Ann Macfarlane (President) Choral music is one of life’s great joys, and singing with Magnolia Chorale brings me enormous pleasure. The camaraderie, high standards, and musicality offered by the Chorale are a constant joy. This last year has been a difficult one, but we’ve kept together and kept singing on Zoom. I look forward to the year ahead, and the time when public health conditions will allow us to sing together in person, and to sing in public for our wonderful supporters.
Darrel Ede (Secretary) retired in ’08 after 31 years working in special education, using music in the classroom as a way of calming and connecting with challenging students. His love of music started in the third grade with saxophone and clarinet. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1969. Drafted 2 days before his wedding, he enlisted and spent 3 years playing “airborne clarinet” in the army band program. In 2000 Darrel was recruited for the Seattle Symphony Chorale singing second bass, and joined the Magnolia Chorale 10 years later. “I truly enjoy singing with this wonderful group of people. It is a great, absolutely fun creative outlet, and I am honored to be on the board of directors”.
Katie Hampton (Treasurer) Katie played the flute and piano growing up, but ultimately chose choir as her sole musical endeavor. After high school, she strayed from formalized singing, but kept her vocal cords warm with many a night in Karaoke bars and road trip singalongs. She is thrilled to have found a group where she can get back into the musical world with such established, talented, and welcoming singers. After serving a few terms as "President", Katie is happy to continue serving as Treasurer on the Chorale board, for a group that has given her so much!
Kiley Dhatt (Director) grew up in the Seattle area playing the piano and performing in high school musical theater, but her first real choral experience was with Magnolia Chorale—and what a great place to learn. Full of friendly, welcoming, and caring members and staff, Magnolia Chorale provides Kiley with an ongoing musical outlet and sense of community. Outside of MC, Kiley works in nonprofit affordable housing and in her spare time can be found cooking adventurously and enjoying any remotely decent weather with her husband on the deck of their little home in Seattle’s Mt. Baker neighborhood.
Neil Jackson (Director) was born in Seattle, and spent his childhood in Bellevue and Woodinville singing with the Columbia Choirs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Duke University, where he sang with the Duke Chorale and with the early music group Collegium Musicum. Today, Neil lives in Magnolia and works at an architectural drafting and mechanical engineering firm in Ballard. In his spare time he enjoys CNC woodworking and singing in the Chorale.
Betty Ede (Director) I would like to thank the Magnolia Chorale for giving me this opportunity to serve on the board. My musical life began with the violin when I was in the 3rd grade. In the 4th grade, I added the piano to my repertoire. As a high school student in Olympia, I sang as a member of my church choir (and sang along with the radio too). During college, I sang in a church choir, and now I sing and sometimes play the bells with our church choir here in Seattle. When I am not being musical, I enjoy my retirement benefits...free time, no computer, no phone, no paperwork.
Cindy Johnson (Director) I am an Oregon native, blessed to grow up with an opera singer father and music loving family who encouraged me in choir, musicals, drama, and art. I have a BS in Fine Arts and an MA in Psychology and retired November 2020 after 30 + years as a behavioral health therapist and case manager with a variety of populations. I have lived in Magnolia with my artist husband and a wonderful assortment of dogs and cats since 1985. I joined the Magnolia Chorale in 2019.
Catherine Middleton-Hardie (Director) After moving to Seattle a few years ago, I was thrilled to join Magnolia Chorale, reigniting my passion for choral music. My parents encouraged a love of classical music from a young age and my sisters and I were frequently brought along to various performances they were involved in. It was a natural progression for me to join choirs, orchestras, bands and stage musicals at school. Unfortunately, at university and early professional life (in biotech) I lost touch with these creative outlets. Fortunately, the Magnolia Chorale has been extremely welcoming and presents approachable, yet sufficiently challenging music to be a great re-entry into choral singing. I have served on the board on other community organizations and am pleased to serve on the Chorale Board to say “thank you” to the members.
Mira Hall (Director) loved singing in her high school choir and was the most enthusiastic singer of camp songs in her Girl Scout troop. As an adult, she joined Magnolia Chorale and was thrilled with its beautiful music and warm community. She was also so taken with Magnolia she moved into the neighborhood! An LA native, she graduated from Grinnell College with a degree in Computer Science and now works as a software engineer. When not singing she loves to hike, camp, cook, read, and craft.