John Lemke, Northwest Sacred Music Chorale Director!

John Lemke, Conductor

John Lemke has been an active participant in church music since childhood. He graduated from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, in 1976, where he majored in both music and drama. After graduating, John moved to Minneapolis and began both solo and ensemble performing roles with such diverse groups as the Minnesota and San Francisco Opera companies, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Theater In The Round and The Children’s Theater Company.

John’s church music experience during this time includes singing in and soloing with a variety of sacred music choirs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, as well as serving as Music Director at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Colonial Church of Edina.

In 1996, John returned to St. Olaf to begin work on a Masters degree in choral conducting, studying under Anton Armstrong, the current director of the St. Olaf Choir. In 1998 he finished work on the degree at Eastern Washington University. John has been a member of both the Spokane Symphony Chorale and the Bach Festival Chorus. He served as Music Director at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Spokane, and at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Coeur d’Alene. John also spent five years at North Idaho College, teaching voice, music appreciation, and conducting the vocal jazz ensemble. Throughout his career John has also been a marketing consultant, a profession he continues to this day.

John lives outside Spokane, in the mountains, with his wife, d’Anne, who is a court reporter. Both d’Anne and John love living in this area and taking advantage of all the outdoor activities available in the area.

Gaynell Coppess, Assistant Conductor!

Gaynell Coppess, Assistant ConductorGaynell 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!

Gaynell Coppess, Assistant ConductorMarietta 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.