Annie Chang Center (Nov 10), violist/pianist, started performing in her native Taiwan for foreign dignitaries when she was six years old. Since coming to the U.S., Annie has performed in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. As a piano soloist, she performed with San Francisco Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. As violist, she performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Olympic, Utah, Prague, and Red Rocks Festivals, and has collaborated with members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Emerson, Cleveland, and Philadelphia Quartets. For ten years, she was the assistant principal violist of the Phoenix Symphony, for which she performed regularly as a viola soloist. She has also played in the AZ Musicfest Orchestra, Black Pearl Orchestra, South Florida Symphony, and Seattle Opera. Currently, she plays in the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.
Selina Chu (Nov 18 & 20) holds a special place in her heart for all types of ensemble playing, from duo-piano recitals to choral works, chamber music, and dance collaboration. During her association with Alaska Dance Theatre as their Principal Accompanist, Selina developed a lifelong interest in the expressive relationships between movement and music. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Washington, a Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and permanent National Certification from MTNA. Selina maintains an independent piano studio in Issaquah and has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and master teacher throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is known for her sense of humor and creative approach to learning and performance.
Joan Lundquist (Nov 19 & 20) has served as a collaborative pianist for Seattle area musicians and organizations for 30 years. Since moving to the area from Humboldt State University in northern California, where she was staff accompanist, Joan has worked with the Northwest Boychoir, Seattle Choral Company, has taught at Seattle University and Northwest University, and has worked with several area private music teachers. Currently, Ms. Lundquist is the Director of Music at Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle and rehearsal accompanist for the Seattle Choral Company.
Karin McCullough (Nov 14) took the less-traveled road to a music career. A serious pianist while growing up in Illinois, she suppressed her aspirations and instead became a paralegal. One day she was asked to accompany opera singers at a Fremont Bistro—a weekly engagement lasting 5 years. By then her popularity as an accompanist, soloist & piano teacher let her trade her life as a paralegal for that of a full-time musician. Karin is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano. Karin maintains a flourishing piano studio in Ballard and performs frequently in the Seattle area. She is an active volunteer and member of Seattle Music Teachers Association (SMTA), Principal Organizer for the local chapter of Bach in the Subways, of which she is on the Board of Directors, and has served on the boards of SMTA and Musical Experiences, a nonprofit classical music education organization. Karin is the pianist for Third Church of Christ, Scientist, and is also the program Director for Haller Lake Music Series, a neighborhood classical music series featuring local musicians in recital.
Dawn Padula (Nov 20), mezzo-soprano (http://dawnpadula.com) is a versatile performer of opera, oratorio, musical theatre, jazz, and classical concert repertoire. Opera roles include Carmen (Carmen), Azucena (Il Trovatore), Lady Jane (Patience – 2018 Gregory Awards People’s Choice Award Nominee), Lady Blanche (Princess Ida), Ruth (The Pirates of Penzance), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Meg (Falstaff), The Third Lady (The Magic Flute), the Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Isabella (The Italian Girl in Algiers), Erika (Vanessa), and the Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas). In the Pacific Northwest, she has performed with Tacoma Opera, Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Kitsap Opera, Concert Opera of Seattle, PLU’s Jazz Under the Stars, Puget Sound Concert Opera, the Tacoma Concert Band, the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Symphonic Choir, the Seattle Bach Choir, the Second City Chamber Series, Classical Tuesdays in Old Town Tacoma Concert Series, Lakewood Playhouse, and Opera Pacifica. With Seattle Opera, she is a member of the Supplementary Chorus. In June 2017, she toured to Varna and Sofia, Bulgaria as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Pazardzhik Symphony. In August 2017, she released her debut classical solo album, Gracious Moonlight, featuring Dominick Argento’s Pulitzer Prize winning song cycle, From the Diary of Virginia Woolf. Dr. Padula is currently the Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Puget Sound School of Music.
Erika Pierson (Nov 10) earned her bachelor’s in Cello Performance from Indiana University and her master’s in Performance from the University of Michigan. Between her degrees, Erika studied in Berlin, at the Hochschule der Kunste, and in London under Eileen Croxford, FRCM. Her other teachers included Richard Aaron, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Markus Nyikos, and Erling Blondal Bengtsson. Erika has given solo recitals in England, Germany, Spain, and in the United States, and has soloed with orchestras in Berlin, Ann Arbor, and Everett, WA. On the less classical side of things, she has also performed with Mannheim Steamroller, Rod Stewart, The Walkmen, and Deltron 3030. Currently Erika performs regularly as the cellist in NOCCO Chamber Orchestra, and freelances and teaches in the Seattle area.
Ann Rackl (Nov 18 & 20), violinist, is the former assistant concertmaster of Philharmonia Northwest chamber orchestra, where she has been a member since 1976. She holds a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Montana, and has studied violin with Emanuel Zetlin and Martin Friedmann in Seattle. Formerly a private violin instructor, these days she especially enjoys playing chamber music.
Mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson (Nov 19) has recently performed with Pacific Northwest Opera as Flora in La Traviata. She has also been seen performing art songs and arias in livestream concerts with the Ladies Musical Club and Epiphany Parish of Seattle’s “Music in Our Community” concert series. Since moving to Seattle she has performed roles and concerts with the Seattle Opera Guild, Puget Sound Concert Opera, N.O.I.S.E., and Seattle Modern Opera Company. While living in NYC Katie worked with Dicapo Opera, Amato Opera, and Riverside Opera performing roles such as Romeo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, and Henrichetta in I Puritani. In Philadelphia she performed the title role in Carmen and as Emilia in Otello. While living in Europe, she performed in concerts and festivals in Germany, Ireland, and England. In addition to performing, Katie teaches piano and voice lessons in the Seattle area.
Lesley Chapin Wyckoff (Nov 14), soprano, is distinguished in both concert and opera repertory, having won honors from the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas. She has written and performed a series of humorous presentations including: I Wanna be a Prima Donna; Opera 101; Holidays Around the World; Opera, Inside Out; Champagne’s Delicious Bubbles: the Lighter Side of Opera; and Naughty but Nice: A Survey of Centuries of Saucy Songs. She is a past president of Ladies Musical Club and is currently the President of the Seattle Opera Board of Trustees.