President:
Brian Head enjoys a vibrant, frequently frenetic career as a guitarist, teacher, and composer, performing as a soloist and collaboratively with many groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and their New Music Group, the New World Symphony, Le Rossignol, inauthentica, Jacaranda and Xtet. Brian's own compositions have been performed for many years throughout the U.S. in premier venues in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., and abroad in such cities as Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, Sao Paulo, and Dubai.
Since 2001, Brian has held a dual appointment on the Classical Guitar and Composition faculties as a senior lecturer at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where he maintains an active guitar studio, lectures on a wide range of subjects, and directs the undergraduate music theory program. Since 2004 Brian has led the Guitar Foundation of America, as its president.
Executive Vice President:
Dr. Martha Masters studied at the Peabody Conservatory with Manuel Barrueco, and at the University of Southern California, where she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Scott Tennant. Martha's international performing career began after winning the GFA International Competition in 2000; she now teaches at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, in addition to being Assistant Director of the National Guitar Workshop Classical Summit in Connecticut. Martha joined the Board of Directors in January 2004, was elected Executive Vice-President in June 2004, and was appointed General Manager in July 2005.
Vice President:
Jeff Cogan Studied guitar at California State University, Northridge with Ronald C. Purcell. He has performed in concerts in many American cities and in European cities such as Rust, Austria, Perigueux, France, Lanuvio, Italy, Aranda De Duero, Spain, and Belgrade, Serbia. Jeff's teaching career began in 1982 at Chapman University where he remains director of guitar studies and music technology. He is a board member and program chairman of the Orange County Guitar Circle. Jeff has directed the GFA International Guitar Competition since 1987.
Vice President - Treasurer:
Carol Cunning Sanders, formerly Vice-president of Crystal Records and owner of CCS International Concert Management, Carol has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and as a panelist at various music conventions. She was the recipient of a grant from the NEA for compilation and publication of the Composium Directory of New Music, of which she was Editor for 5 years. A former oboist, she is married to GFA Board member Jack Sanders, and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2004.
Vice President - Secretary:
Robert Lane
