The Plimpton Foundation Board of Directors
Randy Plimpton
Randy Plimpton (Co-Founder) is an arts benefactor based in Rochester, NY. He has always had a keen interest in music of all genres and generations. It began during his childhood playing 45s by artists including the Shirelles, the Chiffons, and Ronnie Spector. In middle school, he and a classmate made trips to the Boston Garden via train to hear such artists as Sam & Dave and Chuck Berry. In recent years, his focus on music has grown to include opera and orchestral works. At the same time, a passion for helping the underprivileged and underrepresented led him to broaden his giving, explore more possibilities, and center projects and philanthropy to benefit Native American musicians and creators. His hope is that, together, this foundation can help musicians from diverse backgrounds achieve their career goals.
Timothy Long
Timothy Long (President and Co-Founder) is a pianist and conductor of Muscogee, Thlopthlocco, and Choctaw descent who is Music Director of Opera at Eastman School of Music. He was assistant conductor for three years at the Brooklyn Philharmonic and was subsequently named an associate conductor at the New York City Opera for two seasons.Tim’s training as a pianist and multi-instrumentalist led to conducting engagements with such companies such as Boston Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Colorado, Utah Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Juilliard School, Yale Opera, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Prague Summer Nights Festival Orchestra, the Trondheim Sinfonietta, and off-Broadway with The New Group. Tim has been on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Opera America, American Lyric Theater, and the Urban Artist Initiative/NYC. He is the Artistic and Music Director of Eastman Opera Theater.
Christopher Herbert
Christopher Dylan Herbert is a baritone and musicologist who performs frequently throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is a two-time GRAMMY® nominee. He holds a B.A. in Music from Yale University, an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and a D.M.A. in Voice from The Juilliard School. He is the head of the voice program at William Paterson University in New Jersey. His current research focuses on the music of the eighteenth-century Ephrata Cloister in Pennsylvania. He was the baritone in the critically acclaimed ensemble New York Polyphony from 2010 to 2020.
Marion Newman
A critically acclaimed Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations mezzo-soprano, Marion Newman also comes from English, Irish and Scottish heritage. One of Canada’s most accomplished singers, Marion is sought after for her portrayal of Indigenous characters in most of the new operas and oratorios written within the last two decades. She is also a busy oratorio and recital singer across the US and Canada and in the UK. Marion sits on a number of boards and advisory councils as an advocate for equity and inclusion and as a representative of her communities. Holding organizations that express a wish to be at the front of the changes needed within the arts is one of her true passions. In addition to her extensive performing career Marion is a curator, a dramaturge, a developing director, Co-Founder of Amplified Opera and the host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera on CBC, Canada’s national broadcaster.
Scott Ashley
For more than two decades, Scott Ashley has served as a fundraising professional for non-profit organizations. He has also built volunteer management programs and taught leadership development in academic and professional settings. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Advancement at Eastman School of Music.
Anna Louise Martin
Anna Louise Martin is a recent Master’s of Music graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and a graduate of DePauw University, where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Vocal Performance and Business.
Passionate about making classical music accessible to all, she endeavors to create opportunities for the genre to thrive in the 21st century. In 2021, she founded Rochester Summer Opera to create free performance opportunities for students and provide accessible opera to the Rochester community. Anna Louise has interned at organizations such as the Ravinia Festival, Portland Opera, and Portland Summerfest. She is the Executive Assistant to the Chairman at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. In the past, she has served as a Project Manager at The Institute of Music Leadership and a Project Coordinator for Sing for Hope. She is proud to be a part of The Plimpton Foundation as a member of the board and their Director of Operations.