Name: Anima Mundi Productions

Federal Tax ID: 271944408  (use for tax-deductible contributions to Anima Mundi Productions)

Non-profit Type: Public Benefit (Arts)

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1323 | Phoenix, Oregon, 97535

Phone: Ethan Gans-Morse, Exec. Director | 541-778-1211

View entry on Guidestar

Mission:

• To create, promote, and produce new performing arts works that harness the power of the arts to stir the soul, foster community, and address urgent social and environmental problems.
• To promote social justice and societal well-being through the intersection of live artistic productions, philanthropic/humanitarian giving, and community engagement.
• To create public arts events that aid in the personal and collective healing of at-risk segments of society such as those who have experienced the traumas of war, domestic violence, childhood abuse, social injustice, etc.

Richard Gordon (President) | Founder and President of Richard Gordon Creative Productions

Richard Gordon began his career as a chemical engineer for Phillips Petroleum in Kansas City, Gulf Oil in Texas, and Exxon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He directed his first business in 1980 and in 1985 started his own company, Richard Gordon Creative Productions. Mr. Gordon served on the board of directors and as president of the Louisiana Society for Personal Realization in the late 80’s and early 90’s. In 2006 he created an internet organization that now extends to over 15 countries, which is dedicated to promoting our planet’s greater good through cooperation and service. For over 30 years Mr. Gordon has been sought after as a teacher, speaker, and consultant. He has worked with businesses, churches, civic organizations, and individuals on five continents. Currently, he teaches and provides spiritual, managerial, and financial consulting for individuals and businesses, and promotes cutting edge businesses and philanthropic ventures.

Dr. Mary Jane Morrison (Treasurer) | Medical Doctor (retired)

Dr. Mary Jane Morrison lives a life of service. A graduate of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine (MD), University of Washington (residency with an MS in Rehabilitation Medicine), and the University of Connecticut (PhD in Special Education Rehabilitation Research: Psychology), she has served as a board-certified physician in four states as well as with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Army. Her military service career spanned three decades of medical practice, with active duty in Desert Storm. Now retired, she is a tireless volunteer and supporter of the arts in Medford, Oregon.

James E. Kelly (Secretary) |Teacher (retired)

James Kelly has been involved in education, spirituality, and service during his entire adult life. For eight years, he was a Christian Brother, a religious order of Catholic Monks dedicated to teaching. During that period, he received his B.A. in history from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California. After leaving the order, he taught for an additional nine years throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. When he left teaching in 1978, Mr. Kelly began a 29-year career as a patient transporter/advocate within St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. Now retired in Ashland, Oregon, he has volunteered as a mentor for at-risk youth and addicts.

Rita Reitz (Director) | Music Educator (retired)

Rita Reitz, a native of Ripley, Tennessee, graduated from the University of Bridgeport Connecticut and went on to earn a master’s degree in religion, philosophy and ethics from Yale University. A professional pianist and organist, she concertized in nine states. She taught piano for 53 years and taught music in the Menlo-Atherton School District for 35 years. She volunteered with the San Francisco Symphony Mid-Peninsula League, taking 450 students a year to attend a SF Symphony performance at Davies Symphony Hall. Rita retired to the Rogue Valley Manor in 2013 and immediately became involved with the Rogue Valley Symphony Guild, chairing their 35th Anniversary fundraiser in 2014. She volunteers and is involved in many music activities at the Manor and at First Presbyterian Church in Medford.

