Portland’s Choir Since 1945

Grand. Glorious. Timeless.

The Portland Symphonic Choir is Portland’s oldest and largest independent choral organization. Under the talented direction of Dr. Steven Zopfi, this 130-voice blend of volunteer and paid singers is well known for the beautiful, powerful sound we produce as we sing the great choral masterworks, both old and new. Our goal is to share the beauty and relevance of each work with you, our audience—both in concerts and in professionally recorded CDs. We work to make these artistic treasures accessible, so that everyone in the community—old, young, and everyone in between—can enjoy the music as much as we do.

Artistic Director Steven Zopfi

Dr. Steven Zopfi has served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Portland Symphonic Choir since 2003. Critics have hailed his work as “magical” and “superb.” Recognized as one of the leading young conductors in the Pacific Northwest, Zopfi attended the Hartt School of Music and the University of California at Irvine and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado.During his tenure, PSC has become one of the few choirs on the West coast with a core of professional singers. Under his dynamic leadership, the choir is becoming known for its excellence, its heart, and its deft musical responsiveness. The choir has benefited enormously from Dr. Zopfi’s extraordinary ability to translate complex works of music into understandable—and singable—terms. From his deep background in music history and theory, he communicates to the choir the personal context and musical intention of the composer, teaching us to sing the work as the composer originally conceived of it.

Assistant Director Kathryn Lehmann

Kathryn is well-known and respected among Northwest choral musicians and audiences and has a distinguished career in music education and conducting. She is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University with a Master of Music and earned her Doctorate from the University of Colorado. During her doctoral studies, she studied choral conducting with Joan Catoni Conlon and Lawrence Kaptein. She teaches voice at the University of Puget Sound.Over the years, Kathryn has directed singers of all ages, from elementary to adult, and her work in the public schools has given her concentrated experience in training young voices and identifying the problems of the changing voice. She is in great demand as a voice coach and clinician throughout the Pacific Northwest.As Assistant Director of the Portland Symphonic Choir, Kathryn plays a vital role, combining a high standard and depth of experience with irrepressible enthusiasm and an easy, accessible style.