Mary Sims Johnson, Northwest Sacred Music Chorale Director!
Mary Sims Johnson has a long history of love for sacred choral music. She toured Europe multiple times with Cantores in Ecclesia, before and while studying Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance at Gonzaga University. After working as Music Director at local parishes, she pursued her Master's Degree from Eastern Washington University in Choral Conducting. Mary currently teaches at North Idaho College, and instructs private voice and piano lessons while programming music and singing at All Saints Lutheran Parish in Spokane, Washington.
Gaynell Coppess, Conductor!
Gaynell Coppess, mezzo soprano, has performed opera, oratorio, and musical theatre throughout the Inland Northwest since 1969. She has been seen as Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro and Emily in The Ballad of Baby Doe with Uptown Opera.
Gaynell has been a featured soloist with college and university choirs, last performing the alto solo in the Haydn Paukenmasse in 1973 with the Central Washington University choir. She has also appeared as the alto soloist in the Bach Magnificat with the Northwest Bach Choir at St. John's Cathedral in Spokane. In 1999 Gaynell sang in a performance of Durufle's Requiem at Carnegie Hall.
Gaynell has been a member of the Spokane Symphony Chorale since 1985. She holds a master's degree in voice performance under the direction of Boston opera baritone, John DeMerchant. She is currently the student of Patricia Blankenship, Eastern Washington University faculty and well-known mezzo soprano soloist.
Marietta Hardy, Accompanist!
Marietta
Hardy is a wife and mother of three children. She
has lived in Post Falls for the past 14 years.
She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University in 1989 in Organ Pedagogy. She studied under Darwin Wolford at Ricks College, through whom she can trace her music roots back to J.S. Bach himself! She also studied with Brett Zumsteg and Richard Elliott at BYU. Richard Elliott is now the organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
She taught group organ classes for BYU following her graduation and has been teaching private piano and organ ever since. She has established a private studio in Post Falls, the Hardy Music Studio. She has served as the music coordinator for eight church congregations. While in that position she directed several church choirs.
She is a member of the American Guild of Organists and serves as the Secretary for the North Idaho Music Teachers Association. She has been the music director for plays with the Huckleberry Theater at Lake City Playhouse. She has accompanied several school, church and community choirs in the area.
This will be her seventh year accompanying the Northwest Sacred Music Chorale and their ensemble.
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