Karen graduated from Kelso High School and sang in groups there under Howard’s direction. She holds degrees in education from PLU and taught choral music for thirty-one years in Sumner as well serving as music coordinator for the district. Her service on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission helped develop academic learning requirements in the arts for the state. Recent work for the state helped create classroom-based performance assessments in music. Karen has served as president of the state’s chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and also as president of the Northwestern Division of ACDA. In January of 2010, she was elected as president-elect of the national American Choral Directors Association and will assume the presidency of this 20,000 member organization in 2012. She has presented interest sessions at two national ACDA conventions. Other honors include an award for professional excellence from WWU, the 1996 Christa McAuliffe Award, the 1997 State Teacher of the Year Award and the 2008 Leadership and Service Award from WA-ACDA. She is a founding member of the Northwest Repertory Singers and in the summer of 2009, toured Eastern Europe with Choral Union from PLU, under the direction of Richard Nance.

Margaret Green has enjoyed making music in the Portland area for over 17 years. She is the founder/artistic director of Belle Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble and vocal music director at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, an arts magnet in Vancouver, Washington. In 2002 Margaret was awarded a Fellowship through the SURDNA Foundation in New York to research both the African American Singing Tradition and Eastern European Vocal Traditions. In addition to her conducting, Green has enjoyed singing with several groups in the Portland/Vancouver area including Choral Crossties, Oregon Repertory Singers, Viriditas Women’s Ensemble, the Portland Symphonic Choir, Cappella Romana, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra Chorus. During the summer months Green has taught at the Young Musicians and Artists Camp (YMA) at Willamette University, Willowbrook, and Grace Arts Camp and has had the pleasure of teaching/directing at MidSummer Music Retreat for adult musicians at Whitman College. Green is an active member in the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) and the Music Educators National Conference (MENC).

Janet was destined to have a life of music since her parents performed in the “Marshall Family Orchestra” before she was even born. She thanks these parents for everything they sacrificed so that she (and her sister) could take classical piano lessons from early age to young adults. Even though Janet has her master’s degree in piano performance, she has spent her musical career directing choirs at Mountain View and Skyview High Schools in Vancouver. Although now retired from public school teaching, Janet will be beginning her sixth year directing the Clark College Vocal Jazz Ensemble as well as co-directing (with April Duvic) the Clark Chorale. She spends her time enjoying her home, “Riversong”, overlooking the East Fork of the Lewis River near Yacolt, WA that she shares with her husband, Gordon.