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.