Virtual Happy Hour Artists, January 2021

Vicki Boeckman (Jan 29) has been performing and teaching since the 1980s. She is embracing the new virtual world with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a sense of awe, finding it to be positive and rewarding amidst the challenges we are all facing. Pre-pandemic she was an internationally acclaimed performing and recording artist who traveled all over the US and to many other countries to perform and teach. Vicki resided in Denmark from 1981-2004 and had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the finest musicians of the day including Jaap ter Linden, John Holloway, René Jacobs, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Pedro Memelsdorf and Markus Zahnhausen. Her Danish recorder trio Wood’N’Flutes had a fantastic 15-year run performing all over Europe and working with contemporary composers in addition to doing children’s theater. She was an adjunct professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen for 12 years and taught at the Ishøj Municipal School of Music for 23 years. Many of those students are now professionals, performing and teaching in conservatories in Denmark and around Europe. Locally, Vicki has been a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, The Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Medieval Women’s Choir, Gallery Concerts, Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra, and the Skagit Symphony. She is currently music director for the Seattle Recorder Society, co-director for the Recorder Orchestra of Puget Sound (ROPS), and Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Early Music Workshop. She dearly hopes that these organizations can withstand the challenges of separation and continue to thrive.

Violinist Candice Chin (Jan 15, 22 & 29) enjoys a musical journey intertwined with a 19-year career in financial management. A Seattle area native, she studied with Steven Staryk while attending the University of Washington. She also pursued orchestral studies at the Eastman School of Music and University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Candice holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and economics, and dual MBA/MA arts administration degrees. Her principal teachers include Walter Schwede, Martin Friedmann, and Jesse Mills.

Katie Hochman (Jan 15), soprano, can be heard regularly giving recitals with Ladies Musical Club of Seattle. She has also enjoyed singing opera and oratorio with Puget Sound Concert Opera (PSCO), Opera Theater Oregon, Portland Opera, Utah Opera, Columbia Chorale and Southwest Washington Symphony (SWS). Highlights include the title role of Massenet’s Cendrillon and Héro in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Bénédict performed with PSCO and Exultate, jubilate performed with SWS.

Emiko Hori (Jan 8), a native of Japan, graduated from renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Piano Performance. She studied with Shigeo Neriki, performed at numerous places including Banff Centre, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Germany, and others. Emiko became fascinated with and continued her study in Computer Science at Boston University. Busy working in technology companies such as CommerceHub and Microsoft, Emiko thought she would never play the piano again. She was wrong; Emiko became one of the newest performing members of Ladies Musical Club. Emiko enjoys dividing her time between performing concerts, teaching piano, and working at Starbucks HQ’s Digital Commerce team.

Sharon Jung (Jan 29) was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She is a nurse practitioner, and works in a neurology practice in Tacoma, Washington. She freelances for numerous ensembles in the local area. She has been an LMC member since 1999. She is a former student of LMC member Gail Perstein and is also a former student of Bernard Shapiro.

Violinist Angie Kam (Jan 29) is an established performer and teacher in the Seattle area. She enjoys playing regular recitals as a performing chamber musician and soloist with the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle. As a professional orchestral violinist, she is assistant principal second violinist of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, and a section player in the North Corner Chamber Orchestra. Angie has performed with many major pop groups including the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones composer), Il Divo, Idina Menzel, Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, Sarah Brightman, and Michael Bublé. She is also an active studio recording musician for movies and video games. When she’s not playing, practicing, or teaching, Angie enjoys mountaineering, skiing, hiking, running, eating, and spending time with her family (husband and dog).

Maria Khavin (Jan 8) is a pianist, teacher, and music education enthusiast. Starting her formal education at age six, she subsequently earned her degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Rimsky-Korsakoff State Music College in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Since moving to Seattle in 1992, Ms. Khavin continued to be an active performer and became a passionate educator. She appeared in numerous piano solo performances, and accompanied hundreds of instrumentalists and vocalists. She made her orchestral debut performing Mozart’s G major piano concerto with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. In Seattle, she worked with Lyric Opera Northwest, NOISE (Northwest Opera in Schools, Etc.), and Mahler’s Festival, among others. Recently, she became a Ladies Musical Club performing member, presenting several concerts a year. Ms. Khavin holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Washington.

