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.
ANNE BRITT REHEARSAL ACCOMPANIST
Anne Britt is an accomplished pianist who has served as rehearsal accompanist for Festival Chorale Oregon since 2025.
Anne has worked at Linfield University as staff accompanist for over a decade, and also provides collaborative piano services for a number of groups in the McMinnville and Salem areas. From children's musical theater to retirement community singers, amateurs to professionals, she loves the variety of music, instruments, and people that she gets to work with.
In addition to her collaborative pianist role, Anne also performs locally as part of the piano duo "Con cioccolata," and she composes music in her home studio, focusing mostly on piano solo and duet music. Her website, annebrittmusic.com, features award-winning arrangements and original compositions, and her music can be heard on streaming platforms.
She and her husband live in Keizer and stay busy trying to keep up with six grown children and ten grandchildren.
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
Rebekah Wozniak-Gelzer
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Vice President
Rebecca Payne
Treasurer
Trudy McKinnell
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Secretary
Robin LaMonte
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Directors
Carol Chancellor
Phil Davis
Desiree Rinza
Tom Sicilia
Stuart Sparkman
Shelley Uselman
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ORCHESTRA
PLAY WITH
FESTIVAL CHORALE OREGON
FCO typically performs two major concerts each season: one in November and one in April/May, usually with symphonic accompaniment. We hire individuals from the local symphonic community to play in this ensemble orchestra. If you are interested in being considered for a position, contact our orchestra contractor, Kris Klavik.