Meet the Team

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Rosina Christina Moder, OD, M.Mus.
Co-Founder and Executive Director

Rosina Christina Moder was born in the Styrian Hills of South-east Austria and has resided in Jamaica since 1985. She graduated from the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria, with a Certificate in “Kindersingschule” - Early Childhood Music Education (1974), a Bachelor’s degree in Recorder Teaching (1976), and a Masters degree (Hons.) in Recorder Performance (1977). Rosina received her post-graduate studies in Performance Practice in Baroque Music at the ‘Schola Cantorum Basiliensis’ (Jeanette van Wingerden) in Basel, Switzerland, and at the Music University ‘Mozarteum’ (Nikolaus Harnoncourt) in Salzburg, Austria. Her performance career has taken her from Europe, Japan, Argentina, and the United States of America to Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

Rosina is co-founder and executive director of the ‘Music Unites Jamaica Foundation’, a non-for-profit organization with the mission of raising funds for music scholarships and mentoring talented students in need. Further objectives of ‘Music Unites Jamaica’ include research on Jamaican composers, as well as hosting free concerts and workshops island-wide. Rosina is also the founder and musical director of ‘Flauto Dolce’, the Jamaica Recorder Society.

Rosina has taught Recorder and Early Childhood Music Education in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, Jamaica, and throughout the Caribbean. She has been the lecturer for Recorder at the School of Music at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston since her arrival in Jamaica. 

Rosina Christina Moder is also the author and publisher of “tu tu tu tu, Caribbean Beginner’s Work Book for Soprano or Tenor Recorder”. She is the first recipient of the international ‘Nikolaus Harnoncourt Prize’, awarded in 2001 by the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, for her passionate work advancing the musical growth of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. In 2017 the Government of Jamaica bestowed upon her the Order of Distinction, OD, for her “Dedicated Services towards the Development of Music in Jamaica”.​

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Janine “Jkuhl” Coombs, MBA
Deputy Director

Janine Coombs, popularly known by her artiste pseudonym Janine Jkuhl (pronounced Jay-Cool), born in Kingston Jamaica, is a beatific musician, Indie-Alternative-Fusion Singer-Songwriter, Recording Artiste, Music Publicist and Music Researcher.

Janine attained an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute based in Washington DC, USA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Studies (Honours) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Jamaica, where she studied Jazz, Classical and Jamaican Popular music.

She has been a recipient of the MUZAK Heart and Soul Foundation Music Summer Camp, held in Los Angeles, U.S.A.; The Edna Manley College School of Music Honour Roll Recital award; The Edna Manley College Arts Foundation Scholarship; The 2020 Sama Sama Bali Residency held in Bali Indonesia; The Catapult Caribbean Creative Online Grant 2020, and has been guest speaker on numerous local and international panels relating to cultural and creative industries.

Janine has been featured on the global news network CNN “The Voices of The Pandemic” reaching over 60 million people worldwide, as well as featured on other international and local television and radio programs. Her love of different music genres can be heard fused in her albums “Star Gaze” (2009) and “Sweet Sway” (2020).

​Janine Coombs has a strong passion for researching many avenues of music, and as such at the Music Unites Jamaica Foundation she is an assistant and researcher documenting the life and works of Jamaican composer, aiding in the preservation, education, honing and building of the Jamaican musical heritage.

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Alicia Ortega-Richards, BS
Administrative Assistant & Treasurer

​Alicia Marilyn Ortega-Richards was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. She graduated from the ‘Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado’, where she received her degree in Public Accounting (November 2006). During her thirteen years of professional experience she has developed a wide range of skills and abilities in accounting, management,tax administration and computing.

Alicia has been living in Jamaica since February 2013 and came to this wonderful island in the company of Jamaican classical guitarist Shawn Richards, with whom she is married and has a beautiful daughter.

Although she is not a professional musician, her whole life has been surrounded by music as her father, her younger brother and several members of her family are born musicians. Her love for this beautiful art has been with her since birth and will always be present in her life.

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Joel Moder
Publicist & Editor

Joel Moder was born in Austria and grew up in Kingston Jamaica, in the household of a most musical family. His father Peter Ashbourne is a well accomplished composer, and his mother Rosina Moder a passionate recorder player, as well as music educator and researcher.

Joel is a Writer, Musician and Producer with over fifteen years experience as a performing Pianist in Jamaica. Specializing in world building and screenwriting, Joel has led concept development and copywriting on projects for such companies as Red Stripe, Pepsi, Umbro and Scotiabank. He is the Game Writer at indie Game Studio JusDevStudios and is currently working to model three racoons in a trench coat.

Joel Moder has been in charge of editing all forms of publications produced by Music Unites Jamaica Foundation since its inauguration and plays a key role in refining each of the feature stories written on the life and works of Jamaican composers.

​Joel spends his free time reading, writing and gaming, and is strongly considering getting a cat.

