Meet the people behind the organization!
CCGS Staff
Erik Mann, Executive Director
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society is headed by Executive Director Erik Mann, who has led the organization since 2009, a role which combines his love of classical music and education. Under his leadership CCGS has created the International Series, which now presents the finest classical guitarists in the world, as well as the Education Program, in partnership with Cleveland schools. Erik has been a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music since 2004 and previously taught at three other colleges. He served for three years on the committee for review of stringed instrument applications of the Fulbright US student program. Erik’s performances on the classical guitar include The Cleveland Orchestra, Glimmerglass Opera, Erie Philharmonic, and Erie Chamber Orchestra. Erik holds degrees in music performance from Towson University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2015 he was one of 25 arts leaders nationwide chosen for the Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI) of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.
Adam Satorius, Director of Education
Adam Satorius has been involved with music, both as a performer and teacher, for most of his life. He became the CCGS Director of Education in 2021 after joining the organization as an educator in Fall 2019. He believes that every child should believe in their ability to learn, create, and collaborate. Adam’s musical background includes piano, guitar, cello, bassoon, and percussion. He has performed nationally and internationally in various ensembles and as a soloist. He has worked with students of all ages, from five years old through retired adults. Adam received Bachelor’s degrees in Classical Guitar Performance and Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, studying with Clare Callahan and Dr. Betty-Anne Gottlieb. As a native to the Cleveland area, the CCGS International Series was his first exposure to the classical guitar. Adam is passionate about providing high-quality, meaningful musical experiences for Cleveland city youth. He actively composes and arranges music for guitar that is pedagogically focused while engaging for students. As an educator, he strives to provide his students with the skills, knowledge, and experiences to discover a love of music-making and their own unique musical voice.
Jon Poor, Events Manager
Jon Poor joined the CCGS team as Events Manager in January of 2022. Jon grew up in Sioux City, IA and Portland, OR. He moved to Birmingham, AL in 2000 and in 2005 earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He relocated to Cleveland, OH, in November of 2021. As a songwriter and guitarist, Jon has been a part of a variety of performing groups and has released recordings under his own name as well as with bands Feijoada and Willie and the Giant.
Since 2011 Jon has been an owner and Event Director for a music festival in Birmingham, AL, called Secret Stages which brought close to 600 artists, utilized dozens of venues, and garnered praise in publications like The Wall Street Journal, UPROXX, and Paste Magazine. For ten years Jon has been focused on refining and executing events that deliver a stellar experience for all who are involved including artists, patrons, sponsors, and volunteers. Jon is eager to bring his experience and enthusiasm to Northern Ohio and CCGS.
Rodrigo Lara Alonso, Educator and Latino Community Liaison
Rodrigo Lara Alonso joined Cleveland Classical Guitar Society in 2019. In addition to his job as Educator and Latino Community Liaison with CCGS, Rodrigo is the Musical Pathway Fellowship Advisor and a faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Program. Rodrigo is the founder of Sicarú, a guitar ensemble that has amassed sixteen first prizes in seven countries, including the Guitar Foundation of America’s (GFA) Ensemble Competition. Rodrigo holds degrees in Music and Latin American Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and postgraduate degrees from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Indiana University. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at The University of Southern Mississippi. Rodrigo is a member of Apollo’s Fire Diversity – Equity – Inclusivity Committee and The Cleveland Orchestra’s Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color (BIPOC) Music Education Advisory Group.
Pedro L. Pérez Cáceres, Educator
Pedro L. Pérez Cáceres was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and joined CCGS in summer 2022. He began studying the guitar at Interamerican University, and obtained his B.A. in Music from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. Later he received his Masters Degree in Music from Arizona State University, where he was a Fulbright scholarship student of Professor Frank Koonce. Pedro was awarded the Pro-Arte scholarship from the Asociación Pro Orquesta Sinfónica (APOS) to attend the National Guitar Workshop. His many chamber music performances include collaborations with flutists Sherry Finzer, Monica Anthony, and the former Phoenix Symphony Principal Flutist Alex Viazovtsev. Pedro previously taught guitar and was Estudiantina Director at the Rivera High School in Brownsville, Texas; and taught for Phoenix College, Arizona School for the Arts, and Lead Guitar.
