NWVA Artistic Team

Samuel Barbara

EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

excellence in teaching. Under his direction, the Cleveland “A” Choir won the 5A Oregon State Choir Championships three times. Samuel earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from the University of Portland. After completing his undergraduate work, Samuel was awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach English and study music in Weimar, Germany. While in Weimar he taught at the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere, sang in the chamber choir at the Franz Liszt Music Conservatory, and took choral conducting coursework under Professor Jürgen Puschbeck.

Samuel has sung professionally, both as a soloist and an ensemble member, and he remains active as a vocal artist. As a member of the University of Southern California Thornton Chamber Singers, Dr. Barbara appeared on live television with Barry Manilow and sang backup with the Rolling Stones; worked closely with notable composers such as Morten Lauridsen, Paul Mealor, Wolfram Buchenberg, and David Conte; attended masterclasses with Rodney Eichenberger, Jamison Marvin, Joan Conlon, and Vance George; and performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. Under Dr. Barbara’s direction, the Westminster College Concert Choir appeared live on stage with the internationally renowned performing group “The Tenors,” performed J.S. Bach’s Cantata 191 with the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra and collaborated with the Shenango Valley Chorale to present Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Each year, the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers embarked on an extensive performance tour and, under his direction, the ensembles performed in cathedrals throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The PCC Chamber Choir, under Dr. Barbara’s direction has been similarly active; highlights include a Canadian performance tour, an appearance with the Oregon Symphony, a performance on All Classical 89.9 Thursday’s at 3 and the presentation of numerous large works including Ramirez Missa Criolla, Corigliano Fern Hill, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem and more. 

Before serving at Westminster College, Dr. Barbara was Interim Director of Choral Activities at the University of Tennessee at Martin. While in Tennessee, Samuel presented for the Tennessee Music Educators Association, lectured on Music in Terezín as a part of the UT Martin Academic Speakers Series, conducted the UT Martin Honor Choir, and was invited by the West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association to adjudicate their choral and solo and ensemble festivals. Dr. Barbara has also presented his research at state conferences of the National Association for Music Education in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and is published in volume four of Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. Samuel served as Festival Host for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 5 Honors Chorus and Choral Music Performance Assessment, Treasurer for the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, as well as the tri-state chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He currently serves on the Oregon ACDA board as Repertoire and Resources Chair for Colleges and Universities and Chair for OSAA State Choir Championships Required Literature List. He remains very active throughout the choral community and is in demand as a guest conductor, choral clinician, and adjudicator.

Dr. Samuel Barbara is the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, where he conducts the chamber and concert choirs, teaches applied lessons and class voice. Before relocating home to Oregon, Samuel served as Director of Choral Activities and assistant professor of music at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. He completed his doctorate in choral music at the University of Southern California, where he was a senior teaching assistant in the Department of Choral and Sacred Music and assistant conductor of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers.

While at USC, he studied under Jo-Michael Scheibe, Nick Strimple, Cristian Grases, and Donald Brinegar. Before moving to Southern California, Dr. Barbara served as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where he was awarded the “Golden C” for

Karen Bohart

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR / YOUTH CHOIR

Karen Bohart is the Director of Choirs at Wilsonville High School just south of Portland, Oregon where she directs the Chamber Choir, Symphonic Choir, Bella Forte and Soul’d Out, and  teaches AP Music Theory and Class Voice.

Karen is past-President of the Oregon ACDA (American Choral Director Association) and was previously ORACDA/OMEA Choral Liaison Chair. She has served on the OMEA (Oregon Music Educators Association) Board as manager for several All-state choirs and previously served on the Oregon ACDA Board as the Treble Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair. 

Karen's Reynolds School Pro Cantorum Choir was invited to perform at the 2108 Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) State Conference. In 2017 she presented at the OMEA State

Conference. In 2017 she presented at the OMEA State Conference in a session entitled “Cultivating a Choral Community in a Sea of Diversity.”  Recently, Bohart was named Outstanding Music Educator of the Year for the Pacific Northwest region by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Karen has also enjoyed working as a staff member on a trip to Europe with the Oregon Ambassadors of Music, 2015. Karen is a state certified choral adjudicator and has adjudicated choir and solo/ensemble festivals in both Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Music from the University of Oregon, and a Master of Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

  • Madeline Ross, Soprano Section Leader

    “Tiny powerful soprano”, Madeline Ross recently made her Portland Opera debut as the First Woodspite in Dvorak’s Rusalka and role debuts as Tamiri in Il Re Pastore by Mozart and Lucinda in Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly with OrpheusPDX.

