Andrew Keller, Ph.D.
Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Music Director
Andrew started the Cinematic Symphony orchestra with in December 2023, and has since served as the founding music director, as well as the CEO of the organization.
A lifelong musician, Andrew owes his entire professional career to film and video game music, as it was the iconic soundtrack to Titanic and other great soundtracks that inspired him to start learning piano, which eventually led to dreams of becoming a film composer. Before long, Andrew was writing deeply dramatic compositions that were clearly influenced by the memorable melodies, lush orchestration, and intense emotional imagery of film music.
Since then, Andrew has been privileged to serve as a Professor of Music at Kent State University, where he received his Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory and Composition in 2019.
Andrew is now beyond thrilled to be bringing his passion and expertise to the Cinematic Symphony Orchestra, in turn fulfilling a longtime childhood dream to help celebrate and advance this incredibly underappreciated artform.
Kristopher Morron, M.F.A.
Conductor
Kristopher Morron brings much to the table at the CSO, including deep roots in Northeast Ohio and 15 years of teaching and conducting.
A trombonist, he has been a member of an eclectic range of Cleveland-based groups and involved in numerous national tours and recordings. He began teaching band and orchestra in 2004 and in 2015 served as graduate conductor of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and Case Western Reserve University.
Morron also has been active as a composer and arranger, often writing for the very groups of which he has been a member. He also contributed original music to the web series “Ringer$” and the animated short, “Astral Shift,” and created arrangements for a concert marking the 20th anniversary of the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Cody Burroughs, B.M.
Choir Director
Cody Burroughs is a vocalist and choral director from Northeast Ohio. Cody graduated from Kent State, with a Bachelor of Music degree in music education with a focus in Choral Music Education as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. He is an active musician and choral director within the Northeast Ohio area, gigging throughout Akron, Canton and Cleveland. He is currently a voice instructor at Akron Music Institute, where he offers voice lessons, vocal master-classes and choral clinics for local school choir programs. He also serves as the Director of Choirs at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kent. As the director, Cody specializes in creating a culture of excitement, camaraderie, comedy and joy for his students and choristers.
Cody has been described as a lyric tenor, with a strength in classical Bel Canto singing. Using his extensive choral vocal knowledge with his solo vocal training, he strives to work with and create well rounded vocalists. Cody attaches his late entrance into the music world and his professional education to help relate to students who struggle with music literacy. During his collegiate experience, he studied voice under GRAMMY award winning Musician, Jay White, where he studied an array of musical genres. Cody has performed in the Opera program at Kent State and was the assistant choral director for KSU’s Tenor/Bass group, Coro Cantare. While he was the assistant director, he spearheaded the recruiting process, growing the group from 9 singers to 22 singers. Cody recently was the Choir Director for Streetsboro High School and Middle School where he directed and rebuilt the choir program, consisting of over 200 singers spanning over six choirs.
Sam Rotberg, D.M.A.
Concertmaster
Dr. Barton Samuel Rotberg enjoys a fulfilling career as a performer and instructor of violin, string pedagogy and chamber music. ClevelandClassical.com described his performance as, “The violinist’s timbre in the first movement was simply stunning,” and “Rotberg’s full violin sound lent charm and beauty.”
Rotberg has been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras including the Erie Chamber Orchestra, Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Amherst Chamber Orchestra and Warren Philharmonic in concerti of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn and other repertoire staples. He has been a member of the Illinois Philharmonic, Ann Arbor Symphony and Flint Symphony orchestras and has served for three seasons as concertmaster of the Southwest Symphony Orchestra in Illinois. He currently serves as concertmaster for the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. As violinist of the Davanti Trio, an endowed ensemble under the auspices of the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Rotberg became a prizewinner in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England Ensembles Competition. The trio gave performances in the U.S., Canada and France. Rotberg’s chamber music performances have been heard on WQLN FM Erie radio and WCLV FM Cleveland.
In addition to teaching at the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts, Rotberg is a faculty member at the BW Community Arts School, Conservatory Summer Institute and Oberlin College’s Community Music School. He has given guest masterclasses and performances at venues such as Interlochen Arts Academy, Longy School of Music and University of Windsor.
Andrew Perkins, M.S.A.
Chief Development Officer
Andrew began studying piano at the age of 6 and clarinet at age 8. As a clarinetist and bass clarinetist, he has performed with numerous classical groups across Northeast Ohio, including the Medina Symphony, Cuyahoga Falls Community Band, Parma Symphony, Symphony West, the Video Game Symphony, and the Cinematic Symphony Orchestra. Andrew founded the Serenity Chamber Players in 2017 to provide free classical and sacred music performances of rare and reimagined repertoire. The ensemble has had the opportunity to perform concerts across Ohio and in other states, including Maryland, West Virginia, and Michigan. Andrew also serves as the music and choir director for his church in Broadview Heights, Ohio.
Andrew received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Akron, and holds a Masters Degree in Accounting from the University of Connecticut. He is an active Certified Public Accountant in the state of Ohio, and currently serves as the treasurer for his church. Andrew lives in Parma with his wife Hannah, and his three boys. In addition to his passion for music, Andrew is an avid fan of professional darts and rugby, as well as all Cleveland sports.
