Meet the Ensemble
Back row (L to R): Laura Fram Cowan, Lynn Osborne, Maggie Wright, Amy Gross, Nina Brown, and Barbara Doern Drew
Middle row (L to R): Nancy Maret, Susan Harris, Jill McCormick, Gwen Gilligan, and Mickey Bond
Front row (L to R): Chris Wismer, pianist Bill Epstein, Dr. Linda Raney, Julie Kirk and Sue Katz
Not pictured: Connie Marks and Catrinka Randall
Photo Courtesy of Ken Kirk
Nina Brown, alto, sang with the Ensemble in the 1980s. She has sung with the Pacific Chorale in California and the Kentucky Opera, among others. She holds a master's degree in voice from CSULB, Long Beach, CA. Nina sings in the First Presbyterian Church choir and studies with Sandra Twibell.
Laura Fram Cowan, soprano, has sung with the Zia Singers, various spiritual and a cappella choirs, and as a music thanatologist (hospice bedside singer). An avid traveler, hiker and gardener, Laura is also a painter, sculptor and glass artist. (lauraframcowanartworks.com)
Barbara Doern Drew, soprano, is excited to celebrate her 40th season with the Ensemble, having joined the group in 1982. What a joy it has been! A singer in SSA and SATB groups since early youth, she is currently taking voice lessons from Alicia Solomon. You can learn more about her professional tarot practice at creativeagingdrew.com/voicesoftarot.html.
Gwen Gilligan, alto, has been with the group for nearly all its 42 years. She has sung when the group is both smaller and larger, and she loves the addition of so many new voices this season. Heres’s hoping you all enjoy this repertoire with our new, enhanced configuration of singers.
Amy Gross, soprano, joined the Ensemble in 2018. She performed for many years with the Austin Singers in Austin, TX, and has sung in several church choirs, including the First Presbyterian Church choir. Amy is a legal secretary, a freelance editor and an avid birder.
Susan Harris, soprano, is a new singer with the Ensemble in 2022. She has sung with the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus and the First Presbyterian Church choir. She has been in Santa Fe for 20 years and has a private practice in psychotherapy, specializing in trauma.
Julie Kirk, soprano, is in her 22nd year with the Ensemble and manages our website and Facebook page. An insatiable reader, traveler and renowned chocoholic, Julie is a longtime volunteer with the Santa Fe Civitan Club. She also sings with the Zia Singers.
Nancy Maret, soprano, is enjoying her seventh season with the Women’s Ensemble. Additional singing credits include many years with the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus and with the First Presbyterian Church choir. Her days are filled with telecommuting as a financial technology consultant, music, Ensemble treasurer work and being with her herd of horses and humans.
Jill McCormick, soprano, a lifelong singer and musician, has sung with the First Presbyterian Chancel Choir and the Symphony Chorus. She enjoys working with tuning forks to bring healing tone into the body in her practice at Ancient Tides Wellness. She expresses other creative outlets through training Waldorf teachers.
Lynn Osborne, alto, is a retired SFPS music teacher; previously she was a mural artist and scenic charge painter for stage and film. She has sung with the Zia Singers, Schola Cantorum, Coro da Camera, Coro Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus. Lynn is delighted to join the Women’s Ensemble!
Maggie Wright, soprano, is a first-year member of the Ensemble and has also loved singing with the Zia Singers. She works as a homecare nurse and facilitates contemplative prayer with small groups of incarcerated people. She enjoys life in Española with her partner, J.J. Oviedo, and their fiery, whip-smart, stinking-cute 18-month-old, Uriel.
