Jon Sanford is the Founder and Director of Oxford Music Academy and a Collaborative Choral Pianist at Miami University. Jon’s passion for the Oxford Summer Music Institute is rooted in his own transformative experience at a summer music camp. As a young musician whose only exposure to music had been through private lessons, his first summer music camp introduced him to a community of peers and mentors who shared his passion, an experience that ultimately inspired him to pursue music professionally. Through OSMI, Jon hopes to offer the same kind of life-changing opportunity to the next generation of musicians.

Holly Bates is one of the Founders and Directors of the Ohio Summer Music Institute (OSMI) and the Orchestra Director for grades 6–12 in the Princeton City School District. A passionate educator and performer, she earned her Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education from Miami University, where she also served as President of the Miami University Symphony Orchestra.

Holly’s main instruments are violin and viola, but she loves exploring a wide range of sounds—from cello and bass to steel pan. She currently performs with the Cincinnati Community Orchestra and helps teach the CSO Nouveau Satellite at Princeton. Holly also serves on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Multicultural Awareness Council and is dedicated to creating inclusive, inspiring opportunities for young musicians.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.