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WinterFest

  • Winter berries

This popular annual program by the Chamber Singers, University Chorale, University Singers, Treble Choir, Gospel Choir, and UW Glee Club features seven conductors, six choral ensembles, five hundred singers, four graduate conductors, three choral faculty, two hours of great music, and one impressive grand finale.

Download a PDF of the program


Program

GOSPEL CHOIR
Phyllis Byrdwell, conductor 

(Program will be announced by microphone)


COMBINED UNDERGRADUATE CHOIRS

Oure Light in Oure Night:  Adrienne Inglis (b. 1960)
The Shewings of Julian of Norwich
Part III, LXXXIII, lines 3362-3364

Brightest and Best: Southern Harmony Hymn, Arr. Shawn Kirchner  (b. 1970) 


UNIVERSITY SINGERS
Cee Adamson and Scott Fikse, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

Ku‘u Ipo Pua Rose:  John K. Almeida. Arranged Herb Mahelona

Light from NEXT TO NORMAL: Tom Kitt. Arranged by Lisa DeSpain 


GLEE CLUB
Evan Norberg and Tyler Todd Kimmel, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

How Do You Fly? Jamie Cullum (b. 1979)
Soloists: Alex Trias, Aaron Gehrke, Christian Stranne

Ad Astra: Jacob Narverud (b. 1986)



TREBLE CHOIR
Larke Witten and Anjali Chudasama, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

Floating Moon on the Water: Wei-Pin Chen (b. 1953).  Arranged by Eric Liu 

By NightElaine Hagenberg (b. 1979). Text by Harriet Prescott Spofford (1861-1921) 
Anjali Chudasama, conductor


CHAMBER SINGERS
Dr. Geoffrey Boers, conductor
Dominico Reyes, piano
Anjali Chudasama and Tyler Todd Kimmel, assistant conductors

Les Cris des Berges (The Shepherd’s Cry): Bernat Vivancos  (b. 1973)
Tyler Todd Kimmel, tenor solo

Eatnemen Vuelie (The Earth’s Joik/song): Frode Fjellheim (b. 1959) 

Wexford Carol


UNIVERSITY CHORALE
Dr. Giselle Wyers, conductor
Serena Chin, collaborative pianist
Justin Birchell and Marshell Lombard, assistant conductors

Coventry Carol: 15th Century. Text from Pageant of the Shearman and Tailors 

O Magnum Mysterium:  Cesar Carrillo (b. 1957)

Shchedryk: Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921)


COMBINED CHOIRS FINALE
Geoffrey Boers, conductor

Carol of the Stranger: Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)


Lyrics and Text

Oure Light in Oure Night
Thus I saw and understode 
that oure feith is oure light in oure night, 
which light is God, our endless day.

Brightest and Best
Hail the bless’d morn, see the great Mediator
Down from the regions of glory descend!
Shepherds go worship the babe in the manger,
Lo, for his guard the bright angels attend.
:
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning, 
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.
Star in the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.

Cold on his cradle the dewdrops are shining,
Low lies his bed with the beasts of the stall.
Angels adore him in slumber reclining,
Maker, and Monarch, and Savior of all.

Shall we not yield him, in costly devotion,
Odours of Edom and off’rings divine,
Gems of the mountains and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?

 

Ku‘u Ipo Pua Rose
Translation from Hawai’ian: 
Beloved is my sweetheart, 
the rose My darling of the evening hours 
Made by me into a lei To adorn my person 
You are fair indeed to see 
A flower fondled by my hands 
A beauty that appeals to my heart 
A loved one to cherish in my bosom 
I love the voice of the cock 
That proclaims that day is here
This ends the song for my loved one 
My beloved one of the morning .

Light from NEXT TO NORMAL 
We need some light
First of all, we need some light
You can't sit here in the dark
And all alone, it's a sorry sight
It's just you and me
We'll live, you'll see.

