Artistic Director

The 2010-11 season marks Jude Navari’s 12th year as Artistic Director of Voci.  He has prepared choruses and conducted performances for Berkeley Opera, arranged folk music and coached rehearsals for Westwind International Folk Ensemble’s chorus Westwind Voices, conducted premieres of new works by U.C. Berkeley graduate student composers for the Berkeley New Music Project, and served as Artistic Director of the Sacramento Men’s Chorus.  In 2001, he prepared the vocal ensemble for Cabrillo Music Festival’s production of Philip Glass’ multi-media work, “The Photographer”. In 2008, Jude and his interdisciplinary arts group, PlayWorks Productions, self-produced an evening of art song, film and dance theater at the NOHspace in San Francisco.  In addition to Voci, he currently conducts the Skyline College Concert Choir.  Jude received his PhD in Music Composition from the University of California, Berkeley, where he also studied conducting with Marika Kuzma and Jung Ho Pak.

Read more about Jude (interview from September 2009)

Assistant Conductor

Sharon Lee Kim actively performs as collaborative pianist, vocal coach, music director, choral accompanist, and piano instructor. She has performed and recorded throughout the nation with various colleges, companies, and organizations.  Sharon currently is a part of the music faculty at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, accompanies the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and teaches piano at the Crowden Music Center and in her private studio. Sharon graduated with honors in music from UC Berkeley and continued her studies at the New England Conservatory where she received her Master's degree with honors and distinction in performance in Collaborative Piano.  She then furthered her Collaborative Piano studies at the conservatory to receive her Graduate Diploma. Ms. Kim's teachers have included Irma Vallecillo, Kayo Iwama, John Greer, and Barbara Shearer. During past summers, Sharon attended the Music Academy of the West, SongFest Professional Program, and Mendocino Music Festival's Emerging Artists Program. She has participated in master classes with Mitsuko Shirai, Martin Katz, Graham Johnson, Pierre Vallet, Thomas Quasthoff, Warren Jones, Jonathan Feldman, Craig Smith, John Harbison and Myung-Hwa Chung.

Guest Accompanist Heather Heise studied classical piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and earned her M.F.A. from Mills College. She has performed and presented works in New York and Mexico; at Princeton and Stanford Universities; and at Old First Church, Theatre Artaud, and The Marsh in San Francisco.  Heather currently designs sound for a new dance theatre project by Paufve Dance and composing an original video + audio performance piece for the June 21 "Garden of Memory" event at the Oakland Columbarium. She served as Voci’s accompanist from 2004-2008, and returned as guest accompanist for Voci’s spring 2011 season. 

Administration

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.

Board of Directors

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.

Current Members:

• Elizabeth Brashers
• Susan Hall (Treasurer)
• Edna Huelsenbeck (Ex-officio)
• Terry Meyers
• Margot Murtaugh (Secretary)
• Jude Navari (Ex-officio) 
• Susan Sands (President)

• Charles Seagrave