Jan Bleakney (Dec 9) has the commonly paired joint interests of math and music. She grew up playing flute and piano in Anacortes, and went on to earn a math degree at the University of Washington. She earned her living as a consulting actuary. Since retiring, Jan has been able to rebalance her time to put music in the forefront, including taking up the Celtic harp. Jan regularly performs with her BMW Flute Trio and Music Performance Group, as well as previously participating in Music Northwest, Phinney Ridge Orchestra and International Artists Carillon. She is so thrilled to have worked with such wonderful teachers, Zart Dombourian-Eby, Mark Andersen and Gwen Baker.
Victoria Chaussee (Dec 21), mezzo-soprano, “sings opera favorites beautifully” – The Seattle Weekly. Ms. Chaussee has performed with many Puget Sound area music organizations including Seattle Opera. Some of her roles include Azucena in Il Trovatore, Principessa in Suor Angelica, Mama Lucia in Cavelleria Rusicana, Maddelena in Rigoletto, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, the Mother in Hansel & Gretel and Ursul in Beatrice & Benedict. She has performed in concert with many NW organizations and has sung the national anthem for the Seattle Mariners. She is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University and attended the American Institute of Musical Studies. Victoria currently sings with Public Opera and assists with the Metropolitan Opera auditions in Seattle.
Sophia Chou (Dec 21) grew up in New Taipei, Taiwan, and began playing the piano at around age five. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Computer Science. Sophia has extensive experience in music, including choral and chamber music collaborations. She sees herself as a science-minded individual with an artistic soul.
Karin McCullough (Dec 9, 11) is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano who gives private lessons in her Ballard studio and performs frequently in Greater Seattle. She co-led two music history tours in Vienna in the early 2000s, is an active volunteer and acting librarian for Seattle Music Teachers Association, and has often performed on KING FM radio on Sean Maclean’s program, Northwest Focus Live. Her most recent performance there—accompanying Brandi Birdsong in songs by H. Leslie Adams—is available on NPR (https://livesessions.npr.org/videos).
Emily Riesser’s (Dec 11, 21) diverse experience encompasses opera, oratorio, theatre, and new works. She recently portrayed Missy Hart in 9 to 5: The Musical (Twelfth Night Productions), sang Dolcina in Suor Angelica (Puget Sound Concert Opera), and sang Frasquita in Carmen (Kitsap Opera). In concert, Emily is known for her interpretation of Bach cantatas, including Wedding Cantata, which she has sung in several venues. Favorite experiences include singing Iphigenie in Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride (Seattle Opera Guild), Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata (Kitsap Opera), Tamiri in Mozart’s Il re pastore (Off-Center Opera), and soprano chorus at Seattle Opera. Emily is a graduate of Goshen College (Goshen, IN) and past participant in Bel Canto Northwest (Portland State University).
Soprano Tiina Ritalahti (Dec 21) holds degrees in music and vocal performance from the University of Washington. She has performed throughout Washington with Northwest Opera in Schools Etcetera (NOISE), Puget Sound Opera, Ladies Musical Club and Puget Sound Concert Opera, as well as being a featured soloist for the Finlandia Foundation. She has sung such roles as the First Spirit and Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Lisa in Bellini’s La sonnambula, Änchen in Der Freischütz by Weber, Cis in Britten’s Albert Herring, and Olympia in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman. Further, she has performed in multiple operas by Menotti: Lucy in The Telephone, Monica in The Medium, and Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief. Her passion for singing also extends to art song repertoire, which she performs regularly in recitals around Western Washington. Tiina has created unique breathing classes for young singers that combine her knowledge and experience as a massage therapist, certified yoga teacher and singer.
Praised for his ringing voice and easy stage presence, Korland Simmons (Dec 21) is a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest. Most recently, he has appeared in the following roles: Police Buddy 2/Congregant 2 in Blue (Seattle Opera), Don Ramiro in La Cennerentola (Seattle Opera Guild previews), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (OperaBend), and Andres/Cochenille/Franz/Pittichinaccio in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Pacific Northwest Opera). Previous roles include Don Basilio/Don Curzio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Mendoza (Hiram Titus’ Rosina), Remus (Treemonisha), Remendado (Carmen), Eduardo Milfort (La Cambiale Matrimonio) and Mayor Upfold (Albert Herring).
