Staff & Board of Directors

Paul Schwendener, Executive Director

Born in Michigan, Paul studied at the Eastman School of Music and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna where he also performed with the Choral Union of the Vienna Philharmonic for several years. Over a 30-year career in the classical music recording industry, Paul has been instrumental in producing and marketing hundreds of recordings with leading artists and ensembles, including the Complete Mozart Edition (180 CDs) for Philips Classics and the Milken Archive of Jewish Music (600+ recordings). Paul is a Governor of the National Arts Club in New York City and, as co-chair of the Music Committee, has programmed multiple seasons of chamber music concerts. Most recently Paul served as Executive Director of the All-Star Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of top players from major American orchestras that has produced five seasons of Public TV programs, winning seven Emmy® awards. The All-Star Orchestra has also created extensive music educational content and lessons for the Khan Academy, providing free instruction to over six million students.

 

 

Elaine Lipton, Executive Director Emeritus

Originally from New York’s Hudson Valley, Elaine earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Theatrical Production from Brandeis University. Following her undergraduate coursework, she received a prestigious Watson Fellowship to study traditional theater arts in Japan. She has also done graduate work in Museum Studies with a focus in costume and textile conservation. In her multifaceted career she has worked as a costume designer, follow-spot operator, textiles artist, curator, teacher, arts administrator, and grant-writer. She has lived in New York City, Japan, Europe and – since 1998 – Cape Cod. Besides the Festival, her husband Terry and her children Elliot and Jemma make sure that her life is always filled with music. She has been CCCMF Executive Director since 2006.

Erika Pfammatter, Operations and Box Office Manager

Born and raised in New York City, Erika has been a lifelong classical musician. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from Vassar College and a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington in Seattle. Erika has worked for over twenty-five years as a music teacher and church music director in Pennsylvania, Washington, Michigan and Massachusetts. She most recently taught Orchestra and General Music for ten years at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA. Having moved fulltime to Wellfleet in 2018, Erika teaches private piano and harp in addition to her position at the Festival. When she is not making music with students and friends she can be found kayaking or sailing with her Swiss husband Stephan, visiting her two grown sons, Matias and Lukas, or cleaning up after her two entitled cats.

Artistic Directors

Jon Manasse
Jon Nakamatsu

Board of Directors

David B. Farer – President
Florence Reif Richman – Immediate Past President
Susan Hamilton – Vice President
Lee L. Kane – Vice President
Christine Todd – Vice President
Dorothy Cone Blumberg – Secretary
Inez D’Arcangelo – Treasurer

Nancy P. Barry
Sally Burns
Felice S. Coral
Anne Edgar
Peter K. Eisenger

Associate Board of Directors

Molly Hidden
Leslie W. Nelson
Pamela N. Patrick
Sophie Sanders
Louis Weisz

Artistic Advisors

Margo Garrett
Nicholas Kitchen
Brian Zeger
Bernard Greenhouse (d. 2011)

Directors Emeriti

Clyde R. Claus (d. 2016)
George Dillon (d. 2013)
Jean Entwistle
Susan Goldsmith (d. 2021)
Lawrence Handley (d. 2020)
Philip Isenberg (d. 2016)
J. Francesca Rullman (d. 2012)
Robert V.L. Wright (d. 2015)