Thirty-Five Years (and Counting…) of People, Talent, and Glorious Music: The Magnolia Chorale
by Patty McKeehan, based on oral histories from Don Austin, Pat Gaffney, Dr. Jean-Marie Kent, Dr. Julia Tai, Randi Scheuer Mezich, Roger and Marlys Seeman, Bill Zachary, and Celeste Stubbs
As weather goes, the evening of December 8, 1989, was fairly mild for Seattle. The temperature was about 45°F. It was cloudy, but remarkably there was no rain. So when a group of singers, in a fledgling choral group known as the Magnolia Chorale, made their way across the Ballard Bridge at rush hour to the old Nordic Heritage Museum for a seven o’clock holiday concert, traffic may have been their biggest challenge.
Program cover for first Magnolia Chorale Concert, December 1989, designed by singer Megan Furness. Image Source: Magnolia Chorale
The hassle of getting to Ballard by six o’clock on a Friday evening was soon brushed aside by the excitement of performing for the first time under the Magnolia Chorale banner. Don Austin, co-founder and first music director of the Chorale recalls: "The museum was hosting another event earlier in the evening, which brought quite a crowd to the location. When it came time for our concert to start, the crowd had left, and we ended up with more singers on the risers than people in the audience."​
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“The first year was the only time the Chorale tried to do three concerts on one weekend. It was an absolute zoo logistically to get choir members from work through the traffic, into Ballard, and up on the risers in time for the performance.”
Don Austin, co-founder, first music director of the Magnolia Chorale
A second concert the next night, at St. Anne’s Church in Queen Anne, had a similarly skimpy audience. However, the third concert, on Sunday afternoon of December 10 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Magnolia produced a respectable turnout.
Springing from A Celebration of Hope
​The seeds of the Magnolia Chorale were planted in 1979 when singers from church choirs in Magnolia, Queen Anne, and Ballard joined with those from the Magnolia Episcopal Church of the Ascension to present Skillings and Johnson’s choral work A Celebration of Hope. The members of the combined ecumenical choir became friends during rehearsals, and those friendships continued to grow after the event.
During the next decade, several Magnolia churches joined together for ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve services, which included singers from all the church choirs. These brought together many of the same singers from the earlier A Celebration of Hope event.
In 1989, when Church of the Ascension decided to present a tenth anniversary performance of Celebration, many of the original singers returned, as did several new recruits. During rehearsal breaks for the 1989 concert, singers talked about the possibility of starting a community choir. The idea was to create a larger group to perform a broader range of music than they sang in their church choirs. About fifteen singers expressed interest.
In July 1989, Don Austin, Pat Gaffney, and Carolyn Scheuer called a group of interested singers for the first of many meetings at Scheuer’s house in Magnolia to create an organizational framework for the new choir. They had to figure out the kind of music they would sing, where they would sing it, how to get the word out to recruit singers and draw audiences, who would direct and accompany them, and how they would get the funds to pay for music, venues, and other basic expenses.
At one of the first meetings, Steph Ross (another founding member) suggested that Austin should be music director, based on his education and experience. Austin had a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a Master of Arts for Teachers degree in Music from the University of Washington. In addition, starting in 1983, Austin had often filled in as interim choral director at the Magnolia United Church of Christ (MUCC). The rest of the planners agreed he was a great pick, and Austin agreed to direct the first season without compensation.
Pat Gaffney offered to take care of the sound system. He brought his own microphones and amplifiers, as well as recording equipment, to each concert. He also kept track of the historical records of the Chorale. Scheuer took on building community support, fundraising, and concert promotion.
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Starting from scratch
​During those first meetings, the new choir decided to have two semesters, each with about twelve Sunday night rehearsals. The fall semester started the first Sunday after Labor Day and finished with two performances early in December to avoid the holiday rush. The spring semester started at the end of January and concluded with two performances in late April or early May.
The organizers thought the best way to attract new singers would be to perform where potential singers might come to listen. Since the initial Chorale members were from Queen Anne, Ballard, and Magnolia, they decided to schedule a performance in each of those neighborhoods for the first concert series in 1989.
