Verne Windham
Conductor, Spokane Youth Orchestra/
Music Director, Spokane Youth Symphony

Verne Windham began his tenure as conductor of the Spokane Youth Orchestra in 1996. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and since the 1960s he has conducted a wide variety of ensembles from instrumental to choral and opera, in all styles and at all levels from student groups to professionals.

For seventeen years, Windham was the principal horn for the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and more recently, his voice has become familiar over the airwaves in his capacity as Music and Arts Director for KPBX, Spokane Public Radio. In 1993, Mr. Windham was named the Spokane Arts Commission’s Individual Artist of the Year.

Kristina Ploeger
Artistic Director, Spokane Area Children’s Chorus

Kristina Ploeger was named Artistic Director of SACC in June of 2002 and has been a part of the Spokane Arts Community for four years. As Artistic Director, Ms. Ploeger is responsible for overseeing all music staff, and choosing music and performance venues. She conducts the Preparatory, Intermediate, and Ensemble Choirs, and serves as Theory Instructor at the Saturday Academy.

Ms. Ploeger is active as a jazz vocalist in the region and an educator at all levels. Most recently, Ms. Ploeger has been teaching Elementary Music Methods and Vocal Jazz at Eastern Washington University, as well as Choral Methods at Gonzaga University. Ms. Ploeger earned her BM in Music Education at Central Washington University, she completed her MA in Choral Conducting from Eastern Washington University in the Spring of 2001.

Spokane Area Children's Chorus, Kristina Ploeger, artistic director
The Spokane Area Children’s Chorus, founded in 1987, has cultivated a reputation for musical excellence on its own and in collaboration with the finest professional ensembles in the region. The five choirs of SACC study a broad range of musical styles, from early sacred works to challenging contemporary pieces from diverse cultures and traditions. Members of the choir have toured Europe and traveled to perform at festivals and conferences closer to home. Select members of the Ensemble recently sang in the premiere performance and recording of William Berry’s cantata Angels, along with the professional Candlelight Singers and Clarion Brass Choir.

Spokane Youth Orchestra, Verne Windham, conductor
The Spokane Youth Symphony organization has been training young musicians since 1949. The Spokane Youth Orchestra, the most accomplished of six ensembles in the SYS program, is comprised of the finest young instrumentalists in the region. Primarily high school students, they maintain a rigorous schedule of performances covering a wide range of repertoire. In the past few years, the Spokane Youth Orchestra has had the opportunity to premiere music by a number of local and national composers.