Staff
Roberta Q. Jackson & Debra D. Burgess
Co-Conductors of Portland Symphonic Girlchoir
Roberta Jackson and Debra Burgess have led the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, widely acclaimed by composers, conductors, music educators, and audiences, to its current status as one of the finest youth choirs in North America. Roberta and Deb have been selected to be guest conductors at Carnegie Hall in June 2024, are chapter authors in Working With Young Singers: Educational Philosophies of Expert Chidren’s Choir Conductors Volume II, and have been recognized for their focus on collaboration over competition as reflected in their article, “The Better C: Building Community Through Collaboration” in March 2016 The Choral Journal publication of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and inclusion in Dr. Janet Galvan’s “Women Choral Conductors and Clinicians You Need to Know”, where she states, “In addition to highlighting what fine artist teachers they are, I want to point to a shining example of teamwork that serves the singers. They checked their egos years ago and share leadership in a seamless and beautiful way”.
Both conductors are frequent presenters at National ACDA conferences, Chorus America conferences, OMEA conferences, and at Oregon ACDA and NWACDA conferences and led the Girlchoir to winning two ASCAP/Chorus America Awards for Adventurous Programming! In addition, Roberta was awarded the 2018 Oregon ACDA Podium Award.
Roberta received her Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado; Deb received her B.A.E. Degree from Pacific Lutheran University. Both have been awarded the distinguished Artist Teacher Diploma from the Choral Music Experience Institute, working with Dr. Doreen Rao. Deb has served on the NW and OR ACDA Boards of Directors as R & R Chair for Children and Youth and currently teaches music, grades K – 8, at St. Thomas More School. As Girlchoir’s Vocal Coach, she presents fall and spring solo clinics, training nearly 40 % of its members as soloists each season.
Roberta and Deb are very thankful for every note and every moment they spend making amazing music with the singers in Portland Symphonic Girlchoir!
Lee Melaugh
Pianist, Premier Choir &
Encore Singers
Lee Melaugh (he/him) is pianist and educator and has been working at local nonprofits in food justice, urban agriculture, and music education since moving to Portland in 2013. A fifth-generation pianist, Lee began learning piano at an early age in Massachusetts and continued studying piano at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal. Lee deeply enjoys the opportunity to make music and build community; he has been performing with choirs, chamber ensembles, instrumentalists, vocalists, and other pianists for the past 20 years. Lee is currently teaching piano with Play It Forward, a local music education nonprofit, and performs in a piano-violin-cello chamber group, Trio Félix. Lee enjoys being surrounded by trees, digging in the garden, making meals with friends and family, and long bike rides. Lee joined the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir in August 2024.
Jesse Preis
Lisa VanNatta
Pianist, Debut & Intermezzo Choirs
Operations Manager
Jesse Preis is a tenor, pianist, and composer, originally from Wyoming. Jesse graduated from the University of Montana in 2016 with a BM in Piano Performance & Pedagogy and a BA in Vocal Performance and studied voice abroad in Graz, Austria (The American Institute of Musical Studies) during the summers of 2016. In 2019, Jesse completed an M.M. Vocal Performance at West Virginia University. After relocating to Portland, Jesse has worked as a piano teacher at Hoffman Academy and Lydian Music Studios, the Director of Music Ministry at Prince of Life Lutheran Church and Spirit of Life Lutheran Church, and as a freelance accompanist. They have collaborated with Renegade Opera as a pianist, performed with the Lutheran Chorale Association during their 2023 Summer Season, and have collaborated with other church and community choirs in Oregon, West Virginia, and Montana. Jesse joined the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir in August 2024.
Board of Directors:
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Lucy Neary, Chair
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Ginevra Drinka, Secretary
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Michele McCarthy, Treasurer
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Debra Burgess
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Rachel Clark
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Kristin Collins
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Roberta Q. Jackson
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Veronica Jordan
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Katharine Sammons
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Lisa VanNatta joined the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir as Operations Manager in December 2019. She works diligently to ensure that the organization runs smoothly on the administrative front. She has a varied educational background with a M.S. in Geography from Oregon State University and a B.S. in computer science, and math from Willamette University where she also studied music. More recently she has spent extensive time working with non-profits, running fundraising events for her son’s school and sitting on the board of pdxAMBUCS.
