STAFF & BOARD
DR. SOLVEIG HOLMQUIST FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dr. Solveig Holmquist is the founding artistic director of Festival Chorale Oregon. Under her leadership, the chorale has developed a reputation throughout the Northwest for musical excellence.
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Dr. Holmquist is professor emerita at Western Oregon University, where she served as director of choral studies for 18 years while teaching conducting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is a certified adjudicator and has been a guest conductor for five performances at Carnegie Hall and for a performance at New York's Lincoln Center.
In 2021, Dr. Holmquist was named by the American Choral Directors Association as one of 15 U.S. and Canadian "Women Choral Conductors You Should Know." The previous year, she was named to the Choral Hall of Fame for the Oregon chapter of the ACDA in recognition of her lifetime achievements and contributions to the choral arts.
Dr. Holmquist has served as president of both the Oregon chapter and six-state Northwest Division of the ACDA, has served as president of the Oregon Music Educators Association, and has delivered educational seminars to the Oregon Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
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From 1985 through 2013, Dr. Holmquist sang as an auditioned member of the professional chorus at the Oregon Bach Festival (Helmuth Rilling, Founder and Artistic Director). During her time with the ensemble, OBF won the Grammy award for Best Choral Performance for the world premiere recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's Credo.
Dr. Holmquist majored in voice and organ at St. Olaf College, where she sang with the renowned St. Olaf Choir. She has a master’s degree in music education from Western Oregon University, and a DMA in music education and choral conducting from the University of Oregon.​
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Dr. Holmquist and her husband share six grown children and nine grandchildren.
BRENDA WINBERG REHEARSAL ACCOMPANIST
Brenda Winberg is an accomplished pianist who has served as Festival Chorale Oregon's rehearsal accompanist since 2022.
Before bringing her considerable talent to the chorale, Winberg spent 16 years as the staff accompanist at Corban University and 10 years as the Dramatic Vocal Arts accompanist at Willamette University. In both positions, she brought her sensitive interpretation to collaborative works with a wide range of instrumentalists and solo vocalists.
In addition to her professional accompanying, Winberg has taught private piano lessons since 1996 to students of all ages and counts this teaching experience as invaluable training for her collaborative work. She recently made an exciting career change and is loving her work as the library specialist at a local elementary school.
Winberg and her husband enjoy spending time with their three children.
ANN SNELLING ACCOMPANIST EMERITA
Ann joined Festival Chorale Oregon as rehearsal accompanist in January 1993, with her role eventually expanding to including contracting the orchestra musicians (first strings, then all parts).
Throughout her time with the choir, Ann has performed at Carnegie Hall and on three European tours. In addition to her official roles, Ann is a constant champion, musical guide, and fervent cheerleader for everyone involved with the choir. Her deep friendships within the choir and with Solveig have kept her coming back for 30 years.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Bryan Cruz González
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Vice President
Rebekah Wozniak-Gelzer
Treasurer
Shelley Uselman
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Secretary
Robin LaMonte
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Directors
Carol Chancellor
Phil Davis
Rebecca Payne
Desiree Rinza
Tom Sicilia