The group wanted to sing a broader range of music genres than they sang in their church choirs. Austin recalled, “It was unanimously determined that if we were going to put together a community choir, it needed to include sacred and secular music. That opened the door to selections from musical theatre, pop, and all kinds of other music. The challenge was to decide how to mix sacred and secular music into a community concert and to find music to sing. That led us to start building our own music library.”
Another big challenge for the group was how to pay for music, venue rentals, and other costs. They set a small amount for member dues that first semester. To make ends meet, the director donated his time, they borrowed sheet music from church libraries and Seattle Pacific University, (where some members were on staff), passed the hat, and relied on donations from the community.
Scheuer had started Carolyn’s Beauty Salon in Magnolia Village three decades earlier. By 1989 she knew most of the merchants in the area and had great instincts about how to encourage some of her fellow businesses to support an up-and-coming musical group in their own backyard. She made personal requests to potential business sponsors, then gathered their checks along with their business cards, which were printed as ads in the concert program. Each sponsor received two complimentary tickets to the upcoming performance.​
“Mom started making phone calls to people she thought might be willing to give the Chorale some financial support. In the concert seasons that followed, she would go merchant to merchant with a program from the previous concert in hand, giving them the ‘opportunity’ to be a sponsor of this wonderful community group that would enrich the neighborhood.”
Randi Scheuer Mezich, daughter of co-founder Carolyn Scheuer, and singer in the Magnolia Chorale from 1989-2015.
​Scheuer also started the Friends of the Chorale list, consisting of individuals (friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers, etc.) who might be willing to donate. Each semester, like clockwork, she sent the Friends a letter promoting the upcoming concert, which included a tear-off form at the bottom to (hopefully) be sent back with a donation. Friends of the Chorale were listed in the program and received complimentary tickets to the concerts. Scheuer also took on promotional duties. Her fundraising efforts were quite successful, and by the second concert season in Spring 1990, both the music director and accompanist were paid.
“Pat Gaffney, Carolyn Scheuer, and Don Austin prepare for concert.” Ballard News-Tribune article, November 29, 1989, announcing first concert. Reprinted with permission from Robinson Newspapers.
Setting the stage for a long run
​That first concert set the model for future repertoire. Typically, half of the December concert would feature a major multi-movement piece such as Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, or Rutter’s Magnificat, while the other half would include a mixture of holiday standards and carols from all over the world. That year (and nearly every December concert since), the Chorale invited the audience to join in to sing a group of familiar carols.
Spring concerts tended to be a bit lighter but still substantive, ranging from Wagner’s "Pilgrims’ Chorus" and Fauré’s "Requiem" to selections from Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, the Beach Boys, and a whole host of Disney movie classics.
Après Sing celebrations were a much-loved tradition started by Austin and his wife Fay after the first concert series. Members would bring friends or family members, as well as a dish to share, to a gathering after the Sunday concert. Attendees enjoyed a glass (or two) of champagne and chatted with other members while listening to a recording of the Saturday night concert in the background.
A core group of singers stayed with the Chorale over the next three decades, and their numbers continued to grow. Austin continued to wear many hats. One of the most time-consuming tasks was ordering sheet music and maintaining the growing music library, which was stored in his basement.
In 1996 Austin turned over the music library—which by then filled about fifteen bankers’ boxes—to Celeste Stubbs. Stubbs continued Austin’s diligent maintenance of the library, ensuring there were enough copies of each piece for the growing number of singers, and that any music borrowed from other choirs was returned in as good or better shape than received. Stubbs continued as music librarian for another twenty-plus years before Darrel and Betty Ede took on the task.
“While I was music director, my wife Fay and I hosted the after-concert parties in our home after the Sunday afternoon concert. Pat Gaffney would bring the recording from the Saturday evening concert to play while we sang along, and hooted and hollered when things sounded really good. Ken Schubert always brought champagne for everyone.”