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Niesha Brown, BA (Hons.)
Web Developer & Graphic Designer 

Niesha Brown is a graphic designer and web developer with a passion for philanthropy and the arts. She graduated from the University of the West Indies in 2016, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Production (Honours). With over ten years of professional experience, she has developed a wide range of skills in the field of web design, graphics, and photography.

Niesha loves to travel and meet new people and has worked with brands all across the beautiful island of Jamaica, as well as with companies from Germany, Canada, Austria, and Unites States of America. She takes pride in her work and ability to meet deadlines. She is secretly a nerd who spends hours of her time scouring the internet for the latest advances in technology related to her work.

​Niesha’s passion for the arts attracted her to the vison of the Music Unites Jamaica Foundation where her talents allowed her to assist in creating new projects and show her organisational ability.

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​Phillip Clarke, BSc Economics (Hons)
Business Development Manager

Phillip Clarke is an Entertainment and Business consultant with a focus on the Cultural Economy. He currently manages reggae icon Ken Boothe, and has worked as a consultant for several well-known events internationally including: Rainforest Seafood Festival and the Westmoreland Curry Festival here in Jamaica; The Bob Marley Tribute Festival and Cupmatch Summersplash Festival in Bermuda; Legends of Reggae Tour in United Kingdom and the Reggae Jam Festival in Germany. He has served as a board member for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, JCDC, for eight years. During his tenure he sat on its finance committee, Festival Queen committee and Festival Song Contest. In addition, he has chaired JCDC’s Procurement Committee.

Phillip has completed a BSc in Economics (Hons) at the University of the West Indies and is currently enrolled there in the Master of Arts programme in Cultural Studies. He is presently employed at the Nature Preservation Foundation (Hope Gardens) as the commercial services officer with oversight for events and marketing.

​Phillip currently serves as the general secretary of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians and Affiliates Union (JFMAU) the lobby group for the music industry in Jamaica, and is a member of the board of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA). He serves as the vice president of the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Kingston, the vice president of the Meadowbrook High School Alumni Association, and is a board member of the St. Andrew Parish Church Foundation.

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Yuko Aoki, M.Mus.
Cultural Exchange & Research Volunteer

Based in the vibrant heart of Tokyo, Yuko Aoki is a Japanese pianist and dedicated music researcher. Holding a Master’s degree in Musicology, a Teacher’s License for children with disabilities, and a legal practice license in Japan, she brings her expertise and passion to every facet of her career.

With a wealth of experience spanning music research institutions, educational organizations, and government agencies, Yuko works in both the academic and performance worlds of music. From 2017 to 2023, she embarked on a transformative journey as a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, serving as a piano teacher in the Caribbean. During this time, she nurtured young musicians at the Guyana National School of Music and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica. This experience shaped her perspective, deepening her appreciation for the power of music as a universal language.

Now back in Japan, Yuko travels to schools in and around Tokyo, sharing her insights through engaging lectures that blend scholarship with personal experience. She remains committed to fostering the musical communities she connected with in Guyana and Jamaica, working to support the development and preservation of their rich musical traditions. Through her research, advocacy and performances, Yuko Aoki continues to inspire, educate, and build bridges between cultures.

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Alvin Charles Campbell, BA (English)
Logistics Expert
Writer & Editor

Alvin Campbell is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, with a bachelor’s degree in English.  As a writer, he has written for several Jamaican Prime Ministers, either directly or as a sub-contractor, and has scripted numerous events, including the Prime Minister’s Independence Awards for Excellence, at Jamaica House, and the Independence Grand Gala at the National Stadium.  He has also scripted the annual Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards for RJRGLEANER Sport Foundation for over a decade, the Tourism Service Excellence Awards for the Ministry of Tourism, Miss Jamaica World Contest for almost two decades, and has written the bulk of articles for the Sports World magazine which accompanies the National Sports Man and Sport Woman of the Year Awards.  He co-wrote with Claire Forrester “Unyielding Spirit”, the authorized biography of Merlene Ottey. Campbell also independently and jointly penned many business plans and grant proposals, across areas as diverse as entertainment and the fishing industry.  

As an editor, Campbell worked with the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute on their quarterly CAJANUS magazine.  He has also been the editor of the Sports World magazine. Campbell further was the editor of the Dennis Howard compilation of articles entitled “Rantin’ From Inside the Dancehall”.

Campbell has worked as a logistician on numerous international conferences, and local festivals.  These include working with the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Foreign Affairs, and Tourism.  He helped create the Boston Jerk Festival, the Port Royal Fish Festival, and the St. Elizabeth Shrimp Festival.  
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As a song writer, Campbell has written and/or composed music for artistes including Neville Willoughby (Old Time People), Fab 5 (Ring Road Jam), A.J. Brown (When You Love), Rita Marley (Retribution), Leroy Smith, and Peter Ashbourne (Jamaica Fair, Blind Man Swimming, and Winds of Hope).  His lyrics and compositions cover a wide range from pop through ska, reggae, soca, sacred music, and classical.  He has won a Jamaica Music Industry Award for Song of the Year. 

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