Kirkland Choral Society
With over 100 auditioned singers, Kirkland Choral Society is one of the premier symphonic choral groups in the Puget Sound region. The Choral Society’s repertoire emphasizes the great masterworks for chorus and orchestra and includes a wide variety of fine repertoire, including music by the leading composers of our day.
Recently, KCS has commissioned and performed the world premiere of significant new works by Kirke Mechem, Ola Gjeilo, Carol Barnett, Donald Skirvin and John Muehleisen. For the past seven seasons, KCS has maintained a partnership with one of Seattle’s finest chamber orchestras, Philharmonia Northwest, regularly performing the great works for chorus and orchestra at Benaroya Hall.
The Choral Society also includes a Chamber Singers ensemble drawn from the larger chorus, performing unaccompanied choral repertoire, and music suited to smaller ensembles and venues. For information about booking KCS singers for your event, corporate donations, auditions, volunteering, or group ticket rates, email president@KirklandChoralSociety.org.
Artistic Director Dr. Glenn R. Gregg
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An engaging personality, accomplished musician, and inspiring conductor, Glenn R. Gregg has been a professional in the field of choral conducting for more than 30 years.
Dr. Gregg holds a doctoral degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington, where he studied with Abraham Kaplan and Joan Conlon, and a Master of Music degree (with distinction) in conducting from California State University, Northridge, where he studied with Pacific Chorale director John Alexander and was the graduate teaching assistant. Dr. Gregg has also worked with renowned choral conductors Charles Hirt and Howard Swan and has prepared choruses for performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his choral conducting degrees, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance from California State University. Dr. Gregg was a guest conductor with Kirkland Choral Society in 1997 and became permanent conductor and artistic director in 1999. His deep musical scholarship, professionalism, and positive, outgoing demeanor are at the heart of the choir’s growth in size and performance level, so that today KCS is considered by many arts patrons to be the Eastside’s premier community chorale. |
Associate Artistic Director Seiko Inada Werts
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Associate Artistic Director Seiko Inada Werts, a native of Hiroshima, Japan, graduated from Hiroshima Jogakuin University with a Bachelor of Arts in American and English Literature. During her 22 years teaching high school English in Hiroshima, she loved to write and direct musicals for her students, as well as directing her choir for adult women, Choir Iris. Seiko began singing during college and now is a soloist in great demand, performing in church, house, and solo concerts in Japan and the United States.
In 2010 Seiko moved to the Pacific Northwest where she joined Kirkland Choral Society as a soprano and quickly assumed more responsibility as occasional accompanist. She is also an accomplished arranger and a member of ASCAP. In 2015 Seiko was asked by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give a concert in Tokyo for female United Nations Ambassadors and spouses of ambassadors. Seiko is a multi-talented musician who thrives when working in collaboration with others. During the KCS 2020-2021 season when rehearsing in person due to the pandemic was not possible, Seiko was invited to use her technological skill, warm inspiring personality, and impeccable musical sensibility to direct, mix, edit and produce two KCS virtual concerts. Seiko considered it an honor to be able to work so closely in encouraging, supporting and working with the KCS artists during a difficult time. The virtual concerts are mini-masterpieces that brought joy to the participants and viewers alike. Excerpts are still available on the KCS website. |