Don Austin, co-founder, first music director of the Magnolia Chorale
Engaging with the community
​In the early 1990s, the Chorale started reaching out to the community. They accepted multiple invitations to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Seattle Mariners baseball games and Thunderbirds hockey games. If the Mariners were playing the Toronto Blue Jays, the Chorale would also sing a four-part arrangement of "O Canada."
The holidays brought Chorale members out caroling in Magnolia Village during Winterfest. They also performed outreach concerts at senior living venues around the city and at various park festivals throughout the summer.
In August 1993, the Chorale took the "Fantasy" half of the previous spring’s Freedom and Fantasy concert on the road…literally. Bill Toney, a former Magnolia resident and good friend of Austin’s, towed his hay wagon down from Coupeville for Chorale members to decorate as a float for the Magnolia Days parade. Speakers hooked up to Toney’s tractor played the recording from the Chorale’s spring concert, as Toney towed the float carrying a group of Magnolia Chorale members down the McGraw Street parade route and into second place in the float contest!
The first two Chorale accompanists had brief turns with the group. Pianist Diane Beckman left after the first year and Dick Woodruff came on board for the December 1990 concert. Then, in spring 1991, Diane Johnson Lemcio took over as accompanist and continued through spring 1999.
Austin directed the Chorale through the spring 1997 concert and sang with the Chorale for a few more years. He also stepped in as music director a few times to fill in for illnesses or injuries, and during music director search periods.
His first return as director was for the December 1999 tenth anniversary concert, followed by stints in 2003 and 2007. His strong guidance from the start helped establish a solid foundation for subsequent music directors and all who added a new dimension to the group.
Many of the first group of members continued singing with the Chorale well into its third decade, including Pat Gaffney, Roger and Marlys Seeman, Ken and Lucia Schubert, Liz Roach, and Bill Zachary. In fact, Gaffney, Roger Seeman, and Zachary were still singing with the group at the thirty-fifth anniversary celebration.
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Music director Don Austin directing the Magnolia Chorale in the "Star-Spangled Banner" at a Mariners game in the Seattle Kingdome, April 1993. Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Chorale.
Magnolia Chorale members on their second place Magnolia Days float, August 1993. Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Chorale.
Music director Don Austin directing the Magnolia Chorale in the "Star-Spangled Banner" at a Mariners game in the Seattle Kingdome, April 1993. Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Chorale.
Changing with the seasons
​Over the next few decades, the Chorale continued to flourish under the baton of several talented music directors.
Ron Haight took over the Chorale director’s podium in spring 1997 and directed the group through spring 1999. His December repertoires included international holiday classic arrangements from notable composers such as Rutter, Holst, Ralph Vaughn Williams, and others. Spring performances ranged from spirituals and folk songs to American standards and show tunes, including selections from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, and South Pacific.
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Reaching out to the new millennium
​The new millennium brought a new director—Charles W. Zwicki—and a new accompanist, Patty Cheek.
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Zwicki’s spring concert repertoire ranged from a program called "Composers of the English Tradition," including Henry Purcell, Benjamin Britten, Thomas Morley, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and John Rutter; to lighter favorites like "Somewhere Out There," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and "Bye Bye Love." December concert offerings included both the sacred—such as the Gregorian chant "Puer Natus Est" and Poulenc’s "Gloria"—and more familiar melodic winter harmonies and holiday favorites. In 2002, Zwicki added Albrecht’s "Go in Peace and Love" sung a cappella, creating a poignant finale that became the traditional closing anthem for Chorale concerts for many years.
“As I look back over the many musical highlights of the past thirty-five years, a few stand out as particularly meaningful: the 1991 Pacific Northwest premier performance of the recently published John Rutter Magnificat; the Rutter Requiem with chamber ensemble at Ascension in 2004; Chorale participation in Magnolia Days festivities; caroling in Magnolia Village; the Vivaldi Gloria in 2014; and, most recently, the beautiful and moving performance of Mozart’s Ave verum corpus, which had never before been performed by the Chorale.”
