Kathryn Sansone – Executive Director

A versatile arts administrator, music educator, and non-profit professional, Kathryn began her career in 2003 working with multiple non-profit arts organizations including Handel & Haydn Society, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, New England Conservatory, and English National Opera. In 2007 she moved to the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado to work as Choral Director for a rural school district – teaching middle school and high school. While working as a public school educator she also founded the Maroon Bel Canto Children’s Chorus which is now part of the Aspen Music Festival and School’s Education and Community programming. Between 2012 and 2022, Kathryn worked full time for the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) first as Associate Dean and most recently as Dean of Students. While working for AMFS she also oversaw all community and education programming, expanding access to Roaring Fork Valley youth and families through multiple in school and after school programs. Following a decade at AMFS, Kathryn worked for the Aspen based non-profit, Buddy Program, as Development Director. During her time with this youth serving organization, she supported their 50th Anniversary Impact Campaign and raised annual funds to help further their mission to empower youth through mentoring experiences to achieve their full potential. In addition to being a career educator and arts administrator, Kathryn is a mother, wife, outdoorswoman, choral conductor, singer, avid reader, and former ski instructor. She received her BA in Vocal Performance as well as her MA in Vocal Pedagogy with a Music in Education Concentration from New England Conservatory.

Katie Hone Wiltgen — Director of Education

Katie Hone Wiltgen is a music educator, arts administrator, and firm believer in the power of music and mentors to change kids’ lives. From 2005 to 2014, she taught choir, band, drama, music theory, and more in public elementary, middle, and high schools. She then spent nine years at the Aspen Music Festival and School as the Dean of Education, running AMFS programming for children and families, including the popular summer family programs, mariachi workshop, and in-school and after-school AfterWorks programs of Beginning Strings, Chamber Music Lab, Lead Guitar, and Maroon Bel Canto Choirs, the later of which she co-founded in 2009. She then served as Chief Education Officer at Forte, the groundbreaking online music lesson platform.

Throughout her career, she’s worked hard to bring music education experiences to students and families who might not otherwise have access. She firmly believes that we can’t expect to see diversity expand at all levels and venues in the music world unless we fund music education for historically under-resourced populations. (You only have diverse musicians in positions of power if they were given the support they needed to start being music students in the first place!) Originally from Celina, Ohio, Katie earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (choral, instrumental, and general music) and Vocal Performance from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and a Master of Music in Conducting and Music Education from Colorado State University. She is active as a conductor, vocal soloist/collaborator, and music educator and is the proud mom to two musical kids.

Matt Siffert — Director of External Affairs

Matt Siffert is a musician and arts activist. At Musical Mentors Collaborative, he is dedicated to developing fruitful relationships between teachers, students, and staff, as well as expanding MMC’s reach to new communities. After studying at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Carnegie Mellon University, Siffert moved to Nashville and launched an international performing career. He has released eight albums as a solo artist, worked with musicians such as Jon Batiste and Adia Victoria, and performed all over the U.S., from the Metropolitan Opera to South by Southwest, as well as internationally, from Cuba to Croatia. His work has been featured in publications such as The New Yorker, NPR, and The Deli, where he won Nashville’s Emerging Artist award. Siffert is an advocate for other musicians and helps build substantive relationships between artists and audiences. He has worked with a variety of artists and organizations, from Norah Jones to Michael Tilson Thomas, Capitol Records to Smithsonian Folkways. Siffert is also passionate about music education, regularly performing for and teaching music appreciation to both the elderly and young musicians. He is honored to be a member of the Musical Mentors Collaborative family.

Candy Yang — Regional Manager, New York City

Taiwan-born violist Chieh-I (Candy) Yang is an international orchestral and chamber musician who values being an ambassador to audiences, serving as both storyteller and guide in the concert hall. She has participated in festivals including the Taipei Music Academy and Festival (2020) and the Aspen Music Festival, where she was a New Horizon fellow and assistant principal viola in 2019. Her artistry has been recognized through numerous honors, including the Nelly Walter Scholarship and the C.V. Starr Scholarship from The Juilliard School, the International Pacing Art Culture Education Rising Star Award (2018), and the Helen Cohn Award from the Manhattan School of Music (2025). Alongside her performing career, Candy served as Community Impact Program Coordinator at the Manhattan School of Music from 2023 to 2025, supporting the school’s engagement with wider audiences and students, and continues her work as a Teaching Artist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Education and Community Engagement programs. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in viola performance from The Juilliard School and completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 2025, with a doctoral thesis titled Lionel Tertis and the English Musical Renaissance.

Chen Lin – Mentor Engagement Coordinator

Originally from China, Chen Lin is a pianist and nonprofit professional pursuing his M.S. in Nonprofit Management at Columbia University. His experience spans arts education, public relations, and creative storytelling, including work with international brands and immersive theatre projects. A lifelong musician, Chen believes in the power of music to inspire empathy and social connection. At MMC, he focuses on building a supportive community for mentors and helping expand access to high-quality music education for young learners.

In addition to full and part-time staff, MMC retains a number of advisors who bring expertise in pedagogy, operations, musical performance, and institutional fundraising.

Ricky Schweitzer graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Pre-Medical Studies and Music after spending most of his life on or near Broadway (Jason Robert Brown’s “13,” “Beauty and the Beast,” etc.). He received his Master’s of Music from Berklee’s Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games program in 2017. In addition to working with MMC, Ricky also writes film scores, sings, tutors, and has recently worked as an assistant and coordinator for songwriter Toby Gad (John Legend’s “All of Me,” Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy,” and Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”). Ricky managed Toby’s recording studio as well as his day-to-day life, often times assisting – or running – recording sessions. His predilection for intense melody and warm textures combined with his diverse musical influences help him provide unique insight into any musical endeavor. Ricky apologizes for writing his bio in the third person and promises that he is much more grounded in real life.