Staff

Artistic director  Jaci Cummings holds degrees in music education from Central Washington University and Pacific Lutheran University. A proponent of servant leadership and music education advocacy, Jaci currently represents choral music educators in her position as choral curriculum officer on the state WMEA board. Jaci has taught choral music at all levels, written and developed solfege-based curricula with Boston Children’s Chorus, and more recently, Seattle Girls Choir.  In addition to her regular choral work, she is active as a guest conductor and clinician around the state.  As a performer, Jaci is frequently hired for soundtrack recording sessions, previously sang with the Seattle Symphony Chorale, and a Last Call, a Seattle-area vocal jazz group comprised of music educators. Jaci recently moved to Spokane with her husband (also a professional singer!) and two daughters, plus a whole slew of animals. She enjoys yoga, sewing, traveling, and a great laugh.

Executive director Sarah Hopkins has been working with SAYC for a number of years, since being hired as temporary office help in 2000. Sarah handles all the many and varied administrative duties of the choir. She is grateful for her wonderful co-workers and for her ever-changing to-do list, and is glad that she always has something new to learn.

Barbara Tappa directs the Le Donne Choir, and is the Director of Choral Music at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington. A graduate of Western Washington University, she has directed junior and senior high school choirs in Moses Lake, Bothell and Woodinville, WA; Anaheim, CA; and Havelock, NC. She was an elementary teacher at Oslo International School in Oslo, Norway, and, more recently, taught elementary music at St. Charles Catholic School in Spokane. Barbara has been a cantor and choir director at Catholic churches in the United States, Japan and Norway. She has directed festival choirs in Washington and Montana and adjudicated Solo and Ensemble contests. She sings with Spokane Choral Artists, Le Donne, is the Music Director at St. Charles Catholic Parish, and has performed in a number of musical theatre productions throughout her career. Barbara has served as Choral Representative and then President of the Eastern Washington Music Educators Association, as the Eastern Liaison for Washington American Choral Directors Association, and as Choral Curriculum Officer for Washington Music Educators. In 2016 Barbara was the Washington State High School Music Educator of the Year.

Hannah Kimball-Fuller earned a BA in vocal performance and MA in music education from Whitworth University. She has taught K-6 music in Washington public schools for 7 years. Having completed two levels of Orff-Schulwerk training, Hannah serves on the board of our local Orff chapter. She enjoys attending regional and national conferences and presenting at local workshops. Hannah also enjoys performing and has sung with many Spokane area ensembles including Inland Northwest Opera, Spokane Opera, Spokane Civic Theatre, and Spokane Symphony Chorale, among others. As an alumna of the SAYC organization, it is with great joy that Hannah returns to this choral community as a director.

Spirare Choir Accompanist Henry Mauser is a pianist from Seattle, Washington currently earning B.A. degrees in piano performance and biology at Gonzaga University. He studies with Greg Presley and has performed various accompanying roles for the Gonzaga Choral Ensembles, in addition to playing chamber music and vocal accompanying. As a solo pianist, he enjoys pieces of the Western tradition with technical challenges supporting honored musical ideas, and has performed the final movement of the Bartok Third Piano Concerto with the Spokane Symphony as part of MusicFest Northwest in 2019. Henry has also been featured on the KPBX Spokane Public Radio Piano Bench program and worked with various pianists in masterclasses. His interdisciplinary academic pursuits encourage his intellectual exploration, and he intends to seek an M.M. degree in piano performance next year.

Beth Rainey is a pianist, cellist and vocalist who had her musical start as a SAYC chorister in 1999. She has accompanied choirs and played for musical theaters in Spokane and Seattle for 15 years. Along with her musical pursuits, she has been on an educational track, teaching Spanish in bilingual preschools, elementaries and middle/high schools. She is currently working as a Student Support Specialist/ Spanish teacher in The Community School. It is a joy to return to her Spokane community and to her musical roots.