Magnolia Chorale Board of Directors — 2026 – 2027
Officers
Cindy Johnson (Interim President) 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.
Allison Hill (Vice President) got her musical start singing with the San Francisco Girls Chorus and playing cello in her elementary school orchestra. As a teen, she joined her high school’s a cappella group and performed in all of the year-end musicals. She took a break from organized singing for a while after high school, but was often still called upon to sing duets with her cousin at family functions. When Allison moved to Seattle in 2021, that same cousin suggested they join a choir together, and the rest is history. She is delighted to once again have a place to make music on a regular basis, and grateful to do so with such a talented and welcoming community.
Ian McCowan (Secretary) grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended college and grad school in Minnesota's climatically perilous Twin Cities, before fleeing to the more temperate Seattle area in 2012. He sells his labor as a software developer. In his real life, he's a long-time music lover and practitioner who has recorded two full-length solo albums (as Walrus Promenade) but never sang in a choir until 2025. Magnolia Chorale turned out to be just what his previously socially-impoverished life needed, and after one year of singing in rooms with other people, he was all in. He also enjoys reading, cooking, cycling, the occasional video game, and the delightful intersection of the high- and low-brow.
Carla Fraga (Treasurer) is an arts and design educator and author who loves to bring a burst of song to her classes. She holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and currently teaches at Luminous Works in Seattle. She’s grateful to have found in Magnolia Chorale a group of amicable, merry folks with whom to share the transporting joy of singing.
Directors
Kelsey Cavanaugh (Director) grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah where she first discovered her love of music through school choirs and studying music theory. Singing has been a lifelong passion and she has always drawn a sense of connection and joy that comes from making music together. Now living in Seattle and working as an Audit Manager in public accounting, Kelsey finds balance between her professional and her artistic pursuits. Joining Magnolia Chorale in 2023 has been a meaningful way to reconnect with her musical roots and build community through song. She is honored to serve on the Board and support the Chorale’s mission.
Amanda Pardee (Director) is a Seattle transplant who joined the Chorale in Spring 2024. She’s always loved music and singing along with the radio. As a member of the board, she’s looking forward to helping the Magnolia Chorale community grow and flourish.
Max Timkovich (Director) is originally from Austin, TX and began his musical adventure with piano and saxophone in middle school. It wasn’t until joining the Chorale in 2022 that he’d ever sung in a group before. But singing in a choir turned out to be great and a wonderful way to meet new people.
Larissa Baumgartner (Director) grew up in the Seattle area loving music and playing trombone. Her creative efforts continue into visual and fiber crafts as well as woodworking. There is no end to creation so why not keep on creating? She has an AA in Culinary Arts and a BA in Fine Arts. In the day to day, she works with a non-profit helping folks turn their lives around through food training. She joined Magnolia Chorale in 2025 after searching the area for a choral group with skill and a sense of community. She is very grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Board and support the greater mission.
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Brian Chan (Director), (he/they), is a Youth Development Specialist at a non-profit organization in Seattle, Washington. In this role, he provides safe spaces to queer and trans youth of color wherein they explore their identities, develop autonomy, learn about healthy relationships, and receive social support and services. He also provides individual socioemotional support to students in need. Previously, he was a cultural studies academic, with publications on gaming in marginalized communities, nostalgic music for intersectional identities, and political influence on social media. During his free time, he enjoys playing video games, listening to music, and singing loudly at home until he receives a noise complaint from his neighbors.
Cooper English (Director) grew up in Topeka, Kansas where he developed a love for music in high school choir and musical theatre. Originally joining as an experiment in non-sporting extracurriculars, he found the challenge of learning and improving paired with the story of each song, composer, and underlying story to be deeply fulfilling, eventually making State Choir his senior year. After moving to Seattle for work in Spring of 2023, in dire need of community, he turned to the two things he missed most from childhood: basketball and choir. Joining Magnolia Chorale has been everything he hoped for and more, blending his passions for deep relationships, maximizing and developing skills, and connecting with people and history through music. Outside of the Chorale, you can find him playing basketball, watching any and every sport, or sharing a bourbon with his friends and family.
Kate Criss (Past President) grew up on the North Fork of Long Island, where she played piano and flute and performed in her tiny high school’s annual musicals. She has lovely memories of singing Christmas Eve hymns with friends and neighbors at the Orient Congregational Church and was delighted to rediscover that joyful feeling with the Magnolia Chorale. Kate worked in libraries around the country before becoming a full-time parent, and has lived in Magnolia with her husband and two sons since 2011. She stepped down as board president in May 2026.
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