Kevin joined us in November 2023. He is local grown having attended Crescenta Valley High School where he spent most of his time eating at Everest and the local Burger King before it became a Starbucks. Kevin is passionate about finding the best taco joints in Los Angeles, collecting and owning way too many guitars for his own good, and advocating for marginalized groups, especially in the church. Two years ago, he unexpectedly met his wife, Hanna, who is also pastor at First United Methodist Church in Upland, while attending class at Claremont School of Theology via Zoom. They had their wedding ceremony in September and are incredibly excited to start their next chapter together.

Barb is an amazing jazz pianist with more than a decade of experience leading and loving worship. She is well-versed in the contemporary Christian music of today and loves to take beloved hymns with their strong melodies and beautiful texts and reset them to modern harmonies. She is also an experienced teacher of jazz, having spent years as the Director of Jazz Studies at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, where she directed student big bands, combos, and studio work. As a freelance and studio musician, she has toured, gigged, and recorded with artists such as Smokey Robinson, Lou Rawls, Ben Vereen, and others. A committed, progressive Christian, Barb brings a lifetime of music and ministry to the CVUMC mix.

This incredibly soulful singer is from Omaha, Nebraska. A talented drummer, excellent vocalist and energetic performer, Ricky has toured all over the world performing with War, Ambrosia, Gary Wright, The Commodores, and Earth, Wind and Fire to name a few. He is also a successful songwriter composing jingles and songs for movies and television. His work has been featured on MTV, VH1, CNN and The Today Show.

Tim Kobza is a Los Angeles-based guitarist, recording artist and music producer who divides his time between composing, producing, performing and teaching.

As a decorated music industry professional, he is recognized for his well-rounded versatility and compassionate way of helping other artists and performers reach their potential. Tim embodies an artful and fluid approach to music, and is a sought-after collaborator due to his keen ear, natural musicality and continual high-quality output. 

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Tim’s musical expertise encompasses all genres of music, ranging from pop, jazz, rock and blues to R&B and electronic sound design. His projects are highly personalized and expressive, demonstrating his passion for creating music that is both timeless and contemporary. Tim has traveled the world performing and maintains an active performance schedule in the Los Angeles area. He has over 900 titles to his name as a composer, and over 250 TV and film credits. Read more about Tim’s musical journey in this interview with VoyageLA.

Musicians Institute “Outstanding Achievement” graduate, Alexis Sklarevski has worked with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Manhattan Transfer, Jackson Browne, Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa, Albert Lee, Carole King, Rita Coolidge, Johnny Rivers, Jamie Walters, Daniela Romo, Martha Reeves, and Chuck Berry. He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and numerous film, TV, and jingle sessions.

Alexis is the author of the critically acclaimed instructional video The Slap Bass Program and also coproduced Fingerstyle Funk, the instructional video by legendary Tower of Power Bassist Francis Rocco Prestia. In addition to having written the Bottom-Line Bass column in Bass Player magazine for seven years, Alexis is the author of Bass Playing Techniques: The Complete Guide (Hal Leonard/MI Press), and has done bass clinics throughout Japan and Europe.

Currently, he continues to record and perform with many artists in the U.S. and around the world. At MI, Alexis teaches Playing Techniques, Blues Bass, Beatles Bass, Fusion LPW, and Private Lessons.

Coming Soon!

Molly has been coming to CVUMC since she was 4 and was excited to give back to the church by taking on the website, social media, and helping with event and group coordination. She loves getting to know and help those that rent out the faciliteis and finding ways for CVUMC to help and be a part of the community.