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The Board of Directors of Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara, Inc. (CAMA)—now preparing for its 107th concert season in 2025-2026—has re-elected Deborah Bertling as Board Chair, effective May 29, 2025. Bertling begins her third term as Chair.
A native of Pennsylvania, Deborah Bertling earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance and has performed in operas, concerts, and musicals for more than 30 years. She spent a decade with Yamaha Corporation of America’s Music Division as a Buyer in Buena Park; sang with Opera Santa Barbara, where she also spearheaded the company’s education outreach programs; and volunteered for well over a decade in local schools as a Music Matters docent for CAMA. A past president of the CAMA Women’s Board and a CAMA Director since 2004, Bertling chaired CAMA’s Centennial Celebration Committee (2014–2020), which oversaw some of the organization’s most ambitious concerts and events. She has been President of Performing Arts Music Association since 2002 and also serves on the Board of Directors of The Granada Theatre (Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts). Deborah is married to local attorney Peter Bertling and is an active member of El Montecito Presbyterian Church.
Officers of CAMA’s 2025-2026 Board of Directors, elected May 29, 2025:
- Deborah Bertling, Chair
- Nancy L. Wood, First Vice Chair
- Robert L. Castle, Second Vice Chair
- Christine Emmons, Secretary
- Jan Bowlus, Treasurer
The CAMA Board of Directors also passed a special resolution on June 18, 2025 to name retired CAMA President Mark E. Trueblood President Emeritus for Life, in honor of his 27-year tenure as Executive Director and President of CAMA.
CAMA, Santa Barbara’s oldest arts organization, brings the world’s finest classical musicians to Santa Barbara’s Granada and Lobero Theatres.
For more information on CAMA, please visit camasb.org