Jeffrey Moidel’s (Jan 22) song cycle— Neruda Love Sonnets received “First Place for the Nation: USA” representing Washington State in the International Ravel Composition Competition held in Bergamo, Italy in 2015 and was advanced to the Semi-Finals. The song, “And now you’re mine…” was singled out by the NATS Art Song Composition Award panel of judges and given the award of “Stand-Out Song,” the first song ever to receive such mention in the ASCA competition’s history. Actually, they created the category specifically to honor this song! The Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Aspen Dance Connection have featured his compositions with Jeff at the piano. As both piano soloist and collaborative pianist Jeff has performed throughout the United States, Europe and South America. He also gave a private concert at Gracie Mansion in New York City for Mayor Koch and his guests. In addition, Jeff has performed and recorded with popular artists including Ann Hampton Calloway and John Denver. A graduate of the Mannes College of Music in New York City, Jeff has been a vocal coach and instructor for Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program, the Aspen Music Festival, the Vocal Institute at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Peter Harrower Opera Program at Georgia State University, the Perry Mansfield School for the Performing Arts in Colorado, the Marrowstone Music Festival in Bellingham, Washington and was an Assistant Professor at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. In addition, Jeff has served as the Assistant Music Director and Chorus Master for Tacoma Opera and Skagit Opera and has also been chair of the music department at the Washington Academy for the Performing Arts. He believes it is important for children to develop an early appreciation for the arts and has written six children’s musicals and other concert works for young audiences.

Erika Pierson (Jan 22) 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 Bella Sala String Quartet, NOCCO Chamber Orchestra, and freelances and teaches in the Seattle area.

Julie Shankland (Jan 15) has played clarinet since marching band in the Ohio snow. Since moving to Washington, Julie has played in the UW Concert Band, Eastside Symphony, West Seattle Community Orchestras, Rain City Symphony, and various chamber music camps. Julie is an adult student of Jennifer Nelson and recently learned to play bass clarinet. Julie works in the Office of General Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association.

An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas (Jan 8) 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 LMC’s trustee of concerts and Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President of 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.

Nicole Truesdell (Jan 15) is a pianist and composer living in Seattle, Washington. She chairs the Ladies Musical Club Composers’ Group and enjoys cultivating community and creating performance opportunities for past and present LMC composers’ works. While in college, Nicole became intrigued with the audible and visual relationship possibilities of composing for a smaller, chime-like toy piano and a larger, dynamic full-sized piano. She has written several pieces for this duo including the pieces on this program. Nicole graduated summa cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts in 2007 with an emphasis in music composition. She currently studies composition privately with composer John Muehleisen.

Gwen Trussler, (Jan 22) mezzo-soprano, holds Performance degrees from Florida State University (BM/MM) as well as ARRT Certification in Radiography, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She has appeared with Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Heavier Than Air Theatre, Evergreen Performers, TMP Family Theater, Amici Opera, Operesque, South Georgia Opera, and Florida State Opera. A Wagner enthusiast, she was chosen to perform in the inaugural year of the Baldwin-Wallace Wagner Intensive where she coached with Jane Eaglen, Timothy Mussard, and Nancy Maultsby. Gwen works with MultiCare and Franciscan Health as an MRI Technologist and is also a Voice Over artist specializing in audiobook narration.

