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Tim Westerhaus, Artistic Director

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Tim Westerhaus is passionate about transforming humankind through choral music that fosters empathy, builds inclusive community, and deepens understanding through diverse programming and collaborations. He seeks to advocate for singing among all ages and to engage choral beauty with contemporary issues relevant to society, justice, and culture in local and global communities. In 2021, he joined Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music as Director of Choral Studies, conducting Shrine of the Ages Choir and directing the graduate choral conducting program. In Fall 2022, he began serving as Artistic Director of Choral Arts Northwest in Seattle and Master Chorale of Flagstaff.

 

From 2010 to 2021, he served as Director of Choirs and Vocal Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He has served as President of the Northwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association and on the boards of the Washington Music Educators Association and the National Collegiate Choral Organization. Dr. Westerhaus has conducted choirs in Europe, Colombia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Korea, and ensembles under his leadership have performed at regional ACDA and NAfME conferences. As a tenor, he sings professionally in the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus; he performs as a solo and collaborative pianist; and he leads baroque performances from the harpsichord. Dr. Westerhaus received his music degrees from the University of Saint Thomas, studying with Angela Kasper, and from Boston University, where studied with Ann Howard Jones.
 

An outdoor enthusiast, Tim enjoys running, cross-country skiing, and backcountry camping, whether in the Washington Cascades or Arizona San Francisco Peaks.

Collaborative pianist Aimee Fincher is an experienced chamber musician, collaborator, and large ensemble pianist. She is comfortable performing styles ranging from Bach and Schubert to Frank Zappa, John Cage, George Antheil, and Jason Robert Brown. Dr. Fincher frequently performs as a member of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. Recent performances include premieres by William Price and Amir Zaheri in 2021, Credo in US by John Cage in 2020, and the Alabama premiere of Absolute Jest by John Adams in 2019. Prior to joining the faculty at Northern Arizona University, Dr. Fincher worked at Oakwood University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville and as the company manager at Huntsville Ballet. Together with her duo partner, violinist Hannah Leland, Dr. Fincher released Duo Odéon’s debut album, Specter, in 2018 on the Sono Luminus label. The album features premiere recordings of unpublished manuscripts by the composer George Antheil and the violinist Werner Gebauer. She can also be heard on Summit records’ album, Table for Three at Chez Janou, in collaboration with Arizona State University brass professor John Ericson and professor emeritus Douglas Yeo. Dr. Fincher earned her doctorate in collaborative piano at Arizona State University, and performance and pedagogy degrees from the University of Alabama and the University of South Carolina, where her professors included Andrew Campbell, Russell Ryan, and Scott Price.

Aimee Fincher, Accompanist   

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Jody Laura, Business Manager

Jody Laura is in her third year as business manager for Master Chorale of Flagstaff. Her background includes a BA and MA in music education from Montclair State University in New Jersey. After teaching both middle school band and then elementary vocal/general music in the public schools for 10 years, Jody opened Little Music Makers of Flagstaff.  Jody is passionate about advocating for music education and bringing community together through music in ways that allow for life-long musicianship. She also maintains a private piano studio and enjoys playing French horn and piano. After growing up in Southern Arizona, Jody enjoys being back in Arizona!

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