Night after night
We'd sit and wait for the morning light
But we've waited far too long
For all that's wrong to be made right

Day after day
Wishing all our cares away
Trying to fight the things we feel
But some hurts never heal
Some ghosts are never gone
But we go on
We still go on

And you find some way to survive
And you find out you don't have 
to be happy at all
To be happy you're alive

Day after day 
Give me clouds and rain and gray 
Give me pain, if that's what's real 
It's the price we pay to feel 
The price of love is loss 
But still we pay 
We love anyway 
And when the night has finally gone 
And when we see the new day dawn 
We'll wonder how we wandered for so long, so blin
The wasted world we thought we knew 
The light will make it look brand new 
So let it shine, shine, shine 
Day after day, day after day 
We'll find the will to find our way 
Knowing that the darkest skies will someday see the sun 
When our long night is done 
There will be light 
When we open up our lives Sons and daughters, husbands, wives 
Can fight that fight 
There will be light


How Do You Fly?
 
Let’s say hello to the real world
Let's say hello to the real world
Give her a wave, tell her it's ok
To be scared of being discovered
Find it hard to trust another
To feel often like a child when you are grown
Saw you swoop by on that frosty night
I swear it was you, Lord, it must be true
I am tired but my eyes are shining
Be the one who catches lightning
But I'm scared of letting all the magic go
How do you fly? 'Cause I think I'm ready to give it a try

Let's say hello to the real world
Bring on the rain it'll be ok
How do you fly ‘round the planet?
Can you speak in every language?
How will I create my own path through the world?
How do you fly?
'Cause I think I'm ready to give it a try

I hear your feet on my old slate roof
I'll stay in bed, no I don't need proof
Let me hold on to the magic
Now close your eyes my sweet romantic
When they open there's another Christmas Day
How do you fly?
'Cause I think I'm ready to give it a try


Ad Astra
Ad astra per aspera
Sursum!
When you’re feeling troubled and you have lost your way
Don’t let hard times lead you astray
Though you may be weary just know you’re not alone
For the stars will guide you home
Movere de inceps se cura post omnes
Move forward, look upward, leave all cares behind!
To the stars!

Floating Moon on the Water
Floating moon on the water
Sparkling was the moon shadow
That night of our farewell;
The moonlight was tenderly
Reflected in your eyes.

I tried to scoop the 
floating moon into my hands
But the only thing captured was 
a chill to my heart.
Like the phantom of 
our love when we met– 
So true, and yet unable to be held. 

Floating moon on the water;
Blurred is the moon shadow.
The moon and the stars 
have gone to darkness,
And the floating moon on the 
water has gone away.


By Night

She leaned out into the midnight,
And the summer wind went by,
The scent of the rose on its silken wing
And a song its sigh.
Deep in the tarn the mountain
A mighty phantom gleamed,
Shadow and silver and floating cloud
Over it streamed.

And, in depths below, the waters
Answered some mystic height,
As a star stooped out of the depths above
With its lance of light.

And she thought, in the dark and the fragrance,
How vast was the wonder wrought
If the sweet world were but the beauty born
In its Maker’s thought. 

Les Cris des Berges 
No text. This piece is sung on vowels

Eatnemen Vuelie 
Translation from Saami Norwegian:
Lovely is the earth
Magnificent is God’s heaven
Beautiful is the soul’s pilgrimage
Through the wonderful
kingdoms of the earth
We go to paradise with song!


Wexford Carol
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon the morn
There was a blest Messiah born. 

The night before that happy tide
The noble virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass:
From every door repelled, alas!
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble oxen stall. 

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God’s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
Prepare and go, the angels said,
To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you’ll find, this happy morn,
A princely babe, sweet Jesus born.

With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as God’s angel has foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side the virgin maid
Attending to the Lord of Life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.


Coventry Carol 
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay                                                                                                             
Thou little tiny child                                                                                                               
Bye bye, lully, lullay                                                                                                                   
O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
“Bye bye, lully, lullay?”
Herod the king, in his raging
Chargèd he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay
That woe is me, poor child, for thee
And ever mourn and may
For thy parting neither say nor sing
“Bye bye, lully, lullay”
 

O Magnum Mysterium
O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord, lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord.  
Alleluia!


