Leadership
Elena Keil Founder and Executive Director
Elena Keil is a visionary community leader dedicated to advancing music education and performance. She is the founder of the Evergreen Conservatory of Music and has been shaping the future of music education through her innovative teaching methods.
Elena's passion for music began at the age of four when she started playing the piano. Her early experiences included touring Europe with the Vesna Children’s Choir, and later receiving her degree from Gnessin's Russian Academy of Music.
In addition, Elena's extensive professional experience in the media industry, particularly in television, brings a unique perspective to Evergreen Music and Performing Arts. Her diverse background enriches the conservatory's vision and mission.
Elena is committed to setting the highest standards for music education and performance, revolutionizing the music culture and development within the Evergreen community and beyond.
Gayle Conroy Director
Music was always a big part of Gayle’s life — beginning with countless hours on the bench next to her mother who was a beautiful and exuberant church pianist. Gayle recently reconnected with the piano thru Elena at Evergreen Conservatory of Music and supports Elana’s vision of bringing together experienced musicians and artists with upcoming young talent to promote a vibrant cultural scene in our community.
Gayle’s a long-time Evergreen resident. She has a professional background in Operations and has volunteered for local causes for the past two decades. She is dedicated to working with the team to create this beautiful music and performing arts center to elevate Evergreen as a cultural destination for years to come.
Susan Courtney Director
Following a 25+ year career as a Municipal Bond Portfolio Manager, Susan Courtney moved to Colorado from New York with her family in 2022. An early retirement to Colorado provided Susan the opportunity to pursue several of her passions, including spending more time outdoors enjoying the wonders of nature, and giving back to the community. To this end, she serves as a volunteer at the Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO) food pantry and as a reading tutor with Reading Partners, a national organization dedicated to providing all children with the necessary skills to become lifelong readers. Susan recognizes the benefits of early childhood music education having seen her own son flourish during music classes from the age of 6 months old. Susan and her son both take piano lessons with Elena at the Evergreen Conservatory of Music.
Kevin Grieve Director
Kevin raised his family in Evergreen, having moved here over twenty-five years ago from Chicago. Retired in 2020, he spent his career performing technology strategy consulting to the Fortune 500, primarily Financial Services, and was the Chief Strategy Officer of a Fortune 250 company. Since retirement, he has been deeply involved in the local community as an elder at Rockland Community Church and has volunteered at Mean Street Ministry and mentors disadvantaged youth at Clear Creek Rock House. After a 45-year hiatus, Kevin is returning to his musical youth by re-engaging with both the Evergreen Music Conservatory (piano study) and as a Director with Evergreen Music and Performing Arts.
Our response to rhythm, melody, and harmony is instinctive; it is part of being human and transcends times and cultures. Yet, in our modern society, music has been industrialized, commercialized, standardized and digitized. EMPA is looking to counter this trend by re-establishing music’s organic roots, offering shared local community experiences across all generations and establishing music’s traditional heritage to be embedded into the very fabric of our neighborhood. Kevin is excited to support EMPA in its efforts to build a creative musical outlet for children, youth and adults that enriches the life of our community while establishing a vibrant hub of music and performing arts in Evergreen that nurtures aspiring artists.
Sing Palat Director
Sing believes in the power of community service. She is a physician in geriatric medicine that has enjoyed bringing together like-minded medical professionals together as the president of CMDA The Colorado Society for Post-Acute, Long-Term Care Medicine, volunteer physician for The Well free medical clinic, and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz. Currently she is a medical director for Optum Home & Community, leading practitioners who practice in nursing homes. Sing joined EMPA to enable the beautiful power of music and the performing arts to bring community members together. The Evergreen music community enriches my life. Everyone should experience such joy. In 2024, Sing’s husband, teenage son, and parents cheered on in her first amateur piano competition, the Boston Piano Amateur Competition. She studies piano with Elena Keil at the Evergreen Conservatory of Music.
Arina Paoli Director
Arina Paoli is a healthcare marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in marketing and strategy for mission-driven organizations. With an extensive background in global Fortune 500 companies and innovative start-ups, Arina brings marketing expertise, energy, and drive to help promote the mission and vision of the Evergreen Music and Performing Arts organization. Trained as a classical pianist, Arina is passionate about fostering musical education and access to music for both musicians and the community alike. Her background provides her with a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the transformative power of the arts.
Having recently relocated from Minnesota to their forever home in Evergreen, CO, Arina and her family have found a warm welcome and support within the local performing arts community. Arina is excited to give back by serving on the board of the Evergreen Music and Performing Arts. She is eager to apply her marketing expertise to further the organization’s goals and contribute to creating a thriving cultural hub for music and performing arts in the heart of Evergreen.
Amanda Scales Director
Amanda brings a dynamic mix of experience to the Evergreen Music and Performing Arts Center, blending a lifelong love for music with a knack for building mission-driven partnerships and teams. Amanda has played the piano intermittently since she was eight when her grandmother enrolled her in lessons, thanks to her Mimi’s hunch that learning piano would supercharge her smarts and expand her mind as a child. As an adult, she studies with Elena at the Evergreen Conservatory and loves every minute of it.
By day, Amanda is a talent leader — she has partnered with early stage venture-backed startups to bring order to chaos and helped steer some of the most iconic tech companies through hypergrowth over the past decade. She’s thrilled to contribute to Elena’s mission by building financial partnerships and ensuring efficient deployment of resources for the build-out of the performance center and core musicianship programs. When she’s not splitting time between Evergreen and the Bay Area, she’s casting fly lines (mostly tenkara), trail running, studying esoteric subjects that fuel her curiosity, and of course, playing her beloved piano.
Sherap Tharchen Director
Sherap Tharchen is an attorney and the owner of Tharchen Law offices in Golden, Colorado. Sherap has extensive experience representing clients in a variety of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, business organizations, commercial transactions, and real estate, and was selected to Colorado Super Lawyers’ Rising Star for the past three years.
As part of his practice, Sherap enjoys doing pro bono work for local non-profits and foundations, and regularly serves on non-profit Boards. Sherap continues to serve as a Director for the Colorado Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Housing Assistance Corporation. He is excited to bring that commitment and experience to the Evergreen Music and Performing Arts.
Outside of the office, Sherap enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. He is an avid fly-fisherman (catch-and-release only), a daring rosarian (tending to 60+ roses at almost 8,000’ above sea level), and loves skiing and enjoying the many outdoor activities Colorado has to offer. However, he says, the most rewarding experience is taking his daughters to study piano at the Evergreen Conservatory of Music.