Phoenix is so excited to welcome Ashley Bontje as our new choir administrator.
We announced in January that Emily would be moving on after over 3 years in the position and we could not be more thrilled to have found an excellent fit to replace her in Ashley. She has substantial past choral and musical experience and will be a wonderful advocate and liaison for us. We are eager for our entire Phoenix family to get to know Ashley better, but we asked her a few questions so that we could introduce her to you all.
What role has music played in your own personal development?
Music has touched just about every aspect of my personal and professional life. As a kid, my mom taught me and my sisters to sing and my dad introduced us to a wide range of musical genres. I grew up on Long Island, NY, and sang at home, at church, and in school choirs. I studied Music Composition at Stanford and NYU and began my career in fundraising for the arts. I worked on special events at Carnegie Hall, where I helped put on large gala fundraisers until I left the east coast for the best coast. My husband and I moved to Seattle, where I worked for University of Washington’s performing arts center and Providence Hospital, all the while singing in choirs. We moved to Victoria when our first daughter was one, and decided to stay home with her. In Victoria, I joined a choir and started my own non-audition women’s pop choir. It was my first time conducting a choir, and I absolutely loved it. Read more