Heidi Wilbur is an Assistant General Counsel – Labor & Employment at DaVita.  Heidi’s love of music and the arts began at a very young age.  Growing up outside DC, she has very fond memories of listening to the National Symphony Orchestra and various military bands at outdoor concerts in the summer.  In fifth grade, she started playing the clarinet.  For the next eight years, Heidi immersed herself in band, youth orchestra, jazz band, marching band, drumlines, woodwind ensembles, and as many opportunities to make music as she could find.  After spending a summer at a performing arts camp, she got bitten by the acting bug and went on to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre.  After several years pursuing an acting career and working for a commercial production company in Los Angeles, Heidi moved to Denver to attend law school at the University of Denver.  Heidi recently completed the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ Leadership Arts Network program and is very excited to serve on Inside the Orchestra’s Board of Directors.  She lives in Central Park with her husband and two sons, and loves spending time with her family experiencing all the wonderful cultural activities Denver has to offer, including Tiny Tot

Janet Yenter is currently the Director of Community Engagement for the International School of Denver where she oversees community events and volunteer programming. Her experience spans higher education, working in donor relations, events, board management and constituent engagement most recently at the University of Denver as the  Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement. She has held leadership roles with the Colorado School of Mines Foundation, University of Colorado – Boulder, and Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  Prior to working in higher education, Janet gained significant experience in the performing arts administration world, planning large-scale fundraising events and managing boards and volunteers for organizations such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Ravinia Festival. Born into a family of musicians, Janet began her musical journey at age 3 learning violin via the Suzuki Method, transitioning to piano and ultimately earned a music degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in Arts Management at Miami University.  Post-college, Janet sang with and served on the board of directors for Ars Nova Singers in Boulder, performed with the Juilliard Choral Union, most notably at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and now teaches voice lessons at the International School of Denver. She and her husband Chris are big fans of the Tiny Tots program and attend performances regularly with their two young children.  

Kome Muller has been the Chief Financial Officer at Swallow Hill since 2018. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, she discovered her love for music while working for concert promoter Bill Graham Presents doing promotions and public relations for concerts. She transitioned into the art world and managed a gallery in Sausalito, California for seven years. Here she was introduced to the nonprofit world when she was asked by the gallery owner to oversee the finances of her animal rescue. After leaving the art gallery, Kome immersed herself in the nonprofit sector by becoming the Finance Manager for a breast cancer and AIDS/HIV organization. Kome moved to Denver from San Francisco in 2016 and was able to combine her passion for music and nonprofit work at Swallow Hill.

Kristi Franko began working in Early Childhood Education in 2004 and has consistently been witness to the power music has had on children. She currently is the Director of Washington Park Early Learning Center, a cooperative school in Denver where she works with a group of passionate teachers and parents to encourage not only a love of learning, but also connection and community in children. Kristi has a M.A in Educational Psychology and has worn many different hats throughout her career including mentoring and coaching teachers.  She is thrilled to join an organization with such a strong mission to serve children by increasing access to music and the arts. Kristi is a Colorado native and mom of two girls. In her free time enjoys spending time in the mountains and going to see as much live music as she can.   

Will has been passionate about the power of music as long as he can remember. He was given ample opportunities to experience live music growing up. Now, as a parent with 2 young children, he would like them to experience the same joy he has through music. Through Inside the Orchestra’s mission, Will wants to help expand that opportunity to as many people as possible. Will is an investor and entrepreneur who has co-founded and led multiple companies, including USA Rx, a market-driven discount on prescription medications, CastleWave, a full-service strategy consultancy and interactive agency (acquired by a public company based in Arizona), and UrbanMaidGreen, an eco-friendly cleaning service which won NY Magazine’s cleaning company of the year award (acquired by a private investor). Will received a B.A. in Political Science and Economics at the University of Rochester. Will lives in Denver.

Caroline has been a career banker for over 25 years, currently serving as the International Regulatory Compliance Manager at PNC Bank.  Throughout her career Caroline has worked in many capacities and  brings a strong understanding of financial management and partnership development to Inside the Orchestra.  Her extensive volunteer experiences include fundraising, event management and budget administration. She looks forward to helping IO build a plan to help ensure the viability and future success of the organization.

