Who’s Behind VISI
VISI Board of Directors:
Len Lythgoe, Chair, Registrar Committee Retired Vancouver school music teacher and lecturer emeritus at UBC, Len Lythgoe was a longtime church & community choir director in the Vancouver area. He is the former proprietor of Lenel Music Press, publisher of choral music by Canadian composers and arrangers, and was editor of the Music Leaders' Edition of Voices United, the recently published hymnbook of the United Church of Canada. Len was the founding Executive Director of the Amy Ferguson Institute, presenter of Nelson Summer Songfest in Nelson, BC.
Rae Fetherstonhaugh, Vice-Chair & Recording Secretary Rae was French horn player with the Vancouver Symphony, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra prior to becoming a district administrator in Langley School District. During his years in Langley, he brought his experience and network as a professional musician to the hiring of music teachers, to raising the standard of music studied and performed in school programs, and to the design of the live performance program for the students. Now retired, Rae has joined the Board of VISI, and volunteers with Festival Vancouver and Health Arts Society.
Barbara Clague, Treasurer, Membership Committee Barbara Clague, now retired, has worked in the post secondary education field in a variety of capacities, most recently as the Executive Secretary of the BC Council on Admissions & Transfer. She is currently secretary of the Pantages Theatre Arts Society Board and was a founding board member of the Amy Ferguson Institute, presenter of Nelson Summer Songfest.
Barbara Allan Forbes, Director Barbara Allan Forbes has been an art song and chamber music enthusiast since her teens, when she obtained a Solo Performer’s ARCT degree in piano. At UBC she studied medicine, obtaining the MD degree. After several years of post-graduate study, she obtained the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine of Canada, with specialty qualification in Neurology. She practiced as a Neurologist in Vancouver for many years, was Clinical Associate Professor in the UBC Dept. of Medicine (Division of Neurology), Consultant Neurologist and Head of the Pain Service at the Vancouver Clinic of the BC Cancer Agency, and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London , UK . (Her medical work was done under her maiden name, “Barbara Allan”). For several years, she was a member of the Board of the Vancouver Recital Society, for some of those years acting as Board President. She has been involved in numerous philanthropic and volunteer activities.
Stephanie Chung, Director, Fundraising Committee Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Seoul National University, Korea, and Master's studies at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Since coming to Canada, Stephanie has been engaged in charitable events and fund raisers, was Asian Director for the Casalmaggiore (Italy) International Music Festival, and the Director of the Pacific Rim Conservatory of Music and Arts in White Rock, BC. She is currently director of the Zion Women's Choir in Vancouver.
Sylvia Crooks, Director Retired faculty member of the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies where she taught for 16 years. She served for several years on the Board of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, as president and chair of the Nominations Committee. She also served for many years on the board of Information Services Vancouver, as vice-president, president and chair of the Personnel Committee. In 2005 she was honoured by the BC Historical Federation for her book, “Homefront & Battlefront: Nelson BC in World War II.”
Diane King, Director, Publicity Committee Diane King is a Vancouver born performer and teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from UBC and a Certificate in Advanced Studies in Singing from the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London, England. Diane has lived and performed in Toronto, London and Rome and her career as a singer has encompassed opera, oratorio, musical theatre and recital. She is a member of the Vancouver Opera chorus and serves as Vancouver Opera's Adult Education Coordinator. She teaches Voice and Speech, teaches regularly for UBC Continuing Studies, and is well known across the Lower Mainland as an opera lecturer.
VISI Key Staff
Ingrid Suderman, VISI Executive Director Soprano; Voice Faculty at Trinity Western University, Langley B.C., Member NATS – Vancouver Chapter Director; chair of the International Congress of Voice Teachers 6th Conference, Vancouver 2005.
Rena Sharon, VISI Artistic Director Piano Collaborator; Professor of Collaborative Piano Studies, University of British Columbia School of Music.
Nancy Cottingham Powell, Administrative Manager Event Manager, Arcadian Productions Inc since 1987.
VISI Committee Members
- Alison d’Amato, Artistic Advisory Committee Co-Artistic Director of Florestan Recital Project; Visiting Assistant Professor Pianist/Vocal Coach at SUNY Buffalo
- Laura Loewen, Artistic Advisory Committee Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano/Vocal Coach University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
- Alan Corbishley, Finance Committee Baritone
- Phoebe MacRae, Publicity Committee VISI Publicity Coordinator; Soprano
- Tyler Duncan, Publicity Committee Baritone
- Erika Switzer, Publicity Committee Pianist
- Lynne McMurtry, Fundraising Committee Mezzo-Soprano
- Terence Dawson, Concert Committee Keyboard Division Coordinator, University of British Columbia School of Music
- Martha Guth, Concert Committee
VISI Advisory Committee:
- Graham Johnson, OBE (England) Pianist; world expert in the scholarship of art song
- Nancy Hermiston (Vancouver, Canada) Head, Voice & Opera Division, University of British Columbia School of Music
- Craig Tompkins (Vancouver, Canada) President NATS Vancouver Chapter
- Richard Kurth (Vancouver, Canada) Associate Professor of Music Theory, University of British Columbia School of Music
- Marnie Carter (Vancouver, Canada) Piano collaborator, member of NATS
- Colin Miles (Vancouver, Canada) Regional Director of the Canadian Music Centre - British Columbia Region
- Lambroula Pappas (Vancouver, Canada) Soprano
- Heather Pawsey (Vancouver, Canada) Soprano, Voice faculty Capilano College
- David Pay (Vancouver, Canada) Director of Music on Main
- Steven Philcox (Toronto, Canada) Piano collaborator
- Bruce Pullan (Vancouver, Canada) Conductor, Vancouver Bach Choir; Director of Choral Activities, University of British Columbia School of Music
- Lesley Uyeda (Vancouver, Canada) Composer, Piano collaborator, Educator, former chorus director of VOA