Pat Gaffney, co-founder and singer in the Magnolia Chorale, upon retiring from the Chorale at the thirty-fifth anniversary concert.
​​A few more accompanists came and went in the early 2000s, until fall 2004, when Clint Gawthrop started a seventeen-year run as accompanist, spanning the tenure of four music directors.
Gawthrop was a favorite among the singers because any time they started to get lost in the weeds on a difficult section of music, they would hear their missing notes magically rise from the piano just in time to save them. Gawthrop was also known for creating accompaniment scores just so he wouldn't have to turn a single page in performance. He would shrink down the score to a tiny blur of notes, then cut and paste them onto a separate sheet. The resulting document would spool all the way across the piano.
It was during Zwicki’s tenure that the Chorale applied for and was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and formed an official Board of Directors. Zwicki introduced a bit of international adventure as well. In July 2002 and again in July 2005, Zwicki invited Chorale members to join his Lake Forest Park Presbyterian choir on European singing tours. Several Chorale members participated in the trips, which included concerts in churches and cathedrals, and sightseeing throughout England and Scotland in 2002 and Eastern Europe three years later.
The Eastern Europe trip was especially eventful. On the way from Prague to a performance in Herrnbaumgarten, Austria, their bus broke down on the freeway in the heat of the day. The driver was able to pull the bus over near a cornfield, which provided some relief from the hot sun. The singers moved from the bus to the cornfield, where they sat among the cornstalks, bugs, and cobwebs while making "corny" jokes and waiting over three hours for a new bus. It just so happened that there was a built-in refrigerator in the front of the bus filled with mini bottles of local Czech beer, which the driver shared with the group while they waited.
A new bus finally arrived, but the delay made them late to the performance site and they had to sing in their cornfield clothes. Austin recalled that "our reception from the audience for that concert was the best of the entire tour. The bus drove by the front of the church and we saw a lot of people waiting outside because it was so hot. They broke into applause when they saw us drive by." The singers took a brief break to freshen up and then proceeded to perform for a very enthusiastic audience.
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Keeping the music going
​Austin stepped back in to direct the spring 2007 concerts because shortly before rehearsals were to start, Zwicki fell off a ladder and crushed his ankle. Zwicki decided not to return the next year, so the director’s baton was passed to Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes in fall 2007.
In her time directing the Chorale’s fall 2007 and spring 2008 concert series, Dr. Garbes included pieces such as Felix Mendelssohn’s choral fanfare for Christmas, "Huron Carol" (arr. Dale Warland), and the South African folk song Bambelela, alongside familiar showtunes and spirituals. In spring 2008, Dr. Garbes moved to Chicago to take a job as assistant professor of music at Lake Forest College.
In fall 2008, Jean-Marie Kent took the reins as the Chorale’s music director. At the time Kent was working on a Doctor of Choral Conducting degree from the University of Washington, specializing in collaboration and community engagement. Kent focused on capturing the energy that comes from a community choir made up of singers with wildly diverse musical experiences, knowledge, and skill.
From fall 2008 through spring 2010, Kent continued to add more jazz and pop, while still including major classical works such as Michael Larkin’s "Advent Meditation" and Tomás Luis de Victoria’s O Magnum Mysterium. In spring 2009 she commissioned "Music in the Night" from Eric Barnum to mark the Chorale’s twentieth anniversary celebration. Fittingly, that concert opened with “This is the Hope” from Otis Skillings A Celebration of Hope concert that planted the seeds of Magnolia Chorale in 1979 and 1989.
In July 2010, Dr. Kent led the Chorale on a two-night trip to Duncan, BC on Vancouver Island to sing. The next day the Chorale sang at the nearby Shawnigan Lake School. It was a kind of bittersweet experience— shortly after the trip to BC, Dr. Kent accepted a position at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan and turned the director’s baton over to Dr. Julia Tai, who directed her first Chorale concert in 2010.
“We took the ferry over together and had a coach bus that drove us down to Duncan, BC. It was so much fun. We went on the totem pole tour in the morning, and the bus driver took the whole choir into the little cul-de-sac where I used to live. A lot of the people who came to the concert hadn’t seen me for a long time so it was like a big reunion.”