Shchedryk

Here flew the swallow from afar 
Started to sing lively and loud 
Asking the master to come out 
Come here, oh come, master – it’s time 
In the sheepfold wonders to find 
Your lovely sheep have given birth 
To little lambs of great worth 
All of your wares are very fine 
Coin you will have in a big pile 
All of your wares are very fine 
Coin you will have in a big pile 
You have a wife 
Fair as a dove
If not the coin, then the chaff 
You have a wife fair as a dove.


Carol of the Stranger

Peace and grace be to this house
Where all are welcomed in;
Receive the guest, receive this heart
Tell the Stranger, tell.

Tell the Stranger what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy:
Tell.

Make tall your walls, make long these beams,
Who once believed alone;
Make wide the circle, feed the fire:
Tell the Silence, tell.

Tell the Silence what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.

Blessings be upon this place,
Let every wound be healed,
Let every secret, every dream:
Tell the Angel, tell.

Tell the Angel what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.

Peace and grace be to this house,
All will be returned;
Let every soul be called your own,
Tell the Mystery, tell.

Tell the Mystery what you long to tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.


UW Gospel Choir 
Phyllis Byrdwell, director

Alex Ryan, Tenor

Hanh Nguyen, Alto

Yitong Wang, Alto

Yihao Jiao, Alto

Anna Korolova, Soprano

Sam Klebanoff, Tenor

Minhee(Emily) Park, Soprano

Tranquil Lu, Bass

Qiancho Zhao, Bass

Terry(Man) Yuan

Mimi Beck, Alto

Tova Beck, Alto

Anna Howard, Soprano

Gavin Westland, Tenor

Matthew Young,Bass

Aliyah Cleveland, Alto

Jochen Shasay, Bass

Karla Jo Tupper, Soprano

Anthony Chua, Bass

Valerie Hurtado, Alto

Carolyn Dawson, Alto

Jama Mohammad, Alto

Kalia Hobbs-Rutz, TA


UW GLEE CLUB
Evan Norberg and Tyler Todd Kimmel, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

TENORS 

Maia Bonifield 

Victor Canard-Duchene 

Bo-Cheng (Eric) Wu 

Hao Shen 

Jackie Smith 

Alex Trias 

Noelle Wenceslao 

BASSES 

Katherine Willow Agent 

Alex Beck 

Aaron Gehrke

 Paul Johns 

Ryan Mauery 

Gavin Morrow 

Christian Stranne 

Hao Weng


UNIVERSITY SINGERS
Cee Adamson and Scott Fikse, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

SOPRANOS

Gemma James

Katherine Lee

Vanessa Link

Lena Millard-Kish

Ximena Munoz Ramos

Cathy Oh

Kristina Vo

Katelyn Wales

Anna Willis

Angelica Wu

Ziyan Xin

ALTOS

June Belisle

Ekaterina Bogdanova

Samantha Corcoran

Phoenix Ershov

Samantha Grover

Caroline Hunter

Yuna Kim

Reid Lauzon

Julia Lee

Jenny Speelmon

Phyllicia Tjandra

Kathryn Wynn

Jingxuan Zhao

TENORS

Ezra Acevedo

Anne Alesandrini

Anup Hiwrale

Alexander Trias

Eric Wu

BASSES

Raymond Lam

Cole Siegrist

Kevin Jiarui Wang


UW TREBLE CHOIR
Larke Witten and Anjali Chudasama, conductors
Dominico Reyes, piano

