Cal High Instrumental Music
Instructional Staff
Bob Grigas
Instrumental Music Director
Bob Grigas has been immersed in music since 1997 and has been a music educator and freelance musician in the greater Los Angeles area for over 21 years. Bob has performed with various groups nationwide, including the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, Martha Graham Music Foundation, LA Jewish Symphony, Santa Monica Symphony, The Bakersfield Symphony, The Warden Cliff Jazz Ensemble, The Go Band, International Connection, The Hunger Games Trilogy Red Carpet Premiere, Contra Costa Wind Symphony and more. His extensive performance experience spans prestigious venues such as The Broad Theatre, The John F. Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Valley Performing Arts Center, The Ford Amphitheater, Capitol Records, and Carnegie Hall.
Bob has had the honor of studying with many renowned musicians, including John Magnussen, Jerry Steinholtz, Alex Acuna, Pete Korpela, Randy Gloss, Swapan Chaudari, Dr. John Roscigno, Matt Altmire, Joey Deleon, Walter Rodriguez, Nani Agbeli, David Roitstein, Gary Pratt, John Daversa, Jeff Elwood, and Barry Harris.
Since 2003, Bob has been an educator in Southern California, teaching at numerous schools such as California H.S. (Whittier), Schurr H.S., Edison H.S., Claremont H.S., Esperanza H.S., La Mirada H.S., Redlands East Valley H.S., Agoura H.S., South Pointe M.S., Cal State Northridge, Cal Arts, and Saugus H.S. Bob has lectured and prepared master classes for World Music, Music Entrepreneurship, Percussion ensemble, North Indian Classical Music, and Music Business classes at Cal State University Northridge. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Cal State University Northridge and a Master’s in World Percussion Performance from California Institute of the Arts.
Briana Berastain
Marching Ensemble Co-Director
Briana Berastain is a co-director for our Marching Ensemble this year. She is a Cal High alumnus, having graduated in 2019 after four years of playing flute, piccolo, and oboe in the concert and marching programs. In April 2023, she graduated from the University of Redlands with her B.M. in Music Education. She was also a visual and woodwind coach for us during the beginning of the 2021 marching season, and is very excited to be back at Cal High again. In addition to working with our Marching Ensemble, Ms. Berastain (or Ms. B) is the music teacher at Creekside Elementary in Danville.
Daniel Rugani
Marching Ensemble Co-Director
BIO COMING SOON
Lori Willis
Orchestra and Choir Director
Mezzo soprano Lori Willis began her musical career as a violinist, receiving scholarships from the University of California, Berkeley Young Musician’s Program and from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music for violin performance. After obtaining a B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Berkeley, Ms. Willis gained recognition as a vocalist. She has performed a variety of roles and made guest soloist appearances with countless groups that include Oakland East Bay Symphony, Oakland Opera, Sacramento Philharmonic, Golden Gate Opera, Berkeley Opera, Cal State East Bay Chorus, The Lucy Kinchen Chorale, Opera Noir and Oakland City Chorus. She has also been a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus for their performances of The Trojans (2015), Die Meistersinger (2015), and Porgy and Bess (2009).
Ms. Willis has studied voice with Sheri Greenawald, Wendy Hillhouse and Allen Shearer and has also been a student of vocal coach, Marcie Stapp. She has a Master of Arts degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, East Bay and has been a voice instructor at Laney College in Oakland, California. Ms. Willis currently teaches Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra and AP Music Theory at Cal High.
