Our Music Staff

Mark Hanson,
Music Director

Music Director Mark Hanson has been part of the music at Ladera Community Church for nine years, two as pianist and seven as the church's music director. He has a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a Master of Music in Conducting from Arizona State University. Mark's work in church music has included Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist and United Church of Christ, giving him a wide range of music traditions to draw on when programming the service music. Mark works frequently with musical theatre companies in the Bay Area as a conductor and pianist. During the school year he teaches in the music department at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, where he resides.

 

Poling Chen,
Pianist and Accompanist 

Poling Chen was born and educated in Taiwan. She gained her first degree in Music at Fu-Jen University and later received a master's degree in Music at Osaka Music College in Japan. For several years she taught music at the Yung-Da Technology College before emigrating to the USA. In 2000 she settled in the Bay Area with her daughter, Evaline. Poling joined Ladera Community Church in 2005 as pianist and choir accompanist. She lives and teaches piano in the Cupertino area.