Staff
Diane Retallack, Artistic and Executive Director
Both the Eugene Concert Choir and the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble appreciate having had Dr. Diane Retallack as Artistic and Executive director since 1985. Her energy and vision over this extensive period have allowed the choirs to expand artistically, and have helped them weather storms that can adversely affect arts organizations. Following her bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Diane earned a Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University. Here, she studied conducting with Margaret Hillis, the late Founder and Director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and score analysis from the late renowned choral scholar Julius Herford. Diane has also studied conducting with Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival and the Bach Sommerakademie in Stuttgart, Germany, and has participated as a singer at Carnegie Hall in several Robert Shaw Choral Workshops. Formerly Director of Choral Activities at Seattle University, Diane has had experience in every level of choral direction, including college and high school teaching, church choirs, children’s choruses, and community groups. In addition, she is an American Choral Directors Association certified adjudicator for the state of Oregon. In 2005, she received the well deserved Bishop Arts and Letters Award for extraordinary contribution to arts and culture in Eugene.
Angela Egremont, General Manager
As General Manager of the Eugene Concert Choir, Angela Egremont brings to the job an extensive background in writing, editing, event planning, and office management. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from California State University, Los Angeles. She first came to Oregon as a partner in a nationally circulated sports publication for masters athletes, where she handled editing, rewriting, layout and design. In July 2007 she undertook her present position with the choir. Since 2004, she has also sung with the choir as a soprano I. Singing has always been an important component of her life’s activities, and since age 16, she has performed in many choirs, both in England (Portsmouth and London), and the U.S.A. (New York City, Boulder, Honolulu, Los Angeles; and now Eugene). She also remains an active member of the Women’s Business Network in Eugene.
Josh Francis, Marketing Director
Josh Francis joined the Eugene Concert Choir as Marketing Director in 2012. He graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, and has been working behind the scenes with choirs and a cappella groups for over five years. He served as President both of the College’s premiere concert choir and also of the A Cappella Union. In that time, he gained experience in advertising, marketing, outreach, and orchestrating and managing events and concerts for singing groups. Before coming to Eugene, he was working with Business for Culture and the Arts in Portland, where he deepened his experience with event management, advertising, and marketing in the digital age along with assisting in facilitating successful volunteer and board training programs. He has a deep passion for choir and choral music, and has been singing in choirs for as long as he can remember.
Julia Brown, Accompanist, Eugene Concert Choir
Julia Brown is currently Director of Music and Organist at First United Methodist Church in Eugene, Oregon, while also maintaining a full schedule of teaching, performing and recording. Brown has appeared in concert in North and South America and in Europe, having performed at the Oregon Bach Festival, Astoria Music Festival, American Guild of Organists Regional and National Conventions, Latin American Organist Conventions, and National Public Radio. She enjoys chamber music, having worked as an accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists from a young age. She currently performs with several early music ensembles in the area. As a Naxos recording artist, her releases of Scheidemann and Buxtehude on Brombaugh and Pasi organs have received high critical acclaim. Discography also includes Christmas Concert on the historic organ in Mariana, Brazil, Bach Organ Favorites and harpsichord Fantasias of W. F. Bach. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brown studied piano, harpsichord and organ in her native Brazil before receiving her MM and DMA from Northwestern University as a student of Wolfgang Rübsam. She is currently recording harpsichord and organ works of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach for Naxos.
Tze-Wen (Julia) Lin, Accompanist, Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble
Tze-Wen (Julia) Lin was born in Taiwan. She started to play piano at age 4. From 1998 to 2005, she studied under Russian pianists Marina Drozdova and Mikhail Kollontay at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan, where she received her B. Mus. degree. Julia Lin holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance with supporting area in Piano Accompanying from the University of Oregon, where she studied with Dean Kramer, Claire Wachter and David Riley. Julia Lin has received awards for excellence as University Outstanding Performer in Music, Outstanding Performer in Keyboard and Outstanding Performer in Collaborative Piano.
Nadine Zollner, Music Education Director
Along with being a member of the Eugene Concert Choir and Vocal Arts Ensemble, Nadine Zollner has enjoyed nineteen years of teaching music in Oregon and California. She has taught K-12 music, including choir, band, piano/keyboard, strings, guitar, and musical drama. Her concert and show choirs competed statewide regularly winning 1st and 2nd place standings.
Nadine holds a B.A. in Music and Teaching Credential from Humboldt State University, and a Master of Music in Piano from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying under Nathan Schwartz. In addition, she also holds an endorsement in Elementary Education from Pacific University as well as an Orff Certificate from University of Oregon. She is an active accompanist and piano teacher.
