A season of excellence and joy
Dear SGC community,
As we finish out our 2025-2026 choir season, we’d like to share some reflections on the year with you and highlight some standout accomplishments!
We are so proud of the dedication, musical excellence, and joyful growth we’ve seen among our 240 choristers this year, made possible by the support of families, volunteers, donors and supporters, and our talented faculty of conductors, accompanists, theory instructors, teaching assistants, and vocal coaches. Every member of our community helps advance SGC’s mission to provide high-quality music education and a place for choristers to belong.
Season Highlights
There were many noteworthy accomplishments in the 2025-26 season, including:
- During the holiday season, SGC choirs performed at over a dozen events!
- Prime Voci put on two performances of Carmina Angelorum, sang at seven performances of The Nutcracker at Pacific Northwest Ballet, and performed for residents of Skyline.
- Sorella performed on Argosy Cruises’ Christmas Ships, at the Ballard Farmers Market, at an SGC family holiday party, and as a Nutcracker lobby caroling choir.
- Cantamus put on the Tidings of Joy concert at St. Dunstan’s, and performed at the Providence O’ Christmas Trees Gala.
- Allegra and Cantamus performed Readings & Carols with the Byrd Ensemble
- Vivissimi and Allegra performed at Holiday in the Park
- Dolcine presented a combined winter recital
- Piccolini put on two winter recitals – for many, this was their first choir performance ever!
- Seven SGC choirs performed at Gift of Song
- SGC strengthened and expanded our community connections through continued collaborations with Seattle Pro Musica and the Byrd Ensemble, and several new partnerships:
- Under the direction of Adam Stern, Prime Voci performed Debussy’s “Nocturnes” in a new partnership with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra at Benaroya Hall this spring.
- Our small contemporary ensemble Sorella went on a regional performance tour this spring, presenting shows in Tacoma, Seattle, and Bellingham in new collaborations with several other vocal ensembles from around the Pacific Northwest.
- SGC’s middle school and high school level choirs are going on tour this summer! Cantamus will travel to Golden, CO to participate in the Sing A Mile High Festival, and Prime Voci is heading off on an 8-day European tour with performances in Amsterdam, Ghent, Bruges, and Paris.
Through a very full year of rehearsals, retreats, recitals, and concerts, we saw choristers make strides in their vocal technique, ear training, theory, and overall musicianship, while also building positive relationships with peers and trusted adults. These bonds not only foster a supportive learning environment for our choristers, they are also one of the strongest protective factors in reducing risk of mental health crisis among youth.
Our Resources
SGC has an all-star team of faculty, teaching assistants, and staff, led by Artistic Director Sarra S. Doyle and Executive Director Lauren Kastanas. We hired a new Prime Voci accompanist this season, Mary Douglas, and are saying goodbye to Miriam Anderson who taught Piccolini for nine years and Entrata for five, building those programs into strong and supportive entry points to SGC and choral music. We are deeply grateful for Miriam’s time and talents.
We are also grateful for the financial support of our community this year. Your generosity this year yielded over $94,000 in individual donations, $120,000 in grants, $22,000 in corporate matching gifts, and over $26,000 through other fundraising activities at our annual Voices event – thank you so much for investing in SGC’s mission and programs.
What’s On Next Year: SGC’s 45th Anniversary!
We have much to look forward to during SGC’s upcoming 45th anniversary season!
We kick off with the Homecoming 2026 concert on October 10th, where SGC alums will take the stage and perform repertoire from throughout our history. The rest of the season features exciting collaborative performances with other organizations in our regional arts community, including the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Concert with Music of Remembrance, premiering a new composition commissioned for Prime Voci by Lori Laitman.
SGC is also launching a new Fireworks concert series in Spring 2027, with Prime Voci performing Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in collaboration with Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra as the centerpiece of the program. This concert will also feature the world premiere of a new commissioned work by composer Kevin Siegfried for Prime Voci in honor of SGC’s 45th anniversary.
If you’d like to make a charitable donation toward SGC’s mission and programs, visit our website to make a gift. Your contribution directly supports our music education programs, including our ability to provide tuition assistance to every family that needs it.
Thank you again for being an integral part of the SGC community! We look forward to another wonderful year of joyful singing, musical excellence, and meaningful connections with you next season.
-Sarra, Lauren, and the whole SGC team