Dr. Jean-Marie Kent, Magnolia Chorale music director, fall 2008 to spring 2010; fall 2013 to spring 2022.
A new decade. A new director
​In 2007, Dr. Tai had become music director at MUCC and got to know several members of its choir who also sang in the Magnolia Chorale. When she became music director of the Chorale, she was already very familiar with the group.
Dr. Tai further expanded the Chorale’s international offerings. Her first holiday concert series in 2010 revolved around Carols and Lullabies, a suite of traditional carols in Spanish and Catalan composed by Conrad Susa, and its companion piece A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten. In spring they lightened things up with themes like "100% Jazz" in 2011 with John Rutter’s Birthday Madrigals dedicated to popular jazz pianist George Shearing, and "America Sings," a repertoire full of American folk songs and poems set to music, in 2012.
That semester Evan Norberg joined the Chorale as assistant director, and as an integral singing member of the Chorale, contributing his strong baritone as part of the ensemble and as a soloist. Norberg continued in those roles through spring 2018 and returned to sing with the group for the spring 2019 concert. It was also very common to see him, as well as other former staff and members, in the audience at Chorale concerts even after they were no longer a part of the Chorale.
Dr. Tai left the Chorale after the spring 2013 concerts due to increasing demands from her position as founder and co-artistic director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra, and music director of Philharmonia Northwest. As luck would have it, Dr. Kent had returned to Seattle, and the Chorale board asked if she would direct once again. She graciously accepted and returned to the Chorale in fall 2013 with the "Silver Bells" concert series in honor of the group’s twenty-fifth anniversary year.
Over the next seven years Dr. Kent’s concerts were notable for their lively themes—both dramatic and playful—and the props and costumes that came along with them. The December concerts usually started with a serious first half with pieces such as Rutter’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, or "Silent Night" sung in multiple languages, followed by lighter works like McGowan’s "The Snickelways of York" or Hatfield’s "All For Me Grog." Spring concerts typically took on a more lighthearted tone with songs ranging from Dr. Kent’s own arrangement of the folk song and local favorite "Acres of Clams" to Hayes’ "Swinging with the Saints." Dr. Kent also often invited local children’s choirs to sing a piece or two with the Chorale and then perform their own sets for delighted audiences.
One of Dr. Kent’s favorite concerts was "Songs at an Exhibition" in spring 2015. The Chorale invited various artists from the area to each create a work of art based on a piece in the repertoire. Each work was projected on a screen and the actual piece was carried into the performance space before the Chorale sang the related choral piece. A review of the concert is available here.
The "Radio Hour" concert in spring 2016 covered favorite tunes from each decade from the 1930s through the 1990s. Chorale members wore costumes based on their favorite decade. Characters decked out in forties cocktail dresses; fifties white tee shirts, leather jackets, poodle skirts, and saddle shoes; and seventies-era tie-dyed tops and vintage headbands painted a visual accompaniment to an eclectic repertoire that included "I Love Paris," "Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off," "Rockin’ Robin," and selections from the Best of the Beach Boys, The Beatles in Revue, Disco Fever, and ABBA Forever, among others.
In spring 2018, Evan Norberg bade farewell to the Chorale as assistant director. Yuly Kopkin, who had earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington on a Fulbright scholarship, joined the Chorale as assistant music director for a year before moving on to form his own choir.
In fall 2019 Katrina Turman became assistant director of the Chorale while she was working on a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from UW.
For the May 2016 Radio Hour concert Magnolia Chorale members dressed to celebrate their favorite decade. Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Chorale.
The best laid plans
​In summer 2019, Dr. Kent and the Chorale board started planning a special thirtieth anniversary celebration for the following spring. It was to be quite an event, with selected favorite musical pieces of past directors, some of whom would attend the Saturday evening gala and direct their favorite piece for the performance. Unfortunately, COVID-19 arrived. On March 6, 2020, six weeks into the semester, rehearsals were suspended with the hope that they might resume after a few weeks. That turned out to be a blind hope as COVID cases and deaths continued to rise, and ten days later the thirtieth anniversary concerts were cancelled.
