Whidbey Community Chorus
The Whidbey Community Chorus has two seasons; a Fall Season with two concerts in December and a Spring Season with two concerts in May. The 100-member chorus is comprised of people of all ages who share a love of singing. The songs are accompanied by a variety of local musicians, including piano, flute, violin, drums, and specialty instruments such as banjo. An audience of 350 – 400 community members enjoys the free concert each performance.
Choral Director
Raised in Salem, OR. Darren McCoy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Willamette University in 2006 and earned his Masters Degree in 2008 with Honors from University of Oregon. Since graduation, he has spent the past 16 years as choral director at Oak Harbor High School and the last 8 years as director for the Whidbey Community Chorus. During his time as the WCC Director, the group has performed works such as Faure’s Requiem and Christopher Tin’s “Baba Yetu” and has worked with Sebastian to create an orchestral component in the concerts.
At the Whidbey Playhouse, Darren has played roles such as Jamie Wellerstein from “The Last Five Years,” Dylan Thomas in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” and has been Music Director for shows such as “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Because of his numerous community involvement strategies, which include working with retirement homes, church choirs and bell choirs, and other schools, the Whidbey News Times named Darren, “Best Teacher in Whidbey 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017”. His choirs have been featured on King 5 News, Fox News Q13, and KIRO Radio as examples of positive growth in arts programs. In 2012, KCTS 9 awarded Darren McCoy the “Golden Apple Award” for outstanding teachers in Washington. He currently performs with Male Ensemble Northwest which lead the Bangkok International Choral Festival in 2016.
Orchestral Director
Colombian conductor Sebastian Serrano-Ayala is a Conducting Fellow at the Allentown Symphony Orchestra for the 2021-22 season. Additionally, he serves as cover and assistant conductor for the Saratoga Orchestra. Other engagements have included Symphony Tacoma, the Royal Military Chapel “Johan Willem Friso” , Blazerensemble Helicon, The Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Air Force, The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, the University of Cincinnati wind ensembles and chamber orchestra, and The Andrews University Wind and Orchestral Ensembles. When conducting, he strives to bring collaborative leadership, energy, and dynamism to the musical experience.
He was recently acknowledged for these efforts when he was a semi-finalist at the prestigious 2022 World Music Contest (WMC) – Conductor’s Competition, conducting the Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine. And also a finalist at the 2021 International Conducting Competition hosted by Denver Philharmonic. Serrano-Ayala holds a DMA in Wind – Orchestral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), a MM in Conducting from Andrews University, and music education degrees from the Adventist University of Colombia (UNAC) and the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP).
Accompanist
Sharon Burge was born when she was very young in a land far, far away by the sea (Coupeville/Patmore). After 3 different instruments, she settled on the piano and started accompanying as a freshman in high school. She received her Bachelor of Music in applied piano from WSU (goal—rehearsal accompanist). Then passed through WWU, Univ. of Oregon (Germany) and back to WSU for a teaching certificate. With K-12 music education certificate in hand, Sharon was an elementary music specialist in Washougal, Bellingham, Burlington and OH Christian School. Her marriage to Lynn brought her back to the Island where they save the world one pair of spectacles at a time or literally “clearing up a cloudy situation”. Sharon served as church pianist/organist at Whidbey Presbyterian Church pushing 30 years and during her free time also played for numerous musicals at Whidbey Playhouse with her favorite and most challenging being “Last Five Years” (1st with Darren McCoy and 2nd with Heather Good). Two days a week she adopts 180 high school choir students as accompanist for the OHHS Choir program.
Section Leaders
- Christina Queeno, Soprano
- Sarah Lyngra, Alto
- Jerod Lee, Tenor
- Les Boon, Bass
Board
- Sarah Lyngra, President
- Thomas Piper, Vice President
- Peggy Shekem, Secretary
- Peggy Connell, Treasurer
- George Marin
- Scott Palmer
- David Ridle
- Karina Andrew
- Dana Carnes
- Mary K Hallen