Board Members
Sonoma Bach Board MembersJayne DeLawter, Vice President
Jayne sings alto with the Sonoma Bach Choir and chairs the SB Education Committee. Highlights of her choral life include singing with Robert Shaw in San Francisco, Winifred Baker in Carnegie Hall, and Bob Worth in Basilica di San Marco, Venice. She designed and has coordinated the Chanticleer in Sonoma Choral Workshop at SSU since 2004.
A professor emeritus of Education at Sonoma State University, Jayne grew up in central Indiana and now enjoys hiking in the high sierra, traveling internationally, and relaxing at Dillon Beach.
Dora McClurkin Muir
A member of the Bach Choir since 2005, Dora sings soprano and joined the Board in December 2011. Previously, she has sung with the Sonoma Valley Chorale, Napa Valley Chorale and SSU Honor Choir. Dora moved to the North Bay from Seattle in 2002 where she had a long career as an art director in aviation publishing. She currently works at a regional office for Wells Fargo Bank. Dora and her husband live in Sonoma Valley where they enjoy the many diverse arts, their eclectic music collection, and touring in their vintage Citroën.
Jo McCormick, Secretary
Jo (Josephine) has served on the Board of Directors of Sonoma Bach (SB) since 2006, when she was invited by the then "Noon Chorus" Director, Bob Worth to help with fundraising for SB's earlier incarnation as SCCS. Jo is head of the Fundraising Events Committee and Secretary of Sonoma Bach.
She is a native of Glasgow, Scotland and grew up in a household of ardent amateur opera singers, with frequent impromptu "sing-songs" and family ceilidhs. Jo has lived and worked in London, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Boston, New York and Northern California for 25 years. She is a development professional in the North Bay non-profit community having worked for KRCB Public Television and Radio since 2001 as Membership Manager and as the Major Gifts officer. She is currently the Development Director at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa.
Jo holds a BS in Agricultural Economics from Glasgow University and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is an active volunteer and Board Member with "Folk Art for Schools", 4Cs: Sonoma County Community Child Care Council and is a volunteer driver with CERES. Jo loves to sing Alto with the Sonoma Bach Choir and their fundraising ensemble "The Holiday Singers".
John Nykamp, Treasurer
John Nykamp has been singing in choirs since high school and joined the Sonoma State Concert Choir in 1986 when he started attending Sonoma State University. He has been an active member of the choir ever since and was involved in the creation of the Sonoma County Bach Society, first as an organization operating under the auspices of Sonoma State University and more recently the transition to a separate 501(c)3 organization. Music is a very important part of his family’s life including singing in the Bach Choir with his wife Amy and his church choir.
John earned a BA in business administration from Sonoma State University in 1991 followed in 1994 with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He is the Vice President and CFO of Morrison Karsten Group, a real estate management and investment firm in Santa Rosa. He has been treasurer of the Sonoma County Bach Society since its organization as a non-profit in 2008.
Laura Sawyer, President
Laura Sawyer, a Sonoma County transplant originally from Maine, graduated from Wheaton College (MA) and Northeastern University. A lifelong singer, she participated in choral ensembles and musical theater groups from grade school through college and beyond. Delighted to discover the Sonoma Bach Choir after her arrival in Sonoma County, she has been a member for more than a decade. A longtime financial manager at UC’s Bodega Marine Laboratory, Laura currently serves on Sonoma Bach’s Governance and Development Committees.
Bob Worth
Robert Worth recently retired as Professor of Music at Sonoma State University, where he taught choral music and many other subjects for 27 years. He is the founding music director of Sonoma Bach.
In addition to his work in the fields of choral and early music, Bob has a specialty in Kodály musicianship training, and for ten years ran the ear training program at SSU. He is a composer and arranger of both choral music and jazz, and his vocal jazz arrangements have been performed by many groups throughout California and beyond. He was deeply involved in the Green Music Center project in its early years, serving as consultant to the architects on such issues as acoustics, choral performance facilities and the Cassin pipe organ.
Bob received his BA in music at SSU in 1980, and earned his MA in musicology at UC Berkeley. He has received numerous community and university honors, including SSU’s Outstanding Professor Award for 1996-97 and Distinguished Alumni Award for 2007-08. After completing numerous collaborative projects with Jeffrey Kahane and the Santa Rosa Symphony, he was named to the position of choral director at the Santa Rosa Symphony in 2002.
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