About the Walla Walla Choral Society
Since 1906 some form of the Walla Walla Choral Society has existed. The common thread over the years has been the desire to bring the beauty of song to the Walla Walla Valley.
The Walla Walla Choral Society is a non-profit volunteer organization that promotes and performs accessible quality choral music for the Walla Walla Valley. We collaborate with other artistic groups, enriching the community’s cultural life. We strive to offer innovative and creative choral productions that feature an expansive repertoire of works and styles. We are committed to performing at the highest level of excellence.
Our motto is “Making a Positive Sound in Our Community.” We celebrate our joy of singing and invite the community to share our passion.
Artistic Director
Robb Harrison is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Walla Walla Choral Society in Walla Walla, Washington. In addition, he teaches Choir and Music at College Place High School in College Place, Washington and is the Music Director and Conductor for the Walla Walla Summer Theater. Prior to his educational and conducting career, Robb spent a number of years as a professional operatic bass-baritone and musical theatre performer. Starting as a young artist with Opera New Jersey, to debuting Lysander in Michael Ching’s new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Opera America, Robb found himself singing and performing across the country. The last few years Robb lived in Salem Oregon where he taught middle and high school choir, and was the conductor, music, and vocal director for musical theatre productions at The Historical Elsinore Theatre. His credits there include Bye Bye Birdie, Annie Get Your Gun, and A Christmas Story. Robb holds a B.M. in Music Education and a Masters in Education from Willamette University and a Masters in Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona.
Fun Fact! Currently, all of our Board members and staff are also singers in the Walla Walla Choral Society!
Board President
Bob Schumacher began his credit union career at the Credit Union National Association in Madison, Wisconsin in 1977. Bob’s credit union career spans 43 years, most of which has been in credit union trade associations. He worked at both the Washington CU League and the Florida CU League. Bob was hired as Vice President of MountainCrest Credit Union in Everett, Washington in 1996. He became only the third CEO of the credit union in May of 2001. He served on the Washington Credit Union League Foundation for 7 years, as a Board member of the prestigious National Credit Union Foundation, the Northwest Corporate Federal Credit Union’s Board, the Snohomish County Junior Achievement Board, the FSCC Shared Branching Board and the Washington Credit Union League’s Awards Committee. Bob served as Chair of the National Credit Union Foundation’s Awards and Recognition Committee and was a member of their Fundraising Committee. Bob has also been the emcee of the NCUF’s celebrated Herb Wegner Memorial Awards ceremony for 15 years and was presented both the NCUF’s Anchor Award in 2012 and their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He served as an Emeritus Board Member of Gesa Credit Union in Tri-Cities, Washington. He joined the WWCS in 2018 and became President that same year, a position he holds today.
Vice-President
Melani Mangum-Williams is the Vice President for the Walla Walla Choral Society and also sits on the Development Committee. In her day job, Melani is the Senior Program Manager for the Providence Nursing Institute’s Clinical Academy, which supports transition into practice programs. She leads Critical Care, Emergency Nursing, Stepdown/Progressive Care, and co-leads the Nurse Leader Fellowship for the seven state, 51 hospital Providence Health System. She is blessed to work virtually with some travel throughout the system. Melani has worked in a variety of nursing leadership positions including the Director of Critical Care Services and Medical Service Line, Director of Education and Organizational Development, Nursing Professional Development Specialists, and Leadership Development roles in her 44 years of nursing. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix, and a BSN and ADN from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Melani is certified in Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) and Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC). Melani lives in Walla Walla, Washington with her husband Bruce and cats Paisleigh and Charlotte. She is the mother of two daughters and two sons and three grandchildren.
Secretary-Treasurer
Chuck Templeton has been involved with the Walla Walla Choral Society (WWCS) since the early 1980s, when the group was known as the Walla Walla Symphony Chorale. A highlight for the Chorale was a trip to New York in May 1990, where they performed at Carnegie Hall. In 1991, the Walla Walla Choral Society was incorporated as a non-profit organization. Chuck served as the Board President during the 1995-1996 concert season. He was also a member of the Walla Walla Mastersingers from 1992 to 2002, a select group of 21 singers, who performed a program at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Convention in Washington, DC, in March 1995, at both the Kennedy Center and Constitution Hall. Chuck sings tenor in the WWCS and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Directors. He is responsible for taking minutes of all Board meetings; handling correspondence; creating and managing online singer registration for all concerts; developing and managing online ticket sales for concerts; creating and managing the annual budget; and generating contracts for musicians who perform in our concerts. He chairs the Operations Committee which is responsible for set up of all rehearsal and concert seating and associated equipment.
Chuck holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry and was a member of the chemistry faculty at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. He retired as Emeritus Professor in 2006.
He lives in Walla Walla with his wife Patricia, three horses, and one cat. He has two daughters and three granddaughters. In July 2019, Chuck and Pat, along with numerous other members of WWCS, sang Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living in a 350-voice chorus in Les Madeleine Cathedral, Paris, France.
Collaborative Pianist
Joel Dickerson was born and raised in Eastern Washington, where he performed Mozart and Shostakovitch Concertos with the Walla Walla Symphony, Eastern Oregon Symphony, Mid-Columbia Symphony, and Spokane Youth Symphony. After graduating with a B.A. in Music from Walla Walla University where he studied with Debra Richter, Joel spent a year in New York City performing and instructing with various theatres, ensembles, & the NYU Tisch School of the Arts before returning to the west coast to obtain an M.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley. After 14 years away, he returned to the Walla Walla valley in 2018, and when he's not doing music, you can find Joel designing residential and commercial projects at Madrone Engineering, a civil engineering company he owns with offices in St. Helena, CA and Walla Walla, WA. He and his wife Hilary are enjoying raising (i.e. attempting to keep up with) their two boys.
Choral Administrative Assistant
Mara Lewis is passionate about community engagement, early childhood education, and youth mentorship. Growing up in Goldendale, WA, she specialized in early childhood education with a focus on music lessons for littles. Additionally, Mara served as the coordinator for the Goldendale Community Meal Program, where she managed volunteers and helped serve thousands of meals each year.
In 2021, Mara expanded her love for education as a Kindergarten teacher in Walla Walla, WA, where she fostered creativity and a love for learning in her students. She also worked part-time for Youth Equipped to Serve, a nationwide youth ministry, developing leadership and mentorship skills before serving as Regional Coordinator for the Northwest Region.
Mara now serves as the Campus Visit Coordinator for Whitman College’s Admission Department and as the Choral Administrative Assistant for the Walla Walla Choral Society, continuing to bring her love for community and connection to everything she does.