Lesa Terry (Director)

As a violinist, composer, author, artistic director, educator, and scholar, Dr. Lesa Terry is at the vanguard of contemporary musical interpretation whose creative genius consistently brings distinctive innovation to musical performance.  Lesa’s accomplishments include membership with the Atlanta and Nashville Symphony Orchestras, as well as performances, lectures, clinics and master classes with the Uptown String Quartet, the Max Roach Double Quartet, and as a professor of jazz history at Santa Monica College in California.  Ms. Terry serves as the founder and musical director for the Women’s Jazz Orchestra of Los Angeles, presenting performances for the World Festival of Sacred Music, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, John Anson Ford Amphitheater, and the Summer Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.  More recently, Lesa enjoyed the distinct honor of appearing with Tom Hanks in the Oscar nominated motion picture, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.  Dr. Terry continues to showcase her artistic talents by co-authoring with her twin sister a children’s book as well as producing an annual concert called Let The Strings Speak at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattle, WA.

Ethan Gans-Morse (Co-Founder, Executive Director, Resident Composer)

Composer Ethan Gans-Morse’s work spans the worlds of music, counseling, and arts administration. He has served as the Executive Director of Anima Mundi Productions since its founding in 2010, overseeing numerous artistic, humanitarian, and fundraising efforts. He focuses on collaborative, socially relevant projects that foster greater human connection. As Eugene Weekly described his work, “Classical music is often rightly accused of ignoring the here and now. Fortunately, [composers such as Gans-Morse] are using classical and postclassical forms to help us understand the sometimes-unpleasant realities of the world we live in.”

Ethan also serves as resident composer and artistic producer for Anima Mundi Productions, running campaigns such as the 2014 Indiegogo crowdfunder which raised over $75,000. He is the award-winning composer of several Anima Mundi Productions projects, including the opera The Canticle of the Black Madonna, which The Oregonian called “A huge achievement… generous, carefully crafted and supremely compassionate,” the program symphony How Can You Own The Sky?, and the new operas Tango of the White Gardenia and Dreams Have No Borders.

Tiziana DellaRovere (Co-Founder, Co-Artistic Director, Resident Poet)
Born in Milan, Italy, Tiziana DellaRovere is an accomplished writer of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. She has written three librettos for new operas by her husband, composer Ethan Gans-Morse, as well as poetry for their program symphony, How Can You Own The Sky?, and numerous art songs and choral collaborations.

Tiziana’s writings flow from her convictions about the cultivation of love as a fierce, courageous and down-to-earth power that can heal the heart of humanity and a vibrant life-force that each person carries within. In addition to her work as poet and librettist, Tiziana is a published author whose works include Sacred Fire: Rites of Passage and Rituals of Worship, Adorata: The Path of Enlovement, and her upcoming The Sacred Lovers Within.

Tiziana studied law and philosophy in Milan, painting and sculpture at the California College of Arts and Crafts, and clinical psychology at San Francisco State University. Her writing, teachings, and paintings are unified in her devotion to the healing power of the arts and to bringing a sense of mystery and wonder into everyday life.

Daria Semco (Operations Director)

Daria Semco was born in Moldova. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Jean Monnet University in France and her Master’s degree in Museum Studies and Curating from The University of Porto, Portugal. In Portugal, she held the position of researcher and manager of the Treger/Saint Silvestre Collection of Art Brut. She moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 2018 and was the manager of Anderson Yezerski Gallery and a docent at the ICA/Boston. She holds a certificate in Graphic Design from Tufts University SMFA. Daria relocated to Ashland, Oregon in the summer of 2021 and has enjoyed getting to know the local creative community.

Jeffri Lynn Carrington (Patron Services Manager)

As Patron Services Manager, Jeffri Carrington handles box office sales, season subscriptions, sponsorships, data records, and a variety of other tasks. Jeffri is earnest about providing patrons with exceptional and caring customer service! She has worked for nonprofit musical organizations for 7 years, including the Rogue Valley Symphony.

Jeffri is also a professional vocalist who performs and records in a wide variety of styles. Currently, she sings in the Rogue Valley with the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, Timberline Express Big Band, Accapellaré, Jeffri & Jeff, Venus Exalted, and plays with Rutendo Marimba. Music has been her sustaining joy and passion from a young age, and she has dedicated her life to bringing the healing beauty of heartfelt singing to audiences around the world.