Staff

Artistic director Judy Pearson Hafso holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University and since 2004, has taught K-5 music and directed the Lower School choir at Saint George’s School. Currently, she serves SAYC as director of the Piccolini choir. She is also past-president of the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (a professional organization of educators dedicated to the creative music and movement approach developed by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman). Prior to moving to Spokane, Judy worked as a certified Recreation Therapist, developed intergenerational programs with school districts and long term care facilities, and practiced music therapy with groups and individuals. She is a published composer and is active as a guest conductor and clinician.

 

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.

Accompanist Susan Windham is a gifted vocalist, pianist and teacher. She accompanies the Piccolini Choir and is co-Founder and coach-accompanist for the Le Donne Choir. As an opera singer, Susan has performed in Spokane Symphony productions, Spokane Opera and the University of Northern Iowa Lyric Theatre. Her vocal credits include solo work in Mozart’s “Requiem”, Haydn’s “Creation”, Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” and Verdi’s “Requiem”. Susan received her B.A. in piano performance from Eastern Washington University and has studied for her M.A. in vocal performance. Susan  is an adjunct voice instructor at Whitworth and Eastern Washington Universities.

Accompanist Emma Thackston is a junior at Whitworth University. She studies psychology and music and hopes to become a pediatric occupational therapist in the near future. Emma has played the piano for many years, but she only recently acquired a love for collaborative music. She is honored to serve as the Whitworth Choir accompanist. She also has the opportunity to lead a worship team at Whitworth for its chapel services this year. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling.

Accompanist Jill Bray is a music educator with many years of public and private teaching experience, recently retired from the Deer Park School District. She has a master’s degree in Music Education from Lewis and Clark College and a Bachelor of Music from Washington State University. She has served as accompanist for the WSU Concert Choir, the Spokane Civic Theater, and the Oregon Repertory Singers, among others.

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.

Anne Mileski directs the ABC Program, and is an elementary music specialist in Eastern Washington, where she teaches in the Central Valley School District. She is on faculty at The American Kodály Institute at Loyola University Maryland where she teaches Kodály music pedagogy to graduate students. She is certified in Kodály, Orff-Schulwerk, Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy, Music Learning Theory Elementary General Level I, and has completed coursework in Dalcroze Eurythmics. She has presented at local, regional, and national workshops in the US and Canada.

Anne holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University, both in trumpet performance. She has performed with prestigious groups such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Wind Symphony. In addition to her applied music studies, she holds a Master of Music degree in Music Education from SMU, and has completed coursework toward a doctorate in music education at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. While at IU, she served as an associate instructor for the music education department, supervised student teachers, served as a teaching assistant for choral and elementary music methods courses, and conducted second and third grade singers in the IU Children’s Choir.

 

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.