jo anne wasserman conducting

Artistic Staff

The Choral Society employs an artistic staff including an Artistic Director/Conductor, Assistant to the Conductor, Accompanist and Section Leaders. Soloists and musicians are hired, as needed, for performances.

JOANNE WASSERMAN, Artistic Director & Conductor

pax-amare program jo anne wasserman

JoAnne Wasserman is in her 32nd season as conductor and artistic director of the Santa Barbara Choral Society.

She has worked with an impressive list of outstanding choral and orchestral conductors, including John Alexander and Lawrence Christensen and participated in master classes with Paul Salamunovich, the late Robert Shaw, and Roger Wagner. She has also participated as a Master Class Conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival under Helmut Rilling.

Ms. Wasserman has been Chorus Master for Opera Santa Barbara, has served on the faculty of California State University, Northridge and conducted the Women’s Chorale at Westmont College.

She has conducted the Choral Society’s International Performance Tours of Mozart’s Requiem in Eastern Europe, Haydn’s Theresiennemesse and Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna in Italy and Bavaria, Mass at the High Altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and Faure’s Requiem in Spain, and in Italy with legendary composer Morten Lauridsen.

Local highlights include conducting Choral Society’s acclaimed performances at The Granada Theatre Santa Barbara of Orff’s Carmina Burana, Verdi Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony and LoveLoveLove, a Tribute to the Beatles with Sir George Martin.

She conducted both the Worldwide Rolling (Mozart) Requiem performance on the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2001 and the 10-year anniversary performance In Remembrance in 2011.

In the Masterworks at San Roque series, she conducted the Bach B Minor Mass in 2011 and in 2012, the West Coast premier of the Rain Sequence by noted African-American composer Dr. Rollo Dillworth.

In celebration of her 20th Season, she conducted the chorus and her son, concert pianist Alexander Wasserman, in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and a special tribute to American composer, Morten Lauridsen, performing his Lux Aeterna at the Lobero in 2013.

Ms. Wasserman’s dedication to music education, the development of emerging young artists, and her philosophy of increasing cultural awareness has enlivened the Santa Barbara Choral Society’s 76-year long commitment to sharing excellence in choral music with the arts community both locally and internationally.

ARTISTIC SUPPORT STAFF

MIRIAM ARICHEA, REHEARSAL & PERFORMANCE ACCOMPANIST

GREGORY DAVIES, ASSISTANT TO THE CONDUCTOR

SECTION LEADERS

Mica Basilici, soprano
Becca Clarke, alto
James Kirkland, tenor
Will Breman, tenor
Brandon Wilks, tenor
Gregory Davies, baritone