Voci Leadership - Vocisings.com - Voci Women's Vocal Ensemble

The 2012-13 season marks Jude Navari's 14th year as Artistic Director of Voci Women's Vocal Ensemble. As a conductor, he has worked with local ensembles such as the Berkeley Opera and Sacramento Men's Chorus. In 2001, Navari prepared the vocal ensemble for the Cabrillo Music Festival's production of Philip Glass' multi-media work, "The Photographer." Navari has composed several works for Voci, including Siddhartha Fragments, a work inspired by Hermann Hesse's novel. Voci premiered this work during its 20th Anniversary Concert in March 2012. In December 2012, Counterpoint, a professional mixed vocal ensemble from Vermont, performed a new version of Navari's Shouts and Cradle Songs, originally written for Voci. As a member of the music faculty at Skyline College in San Bruno, Navari conducts the college choir and teaches music theory, musicianship and voice. He holds music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of California, Berkeley, where studied conducting with Marika Kuzma and Jung Ho Pak.

Edna Huelsenbeck joined Voci as Assistant Conductor and singer in Spring 2008. She is the founder and former director of the Pacific Women`s Chorus in San Diego, and Concentus Women`s Chorus in Rochester, NY. She previously served as Interim Director for the University Section Club Chorus at U.C. Berkeley, and the Interim Assistant Director of the San Diego Master Chorale. Edna received her Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied conducting with Morris Beachy and Craig Hella Johnson.

Heather Heise is a classical pianist, vocal accompanist, and writer. Her interests include art song, 20th-century contemporary music, and how repertoire for voice and piano might be programmed in creative, multimedia contexts. Heather writes on music and performance for her blog In the Wings and has contributed articles to the webzine New Music Box. After almost 20 years in the Bay Area, she will be moving to Los Angeles to begin doctoral studies in musicology at the University of Southern California.

Elizabeth Brashers, Voci Co-Administrative Director, has sung with Voci since 2004. She is a member of the board of directors, and manages Voci`s web, electronic and snail-mail communications. Elizabeth lives in Oakland with her husband, and is chief operating officer for the Global Health Group at UCSF.

Terry Meyers is Voci Co-Administrative Director, has designed, directed and taught for University dance programs, performed and run her own dance company, raised two daughters, and earned a Ph.D., becoming a psychologist. Terry joined Voci as a founding member in 1991, and has been active as a volunteer in the organization and working on the board of directors since 1994. She also has a psychotherapy private practice in the East Bay and teaches psychology graduate students at Alliant/CSPP.

Voci singers also contribute to the chorus by helping with chorus management, concert production and community outreach.

Voci`s Board of Directors is an active, working Board, overseeing the operations of the organization and committed to securing and maintaining funds for the group`s continued work.