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.
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.
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.
Kishan Dutt
Percussion Caption Head
Kishan Dutt is a music educator with a background in drumset and marching percussion, most notably marching with Vessel Percussion in 2019 and 2020.
Outside of teaching band, he enjoys going to loud shows, designing fonts, and hanging out with his cat.
Sohrab Bazargannia
Percussion Instructor
Sohrab Bazargannia is an active freelance musician who performs with many of Northern California’s major arts organizations such as the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, California Symphony, Marin Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Monterey Symphony, and Santa Cruz Symphony. Having performed in the premieres of countless symphonic, chamber, and wind ensemble repertoire, he has collaborated and premiered works by composers such as Mason Bates, Julia Wolfe, Jimmy Lopez, and Martin Rokeach. Internationally, Sohrab has performed and recorded throughout Europe with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, including concerts at the Royal Concertgebouw, Berliner Philharmonie, Smetana Hall, Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine, Sala Verdi Milano, and Stadttheater Ingolstadt. Sohrab is an alumnus of Diablo Valley College where he studied with Ken Bergmann and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Jack Van Geem, Jake Nissly, Trey Wyatt, and Ed Stephan.
Alex Bond
Brass Instructor
Alex Bond is a versatile freelance trombonist and dedicated music educator. Based in Dublin, CA, Alex performs across a wide range of genres—from classical and jazz to pop, funk, and contemporary experimental works. Whether in orchestras, big bands, pit ensembles, or studio sessions, Alex brings a dynamic presence and professional polish to every performance.
Alex attended UCLA for Trombone Performance (student of Bill Booth), though he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Philosophy.
Alex currently performs with the Oakland Civic Orchestra and the Cooltones Big Band. When he's not performing or teaching, Alex enjoys spending time with his family and traveling.
Saaryia Malik
Color Guard Instructor
Saariya Malik is the caption head for the color and winter guard this year. She is a Cal Alum, graduating in 2021 after being in color guard, winter guard, string orchestra, mock trial, and other groups at Cal High for four years. In May 2024 she graduated with two Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nevada, Reno in Political Science and International Affairs while also marching in the Pride of the Sierra’s marching band and UNR’s winter guard. After moving back to the Bay Area, she joined InMotion Performance Ensemble for their 2025 winter season and hopes to continue spinning in winter guard. She previously coached North Valleys High School color guard in Reno, Nevada from 2023-2024 and is happy to be coaching again. In addition to being on the Cal High staff, she is pursuing a post-bachelor degree in Paralegal Studies from SFSU and working in the legal field before applying to law school in the future.
Trey Higgins
Visual Instructor
Trey graduated from California High School in 2021 after playing tuba and trombone in the music program. After high school he marched three years of DCI, one year with the Blue Devils B in Concord and two years with the Mandarins in Sacramento. Trey is currently studying music production at Diablo Valley College, and is set to finish his degree in fall 2025.