CEO/President

Charlotte Raby

Charlotte began playing the flute at a young age and attended the U of A for two years as a music performance major. Realizing she enjoyed playing but not competing, she left U of A to work as a technical writer for AT&T/Bell Labs. Charlotte continued to play flute as a member of  the Scottsdale Symphony (in Arizona) while working, but her interests in science led her to Cleveland, Ohio,  where she studied materials science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University, graduating in 1996.  She loved working as an engineer in a Motorola wafer fabrication plant, but after a few years, quit her job to stay home and care for her medically disabled first-born, and had a second daughter.  Charlotte’s experience in working with children and advocating for others with disabilities led her to pursue a master’s degree in special education in 2018.

After a 20-year hiatus from playing flute, Charlotte picked it back up in 2004 and was active in groups in Casper, WY, and Denver, CO. In 2017, she joined the Foothills Phil in Tucson. As a medically disabled person herself, she appreciated its accessibility to a variety of community folks with a range of needs, skills, and ages. When the Catalina Foothills School District discontinued its support of the group in 2020, Charlotte created a 501(c)3 non-profit to continue and improve the orchestra and its mission in providing a safe and relaxed environment for all types of people.

Music Director and Conductor

rafael reyes-worman

Rafael Reyes-Worman is a Tucson native who began his music career in TUSD’s Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA) program. He earned a BA in Music degree from the University of Arizona in December 2020. As a violinist, he studied with local teachers Dennis Bourret, Anna Gendler, and Lauren Roth. He joined Tucson Junior Strings as a student and now serves them as a violin coach. Reyes-Worman has conducted under mentors Dr. Alexander Tentser, László Veres, and Charles Bontrager. He is the first and current music director/conductor of the Tucson Mandolin Orchestra, and has guest-conducted with the Pima Community College Orchestra, the Foothills Philharmonic, the Tucson Flute Club, and the Civic Orchestra of Tucson. He officially became the Foothills Philharmonic Associate Conductor in 2023.

Associate Conductor

Caleb Hathaway

Caleb Hathaway is a dynamic musician, sound designer, conductor, and educator with a passion for exploring the intersections of music, science, and philosophy. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, under the mentorship of Laurel Zucker, Caleb is currently Head of Sound for Arizona Opera, Assistant to the Director for the InterHarmony International Music Festival, and a Sound Designer for Old Tucson Entertainment. His artistic pursuits span performing, conducting, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

With a focus on improvisation, contemporary music, and composition, Caleb blends transdisciplinary approaches to forge connections between diverse ideas and cultures. His performances and collaborations include working in Jazz, Persian Folk Music, Reggae, R&B, Gospel, Hip-Hop, & Classical music from the Baroque to the Post-Modern Era. This work has included collaboration with such esteemed ensembles as The Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, True Concord, The Camellia Symphony Orchestra, American College Orchestra, Sierra Vista Symphony, The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Ensemble, Camerata Capistrano Baroque Orchestra, Northern California Persian Chamber Orchestra, The Sol Collective, Hobo Johnson, Little House of Funk, The Gold Souls, The InterHarmony International Music Festival among others.

His studies in conducting include work with Enrique Hank Feldman, Keitaro Harada, Dr. Robert Halseth, and Leo Eylar, with additional guidance from Eric Lederhandler, Guy Braunstein, and Jan Miłosz Zarzycki. Caleb’s primary musical mentors are Laurel Zucker, Robert Dick, Steven Sacco, and Jean-Louis Kashy.

Beyond music, Caleb enjoys exploring the outdoors, discovering hidden treasures in libraries and museums, learning languages, and volunteering.