Gaucho Flauto

UCSB Gaucho Flauto 2023

About the Artists

Dillon Halpin, flute

Dillon Halpin is a flautist from San Diego who loves spending his time at the beach, producing electronic music, DJ’ing, and laughing with friends. He attended Mira Mesa High School and has spent the last 3 years at UCSB as a flute performance major under the direction of Jill Felber. He is a member of the UCSB Chamber Orchestra, UCSB Flute Choir, and the Nuñes Woodwind Quintet. Dillon plans to pursue a career in conducting and teaching after he graduates.


Ella Watson, flute

Ella Watson is a second-year music minor studying under Jill Felber at UC Santa Barbara. Ella previously studied with Dr. Cathie Apple before graduating from Oakridge High School in 2021 and is currently involved in many musical programs at UCSB such as the Flute Choir, Wind Ensemble, and other student-organized groups.


Beneditto Caroccio, flute

Beneditto Caroccio is a first-year Flute Performance major attending UCSB. He graduated from Bakersfield Christian High School in 2022. At UCSB, he is a member of the Chamber Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble, and Flute Choir.  


Alexis Mancilla, piccolo

Originally from Southern California, Alexis Mancilla is a fourth-year student double majoring in Music Performance, with a Flute Emphasis, and in Statistics and Data Science. While currently studying with Professor Jill Felber, Alexis has participated in several of the music ensembles and programs hosted by the UCSB Music Department, including the UCSB Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Flute Choir, and Son Jarocho Ensemble. Additionally, she has actively
participated in several masterclasses, festivals, and performances along with the rest of the UCSB flute studio. During her high school career, and under the tutelage of flutist Rosy Sackstein, Alexis was extremely involved in local performance opportunities, as well as broader organizational ensembles such as the CASMEC All-State Honor Band, SCSBOA Solo Ensemble and the Northern California Flute Camp. Included in some of the special projects she has been involved in, is a chamber ensemble with colleague Margaret Rodenburg. Now in the fourth year of the active flute duo, both musicians perform regularly at the UCSB campus. In 2022, the duo arranged and performed Katherine Hoover’s staple flute piece: Kokopelli. In the Fall of 2021, Alexis was involved in the chamber orchestra in the UCSB production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, a collaboration between the school’s Music and Theater and Dance departments.


Sarah Bortz, flute

Sarah Bortz is a Master’s student at UCSB and the Teaching Assistant for the flute studio under Jill Felber. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Performance from Western Michigan University. Before the pandemic, Sarah performed principal flute with her alma mater’s university orchestra on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet. She also has experience with classical and contemporary chamber music, jazz combos, flute choir, and band literature. Sarah teaches privately and likes to challenge her students on exploring improvisation as a classical musician. Recently, she won first place in the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition, a non-profit organization based in Santa Barbara.


Margaret Rodenburg, alto flute

Margaret Rodenburg began playing flute at age 9 in her hometown of Seattle, WA, and has been part of educational and community musical ensembles since then. Under the individual instruction of Wendy Wilhelmi, starting in 2015, Margaret discovered and fostered her passion for music.
In her high school years she was part of the Roosevelt High School Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Orchestra and Pit Orchestra, and was also involved with the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Seattle’All-City Marching Band and the Seattle Rock Orchestra. While attending Roosevelt High School, Margaret volunteered teaching flute lessons to elementary school students, as well as establishing the high school’s first chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, of which she was co-president. Margaret has performed with symphony orchestras in Benaroya Hall alongside the Seattle Symphony, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center where on piccolo she received the award for Best Woodwind Soloist at the 2017 National Orchestra Cup.

Margaret is a fourth-year undergraduate at UCSB, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Flute
Performance under the instruction of Professor Jill Felber, and has enjoyed playing in the UCSB Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Flute Choir, and her duet chamber ensemble with fellow UCSB undergrad and flute studio member Alexis Mancilla. While living in Santa Barbara Margaret has also been part of the Santa Barbara Community Flute Ensemble, performing on both C and alto flute.


Trevor Dolin, bass flute

Trevor Dolin received a Master's degree from Azusa Pacific University in Flute Performance.  He regularly performs with the Santa Barbara Community Flute Ensemble.