A regular contributor to Fanfare Magazine and Early Music America, Ken now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three rescue dogs. In his spare time, he volunteers with animal rescue groups, cycles, and plays golf.

Eric Davis

Eric Davis is a former surgical pathologist, recently retired from a second career as a cancer biologist. His musical experience is similarly varied: many years as an amateur violinist, followed by a switch to the piano. Raised by a music-loving family in South Carolina, he has followed his work around the US, with musically-notable stops in the Bay Area, where he played chamber music and enjoyed San Francisco’s Opera and Symphony Orchestra, and now Houston with its excellent HSO and other performers. He has played the violin in semi-professional orchestras, and now hopes to contribute in a different way by helping BAAM’s fundraising efforts as a grant writer. His taste in music is solely classical but broad, and includes the repertoire in which BAAM excels. His wife, Anne, who graduated in piano performance at Juilliard and is now a realtor, stands ready to contribute her talents as a party host. When not playing the piano, he reads extensively and walks his rescue dogs.

Friends of BAAM

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FRIENDS OF THE BERLIN ACADEMY OF AMERICAN MUSIC, INC. EIN: 99-4161587 | 57 W 93rd St. Apt 6A, New York, NY 10025

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