In honor of April being the Arts, Culture, and Creativity month, we’re sharing some of the creative things several of our dynamic staff like to do in their free time. Perhaps you’ll see one of them performing on stage soon, hear their band practicing, or eat bounty from their delicious garden! 

Program and Development Coordinator, Lu Liu, is a pipa musician and composer. She composed and performed the pipa for the recent creation of the Jim Henson Foundation grant-awarded puppet theatre work, “Tiger of Zhao.” Lu is currently also teaching pipa at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum and is composing music for the upcoming film, “We Have a Show.” She has also collaborated with the San Diego Children’s Choir for performances at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion and the Poway Performing Arts Center. (Above, she performs at Carnegie Hall.)

Program Coordinator, Communications, Jake Millgard, graduated with an MFA in acting from the USD/Old Globe Shiley Graduate Theatre Program and is a professional theatre, film, and television actor. He recently played Bottom in the play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Old Globe and had a small part in the movie, “Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” You’ll see Jake onstage at the Old Globe Theatre for “Henry 6,” presented in two parts on alternating nights, from late June to mid September.

Outreach Music Specialist, Deb O’Neill loves to teach and direct outside of work, too. Deb founded the Sunday Kids Community Band in 2005 and since then, has run it weekly for a group of musicians that come from schools at which Deb has taught. They have recently been joined by a mom! The youngest student is in the fourth grade and the oldest just graduated from USD.

Artistic Director, Ruthie Millgard, says: “I love doing a number of creative things in my free time, especially cooking, but these days, in the brilliance of early spring, I love spending time in my garden. When we moved in two years ago this was grass and hedges. In addition to the brick path and patio, we've added the garden beds, three citrus trees, blueberry bushes and the passion fruit trellis among other things. Also captured in the photo is our sweet pup, Pearl.”

Executive Director, Carrie Musick Cottriall, says: “Well, my maiden name is Musick but I’m not particularly musical. However, I do love getting creative with a good home remodeling project! One of my favorite projects was our downstairs bathroom where I turned a couple of awkward nooks and crannies into a lightwell and a built-in shelf. I also really enjoyed creating a look that reminded me of my husband’s birthplace – England. I had fun finding the traditional Victorian black and white tiles, but I have to say installing them in a pattern was not fun (haha!).” 

Choir Director, Margie Orem, has been playing in the Good Samaritan Episcopal Church Bell-A-Peal Handbell Choir for 22 years. She rings with her sister, brother-in-law, and a group of engineers and teachers who “laugh a lot.” They are all in the age range of 35-80 and she’s happy to report she’s not the oldest ringer! Margie is sometimes called a “Bell Hog,” because if she doesn't hear a note, she adds it to her group of bells to play, but ONLY after getting permission from her bell choir director, of course!

Outreach and Introductory Music Specialist, Christy Paty, likes to bead and sew in her free time. 

A few staff not featured spend their free time running after their babies/toddlers and don’t have a lot of time to create, but if they did, it would take the form of watercolor painting and making music! What do you like to create in your free time?