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Diane
Gilfether, Music Director, a critically acclaimed lyric-coloratura soprano, has
performed extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She has appeared
with the San Francisco Opera, Pasadena Opera, City Opera, and was a long-time leading lady
with Donald Pippin's Pocket Opera. Her symphonic solo appearances have included the
Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Stockton, Santa Cruz, Contra Costa, Monterey,
Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestras, as well as others. Ms. Gilfether has also sung with
the Crown Chamber Players, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Masterworks Chorale,
Schola Cantorum, Music in the Mountains, the Lamplighters, and on radio and television.
She has appeared in recitals throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, British
Columbia, Austria, Germany and France.
Her operatic roles include the title role in "Lucia di Lammermoor," Violetta in
"La Traviata," Olympia in "the Tales of Hoffman," Despina in
"Cosi fan tutte," Adele in "Die Fledermaus," Helene in "La Belle
Helene," and countless others. Ms. Gilfether was named a California Arts Council
Touring Artist for several consecutive seasons. She has also given voice and choral
workshops for the Oakland Symphony Chorus, the San Francisco Chamber Singers, as well as
other professional choruses. Ms. Gilfether has been invited to conduct master classes in
voice on college campuses throughout the United States, and has taught voice at the
University of California, Davis, and Holy Names College, Oakland, from which she received
both Bachelor and Master Degrees in Voice.
photo by John Martin
Stan Fong, Assistant
Director/Accompanist, was organist of the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church from July 2000 until his retirement
as an active church musician in December 2004. For the past 25 years, he has held positions in various churches in the Bay Area, including Associate Musician at the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, Associate Director and Organist at St. Leander’s (R.C.) Church in San Leandro, Director of Music and Organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael and at Trinity Lutheran Church in El Sobrante. He also served as
organist at Danville Congregational Church from 1991-1993, then Director of Music at Orinda Community Church. He was also interim organist at St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette.
His music education began with piano lessons at the age of 3 until 13 when he took up studying organ with Hugo Gehrke at Concordia (Oakland). Further studies with Larry Archbold (U.C. Berkeley) and Wyatt Insko (Trinity Episcopal Church) resulted in his decision to major in music. Educated at the University of Oregon (B.Mus.) and UC Berkeley, (AB) Stan studied choral conducting with Jim Cunningham (UC Berkeley) Paul Burke (Oregon) instrumental conducting with Michael Senturia (UC Berkeley) and organ with Lawrence Archbold and John Hamilton. He is an academic member of the American Guild of Organists, from which he holds the ChoirMaster (Ch.M.) diploma.
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