Additional Teachers
Jeremy Bass, Educator
Jeremy Bass joined CCGS as a contracted teacher in January 2020. He specializes in contemporary music for classical guitar, and in recent years, has focused on historical plucked strings. Jeremy has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Lexington Chamber Orchestra. He was a fellow at SoundSCAPE and Nief-Norf, and guest artist with Alia Musica Pittsburgh and the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. His principal teachers were Dieter Hennings, Andrew Zohn, and Rafael Scarfullery. Jeremy holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Kentucky and Columbus State University, and was a 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar Grantee at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His solo debut recording, David del Puerto: Guitar Sonatas, Volume I, is available on the Orpheus Classical label. He can also be heard on the Irish-Americana group Wolf and Clover’s self-titled album. A fluent Spanish speaker, Jeremy is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ecuador 2007-2009), and a graduate of Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India.
Kevin Covney, Educator
Kevin Covney is a classical guitarist and music educator based in Greenwich, CT and teaching for CCGS’s remote platform, Guitar@Home Academy. In his teaching, Kevin focuses on a compassionate, equitable, and student-centered teaching approach, which helps learners of all types achieve their musical goals. As a performer, he has collaborated in Upstate New York with groups such as the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and Opera Ithaca, and has also played in masterclasses for Grammy-Award winner Sharon Isbin in the 2019 Aspen Music Festival. Kevin received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College, and a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Grammy-Award winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and Colin Davin.
Andy Poxon, Educator
Baltimore native Andy Poxon joined CCGS as the first Teaching Fellow in Fall 2017. Now a lead teacher for the program, he is an accomplished guitarist and arranger across many styles and genres. As a guitarist, Andy has won numerous competitions and awards across the United States, and has played at venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Sacramento Music Festival, and Festival D’été, both as a soloist and with various bands. He has recorded three albums of original music released on Ellersoul Records, which have received extensive airplay on Sirius/XM radio and have been nominated for numerous awards. Andy is an active freelance musician in Cleveland, including several performances as a guest musician with The Cleveland Orchestra. As an arranger, he has been commissioned by Grammy-award winning artists such as Jason Vieaux and Anne Akiko Meyers. Andy holds degrees from Towson University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to CCGS, Andy is a faculty member of the CIM Preparatory Department.
Craig Slagh, Educator
Craig Slagh joined CCGS in Fall 2021 as a contracted teacher. He began his music career in Cincinnati working with Jeremy Collins and Rodney Stuckey at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Prep department. He received his Bachelor of Music Performance in May 2021 from Oberlin Conservatory. At Oberlin, he studied under Stephen Aron and received numerous honors and rewards that included being a finalist in the Jim Stroud All-Ohio Guitar Competition and performing in the Dannenberg Honors Recital. He will be pursuing his Master’s Degree at CIM this fall with Jason Vieaux.
Kadirah McJunkins, Teaching Assistant
Kadirah McJunkins joined the CCGS teaching roster in March 2020 as the organization’s Teaching Assistant. She started learning classical guitar four years ago through CCGS classes at her school. She is an active student in the CCGS Education Program, performing regularly with the CCGS Advanced Quartet at events around Cleveland (including the MLK Day Celebration at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the CCGS International Series). As a soloist, she has participated in the organization’s open recitals and masterclasses. Kadirah was named the 2020 CCGS Education Program’s Student of the Year, awarded at the annual Showcase Concert. Her duties as the CCGS Teaching Assistant include assisting with classes, working one-on-one with students, and recording videos of student repertoire. A multi-talented artist, Kadirah is pursuing her visual arts talents at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she is majoring in Animation.
Damian Goggans, Teaching Assistant