Asta Vaičekonis (Jan 15 & 22) holds her MM in Piano Performance from the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s degree from the Lithuanian Academy of Music. Asta was granted a diploma for best accompaniment in the International Competition of Chamber Music in Kaliningrad (Königsberg), Russia (1992). She was a soloist with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra (2002), performed in the University of Washington Summer Arts Festival (2001, 2003), the Bach Fest (2001, 2002) in Lake Chelan, Washington, accompanist for Ladies Musical Club of Seattle’s Awards Tours (2000, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018), and the Bumbershoot Festival (1999) in Seattle. Asta served as an accompanist and coach in the Summer Chamber Music Seminars in Berlin, Germany (1992, 1993), and has performed with the Chamber Dance Company. She has played many recitals and chamber music programs in various cities of the United States, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Russia, and Israel, and made several recordings for the Lithuanian Radio and Television (1993). She was the first solo pianist to play in Seattle’s own Benaroya Hall. Asta is on the piano faculty at Music Works Northwest, has been staff accompanist at Western Washington University, and is currently on the faculty at Seattle Pacific University.

Violist Yi Zhou (Jan 22) is pursuing a diverse career as a violin/viola teacher, chamber musician and soloist. She has appeared in many music venues across North America, Europe and China. Yi has been featured at Benaroya Hall, Nordstrom Recital Hall, Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, Chinese Embassy in France Université de Poitiers, and others. She has played the principal viola in a number of orchestras including the UW Symphony. She has also performed at a number of master classes, including those given by Garth Knox, Yizhak Schotten, and Manchin Zhang, among others. Yi received her Master’s degree in Viola Performance from the University of Washington, supervised by Professor Melia Watras. She has another Master’s degree in Violin Performance from Wuhan Conservatory of Music. Before coming to the U.S., she was faculty member of the School of Music in Nanchang University.

Virtual Happy Hour Artists, December 2020

Singing is an essential part of life for Diane Althaus, (Dec 18) and sharing it with others is a joy. She organized and sang in an opera ensemble program, including music from Simon Boccanegra, Cosi Fan Tutte, Martha, and Carmen. She and her husband, baritone Mike Dodaro, have sung duet programs of opera arias and art songs, and performed in various local venues, including Stage7. Diane sang in Puccini’s Butterfly in a local opera company, the Countess in a duet from The Marriage of Figaro and Desiree in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater is her favorite sacred music.

Violinist Candice Chin (Dec. 4) enjoys a musical journey intertwined with a 19-year career in financial management. A Seattle area native, she studied with Steven Staryk while attending the University of Washington. She also pursued orchestral studies at the Eastman School of Music and University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Candice holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and economics, and dual MBA/MA arts administration degrees. Her principal teachers include Walter Schwede, Martin Friedmann, and Jesse Mills.

Mike Dodaro (guest artist, Dec 11 & 18) has sung leading roles in regional opera productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, and Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny. He sang for several seasons as a regular chorister at Seattle Opera. A cantor and choir singer, he has been baritone soloist in the Fauré Requiem, several Bach cantatas, and Handel’s Messiah.

Emiko Hori (Dec 4), a native of Japan, graduated from renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Piano Performance. She studied with Shigeo Neriki, performed at numerous places including Banff Centre, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Germany, and others. Emiko became fascinated with and continued her study in Computer Science at Boston University. Busy working in technology companies such as CommerceHub and Microsoft, Emiko thought she would never play the piano again. She was wrong; Emiko became one of the newest performing members of Ladies Musical Club. Emiko enjoys dividing her time between performing concerts, teaching piano, and working at Starbucks HQ’s Digital Commerce team.

Sharon Jung (Dec. 11) was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She is a nurse practitioner, and works in a neurology practice in Tacoma, Washington. She freelances for numerous ensembles in the local area. She has been an LMC member since 1999. She is a former student of LMC member Gail Perstein and is also a former student of Bernard Shapiro.

Joan Lundquist, (Dec. 11 & 18) collaborative pianist, 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.

Katie O’Rourke (Dec. 4) served as pianist for Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and has collaborated with Whatcom Wind Ensemble, Skagit Opera, Bellingham Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Popolare. Now in Seattle, Katie enjoys a private teaching studio and is a member of the Ladies Musical Club, Seattle Music Teachers Association, and the Northwest Dalcroze Society. Katie is a graduate of Western Washington University, where she studied piano with Milica Jovanovic and Jeffrey Gilliam.

