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.

Associate director Marc A. Hafso is professor and director of choral activities at Whitworth University. He attended Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Arizona and Michigan State University, where he earned B.A., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees in music education and choral conducting. Marc has gained experience at all levels of choral music education through elementary, secondary and university teaching positions in the United States and Canada. Active as guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator, he is also a published composer. Recently, Marc concluded eight years of service on the board of the Washington State Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, including two years as President.

Executive director Sarah Hopkins has been working with SAYC for a number of years, since being hired as temporary office help in 2000. Sarah is in charge of the nuts and bolts of making the choir run, including but not limited to: fundraising, sewing, band-aids, graphic design, tour planning, recycling, copier maintenance, party planning (& cooking), vacuuming, and well, you name it. Sarah hails from the great state of Connecticut and has become a true convert to the joys of living in the Inland Northwest. 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 Yi-chun Chen joined Spokane Area Children’s Chorus in 2008. Yi-chun was a staff accompanist in ballet and general music instructor at the National Tainan Chia-Chi Girls senior high school before she came to the United States. Yi-chun made her debut in Spokane with Allegro, Baroque and Beyond in 2004. She has performed with Theater Ballet of Spokane, played for ballet master classes and was a staff accompanist for six years at Ballet Arts Academy. She also played in musicals and accompanied choirs at Lewis and Clark High School and Gonzaga Preparatory School, and was the pianist for a concert tour in Taiwan in 2002 with baritone Randel Wagner and oboist David Dutton. Yi-chun holds two masters degrees: a M.A. in piano performance and a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Eastern Washington University. Yi-chun currently has a private piano studio and is a staff accompanist for EWU symphonic choir and voice studio.

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.