THE BAND

Mimi Pirard • vocalist

Parisian singer, Mimi Pirard, has a passion for reviving

songs from times gone by as sung by Edith Piaf,

Jacques Brel, and their contemporaries.

At age thirteen Mimi began her singing career in

Saint Germain en Laye as a member of Atelier Chanson,

a Paris music association, learning to harmonize

melodies and take leading roles performing traditional

and contemporary French songs.

At age seventeen Mimi moved to California where she

and her brother, Gabe, began performing regularly at

local venues. Mimi and Gabe formed the band, Dgiin,

which earned The North Bay Music Awards “Best World Music Band” for it's unique, high energy mix of gypsy, flamenco, with a touch of funk. Their repertoire included songs in French, Spanish, and English. Today Mimi sings with the band SonoMusette where she explores and exudes her favorite musical styles and songs. Her interpretations of these timeless French classics provide a freshness and excitement

that is contemporary, yet faithful to the spirit and tradition of the original renditions.

Robert Lunceford • accordion

Robert was born on Bastille Day in Maywood, California,

located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River.

He began playing the accordion at age seven while growing

up in the Los Angeles suburb of Huntington Park.  

Robert’s musical interests have strongly focused on

European and traditional music. He has played with

numerous traditional Celtic music groups including the

Los Angeles based band, Reel to Reel, and Sonoma

County’s Atlantic Shore.  In 2009 Robert formed the

French music trio, Un Deux Trois, for which he composes

and arranges much of the band’s music.  

Serving as musical director for Cinnabar Theater’s 2014 production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,  as well as the 2015 production of  Edith Piaf: Beneath Paris Skies,  Robert was nominated for “Best Musical Direction” by The Bay Area Theater Critics Circle.  Robert co-founded SonoMusette with singer Mimi Pirard, debuting the group in February 2016.

Jan Martinelli • upright bass and piano

A native San Franciscan, Jan has toured and performed

with numerous bands and artists at major festivals

and performance halls throughout the country. Known for her

stylistic range from Latin, jazz, and funk to blues and folk,

her soulful approach to the bass can be heard on more

than 30 albums.  Jan appeared on the cover of Southwest

Airline’s inflight magazine, Spirit, in an article “Women

& Jazz” and has played major jazz festivals such as Aspen,

Barbados, Monterey, San Francisco, and the Kennedy

Center for the Performing Arts.  Jan played bass in

Cinnabar Theater’s productions Edith Piaf: Under Paris Skies

and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.

Along with SonoMusette, Jan currently performs

with French music trio, Un Deux Trois, and has been

touring nationally with Holly Near since 2012.

Isaac Vandeveer • guitar and bass

Isaac began learning music performance

in Oakland, California public schools

and began his life long love for playing music. 

He picked up guitar sometime in the 80‘s and

discovered jazz, fusion, and swing.

Earning a degree in guitar performance from

Humboldt State University, Isaac is now a band

director for Rincon Valley Union School District in

Santa Rosa. Isaac has performed in a wide variety

of genres and ensembles from free form jazz to

cover bands; pit orchestras to big bands. 

He’s done the occasional classical solo performance but

much prefers the thrill of playing in the context of a group.

Kendrick Freeman • drums

Kendrick has a background in both drum set

and hand drums, having studied with American drumset

artists and musicians from Ghana, Congo and the

Caribbean, with an emphasis on the traditional

music of Haiti. His flexibility has allowed him to

work in various settings: with singer/songwriters,

jazz and new acoustic musicians as well as in the

dance world. Kendrick has been a member of

Ricardo Peixoto’s quintet for the last six years and

works in Ruben Valtierra’s Latin trio. Kendrick  has

toured with Joe Craven, Alison Brown, David

Jacobs-Strain and Rob Ickes among others and

has worked with Haitian dance companies

Group Petit La Croix, led by Blanche Brown, and

Portsha Jefferson’s Oakland-based Rara Tou Limen.

Kendrick received a grant from the National Endowment For The Arts for study with drumset artist George Marsh and support from the Alliance For California Traditional Arts as part of his 11-year apprenticeship with Haitian master drummer Daniel Brevil.

Kendrick is on staff at Sonoma State University in the jazz department.