Erika Pierson (Dec 4) 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 Bella Sala String Quartet, NOCCO Chamber Orchestra, and freelances and teaches in the Seattle area.

Mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson (Dec 4) has performed in numerous concerts in Seattle with the Puget Sound Concert Opera, including Anna Bolena, Cavalleria Rusticana, and their annual gala. While living in NYC, Katie worked with Dicapo Opera, Amato Opera, and Opera Collective, performing roles such as Romeo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi, Dorabella in CosÍ fan tutte, and Henrichetta in I Puritani. In Philadelphia she sang the title role in Carmen, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Emilia in Otello. While living in Europe, Katie travelled to perform in concerts and festivals in England, Ireland, and Germany. She now lives in Seattle with her husband and puppies and works as a church music director and private voice instructor, while still enjoying life as a performer. www.katiehstevenson.com

An outstanding member of the Northwest musical community for over 20 years, Regina Thomas (Dec 11 & 18) 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 LMC’s trustee of concerts and Artistic Director of Puget Sound Concert Opera, Regina has served as Seattle Opera Guild’s VP of Education and is a past President of 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.

LMC showcases music of Spain and South America in its debut concert in Burien on March 4

LMC member performers and guests artists perform music of Spain and South America at Merrill Gardens in Burien on Sunday, March 4, 2018 @ 3:00 pm at Merrill Gardens. This is LMC’s first concert in Burien which is co-sponsored by the City of Burien. Click to view the entire program and for directions.

About the performers

Diane Althaus has explored many arenas of music, classical to sacred, Bach to Dvorak to Gershwin. She has organized opera ensembles, sung in a concert series titled Classy to Sassy, sung leading roles with the Fat Chance Opera company for several seasons and performed Rachmaninov songs at the Russian Community Center. She thoroughly enjoys her musical adventures and tries to entice a younger generation who may not have heard live classical vocal music into wanting to hear more.

Equally at home with viola and piano, Annie Center enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has performed as piano soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. As violist, she has performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Olympic, Utah, Prague, Red Rocks, and Music In The Mountains Festivals. She has also performed with members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Emerson, Cleveland, Philadelphia string quartets. Annie holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and San Francisco Conservatory. Her major teachers include Robert Schultz, Paul Hersh, Isadore Tinkelman, Robert Weirich, and Paul Coletti. While she lived in Arizona, she was the pianist of the Concorda Trio with her cellist husband, Michael Center and violinist Dana Pasley.

Joyce Gibb was born in Sri Lanka and started her early piano studies with the admired, but feared music critic Elmer DeHaan. After surviving his rigorous training, she moved to London for further studies with Swiss pianist Albert Ferber whose teachers included Rachmaninoff. Studying both piano and cello, she was awarded a gold medal for performance by the Royal Schools of Music. Now a Seattle resident, Joyce teaches and performs regularly and has been the concerto soloist with the Cascade Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic, Rainier Symphony, Port Angeles, Thalia, and Philharmonia Northwest Orchestras. Her performances have included concertos by Beethoven, Poulenc, Grieg, Addinsell, and Chopin and the 1st and 2nd piano concertos by Rachmaninoff.

Joan Lundquist 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.

Erika Pierson grew up in the Seattle area, beginning cello at age 7. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Cello from Indiana University and her Master’s Degree in Performance from University of Michigan. Between her degrees Erika studied in Berlin, at the Hochschule der Kunste, and privately in London, England under Eileen Croxford. Erika has given solo recitals in England, including a solo performance at St Martin in the Fields, London, in Germany, Spain, and in the United States. She has performed as featured soloist with orchestras in Berlin, Ann Arbor, and Everett, WA. Currently, Erika performs regularly as the cellist in Bella Sala String Quartet, NOCCO Chamber Orchestra, and freelances and teaches in the Seattle area.