Neyla Pekarek (she/her/hers) began playing cello at age 9 in her hometown of Aurora, Colorado. She studied Musical Theatre and earned a degree in Music Education at UNC in Greeley, CO. In 2010, she joined the Denver folk-rock group The Lumineers as a cellist and vocalist, and spent 8 years, touring the world and recording with the band. In January 2019, she released her debut album, Rattlesnake (streaming now!), on S-Curve records, and was commissioned by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to develop her album into a musical production entitled, Rattlesnake Kate, which had its World Premier at the DCPA in February 2022. Neyla wrote the music and lyrics, and garnered a Best Supporting Actress Henry Award for her portrayal of the cello playing horse, Brownie. She recorded a companion EP entitled Western Woman released in June, 2023. Neyla is a proud member of Sweet Adelines International and The Barbershop Harmony Society, two organizations that nurture the craft of Barbershop Quartet Singing, and is a member of the current 2025 Sweet Adelines International Champion Quartet, Clever Girl. 

Becca is a lawyer, a Denver native, and–most importantly–a mom.  Becca saw the magic of Tiny Tots and was hooked.  Music was an important part of her childhood, and she is excited to apply her skillset to help Inside the Orchestra grow its impact.  As a former public school teacher, Becca has seen the trend to prioritize academics over arts education within schools accelerate.  She hopes to help all kids across Colorado and beyond gain access to the wonderful world of music education.  Becca is a graduate of Emory University School of Law, Bank Street College of Education, and Brandeis University.  When she is not working at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath on construction and real estate litigation, she is chasing after her daughter Naomi, gardening, and fixing up her 90-year old house.

Dionne is an advocate for equity, sustainability, and building solutions and currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the Department of Local Affairs.  Dionne  brings a strong administrative lens to Inside the Orchestra as a professional with an MPA focused in Local Government Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver .Dionne has volunteered for a number of groups and activities in the past, most recently serving as the chair of the Aurora Cultural Affairs Committee for the City and County of Aurora. She has also volunteered at the Boulder Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, and was the chair of the Central Park United Neighbors Equity and Diversity committee.  A musician of more than 40 years, Dionne is pleased to support efforts to create stronger communities and expose children to cultural experiences.

Del’Shawn is an award-winning musician, author, educator, and arts equity advocate. As a soloist, he has won awards from competitions such as American Prize and the Metropolitan International Music Festival, while making solo debuts on national and international stages. In January 2023, he premiered the role of George in Tim Hick’s and Kendra Leonard’s new short opera Water Rising with the Chattanooga Opera and symphony musicians.  As composer, he has premiered new works within and outside of the U.S.  premiered with numerous organizations and ensembles like the Julius Quartet, the Cincinnati Song Initiative, Really Spicy Opera, Babεl, and White Snake Projects to name a few. Recently, Del’Shawn had four new art songs premiered at the Operation Opera Festival at Gonzaga University and a new art song premiered (in addition to his setting of Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask) apart of the Source Song Festival under the tutelage of Grammy award-winning composer Libby Larsen and David Evan Thomas. Del’Shawn was one of ten black composers that was selected to participate in the inaugural NATS Composer Mentoring Program by acclaimed composers Tom Cipullo and Lori Laitman, during which he was mentored by celebrated composer Juliana Hall. Currently, he is the composer for Cook Shack (librettist Samiya Bashir), a new opera that is premiering with the one of the leading American opera companies, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works  Collective in March 2023. Upcoming composition projects for 2023/2024 include the following: Serial Killers and The City with Experiments in Opera, a new musical with Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (Fire Shut Up in My Bones Metropolitan Opera, Factotum at Lyric Opera),  a new work for symphony, and a large choral work, Hymn to the Forgotten celebrating the historical legacy of Black veterans.  As a former educator and children’s book author (Do You Know What Makes a Man), Del’Shawn passionately works with community arts organizations to ensure that children regardless of socio-economic background have access to the transformative power of the arts. He is a board member of Art Song Colorado (program and finance committee) and serves on the board DEI committees of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Thompson Street Opera Company.

Dawn Kramer is a trumpet player in the Denver area, playing with Inside the Orchestra for many years. She is also currently a member of the Boulder Brass, the Darren Kramer Organization, and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Dawn serves as an ad-hoc member of the Board of Directors, representing IO’s talented, professional musicians.