By Folene Henn
Special to the Pinnacle
Three talented musicians make up the musical directing staff for
Oriana Chorale, the only performing choral organization in San
Benito County. Bruce Olstad is beginning his fourth year as the
vocal director. Rachel Romina has been the pianist for three years
and also conducts sectional rehearsals. New to the group is Jason
Hough, a stage director.
This trio of amazing talent is busy preparing Oriana Chorale for
its spring concert in May,
”
Oriana Goes Pop!
”
By Folene Henn
Special to the Pinnacle
Three talented musicians make up the musical directing staff for Oriana Chorale, the only performing choral organization in San Benito County. Bruce Olstad is beginning his fourth year as the vocal director. Rachel Romina has been the pianist for three years and also conducts sectional rehearsals. New to the group is Jason Hough, a stage director.
This trio of amazing talent is busy preparing Oriana Chorale for its spring concert in May, “Oriana Goes Pop!”
In January, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Bruce Olstad was one of the vocal coaches who helped train Silas Elash, “a onetime Silicon Valley engineer who, without prior musical training, has become a star of the Opera San Jose stage.” Olstad is a frequent collaborator with opera companies throughout the Bay Area. He has most recently served as assistant conductor for productions with Berkeley West Edge Opera (formerly Berkeley Opera), Livermore Valley Opera, and Open Opera in Berkeley. Olstad also frequently serves as chorus master for opera productions, most recently West Bay Opera’s La Forza del Destino, Der Freischütz and La Traviata. Last fall he was the assistant conductor for Madame Butterfly with the Livermore Valley Opera.
Upcoming engagements include assistant conductor for “Così fan tutte” with Open Opera and chorus master for “Dido and Aeneas/La vida breve” with West Bay Opera. In addition, Mr. Olstad has been engaged by Berkeley West Edge Opera as assistant conductor for the entire 2011/2012 season.
Olstad served for many years as vocal coach and pianist for the opera workshop at San Jose State University. He held the position of chorus master at Opera San Jose for five seasons, where he also served as vocal coach and rehearsal pianist. As a pianist, Mr. Olstad has played for the master classes of baritone Thomas Hampson and dramatic soprano Luana DeVol. Olstad holds a master’s degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from University of California, Los Angeles.
Rachel Romina is not only an exceptional pianist, but she also is often a featured soloist with Oriana Chorale, amazing the audience with her soprano voice. Romina received her bachelor of music degree with an emphasis in vocal performance from San Jose State University. While a student, she served as a piano accompanist for the voice studios of world-renowned opera singers Erie Mills and Joseph Frank. She also served as a church accompanist for St. Frances Cabrini and St. Martin of Tours Parishes.
Currently, Romina serves as an accompanist and vocal coach at Leland High School, and teaches piano and voice lessons in San Jose and Hollister. She and her husband moved to Hollister a year ago with their son.
Jason Hough first stepped onto center stage when he was 7 years old and he has never left. Pursuing acting and competitive speech and debate in college, Jason went on to become an assistant professor of communication and theater at John Brown University. He has directed multiple stage productions, including “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Wit,” “The Miracle Worker” and “Beauty and the Beast.” He has written, produced, and directed an original full-length play, “Children Elemental,” and garnered several awards from The American College Theater Festival. As a singer, Hough serves as the first tenor section leader and choreographer for a men’s chorus in San Jose. He is a district faculty manager for Kaplan Educational and a teacher for The Communication Academy in Cupertino.
Oriana Goes Pop! will delight its audiences with contemporary pop music at 7:30 p.m. May 13 and 14 and 3 p.m. May 15. All performances are at the Granada Theater in downtown Hollister. Watch for more concert details in the coming weeks.