    Praised for her “brilliant coloratura voice,” “world class” stage presence, and thrilling versatility, Ms. Ross won the Anne Marie Gertz Prize at the National Artist Awards competition (NATS USA) and premiered Qaqnus (Phoenix) by Sahba Aminikia with Music of Remembrance in Seattle, WA, in 2024.

    She was hailed for “effortlessly nailing” her performance as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Oregon ArtsWatch) and has performed with Portland Opera, The Oregon Symphony, Fear No Music, Resonance Ensemble, 45th Parallel, Opera Theater Oregon, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and Music of Remembrance.

    She won first prize at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Classical Voice Competition in 2020 and was honored to take part in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. premiering An African American Requiem with Resonance Ensemble and NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra.

    She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as a jazz soloist where she “scatt[ed] to beat the band” (NY Concert Review). Ms. Ross is a founder and Executive Director of Renegade Opera, Portland’s unconventional and accessible opera company! www.madelinelross.com | www.renegadeopera.org

  • Nicholas Meyer, Bass Section Leader

    Nicholas Meyer, baritone, is a Portland-based, multi-faceted classical vocalist and pianist who maintains an active performing and teaching career in Portland, OR. He is the owner of Lydian Music Studios in SE Portland; a versatile and creative space for music lessons, rehearsals, classes, and performances. Nicholas has also taught voice at Willamette University, and currently serves on the board of Renegade Opera, where he made his music director debut in their production of Mozart’s Tito. In addition to professional singing, Nicholas also has credits as a producer, music director, stage director, and accompanist. As a voice/piano instructor and mentor, Nicholas has taught thousands of lessons, working with professional musicians, classical/opera singers, rock singers, hip-hop artists, pianists, public speakers, treble voices and teenagers, hobbyists, karaoke enthusiasts and everyone in between.

    Nicholas is the former Co-Artistic Director of Opera Theater Oregon where he produced and performed in critically acclaimed opera productions. In September of 2017, he made his debut performance with the company, creating the role of John Muir in its world premiere production of the environmental opera Two Yosemites. Nicholas was praised by Oregon ArtsWatch for his "whiskey-smooth baritone" and that he "interpreted [Muir] to perfection." NW Reverb wrote he "superbly captured Muir’s dignity and vision for the great outdoors...Meyer’s beautiful mellow baritone was at its best in the upper range." Nicholas made his directorial debut with OTO in 2018 in their production of The Little Prince. An avid recitalist, Nicholas has performed numerous recitals and his ever-growing repertoire encompasses over 400 art songs.

    Nicholas holds a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. He currently studies with voice teacher David Jones in New York City.

  • Haley Maddox, Alto Section Leader

    Haley Maddox, a Portland native, studied opera at Portland State University, where she performed the roles of Suzy in Puccini's La Rondine, Mere Jeanne in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Cherubino in Le Nozze Di Figaro. Haley also sang the Alto solo with the Oregon Repertory Singers in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

    Haley holds two degrees from Portland State University: a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Master of Education. She sang in the award-winning Portland State Chamber Choir for three years under the direction of Ethan Sperry. During her first year, the choir competed in the Seghizzi International Choral Singing Competition in Gorizia, Italy, and won first place.

    She has taught middle school choir and elementary music in public schools for five years, teaches voice lessons, and sings in the chorus for Opera in the Park Portland. In her spare time, Haley enjoys singing opera and playing the ukulele.

  • Aisea Poulivaati, Tenor Section Leader

    Portland native, Aisea Poulivaati is excited to be joining NWVA as tenor section leader. Poulivaati has sung as a soloist and choral musician throughout the Portland-metro area since he was a young boy at Stone Tower Seventh Day Adventist Church. Aisea began his formal musical training at Cleveland High School under the direction of Steve Peter. Aisea took second place at the OSAA State Vocal Competition as a junior and a senior. Aisea also sang with the Pacific Youth Choirs throughout high school and sang with the Oregon Bach Festival every summer.

    Following high school, Aisea enrolled at University of Arizona where he studied vocal performance. In 2010, Poulivaati was advanced through the Las Vegas round of America’s Got Talent, where he appeared on episode 511 of Season 5, after two of the three judges advanced him. Although his academic studies were abbreviated due to family circumstances, he has since resumed his pursuit of a vocal performance degree at Portland Community College where his sings in the PCC Chamber Choir and studies voice in the studio of Dr. Samuel Barbara.