SOPRANOS

Leon Feigelson

Xinghan/Alice Guo

Takoda (Koda) Jessen

Yiquing Lao

Iris Miller Sherman

Tanvi Sivakumar

Vinny Song 

Panda Standridge

Laura-Beth Straight

Taylor Burbacher

Kendall Braschler

Elizabeth Brown

Isamar Chavez

Weiyi Chin

Hayley Chu

Eudora Guan

Cole (Collette) Henry

Yuki Hirao

Olive Perrish

Emily Pinneo

Lola Rogin

Eugenie Suen

Anna Vu

Fangzhou/Luna Xie

Yuhan Zhang

ALTOS

Cori Davidson

Tristan Johnson

Maddie Keating

Angel Liang

Catinca Mosley 

Delaney Orzol

Amelia Rich

Brianne Rosen

Sushma Shakar

Haley Westberg

Melody Yeung

Gina Goble

Rachel Hall

Sophie Hall

AJ Illuri

AJ Johnson

Sydney Jordan

Milena Matthews

Jackie Smith

Magnolia Wood


UW CHAMBER SINGERS
Dr. Geoffrey Boers, conductor
Dominico Reyes, piano
Anjali Chudasama and Tyler Todd Kimmel, assistant conductors

SOPRANOS

Kaelyn Barnes, Everett, WA; BM, Vocal Performance

Sydney Belden, San Clemente, CA; Sophomore BM/BS, Music-Voice/Environmental Studies

Aida Bowen, Mount Vernon, WA; Junior Vocal Performance & American Indian Studies

Mavis Chan, Bellevue, WA; BM, Vocal Performance and BA, Business Administration - Marketing

Sydney Huang, Cleveland, OH; Freshman Pre-health Science 

Shalini Pullarkat, La Cañada, CA; BS, General Biology

Nandini Rathod, Mercer Island, WA; Freshman Pre-Sciences

Lauren Reynolds, Colorado Springs, CO; MMA, Marine and Environmental Affairs

Caitlin Sarwono, BA Music Education

ALTOS

Cee E. Adamson, Washington, D.C.; DMA, Vocal Performance

Lily Campbell, Olympia, WA; BA, Public Health-Global Health

Anjali Chudasama, Upland, CA; MM, Choral Conducting

Kristin Deitrich, Baroda, MI; Music Education

Heather Halverson, Woodinville, WA; Sophomore BM/BA,Vocal Performance/Communications

Elizabeth Lu, Tacoma, WA; BS, Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology

Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; BM, Music Education

Jaminfaye Reduque, DuPont, WA; BS, Bioresource Science and Engineering

Larke Witten, San Antonio, TX; MM, Choral Conducting 

TENORS

Eyad Alsimimy, 

Oliver Callahan, Anaheim, CA; BM, Music Education

Caleb Chin-Yung Chan, Portland, Oregon; BS, Computer Science

Tyler Todd Kimmel, Seattle, WA; DMA, Choral Conducting

Marshell Lombard, Johannesburg, South Africa; DMA, Choral Conducting

Chad Miller, Lansing, KS; PhD, Psychology

Tri Nguyen, Everett, WA; BS, Mechanical Engineering

Maggie Petersen, Mercer Island, WA; Undeclared Freshman

Isaac Tian, San Diego, CA ; PhD, Computer Science & Engineering

BASSES

Justin Birchell, Anchorage, AK; DMA, Choral Conducting

Charlie Dawson, Austin, TX; Economics

Scott Fikse, Tacoma, WA; MM, Choral Conducting 

Grant Hopkins, Blue Bell, PA; PhD student, Biostatistics

Evan Norberg, Seattle, Washington; DMA Choral Conducting

Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management

Trey Wheeler, Vancouver, WA; BM, Music Education & Vocal Performance 

James Wilcox, Nashville, TN; Computer Science & Engineering

✧- CHOIR LEADERSHIP


UW CHORALE
Dr. Giselle Wyers, conductor
Serena Chin, collaborative pianist
Justin Birchell and Marshell Lombard, assistant conductors

SOPRANO

Tia Bjornson, Tacoma, Wa; Community, Environment and Planning

Emily Cameron, Snohomish, WA; Mechanical Eng.

Chloe Chapman, Vancouver, WA; 

Lauren Chenoweth, Bellevue, WA

Sarah Clark, Mercer Island WA; Political Science

Kate Connors, Kennewick, WA

Julia Fung, Bothell, WA; Pre-major

Anika Harding, Danville, CA; Mechanical Engineering

Claire Killian, Evergreen, CO; Political Science & Phil.