Eric Shankland (guest artist) has been playing bassoon since age 15. He played in the NCR band and the Youth Philharmonic in Dayton, Ohio. He studied with Arthur Grossman and played in the University Symphony at the University of Washington, and currently studies with Paul Rafanelli of the Seattle Symphony. He was principal bassoon in the Eastside Symphony (Redmond) for fifteen years. Eric is a research scientist at the University of Washington.

Julie Shankland has played clarinet since marching band in the Ohio snow. Since moving to Washington, Julie has played in the UW Concert Band, Eastside Symphony, West Seattle Community Orchestras, Rain City Symphony, and various chamber music camps. Julie is an adult student of Jennifer Nelson and recently learned to play bass clarinet. Julie works in the Office of General Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association.

Gwen Trussler, mezzo-soprano, holds Performance degrees from Florida State University (BM/MM) as well as ARRT Certification in Radiography, Computed Tomography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She has appeared with Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Heavier Than Air Theatre, Evergreen Performers, TMP Family Theater, Amici Opera, Operesque, South Georgia Opera, and Florida State Opera. A Wagner enthusiast, she was chosen to perform in the inaugural year of the Baldwin-Wallace Wagner Intensive where she coached with Jane Eaglen, Timothy Mussard, and Nancy Maultsby. Gwen works with MultiCare and Franciscan Health as an MRI Technologist and is also a Voice Over artist specializing in audiobook narration.

Lucas Victor (guest artist) is a guitarist who has been praised for his musicality, unique phrasing and inspiring playing. He studies in the studio of guitarist Michael Partington at the University of Washington. In 2017, Lucas was a finalist in the Adult Solo Guitar Competition at the Northwest Guitar Festival in Portland, Oregon, which is a competition open to the Northwestern U.S. and Western Canada. At the UW, he has been honored to be a recipient of the John Tripp Endowed Fund for Student Support, and the Helen A. Reynolds Endowed Scholarship in Music. Lucas also performs with the UW Guitar Ensemble. As a youth, Lucas studied several years with Jason Williams at the Rosewood Guitar studio in Seattle. During that time, he was a finalist twice in the Youth Solo Guitar Competition of the Northwest Guitar Festivals held in Idaho, and in Washington. Before studying with Jason Williams, he also had instruction from guitarists Mary Lord, Ken Elia, and others. Lucas also performed and recorded with Mark Wilson’s Guitar Orchestra of Seattle. Lucas has been fortunate to have the opportunity to perform in guitar master classes for acclaimed musicians David Russell, Ana Vidovic, Stephen Stubbs, Jorge Caballero, Marc Teicholz, Martha Masters, and others. Lucas Victor can be found online at www.domopod.com/guitar

A recent transplant from Chicago, Il, soprano Clarice Warrick received her master’s degree in voice performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Past feats this season have included her Orchestra Hall debut as the soloist in the North American premiere of Jacob TV’s Mountaintop, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Chicago Chamber Opera, and Julia Jellicoe in The Grand Duke. Clarice has sung with the Grant Park Chorus and Chicago Symphony Chorus, is a part of the VOX3 Ensemble, and often gives concerts featuring musical theater, jazz, and opera.

New LMC member YeonSoo Lee performs in her LMC debut concert February 18 at Mirabella

Mezzo-soprano YeonSoo Lee makes her LMC debut joining fellow LMC member performers on Sunday, February 18 at 3pm in a concert at Mirabella in Seattle. They will perform songs by Obradors, Italian and French Opera, and Korean composers for soprano and mezzo-soprano

A graduate of Kyung Hee University (Seoul), mezzo-soprano YeonSoo Lee also participated in stage director HoKeun Moon’s Opera Workshop Program (Seoul). She made several appearances on “Today’s Art Song” (KBS-TV, Seoul) and received the “Best Voice Award” from MBC-TV’s Korean Art Song Competition. South Korean roles include Rosette (Manon) with Kim-Cha-Kyung Opera, Dangeville (Adriana Lecouvreur) with Seoul Metropolitan Opera and Flora (La Traviata) with International Opera. Concert work includes Alto solos in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with Seoul Metropolitan Chorus and Beethoven’s C Major Mass with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. YeonSoo Lee has been a regular chorister with Seattle Opera since 2001, having performed in sixty-one productions. Solo appearances include Second Bridesmaid (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Seattle Opera and Alto soloist (Elijah) with Masterworks Choral Ensemble, WA. She is a favored performer within Seattle’s Korean American Community and has been a guest journalist for the Eumak Journal, a monthly classical music magazine in South Korea since 2014.

