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

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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)

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

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.

Rita Reitz

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.

Dr. Lesa Terry 

As a violinist, composer, artistic director, educator, and scholar, Dr. Lesa Terry is at the vanguard of contemporary musical interpretation and an artist whose creative genius consistently brings distinctive innovation to musical performance. Her background includes membership with the Atlanta and Nashville Symphony Orchestras, as well as performances, lectures, clinics and master classes with the Uptown String Quartet and the legendary Max Roach Double Quartet. Dr. 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, Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, and the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival. She also enjoyed the distinct honor of appearing with Tom Hanks in the Oscar nominated motion picture, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.  

Gladys Pinzón Sanson

Originally from Colombia, Gladys Pinzón Sanson immigrated to the United States in her twenties and became a US citizen in 1975. She fulfilled a long career in the dental health industry in California, including 20 years as a business owner. During that time she was a full time subscriber to the San Francisco Symphony, SF Opera and as a SF Opera Guild member, supported musical education for Bay Area middle schools. In 2015, Gladys moved to Ashland, Oregon, where she has dedicated herself to her passions for classical music and bringing community together around supporting the arts. She runs an opera study group and is an avid patron and promotor of local and global performing arts. Gladys is bilingual in English and Spanish and is now studying Italian, inspired by her love for opera. Also a lover of nature and travel, she has hiked in the Himalayas, Patagonia, Swiss Alps, Dolomites, Sierras and delights in the beauty of the Rogue Valley.

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.

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.