Emma Koslosky, Castro Valley, CA; Communications

Anna Kucinski, Redmond, WA; Human-Centered Design & Engineering

Meena Kuduva, Kirkland, WA; Computer Science 

Ellen Kwon, Federal Way, WA; Piano Performance and Music Education 

Lena Lee, Lynwood, WA; Music Education; Pre-major

Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; Music Education

Julia Nipert, Renton, WA; Pre-Nursing

Chloe O'Keefe, San Francisco, CA; Gender, Women, Sexuality Studies and Public Health

Sophia Parker, Bothell, WA; Vocal Performance

Clara Propst, Seattle, WA; Psychology

Ace Quisido, Cebu City; Philippines; 

Meliza Redulla, Olympia, WA; Music Education

Sophie Root, Kirkland, WA; Psychology

Anne Tinker, Seattle, WA

Erin Tsai, Irvine, CA

ALTO

Lyla Cain, Seattle, WA; Electrical Engineering

Sofiia Fedzhora, Kyiv, Ukraine; Slavic Languages and Literatures Department

Alexis Georgiades, Basking Ridge, NJ; Chemistry

Christine Han, Suzhou, China; Intended: Philosophy

Naomi-Hal Hoffman, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance Drama: Design

Hongyi Ji, Shanghai China; Computer Science

Lexi Koperski, Chicago, IL; Anthropology and Music history

Ella L'Heureux, Leavenworth, KS; Linguistics

Hannah Limb, Mountlake Terrace, WA; Biology

Karissa Longo, Pittsburgh, PA; Music Education

Joely Loucks, Friday Harbor, WA; Music Education

Sophie Ma, Tokyo, Japan; Music Composition

Akhila Narayanan, Redmond, WA; Computer Eng.

Julia Park, Cambridge, MA; English Language and Lit., Journalism and Public Interest Comm.

Leah Peterson, Bellevue, WA; Astronomy and Physics

Jaminfaye Reduque, DuPont, WA; Bioresource Science and Engineering

Silvana Segura, Redmond, WA; Psychology

Maya Shah, Portland, OR; Undeclared

Nelly Sunstrum, Redmond, WA; Civil Engineering

Jessica Thaxton, Psychology

Aliyah Wachob, Belmont, CA; Law, Societies and Justice & Creative Writing

TENOR

Eyad Alsilimy, Mount Vernon, WA; Computer Eng.

Hannah Carpenter, Puyallup, WA; Physics and Astronomy

Gray Creech, Nashville, TN

Javier de Mabel, Pamplona, Spain

Eric Gagliano, Magnolia, TX; Civil Engineering

Cam Gardner, Sammamish, WA; Political Economy

Alé Hernandez, Rio Rancho NM

Michael Lim, Du Pont, WA

Karsten Lomax, Edmonds, WA; Comparative History of Ideas & Cinema and Media Studies

Marshell Lombard, Johannesburg, Gauteng (Place of Gold), South Africa, DMA Choral Conducting

John O’Kane, Seattle, WA; Industrial Systems Eng.

