About Musica Sierra
Musica Sierra was conceived in 2019 by musicians who desire to bring the benefits and enrichment of the fine and performing arts to the Sierra County community in Northern California. Seeing a need for both educational experiences in the public school system and arts engagement in the local community, the group has and continues to build programming and outreach that serves both these groups. Musica Sierra is now the sole provider of music education to hundreds of children and is growing the influence of the arts in the region.
Lindsay McIntosh
Executive Director
Lindsay McIntosh, a Truckee, California native, is a historical oboist, arts entrepreneur, and new music devotee.
A recent graduate of the esteemed Juilliard School of Music, McIntosh was on a full scholarship in the Historical Performance program and has appeared under world-renowned conductors such as William Christi, Masaaki Suzuki, Jordi Savall, Richard Egarr and Monica Huggett.
In 2013, while in her second year of graduate studies at the Juilliard School, McIntosh discovered her passion for leadership and creative programming. As a result, McIntosh founded New Vintage Baroque –an adventurous period instrument ensemble dedicated to the creation of 21st-century repertoire for early instruments.
Praised for its “buoyant pulse ... appealing energy” and “thoughtfully conceived...(programs)” The New York Times, New Vintage Baroque (NVB) embodies McIntosh's vision for the performing arts – to bring audiences the highest level of historical performance practice and to unite past and present musical styles by offering new composers a platform to showcase their compositions alongside the music of the Baroque era. As artistic and executive director of NVB, McIntosh self-produced 25 distinct programs, fundraised more than $100,000, cultivated the organization’s board of directors, commissioned and performed 17 world premieres, collaborated in three opera productions, recorded and released an album of original works on the VIA label and performed in over 75 performances in New York City, Connecticut, California, and the Netherlands.
Recognizing her professional strengths beyond that of a freelance oboist, in 2015 McIntosh joined the founding team of National Sawdust, a new, critically-acclaimed music venue and non-profit Arts Institute located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There, McIntosh worked on the artistic team as a full-time programming associate creating, implementing, producing, and tracking projects at the core of the venue's mission including ten group residencies and fourteen opera productions. McIntosh's charisma and experience as a musician-led her to become a lead producer for major events and her sensitivity to an artist's needs led her to become a lead artistic liaison to hundreds of professional musicians and ensembles.
In August of 2017, McIntosh launched Coburn Music, a culmination of 10 years’ expertise, featuring six unique programs and an educational forum performed by New Vintage Baroque throughout Truckee. Her appealing programming style has proven enjoyable to a broad demographic. What’s more, her uncanny ability to collaborate with local organizations unites classical art and local businesses in a masterful integration of performing arts and community. Coburn Music remains committed to bringing the highest level of music-making to the Truckee-Tahoe basin.
In the 2018/19 year, Ms. McIntosh was engaged by Classical Tahoe, to be their deputy director and create, develop, and implement a new CRM, Patron Manager, as well as the brand new Music Institute, funded by the Firefly Scientists' Foundation. In January of 2019 McIntosh welcomed her first child, a baby boy, and currently resides in Loyalton, CA, where she does local nonprofit work through her group, New Vintage Baroque, to promote and educate the region with high caliber performing arts as well as consults for community spaces.
Owen McIntosh
Director of Operations
Described by the New York Times as a "lovely, tender high tenor" in one concert and "appropriately brash" in another, three-time Grammy nominee and Gramophone Award winning tenor Owen McIntosh is widely known for the color and creativity he brings to the stage as a soloist and chamber musician. Having performed for 15 years, McIntosh now dedicates his time to inspiring the next generation of musicians through music education with emphasis on musicianship and music literacy. Presently the music teacher at Truckee Elementary School, Mr. McIntosh's dream is to one day bring music education back to the level of importance of all the other liberal arts pillars; providing youth once again with a complete educational experience.
Our Commitment
We strive to bring cultural diversity to our programming for the benefit of everyone. Since we are a primarily white population in a very rural area with no access to the performing arts, we foster curiosity, joy, and exposure through our culturally diverse educational programming. Through uplifting those that are underserved and underrepresented in our county, we seek out our programming to reflect their cultural practices. In 2021 we were awarded a BIPOC grant through the Nevada County Arts Council to promote and engage marginalized artists in our region. Through this, we created a community spotlight series highlighting many of our BIPOC artists in our county, thus engaging a wider demographic and ultimately bringing out community closer. With the addition of an afterschool creative arts program in our early learning centers, the Musical Headwaters project will unify, uplift, and celebrate our minority population and bring all people together to celebrate, protect, and preserve the water and lands of Sierra County for future generations.