Elisabeth Southorn, soprano, has taught in private and community colleges, worked extensively in churches and has sung professionally. She received her Master of Arts degree in Music from San Jose State University. Professionally she was an Edmonton Opera Apprentice, and a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus as well as a recitalist in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
As a choral conductor, she served as Minister of Music and Worship at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in the Portland area from 1995 to 2008 where she created and conducted the Chautauqua Community Chorus. Performing masterworks and other creative choral programming since its inception in 2000, she continued her work with CCC until 2008. With this chorus she was able to combine her love of classics with a passion for social justice raising funds and awareness for many causes at concerts.
In the fall of 2009, she began the ensemble “Sing for Change” an unaccompanied octet in Erie, PA with whom she sang, directed and arranged music until June 2012. This group performed for causes of social justice and the environment as well as providing entertainment for local events. Her newest choirs were started in the fall of 2014, Westchester Youth Choirs.
She is a member of ACDA and NATS. She has studied voice with Ellie Cohen, Jo Estill and Ruth Dobson.
She has taught private voice lessons more than 25 years and performs solo recitals with an emphasis on music by women composers and sings benefits to raise awareness of various social justice issues.
Elisabeth Southorn 