Spencer Lundt, University Place, WA; Mechanical Engineering

Luke van Sickel, Oregon City, OR

Ryan Singh, Redmond, WA; Geography: Data Science

Ethan Walker, Lynnwood, WA; Biology

BASS

Nshan Burns, Graham, WA; Economics

Charlie Dawson, Austin, TX; Economics

Matthew Hanson, Camas WA

Andrew Hoch, Burr Ridge, IL; Informatics

Jacob Knight, Lynnwood, WA; Computer Science

Jonah Ladish-Orlich, Renton, WA; Undeclared

Sidharth Lakshaman, Bellevue, WA; Computer Engineering

Alex Mason, Langhorne, PA

Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management

Zach Shafer, Camas, WA; Computer Science

Ryan Uken, Flower Mound, TX

Trey Wheeler, Vancouver, WA; Music Education & Vocal Performance

Director Bios

Professor Geoffrey Boers

Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Washington in Seattle, a program widely recognized as forward thinking, unique, and of great distinction. Under his direction, the graduate choral program has developed a singular mission: to nurture the whole student as conductor-teacher-servant-leader-scholar. This vision has led the program to become one of the most vibrant and innovative in the country, attracting students from around the world interested in exploring the future of our art. Through his teaching he is exploring the evolution of conducting gesture and rehearsal pedagogy and their connection with the emerging neuroscience of mirror neurons, empathy, perception, learning, and personal transformation. His exploration has led to new thoughts about conducting and teaching with regard to breath, movement, artistry, personal awareness, and cultural development. Recently, his work has led to the mentoring of local choral cohorts of teachers and conductors who are interested in building professional communities of ongoing mentorship and musical development.  He has developed such mentorship programs across the United States and Canada. In addition to these thoughts about mentorship he is actively working with other leaders in ACDA and NAfME to develop a more unified and useful system for development of musicianship, assessment, adjudication, and repertoire grading. 

Geoffrey maintains an active conducting, teaching, workshop and clinic schedule; his recent engagements have included conducting concerts in Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Meyerson Concert Hall in Dallas, New York’s Alice Tully and Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. In addition he has served as artist-in-residence in Toronto, Ontario, Mainz, Germany, as well as Seoul, Korea with the world-renown choir the Incheon City Chorale

In addition to his position at the UW, Boers sings professionally and is the conductor of the Tacoma Symphony Chorus where he conducts both the choir and symphony players in a four-concert season.

Since his tenure at the University of Washington, the choral program has become a leader in promoting the performance, study and exchange of Baltic music in the United States. The choir has toured to the Baltic countries in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013. Geoffrey Boers was awarded a prestigious Royalty Research Grant in 2004 to create a Baltic Choral Library in collaboration with the UW Library as well as State and academic libraries in the Baltic. This collection of scores, manuscripts, vocal music, and writings is the first of its kind in the United States. This collection has promoted yearly exchanges with choirs and conductors from the Baltic area who travel each year to Seattle. Further, it has led to numerous UW choral students winning awards and scholarships to travel, study, and work in the Baltic countries.

Phyllis Byrdwell

Phyllis Byrdwell, director of the UW Gospel Choir, is Minister of Music at Mount Zion Baptist Church of Seattle and also a music educator for Lakeside School. She has conducted several seminar workshops on Gospel music throughout Washington state and nationally, and served as a songleader for the Baptist World Alliance conference in Birmingham, England in 2005.

Byrdwell was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association's Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves on the Seattle Symphony Board of Directors.

A School of Music alumna, she holds a bachelor's degree in music and bachelor's and master's degrees in music education.

Giselle Wyers (she/her/hers) is the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Professor of Choral Music at the University of Washington, where she conducts the award-winning University Chorale and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting and music education. She serves as the newly appointed School of Music's designated Diversity Liaison. University Chorale’s latest CD, Resonant Streams (on the MSR Music Recordings label) was featured in a 2018 Gramophone magazine article. Wyers is the newly appointed director of Concord Chamber Choir, an adult community chorus within the Columbia Choirs community. Her professional project choir Solaris Vocal Ensemble, specializes in the performance of contemporary American choral literature. Their premiere album Floodsongs, on the Albany Music label, won the American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music in 2017-18.

As a guest conductor, Wyers has led high school honor choirs and all-state choruses in New York (Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center), Kansas, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Vancouver, Canada. She has conducted semi-professional ensembles across the United States and in Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Sweden. Wyers was in demand for Zoom lectures during the pandemic with Res Diversa Chamber Choir (Chile), Western Washington University (a three-week group composition project), University of Iowa, Northern Illinois University, Montana State University, and with the Mastersingers of Milwaukee (Wisconsin), as well as conducting Nevada All-State online. 

Wyers is a leading national figure in the application of Laban movement theory for conductors. She has served as guest lecturer in conducting at Sweden’s Örebro Universitet, European Festival of Church Music (Germany), Latvian Academy of Music, Eastman School of Music, Ithaca College, Westminster Choir College, University of Iowa, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Portland State University.