However, the Chorale kept going virtually despite COVID isolation. Over the next two years, online events gave members a chance to stay in touch. Just a few months after the shutdown, the Chorale hosted a virtual "Name That Tune" competition attended by current and past members, music directors, and assistant directors.
As the pandemic wore on Dr. Kent created a series of virtual dinner-making/singing events starting at the end of January 2021. The online events started at 6:00 p.m. with attendees all cooking the same recipe that had been emailed earlier in the week. Then, at seven, the music began with a short trivia contest, warm-up, group singing on mute, and then transitioning into sectionals to learn parts for the next themed event. Since each person could only hear themselves, the sound was left to the imagination. But the virtual gatherings helped to keep Chorale members’ voices in shape and to keep connections going until a time when they could sing together again.
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Fond memories of food and friendship
Food was always a big part of the Magnolia Chorale experience. Each semester started with a potluck to which members brought their favorite dishes to share as they caught up with other singers and got acquainted with new members before the first rehearsal. Each vocal section took a turn setting up chairs and bringing treats for subsequent rehearsals.
Over the years, competition among the sections created quite a gastronomic feast. Offerings ranged from macaroons to smoked pheasant, all kinds of cheese, dip, crackers, pastries, cookies, deviled eggs, barbequed pork, and much more. These sometimes not-so-brief breaks from singing gave members a chance to get to know each other and build strong bonds of friendship that lasted decades…and perhaps add a few pounds.
Bringing back the joy of singing together
​Finally, in January 2022, in-person rehearsals for the Chorale’s first concert in more than two years resumed (with vaccination and masking requirements), and with another staff change. Gawthrop declined to return to the Chorale, so for the first time in eighteen years the group had a new accompanist: Dominico Reyes.
The Chorale presented a single performance at Magnolia Lutheran Church on Saturday night of April 23, 2022, under the direction of Dr. Kent. Themed "Turn, Turn," the concert featured Seasons: A Song Cycle by Linda Spevacek and other romantic crowd favorites. Although the risers had fewer singers and the pews had fewer audience members than before the pandemic, the enthusiasm was as strong as ever. The spring 2022 concert marked the end of Dr. Kent’s direction of the Chorale, as she accepted a position as artistic director of Seattle Children’s Chorus.
In fall 2022 Joseph To became music director, bringing a particular passion for world music to Magnolia Chorale. His first concert series in December 2022 featured an international slate of pieces including the African Noel, Hanukkah songs, and carols from Spain, Scandinavia, and Colombia, as well as a three-song tribute to the people of Ukraine. Both Chorale and audience members wore masks (due to a recent COVID spike) but the music shone through.
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Lucia Schubert (L) and Dr. Jean-Marie Kent (R) at an ice cream social farewell event, September 2022. Photograph courtesy of Jean Withers.
Making up for lost time
​In spring 2023 the masks came off as the Chorale presented "Letters to Our Beloved Earth" with a mix of classical, contemporary, and international selections dedicated to the wonders of the planet. Two pieces—"HuXi," composed by Ng Cheuk-yin, and "Mae-e," composed by Kentaro Sato—made their Seattle debuts.
Zhanhong Kuang took on the role of accompanist in fall 2023 and recruiting for new members ramped up. By spring 2024 the Chorale had returned to nearly fifty members in time to celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary the weekend of May 4 and 5.
Three former music directors—Don Austin, Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes, and Dr. Julia Tai—past board presidents Jean Withers and Ann Macfarlane, and many former Chorale members attended. Dr. Kent was there in spirit but was busy directing her new choirs that weekend.
Several of the former members and former directors in attendance joined the Chorale in singing a contemporary arrangement of "Shenandoah" that was first performed by the Chorale in 2003. There was genuine joy in the room among singers past and present, former staff, and long-time fans to be able to reconnect and recall some of the early days of the Chorale through their favorite music. The joyful spirit continued the next day at the matinee concert at Church of the Ascension, which also had a full house.
