The Short Version

Northwest Chamber Chorus (NWCC) has been around since 1968 when Peter Seibert and some friends put together a small ensemble to make music for themselves and their friends. The chorus evolved in the 1970s under the leadership of Joan Conlon into the non-profit, concert-giving arts organization that it is today. If you want the complete story, see the archived, longer version (written by founding member Otis Pease):

Over the decades, the chorus’s mission has evolved. In the 1970s, the idea was to bring great classics of choral history to Seattle audiences. In the 2010s, the focus changed to a more-inclusive kind of programming, with an emphasis on American Folk and Spiritual compositions blended in performances of more traditional classical repertoire. Looking ahead to the 2020s, the choir is expanding the diversity of our repertoire.

Director History

YEARSARTISTIC DIRECTOR
1968-1971Peter Siebert
1972-1983Joan Catoni Conlon
1984Kenneth DeJong (acting)
1985-1990Joan Catoni Conlon
1991-1992Robert Scandrett (acting)
1993-1995Joan Catoni Conlon
1996Fredrick Lokken (acting); Steven Demorest (acting); Roger Nelson (acting)
1997-2001Steven Demorest
2001Judy Filibeck (acting)
2001-2002Steven Demorest
2003Kia Sams (acting); Sheila Bristow (acting); Steven Demorest
2004Sheila Bristow (interim)
2005David Anderson (acting); Mark Kloepper (acting); Ron Bayer (acting)
2006-2018Mark Kloepper
2018 (Fall)Elisabeth Cherland (guest conductor)
2019-2023Mark Kloepper
2023-presentJeremy Edelstein

Repertoire

The Northwest Chamber Chorus has performed an extensive repertoire of music dating from the Medieval period to the 21st century. Below is a link to our repertoire tracking document that shows all performances since the chorus was founded in 1968.