Staff
Holly Boaz
Resident Soprano
Joining the Seattle Choral Company as Resident Soprano for our 2012-2013 season is Holly Boaz. Ms. Boaz holds degrees in music from the University of Wisconsin, where she was a Hilldale Fellowship winner, and from The Hartt School, where she was the recipient of the Berkowitz Opera Scholarship. She currently teaches in the voice department at Pacific Lutheran University.
In recent seasons, Holly Boaz has made solo appearances with the Seattle Symphony, Aldeburgh Festival, Hartford Symphony, Bellevue Philharmonic, Kirkland Choral Society, Music of Remembrance, and the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. She has performed leading roles with Tacoma Opera, Connecticut Opera, Quad Cities Opera, Aspen Opera Theater, Vashon Opera, Center City Opera, and others. She is a former member of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program, where she performed Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff. She completed fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival and Music Academy of the West, studying with Vinson Cole, Carol Vaness, Marilyn Horne, and Warren Jones. Roles range from Mozart’s Konstanze, Susanna, and Despina to Puccini’s Mimi and Musetta; from Rossini’s Contessa di Folleville to Britten’s Governess and Offenbach’s Eurydice.
Ms. Boaz is a dedicated recitalist, having studied and performed at the Britten-Pears Programme in Aldeburgh, England, and at the Art Song Festival at Baldwin-Wallace College (formerly the Cleveland Art Song Festival). She has given recitals for the 60th Aldeburgh Festival, the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Lutheran University, the Saugerties Pro Musica Series in New York, the Midland Symphony Showcase Series, and the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle.
Numerous organizations have honored her with grants and awards including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Schubert Club, the Richardson Awards, the Sun Valley Opera Competition, and the Washington State Arts Council. She was the 2010 winner of the Western Washington District and Northwest Regional NATSAA competition, going on to win the Lee Cass Award at the national competition in Salt Lake City.
Jon Lackey
Resident Tenor I
Tenor Jon Lackey garners international acclaim for his appearances both on the solo recital stage and as a concert soloist with symphony orchestras. His distinctive voice is a unique blend of both Heldentenor and lyric tenor—a combination that has lead international critics to refer to Mr. Lackey’s voice as having both “penetrating power” and “focused lyricism”. Mr. Lackeys’ vocal prowess is due in great part to his study of the bel canto singing technique with his master teacher, Ilse Metternich, in Munich, Germany.
Mr. Lackey currently serves as the Minister of Music (organist and choir master), at Peace Lutheran in Seattle, Washington, and joins the Seattle Choral Company for the first time this season as their Resident Tenor I.
Mr. Lackey has sung countless performances internationally, many of which have been broadcast live to millions around the world by the BBC, Radio France, WGMS Radio in Washington, D.C., and PBS Television. He has sung for U.S. Presidents, foreign heads of state, ambassadors, and royalty. Mr. Lackey was named the Top National Finalist in the prestigious National Federation of Music Clubs Voice Competition, scoring above all of the nearly 300 classically trained singers from throughout the United States. His career has included solo performances at the National Gallery of Art and Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and major concert halls in Great Britain, France, and Germany. He also performs extensively as a guest artist with symphony orchestras including L’Orchestre de Bordeaux, the Seattle Symphony, the Tacoma Symphony, the Arlington Symphony, the Williamsburg Symphonia, and The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic.
In addition to his performing career, Mr. Lackey is a sought-after teacher and guest lecturer. He has taught on the faculties of Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and taught music courses as a guest lecturer at the American College in Paris.
Randal Fisher
Resident Tenor II
Randal Fisher graduated with honors with a BA in Vocal Performance from Eastern Washington University. He returned to EWU to pursue his Masters Degree in Music Performance and Business in 1981 and did post graduate work in voice and music theater at the University of Victoria. He studied with Max Von Egmont in master classes, was a student of Carol Webber for several years and coached with Suzanne Szeckely. In 1974 he took first place in the Vocal Division of the Victoria Music Festival and subsequently performed with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra.
While living in Spokane he was tenor soloist at Spokane First Presbyterian for 15 years. He was one of the founders of the Inland Northwest Men’s Chorus and a founding member of the Spokane Opera Company, where he not only sang major roles, but also acted as their principal costume designer. Operatic roles he has sung include Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte, Vacek in The Bartered Bride, Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, Nemorino in Elixir of Love, Top in The Tender Land, Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, and Caspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. As an oratorio soloist, Mr. Fisher has performed in Messiah twenty four times. He also performed solos in Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, Haydn’s Creation, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio, and Dubois’ Seven Last Words.
Since moving to Seattle he was tenor soloist at First United Methodist, St. Paul’s Episcopal (Queen Anne), and at St. Thomas Episcopal in Medina. In addition he was the first tenor section leader for the Seattle Men’s Chorus. Most recently, he performed the title role in The Mikado with the Bellevue Opera Company.
Benjamin Kromholtz
Accompanist
The Seattle Choral Company is delighted to welcome Benjamin Kromholtz as our new staff accompanist for the upcoming season. Ben will work collaboratively with Freddie Coleman at all major rehearsals, and will also direct music coaching sessions as needed.
Mr. Kromholtz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Washington. He was trained as a young chorister with the Northwest Choirs, performing in the both the Northwest Boychoir and in Vocalpoint! Seattle. Later he joined the Northwest Choirs staff in 1997, and has been a staff accompanist and the Advanced and Preparatory Choir Director. In all, he has 25 years of ongoing involvement with the Northwest Choirs. He is currently a choral director and general music teacher with the Northshore School District. He directed the adult choir at Christ Lutheran Church, in Edmonds. Ben has been a music adjudicator and a guest choral conductor with the North Kitsap, Edmonds, Everett, and Bellevue School Districts.
Mr. Kromholtz is uniquely qualified to accompany our rehearsals as well as teach music theory, sight-reading, and music mechanics to singers of all ages. His energy, laughter and communication skills will win him friends quickly within the SCC organization. He currently resides in Bothell, with his wife, Lisa, his daughters, Gracie and Annabel and his stepchildren, Alex and Ruby.
David Wagner, Ed.D.
Executive Director
The Seattle Choral Company is proud to welcome David Wagner as Executive Director beginning in the 2012/2013 season. Dr. Wagner brings over 25 years of executive administrative experience working with nonprofit organizations. Most recently, he directed Very Special Arts/Alaska, which provides opportunities in the creative arts to individuals with developmental disabilities. During his tenure there, he grew the organization’s operating budget tenfold from its initial start-up grant. Earlier, he served as CEO of Central Peninsula Counseling Services in Kenai, Alaska.
Dr. Wagner holds a Doctorate in Education from Penn State University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in theology from Philadelphia College of Bible. Before his career as an administrator, he worked as a counseling psychologist in Alaska, and has taught psychology as an adjunct instructor at the University of Washington and at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He also holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and is an accomplished ceramic artist.
He is looking forward to working with the SCC board and membership to increase the number of patrons, to ensure the stability of the organization’s finances, and to make sure the Company is a thriving, integral part of the Northwest arts scene for many years to come.