Leadership

Katrina Turman

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

It is my honor to serve as Artistic Director of this thriving community of singers. I am a music educator and conductor with an enthusiasm for community choral education. My positive experiences growing up within outstanding youth choirs convinced me to dedicate my career to young people and the pursuit of high-quality music education for all. I seek to nurture the holistic development of singers through building respect and cultivating human connections. I strongly value building connections between students and the community and providing access to choristers of all backgrounds. As the great pedagogue Zoltán Kodály said, “Music should belong to everyone.”

About Katrina

Katrina Turman (she/her) is a native of California and an alumnus of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, where she began singing at age five. Prior to coming to Columbia Choirs, Katrina was an assistant conductor for the San Francisco Girls Chorus where she conducted numerous concerts at Davies Symphony Hall. Katrina has also taught at the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir in Oakland, CA and the Bellevue Youth Choir in Bellevue, WA. In addition to conducting, Katrina was a professional singer of the Munich Bach Choir in Europe.

Katrina is a fervent advocate of the relevance of children’s choral music and was published in the American Choral Directors Association’s Choral Journal (2021) with an article titled, “Children’s Choral Repertoire with Highlighted Pedagogical Elements.”

Katrina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Oregon, a Post-Graduate certificate from the Kodály Institute, and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington.

Lars Myren

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Columbia Choirs has been a musical community for me for the past 21 years. As a young singer in Columbia Choirs, I found a special place where I could be creative, make life-long friends, and find my voice. As Executive Director, I am looking forward to working alongside the Artistic Director Katrina Turman, the Columbia Choirs Staff, and Board of Directors to ensure that those same opportunities will be afforded to singers of all ages for decades to come. Moreover, I am dedicated to working to give more members of the Eastside community the opportunity to experience the power of singing together.

About Lars

Lars Myren (he/him) began singing in Columbia Choirs at the age of 10. As a youth singer, he was able to experience the power of choral singing under the direction of Columbia Choirs’ founder, Steve Stevens, and perform throughout the community and around the world on tours to California, British Columbia, Ireland, Wales, England, and Italy. After graduating high school, Lars joined the University of Washington Chorale under the direction of Dr. Giselle Wyers and was given the opportunity to explore the rich choral history and traditions of the Baltics on a tour to Estonia, Latvia and Finland. Lars then joined Concord Chamber Choir, the adult chamber ensemble of Columbia Choirs, in 2010.  

Over the years, Lars has had many roles within the organization, as a singer, volunteer, marketing manager, retreat and tour coordinator, photographer/videographer, and most recently, President of the Board of Directors. This broad experience gives Lars a deep understanding of the operations of a youth and adult choral organization, the needs of singers of all ages and their families, and first-hand connection to the impact that Columbia Choirs has had on thousands of singers over the past four decades.