Joining YeonSoo will be soprano Ki-Jung Jun who completed her Master’s degree at New York University and was in the emerging artist program at Pacific Opera in New York City. Her operatic roles there included Nora (Riders to the Sea), First Knitter (A Game of Chance), Princess (L’enfant et les sortileges) and the role of Hyangdan in Chun-Hyang-Jeon, an opera celebrating the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration in America. In the Northwest, her most recent opera role is Giulietta (Cover) in Bellini’s I Capuletti ed i Montecchi and Caterina in Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz with Puget Sound Concert Opera.

Also performing will be Joan Lundquist who 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.

Click for concert program details.

SPU Faculty member Janene Nelson makes directorial debut with LMC Opera Jan 14 and 21

Janene Nelson, SPU vocal faculty and LMC performing member makes directorial debut with LMC opera this month with performances on January 14 at the West Seattle Library and January 21 at Mirabella in South Lake Union, Seattle. Ms. Nelson leads a cast of four singers and one pianist presenting a historical timeline tracing opera from its genesis through the early classical era of Christoph Willibald Gluck. Other notable debut performances include Seattle Opera teaching artist Darrell J. Jordan, baritone and noted Baroque specialist, Lisa Cardwell Pontén of the St. James Cantorei. Biographies of all three artists are below.

 

Janene Nelson is a Seattle-area mezzo-soprano whose “gorgeously sung” performances range from opera and oratorio to early music. Her operatic roles include Dorabella, Third Lady, Prince Orlofsky, Miss Todd, and Nicklaus, and her recent oratorio performances include Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Janene was a founding member of the early music ensemble Vox Resonat from 2011-2014 and sang with the Oregon Bach Festival for seven seasons as a member of the Berwick Chorus. She holds a doctorate in vocal performance and arts administration from the University of Oregon and is currently on the voice faculty at Seattle Pacific University.

In demand as a recitalist and concert soloist, Darrell J. Jordan’s  recent solo concert engagements have been with Amherst Early Music Festival, the Odyssey Chamber Music Series, Rolla Choral Arts Society, Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri, the Missouri Symphony, the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Toledo Symphony. Opera credits include Winter Opera Saint Louis, St. Louis Opera Collective, Haymarket Opera Company, Gateway Opera, the Institute for 17th Century Music, the Show-Me Opera, Lawrence Opera Theatre. He will make his Puget Sound Concert Opera debut in the fall of 2017. Additionally, Mr. Jordan is on the Teaching Artist roster for the Seattle Opera. He can be heard as the baritone soloist on the album St. Lawrence Psalter. He is a member and co-founder of the nationally recognized professional vocal chamber ensemble, Vox Nova.

Lisa Cardwell Pontén has performed throughout the Pacific Northwest, both as a soprano soloist and a professional choral singer. She has had solo appearances with ensembles such as Northwest Sinfonietta, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Pro Musica, Northwest Chamber Chorus, Baroque Northwest, Opus 7 and The Tudor Choir. She is a regular member of Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, The Emerald Ensemble and the St. James Cathedral Cantorei. Lisa also records soundtracks for film and video games, maintains a private voice studio for teenagers and adults, and frequently adjudicates for contests and competitions. One of her very favorite summer activities is serving on the faculty of Midsummer Musical Retreat, a camp for amateur adult musicians on the Whitman College campus in beautiful Walla, Walla, WA. Lisa received her Masters of Music in Early Music Performance from Indiana University.