A Special Announcement
from
Vivace Youth Chorus!
Dear Vivace singers, families, and friends,
We have some very exciting news to share. Vivace’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved Kristina Nakagawa to succeed founder Peggy Spool as Artistic Director, effective in January 2021!
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am excited to welcome Kristina Nakagawa to Vivace. Kristina’s extensive background in choral conducting, teaching, and performing will offer our singers exciting new opportunities. As a proud parent of a Vivace singer, she is deeply connected to our community. I look forward to the continued growth and success of our organization under her leadership.”
–Teresa Meyer-Calvert, Board President
“I am truly honored to be selected as the next Artistic Director of Vivace Youth Chorus. I have been an admirer of Vivace for several years as both a musician and a parent. Peggy Spool, with the Board of Directors and staff, has built an organization that is a San José treasure. Together, we have some incredible opportunities ahead of us, and we will need to be creative in today's landscape. I look forward to working with the entire Vivace community to continue to offer a musical experience that is not only at a high standard, but is also inclusive and full of joy.”
–Kristina Nakagawa, Artistic Director Designate
“Ms. Nakagawa brings a wealth of experience to Vivace, having taught elementary and high school music, as the founder of Resounding Achord—an outstanding community chorus—and as a parent of a young Vivace singer. I look forward to our collaboration in the coming months as I prepare to turn over the helm and to the coming years under Ms. Nakagawa's excellent leadership!”
–Peggy Spool, Artistic Director & Founder
Nakagawa has been teaching, directing, and performing in Silicon Valley since 2001. She is the founding artistic director of Resounding Achord, an adult mixed-voice auditioned community choir in San José. Since 2015, she has served on the board of directors of the California Choral Directors Association, where she currently chairs the state convention at the California All-State Music Education Conference.
Prior to her appointment, Nakagawa conducted choirs at San José State University, University of California, Irvine, and West Valley College and was the choir director at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Willow Glen. She has taught K-12 vocal music, most recently at Pinewood School in Los Altos Hills, and worked in the admission and development offices at San José Choral Productions and Hillbrook School in Los Gatos. Her school choirs consistently received superior rankings at California Music Educators Association festivals and gold awards at Heritage Festivals in Anaheim. She has prepared choirs for several major works, including Faure’s Requiem, John Rutter's Gloria, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Hadyn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Bernstein’s Mass, an SJSU production that included several Vivace singers. She also worked as the musical director for several productions, including The Wedding Singer, Once On This Island, The Pajama Game, Working, and Once Upon a Mattress, among others.
Nakagawa holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from UC Irvine, a master’s degree in choral conducting from San José State University, and additional training in the Kodály concept of music education from Holy Names University.
We encourage you to join us for one of several virtual informational sessions to meet Kristina and learn more about the upcoming year.
Sincerely,
Teresa Meyer-Calvert, President
Peggy Spool, Artistic Director & Founder
Joshua Lanam, Executive Director