History

Sarah Wilke has been the Greater Cincinnati Guitar Society President and Artistic Director since 2022.  Her love of guitar began at age 11 and has been a lifelong journey. Her adventures have taken her to study with guitarists of many styles including rock, country, metal and classical. She acquired her B.A. in Music from Northern Kentucky University where she studied with Robert Mercer. She has taught classroom music in the states of Kentucky, Ohio and New York. She founded the Northern Kentucky University Preparatory Guitar Ensemble in 2005 where she directed over 20 players and led them to concertize throughout Ohio and Kentucky. She has maintained an active guitar studio since 2000. She has been on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music’s Summer Guitar Workshop since 2003.  Wilke has recordings featured on Ring I, Ring II and Aura for Cincinnati Public Radio. She can be heard live with the Wilke Guitar Duo. During the day she works as an Investment Management Consultant and mother of twins. 

Howard Le, GCGS Videographer and Board Member. In 1977 Howard passed the valedictorian entrance exam at the department of composition at the Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music but, was refused admission at the last minute due to political filtering red tape because “he had to make room for others because of his family background as having officers of the former regime”. Howard is a classical guitarist who immigrated to New York City in 2011 from Vietnam. He joined a classical music community in NYC and started playing guitar again after a 20 year hiatus due to the harsh conditions in Vietnam. He performed annually in December at the Vermont International Festival from 2012-2019. He performed three times at Carnegie Hall New York with ACMA(Association of Classical Musicians and Artists) in 2012,2013 and 2014. He also has performed for Los Angeles County Libraries in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He graduated Cum Laude from the Los Angeles Film School in 2020 with a degree in digital music production. He has released two albums of spiritual Vietnamese songs titled “Move On With Life” and “Living Zen”. Together, with musician Vo Ta Han he founded the Vietnamese American Classical Guitar Society in Orange County California.

Doug Calton has been treasurer of GCGS since 2016. He has been playing guitar since he was 19 off and
on (more off than on). In college, he participated in renaissance fairs, accompanied friends in student
recitals, and performed eleswhere to the detriment of his other studies. After college, life’s demands
took over, and guitar took a back seat for many years. Since retiring at 62, he has tried to make up for
lost time, participating in this society, in CCM’s workshops, private lessons, and working on a personal
youtube channel.

Dr. Christopher Wilke has been a member of the GCGS Board since 2016 and currently directs the GCGS Bravo Ensemble. He integrates modern and historical performance on guitar and lute with his interests in composition and research. He is director of guitar studies at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM). In September 2022, the CCM guitar program celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Gala Concert featuring an alumni guitar orchestra under Wilke’s direction which gave the premiere of his composition, Double Shot. 

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Wilke holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (historical plucked instruments under Paul O’Dette), Mt. St. Joseph University (guitar and composition), and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (classical guitar). He has had recordings released on Centaur Records (USA), original compositions published by Les Productions d’Oz (Montreal, Canada) and editorial work printed by Le Luth Doré (Paris, France). He’s lectured or published articles for the American Musicological Society, The Lute Society of America and the Guitar Foundation of America. 

Phillip has been active the guitar community for years, including involvement with the Wilmington, Delaware Guitar Society. He has been on the Board of Greater Cincinnati Guitar Society since 2016.

Transformational healthcare leader with clinical and operational leadership experience across both public and private healthcare systems. Lisa has led teams in chronic and acute care, primary care, managed care, and community health. She has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her specific areas of expertise are clinical and operational leadership, optimization of process and resources, chronic care management, strategy development, and health equity. Lisa is honored to be part of the GCGS as it brings people together from all ages, ethnicities, and genders. She is committed to the significant impact that music has on stronger cultural identity and the overall health and well-being of our community.