Amy Bonhag, who grew up in New Hampshire, never would have expected to find herself in Omaha, but she is happy to be here singing with the Omaha Chamber Singers. A recent graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, she now teaches at Fontenelle Elementary School. Besides choir and work, she occupies herself with church activities and friends. This summer she is looking forward to starting her Master of Music Education degree at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT.
Lyn Bouma has been a high school choir director for twenty-one years, of which thirteen have been at Omaha Central High School. Mrs. Bouma was named the Outstanding Young Choral Director of the Year by the Nebraska Choral Directors Association in 1989 and has been named to Who's Who of American Teachers six times. In 1999, she was named the inaugural Teacher of the Year at Central High School, as well as one of fifteen Alice Buffett Outstanding Teachers in the Omaha Public Schools. Mrs. Bouma has served as Secretary of the Nebraska Choral Directors Association, Publicity Chair for the 1996 regional convention held in Lincoln, NE, and is currently Honor Choir Chair for the 2006 convention to be held in Omaha. She conducted featured concerts on the 2002 NC-ACDA Regional Convention in Des Moines, Iowa and the 2004 convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Lyn holds a B.M. from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a M.M. in choral conducting from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She and her husband Stephen are the proud parents of Claire.
Stephen Bouma is a graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, and holds a MM in piano performance from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Along with his wife, he was named the Outstanding Music Alumnus of NWU in 2001. He directs the Central High School Men's Chorus and is the Director of Music at First Central Congregational Church in Omaha. As a composer, he has had works performed at NMEA, NCDA and ACDA regional conventions, and has been commissioned by Central High School, Hastings High School, and the Clarion Chamber Chorale. He is also an avid chess player.
Barina Buresh Crosland holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State College in K-12 vocal and instrumental music education. She has performed with the Omaha Chamber Singers for three seasons. Barina previously taught at Fillmore Central and Logan View Public Schools. She currently teaches 1-12 vocal music at Arlington Public Schools and is also Public Relations Chair for the Nebraska Choral Directors Association. She was married this past July. She and her husband Philip reside in Omaha where they recently bought their first home!
Janet Carlsen Campbell enjoys a busy career as an oratorio, concert and chamber singer. Born into a musical family, Ms. Campbell received her love of music and first musical training from her parents. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance/Pedagogy from Arizona State University, where she has also completed course work and recitals for a DMA in Vocal Performance. She has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras and choral groups, including the The North Carolina Symphony, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, Santa Fe Pro Musica, San Juan Symphony, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Houston Masterworks Chorus, Conspirare, Phoenix Bach Choir, Kansas City Chorale and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. Janet, husband Chuck, daughter Nicole and son Charlie recently moved back to Omaha after living several years in Arizona.
Tara Cowherd can be heard performing with many area ensembles, including the Omaha Chamber Singers, Opera Omaha Chorus, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Choir, St. Cecilia’s Cathedral Schola Caeciliana and Cathedral Choir, and The Fuel Worship Band. She has performed as soloist with Musica Sacra (College of St Mary), the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Choir, Messiah Lutheran Church Choir with the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and will be a featured soloist with the Omaha Chamber Music Society series in the spring of 2006. During the day, Tara works as Communications Coordinator for Opera Omaha and spends her summers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as Business Manager of Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory. While in Steamboat Springs, she has also worked as administrator and performer with the Emerald City Opera. She received degrees in music business and vocal performance from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. This is her sixth season with Omaha Chamber Singers.
Allison Daley attended Nebraska Wesleyan University where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Business Administration. As a Bennett music scholarship recipient for piano, she performed on several honors recitals and was also selected as the senior soloist for Baccalaureate in 1995. She was a member of the Wesleyan University Choir and accompanied the "Touch of Class" Swing Choir for four years. She has performed with choirs under the direction of Robert Shaw, Sir David Wilcocks and Andre Thomas, and is Assistant Director of the Lincoln Civic Choir. Allison is a Marketing Analyst for State Farm Insurance. She lives in Lincoln with her two cats, Treble and Gracie, and enjoys spending time with her godson and nephew.
Bryan Fink is a 2005 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he received the Bachelors of Arts degree in music. While at Wesleyan, he was active in many performing ensembles, opera productions, and solo singing opportunities. Bryan performed many recitals and won third place in Senior Men’s division for the State division of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition. In 2004, he was named the Theodore Presser Music Scholar, a national scholarship awarded to a senior music major based on merit. Bryan’s main emphasis of concentration at Wesleyan was the study of music history and, with special interest, the study and performance of Gregorian chant. Prior to collegiate studies, Bryan was a member of three choral groups at Omaha Central High School.