Soprano Laurel Sprigg (Dec 21) has delighted audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years with her warm, vibrant singing as a concert soloist, recitalist, and chamber music soloist. In public performances, private events, and intimate gatherings, her artistry is communicated through her fresh, clear, and heartfelt singing. Laurel studied vocal performance and music theory at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Dance at Bennington College. An advocate of community engagement, Laurel has given recitals to benefit many community groups. She has recently moved to Poulsbo Washington, and has joined the Bremerton Symphony Chorale, Kitsap Opera outreach program, and the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle.
Susan Strick (Dec 9), soprano, has sung and taught in Seattle for many years. She has appeared with the Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, Village Theater (Maria in The Sound of Music) and as a soloist with the Seattle Bach Festival, the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, and the Seattle Choral Company. Susan earned her B.A. in music from Stanford University, M.A. in music from UCLA, and an Opera Diploma from the University of Toronto’s Royal Conservatory. A regional finalist in both the Metropolitan and San Francisco Opera national auditions, she has performed leading roles with many small opera companies. Susan has been a faculty member of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where she created and taught “Opera as Theater” in the Honors seminar program as well as teaching voice and being an active performer, music director, and coach in the theater department. Currently she teaches in Seattle and at Music Works Northwest in Bellevue.
An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas (Dec 21) has performed with a variety of companies including Kitsap Opera, Willamette Concert Opera, Bellevue Opera, Puget Sound Concert Opera, Seattle Opera, and the Seattle Opera Guild. Currently Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President and trustee of concerts for LMC. Favorite operatic roles include Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, Tosca, and Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle). Concert work includes Schumann’s Frauenleibe und-leben, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder; soprano solos in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Fauré Requiem, and Berio’s Folk Songs for voice and chamber ensemble.
Rob Toren (Dec 11) has been a professional singer for most of his musical life, including most recently undertaking several small roles at Seattle Opera 1998-2014. After retiring from both singing and as a non-profit executive, he has returned to his first love, the piano. Because of his background as a singer and his earlier career days in NYC, he now gravitates towards the art song literature, with programs focusing on both the French (Debussy and Faure) and German traditions (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss). He most recently studied with Joyce Gibb.
Melet Whinston (Dec 21) studied under Maria DeRungs, and was first chair in the Portland Junior Symphony and Princeton University Orchestra. She has presented school performances as a member of the Leschi Trio and as a duo with Michael Housley, pianist. She has many years of experience as a chamber musician and solo performer, and performs regularly at St Andrew Presbyterian Church and local recitals.
Dhanushi Wijeyakulasuriya (Dec 11), originally from Sri Lanka, holds a Licentiate Diploma in Singing from Trinity College of Music, London. She began voice lessons in 2004, in Sri Lanka with Menaka Sahabandu and also studied with Asitha Tennekoon. At age 17, she made her debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, performing selections from operas and operettas. Dhanushi has performed extensively in Sri Lanka. Some highlights include soprano soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Chamber Music Society of Colombo, scenes from The Marriage of Figaro (Susanna) and The Barber of Seville (Rosina) with the Menaka Singers Opera Ensemble and The Phantom of the Opera (Christine Daae) by the Workshop Players. After moving to the U.S. in 2015 she studied voice with Timothi Williams and Dr. Rachel Copeland at Penn State. Dhanushi has since presented several solo recitals in the U.S. She currently continues her vocal studies with Rachel Anne Moore and Barbara Bonney. In addition to her musical pursuits, she holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Penn State and works as a Senior Data Scientist at Microsoft.
Sharon Wong (Dec 9) is a pianist passionate about playing chamber music with instrumentalists and singers. She began her collaborative piano journey during high school while serving as the organist and choir accompanist for her church. During her university years Sharon studied with Margaret Fabrizio on an 1812 fortepiano (twin to the piano Broadwood sent to Beethoven) while gratifying her inner nerd, earning a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. Recently retired after serving as a technology executive at multiple startups and major software companies, Sharon now happily plays with many chamber ensembles and subs at various churches around Seattle.