The turnout of loyal Magnolia Chorale supporters, members, and staff, past and present, for the thirty-fifth anniversary celebration was heartwarming. It also helped to confirm that the strong bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love of music that built Magnolia Chorale are ongoing, and will continue to sustain it in the years to come.
Magnolia Chorale music directors past and present at thirty-fifth anniversary gala, May 4, 2024. (L to R): Don Austin, Heather MacLaughlin Garbes, Joseph To, Julia Tai. Photograph courtesy of Chuck Jackson.
Magnolia Chorale Staff 1989-2024
Music Directors:
All of our music directors brought the benefit of significant musical education to the Chorale, and have continued to distinguish themselves in musical endeavors after their tenure with us.
Don Austin, founding music director of Magnolia Chorale, directed the group until fall 2007. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 1962 and a Master of Arts for Teachers degree in Music from the University of Washington in 1971. Don also filled in as interim choral director at MUCC and later moved to Arizona, where he joined another community choir as a singer, eventually directing the group for ten years until he retired in spring 2024.
Ron Haight became Chorale music director in spring 1997 and continued through spring 1999. Ron was music director at the First Free Methodist Church in Queen Anne for many years, where he directed a growing music program featuring choirs, instrumental ensembles, handbells, and drama groups. He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University, directed the SPU Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and eventually became director of music technology at the school.
Charles W. Zwicki directed Magnolia Chorale from spring 2000 through fall 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet Performance and a Master of Arts degree in Vocal Performance, with an emphasis on Choral Conducting, from Northwest Missouri State University (now Truman State University). He was appointed Director of Music Ministries at Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church in 1991 and has directed mass choir events throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Heather MacLaughlin Garbes served as the Chorale’s music director for the fall 2007/spring 2008 concert series. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington, where she studied with Geoffrey Boers. She received her M.M. in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington and her BME from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Heather has also directed numerous musical theater productions at Youth Theatre Northwest, and became artistic director and conductor of the Everett Chorale in 2021.
Dr. Julia Tai started directing the Chorale in fall 2010 and continued through spring 2013. Julia studied violin, piano, and voice from a young age, and earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts Performance and Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Washington. She went on to become music director of Philharmonia Northwest and the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, and co-artistic director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra.
Dr. Jean-Marie Kent served as music director of Magnolia Chorale for a total of 11 years: from fall 2008 through spring 2010 and from fall 2013 through spring 2022. Before coming to Seattle, Kent earned a Master of Music in Conducting at McGill University in Montreal and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Regina. She had also conducted several orchestras and choirs, including the University of Regina Chamber Singers, the Nanaimo Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Civic Orchestra. Once in Seattle she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington, specializing in collaboration and community engagement. In Spring 2022, she accepted a position as artistic director of Seattle Children’s Chorus.
Joseph To was named Magnolia Chorale music director in fall 2022. With a master’s degree in choral conducting and a bachelor’s degree in music education, To is an accomplished leader of several other organizations in the area, including the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle and Northminster Presbyterian Church. Joseph also serves as the World Music and Dance Repertoire and Resources Chair for the Washington Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (WAACDA).
Assistant Directors:
Nuria Molins: fall 2008-fall 2009
Sam McCoy: spring 2009
Jeremiah Selvey: fall 2010
Evan Norberg: fall 2011-spring 2018
Yuly Kopkin: fall 2018-spring 2019
Katrina Turman: fall 2019-spring 2021
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Accompanists:
Diane Beckman: fall 1989-spring 1990
Dick Woodruff: fall 1990
Diane Johnson Lemcio: spring 1991-winter 1999
Laurie Haugo: fall 1998
Patty Cheek: spring 2000-fall 2001
Noel Channon: spring 2002
Emil Illiev: fall 2002-spring 2004
Clint Gawthrop: fall 2004-fall 2021
Dominico Reyes: spring 2022-spring 2023
Zhanhong Kuang: fall 2023-current ​