George Halverson Fiore

Dr. George Halverson Fiore began his tenure as Senior Organist at First Presbyterian Church in November of 1999. Prior to his arrival at First Pres, George spent twenty-one years as organist and Coordinator of Music at Edmonds United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Seattle, and from 1967-71 was organist and choir director at The Cathedral of St. James in Seattle. George holds a Doctorate degree from Alaska Pacific University.

Perhaps George is best known to the Seattle community in his role as chorus-master of the Seattle Opera, a position which he held for sixteen years. In the summer of 2000, he was appointed Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony for Choral Activities, a role which has won him much acclaim. An accomplished pianist, George has performed as soloist with the Seattle Symphony in Saint-Saens Third Piano Concerto. He has been heard as soloist with the Bellevue Philharmonic, Federal Way Philharmonic, Thalia Symphony, and Cascade Symphony in all five Beethoven concertos, the 2 Chopin concertos, and the Schumann piano concerto.

Carla Hilderbrand

Ms. Hilderbrand has had the privilege of working with many of the fine opera companies and symphonies in the Pacific Northwest region and beyond. Some of her favorites include Portland Opera, Tacoma Opera, Lyric Opera NW, Bellevue Opera, Skagit Opera, NOISE, Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Willamette Concert Opera, Orchestra Seattle / Seattle Chamber Singers, and the Seattle Youth Symphony.

While participating in the Portland Opera Young Artist Program she performed throughout the state of Oregon as the Witch (Hansel and Gretel). She also sang a concert performance in the title role of Carmen with Eastern Oregon University.

Equally comfortable on opera, operetta and symphony stages she has performed the roles of the Witch (Hansel and Gretel), 3rd Lady (Magic Flute), Afra (La Wally), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Kate (Pirates of Penzance), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), the Marquise de Berkenfield (Daughter of the Regiment) and Venus (Orpheus and the Underworld), for which the Tacoma New Tribune praised her "fully and edgy voice" also remarking that her performance, "made you realize why you go to the opera in the first place - to have fun." Also appearing as a concert soloist she has performed Beethoven's Mass in C Minor, Handel's Messiah, Bach's B Minor Mass and Alexander Nevsky.

Carla received one of the highly coveted 2007 Seattle Opera Guild Grants and was the 2007 Runner Up in the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Competition: Professional Division and the 2006 Runner Up in the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Competition.

In coming months she can be seen as Pitty-Sing in Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan 's production of The Mikado and as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra.