We are blessed to have organist Elsa Gustafsson on staff at our parish to accompany the Music Ministers and provide beautiful music for our liturgies. She also directs the Vespers Choir.
Elsa has been playing for the parish since fall of 2015. A student of the piano since age five, she began organ studies in 2016 after receiving a lesson scholarship from the Sacramento chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In addition to playing for Mass, Elsa teaches piano lessons, performs for special events, and accompanies local violin students, school choirs, and the Northern California Children's Chorus. When she isn’t at a keyboard, Elsa enjoys working and playing in the great outdoors.
Please say hello to Elsa--and thank you for your prayers for Music Ministry at St. Joseph Marello parish!
Michael & Tracie Daubenmire have been members of St. Joseph Marello Parish for 3 years. They were married in 2005 at Sts. Peter and Paul parish. Both share a love of music, sacred and secular, but have no formal musical training. Michael, a Bay Area transplant, had sung in his college choir (St. Mary's in Moraga) followed by participation in the choir at Mission Dolores Basilica where he had the opportunity to sing for Pope John Paul II. Tracie comes from a family of church musicians and enjoys participating in the Mixed Choir together with Michael.
Laurel Muff joined the SJM community with her husband, Stephen, and daughters, Evelyn and Lucie, in 2018. She grew up in a household surrounded by music where all eight of her siblings played at least one instrument and, often, together. Singing and the piano are her forte, which she's enjoyed throughout most of her life in various choirs and other musical groups, both religious and secular. She's also a Catholic writer and second-generation homeschooler. She loves exploring the natural world with her family and creating objects of beauty through various mediums.
Pete Buccola and his wife, Jana, joined SJM parish in 2015 after relocating from Southern California. They have two children, Natalie and Nicholas, and enjoy making memories outdoors, and with family and friends. Pete studied Medieval and Renaissance periods at CSU, Fullerton where he played trumpet and sang in various choral groups. He is director of the cantors, as well as the Mixed Choir. Pete speaks Spanish, and is one of 7 siblings, including his twin brother. You can find him at concerts in the area or kayaking and biking on Folsom Lake with his family. AMDG