THE FESTIVAL RELIES ON
a strong community.
THANK YOU!
Our Board
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Jennifer Northam, President — Jennifer Northam has been a fan of the Festival since its inception. Originally from the suburbs of Seattle, Jennifer came to Walla Walla as a Whitman student in 1987 and never left. Through her work with the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation and now with the Whitman College Alumni Office, she takes every opportunity to promote the brilliant musicians and intimate performances of the Festival. She is married to Jeff, Whitman’s tennis coach, and they have two children.
Albert Marshall, Vice President — Albert’s first experience of chamber music was as a freshman in college, where he heard the Julliard perform Bartok’s String Quartet No. 4 and found himself entranced by witnessing the live performance and on the edge of his seat during the fourth movement pizzicato. He was hooked! Albert has been an advocate for the WWCMF since its inaugural concert and is pleased to say he has rarely missed Festival performances. Albert recently retired from his position in investor relations and as a corporate secretary for Banner Bank. He is a long-term and current board member and treasurer of the Walla Walla Symphony as well as chair of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation Design Committee. His musical training included the piano and violin, but he has many more performance credits as a chorister. In Walla Walla since 1978, he resides in a century-old home with husband, Robert Warren.
Vicky McClellan, Secretary — Vicky moved to Walla Walla in 1988 to co-found our valley's fifth winery with her husband. The following 28 years flew by as they raised three daughters, developed the vineyard, grew the winery and built the Walla Walla Valley AVA in camaraderie with fellow growers, winemakers and all lovers of food and wine. Now happily retired with the winery sold, Vicky devotes her time to family, gardening, community and at last music!
BOARD MEMBERS
Ryan Barnes — Ryan is the director of creative services at Whitman College. He is a strategic marketing and communications leader with nearly 20 years of experience building brands, messaging, and the creative process. He served as a board member to Simple Measures, the Washington State Bar Association's Disciplinary Board, and the Seattle Opera's BRAVO! Club and others. He was previously the assistant director for design & brand marketing at Seattle University School of Law. He has earned his BFA in Digital Design and MFA in Arts Leadership.
Alison Bell — Bio coming soon.
Jennifer Clapp — Jennifer graduated from Texas Christian University with a BFA degree and spent the next 20 years living and traveling in France, Washington, DC, Chicago, Chile, and Seattle. She has worked as a graphic designer, taught English in Chile, and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. A job with Pepper Bridge Winery in Woodinville led her to her present job in Walla Walla. Jennifer convinced her parents that she was staying in Walla Walla for the long haul, so they followed her out from their home in Oklahoma and now attend all of the Chamber Music Festival concerts with her. The best part of being on the board is making her dad proud that even though she was herself a very poor music student, all those years of music education finally paid off!
John DeLong — Bio coming soon.
Jamie Guerin — Bio coming soon.
Karen Hedine — Bio coming soon.
Elaine Jomwe — Bio coming soon.
Fiona Mak — Fiona grew up in Hong Kong and studied Hotel Management at Syracuse University. After a few years of managing restaurants such as Morimoto and Quality Meats NYC, she moved to Walla Walla to pursue a winemaking career. She is now starting her winery — SMAK wines — which focuses solely on Rosé.
Nathan Viavant — Bio coming soon.
Timothy Christie, ex officio — View bio.
EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Timothy Christie
Violinist and violist Timothy Christie enjoys a multifaceted career as performer, teacher, public speaker, and recording artist. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF), a nonprofit organization in southeastern Washington presenting more than 40 public chamber music events annually. He also serves on the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and was a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra in Seattle for 15 years.
In demand as a recitalist and chamber musician, Christie regularly collaborates with some of the most exciting artists and ensembles in the industry, including Third Coast Percussion, Spektral Quartet, PRISM Quartet, PROJECT Trio, Sybarite5, Turtle Island Quartet, the Harlem Quartet, and The Westerlies. The solo violist of new-music ensemble Brave New Works since the group’s inception in 1997, Christie can be heard on recordings of William Bolcom’s Piano Quintet and William Albright’s Clarinet Quintet on AMP Records.
Christie earned dual undergraduate degrees in Music and English Literature at the University of Michigan, and a Master of Music degree, also from U of M. His principal teachers include Andrew Jennings and Paul Kantor (violin), and Yizhak Schotten (viola).
Christie occasionally dips a toe in the for-profit wing of the music business, having recorded countless film, television, and video game scores over the years. Away from music, Christie frequently dips a toe in cold mountain streams. His favorite fly in the box is a Parachute Adams. On land, Christie sometimes hits the ball straight. If you are his friend, you call his slice a “fade.” There’s no accounting for the occasional snap hook… It just happens.
OPERATIONS CHIEF AND BOOKKEEPER
Lenore Barkan
Lenore probably is best characterized as “eclectic.” After working in the Chinese Politics and History field, and then the Plant Biology field, she went back to school yet again. She got her A.A. degree in Accounting Technology from Walla Walla Community College. She also has attended accounting classes at Walla Walla University. She loves “not-for-profit” accounting because it is so challenging, and the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival because it has really stretched her love of music.
FRONT OF HOUSE AND PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Mozea Havens
Mila Petit
TRANSPORTATION AND PRODUCTION SUPPORT
Nathan Fairbanks
Neil Sautter
RECORDING ENGINEER
Jamey Lamar
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Modern Dog
Walla Walla Creative Co.