LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
STAFF
AMY PORTER | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | SHE/HER
Dr. Amy Porter, a Louisiana native, has been part of the Gonzaga Music Department since 2013, teaching a variety of courses including applied voice, vocal pedagogy, song literature, and ear training labs. She has served as Director of Discantus Treble Chorus (formerly GU Women’s Chorus) since Fall 2017. Dr. Porter also taught at Whitworth University as Lecturer of Music (applied voice and related courses) from 2012-2019. She is the new Artistic Director of Spectrum Singers and is excited to be part of our return to full performances after a hiatus for pandemic concerns. A professional opera singer and collegiate voice teacher, her professional conducting experience has included collegiate, liturgical, opera, and community choruses.
She earned her DMA in Voice with a doctoral minor in choral conducting and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Her Master of Music degree (Vocal Performance) and Professional Studies diploma were earned at Mannes College of Music in New York City, and she was a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant. Dr. Porter regularly sings throughout the Northwest region, including performances with the Spokane Symphony, Spokane Kantorei, and INO (Inland Northwest Opera), and has performed opera, oratorio, and recital repertoire across the United States.
MAURA KEGLEY | ACCOMPANIST | SHE/HER
Maura Kegley found her niche for accompanying choirs in fifth grade. She continued on with North Central High School switching from choir to jazz band in her senior year and accompanied various musical plays with director Tom Armitage. She went on to Eastern Washington University for her music degree, studying under Dr. James Edmunds and Dr. David Rostkoski. She studied classical music in her early years from Carl Leuer, who studied under Stojowski, a student of Paderewski. She also studied jazz from Spokane legend Arnie Carruthers. Currently she plays at Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane, accompanying their choir and Sunday services. She adores her husband, Dan, and her two sons, Ian and Eric. She has been with Spectrum since its inception, and is honored to be the accompanist for such an amazing group.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GRANT STEAD | PRESIDENT | HE/HIM
Performance has always been a part of Grant Stead‘s life. From an early age, he was singing and performing with school and church choirs. As a professional instructor and school administrator, he is always on stage as well.
His love of people is evident in all his endeavors, both professionally and personally.
WHITNEY GRAYHORSE | VICE PRESIDENT | SHE/HER
Whitney Grayhorse serves as the vice president of Spectrum Singers. She moved to Spokane from northern California in 2015, and she joined Spectrum in its first season in 2018, finding both a place to develop her musical skills and a warm, welcoming community of humans.
Outside of choir, she enjoys yoga, doodling, and TV comedy. Fun fact: her hair is usually either blue or purple!
BOBBI KIZER | TREASURER | THEY/THEM
Bobbi Kizer fell in love with choir in grade school and found it to be a wonderful place to build community and express their identity. After moving back to the Northwest in 2018, they quickly learned that the community seemed to be yearning for an organization that could bring together social justice, diversity, and music. Bobbi then initiated the process of putting together the pieces for the creation of Spectrum Singers.
In addition to their activities in the choir, Bobbi serves the community as a psychologist in private practice. They specialize in long-term therapy and issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation diversity. Bobbi is also an active cyclist, member of rowing crew, and lover of the outdoors.
ALENA SCHOONMAKER | MARKETING DIRECTOR | SHE/HER
Alena Schoonmaker grew up in Cupertino, California, and Mead, Washington. She has been working with nonprofits in Spokane for nearly ten years since she graduated from Seattle University, starting with animal shelters and the Spokane International Film Festival. In 2019, Alena joined Spectrum Singers as an alto and became a board member in 2021.
In addition to spending her time singing, Alena’s passion is to share access to diverse storytelling at the several film festivals where she works and volunteers. She also has three cats that she adopted from Pawsitive Outreach Spay/Neuter Advocates, and she is most likely to be seen taking pictures for the ‘Gram at choir rehearsals.
FORMER BOARD MEMBERS (THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR SPECTRUM SINGERS!)
Farand Gunnels
Phoenix Lambert
Ariel Ocker
Riley Oglesby
Mads Oliver
Jamie Pierce
Jared Schatz
Ian Sullivan
FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTORS (NUMBER ONE IN HELPING US TO FIND THE POWER OF SONG!)