Wyers’ choral works are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company as part of the "Giselle Wyers Choral Series," and have been performed across the United States, South America, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and numerous European cities. She will conduct her 30-minute choral cycle entitled And All Shall Be Well, in Carnegie Hall May of 2022 with a consortium of NW-based choruses. In 2021-22, she will serve as composer-in-residence for the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium's annual festivities celebrating the return of in-person singing (her appearance is sponsored by Consortio). Wyers is also committed to mentoring scholar-writers in the field, and serves on the editorial board of ACDA’s Choral Journal.

Cee

Cee E. Adamson (she/they/Mx.), mezzo-soprano, is pursuing the DMA in Vocal Performance at the University of Washington, where she is studying with Dr. Carrie Shaw. Prior to the University of Washington, Cee studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, based in London, where she received the Master of Music and the Master of Performance degrees and was designated a Guildhall Artist. Other education includes the Advanced Artist Diploma and Master of Music from Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University, and undergraduate degrees in music, accounting, and management from Franklin Pierce University. 

Mx. Adamson occupies a fluid place as an operatic talent, capable of treading the beguiling and liminal space between the countertenor and mezzo-soprano. Cee’s vocal versatility has been well showcased in roles as Oberon in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Giulio Cesare in Handel's Giulio Cesare, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and tragic and comic roles from Mercedes in Carmen to Florence Pike in Albert Herring. Cee was also requested to appear as a featured supernumerary in Glimmerglass Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s Orphée.

Before turning her full attention to performing, Mx. Adamson served as an arts administrator and educator with several organizations such as Bel Cantanti Opera, Washington Revels, and Glimmerglass Opera. Cee is an avid performer in opera and recitals and has an affinity for the music of Buxtehude, Handel, Schumann, Poulenc, and Wagner. Additionally, Cee enjoys early jazz, music from the Roaring Twenties, Cole Porter, Sarah Vaughan, and contemporary classical music. 

Outside of music, Mx. Adamson is passionate about social justice, higher education administration, fashion, travel, and just about all things pertaining to the United Kingdom. 

Anj

Anjali is an alumna of the Masters of Music in Choral Conducting program.  Before moving to Seattle, she was an active performer and conductor in the Southern California and Chicagoland areas, particularly centered in the intersection between music education, choral music, and community music making.  

Anjali completed her Bachelor of Music Education from Wheaton College where she studied with John William Trotter and Mary Hopper.  She served as the Honors Conductor for the Concert Choir for two years as a creative and musical leader for many unorthodox projects such as: FEAST - an interactive exploration of the Shabbat dinner through the musical, theatrical, visual, and culinary arts;  Singing the Reformation - the premier of a semi-staged concert-length compilation of Michael Praetorius' poly-choral works; and, The Big Sing - a project of community building through choral music which included hundreds of "non-musician" singers and participants.  Following graduation, she was invited back to serve as a guest conductor to continue her work in choral improvisation and audience engagement with the Concert Choir through projects such as the WCC Chicago Weekend, which included multiple performances and engagements throughout Chicago from homeless shelters to churches, and to continue the Concert Choir's dedication to singing, teaching, and learning in the Sheridan Correctional Center.  

An educator by trade and by heart, Anjali has taught Choir, Music History and Appreciation, and Music from Different Cultures in classrooms with students of all ages from K-5, to middle school and high school, to a community treble choir in the Chicagoland area, striving to utilize a student-centered and equity-based pedagogical approach.  She has also performed as an active Mezzo-Soprano soloist, chamber musician, and symphonic chorister to feed her love of the vocal instrument, and teaches voice lessons to students of all ages.  Anjali is grateful for the opportunities she has had to learn from master conductors such as Jerry Blackstone, Bruce Chamberlain, Simon Carrington, Geoffrey Boers, Giselle Wyers, John William Trotter, and Mary Hopper, and to sing under and absorb knowledge from many others, notably Rodney Eichenberger and John Nelson.  She hopes to utilize the wisdom and experience learned from her students and teachers to help expand the tradition of choral music to reach populations and transform individuals beyond the scope of the concert hall. 

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