Director Emeritus

Barbara has been a singer, performer, and teacher for many years, both in Whitehorse and in the Pacific Northwest. She has appeared on CMT, Breakfast TV, Bravo, and toured internationally as a performer/songwriter.

She grew up the daughter of a choir director and has always loved anything to do with voice. This has helped her transition to becoming the Whitehorse Community Choir's acting conductor in 2005, when she founded the Neptunes, the mostly men's choir. She is continually exploring and learning both conducting and voice, attending two years at the BC Choral conducting class and studying with Bruce Pullen (UBC), Adam Con (U of Georgia Southern), and Bruce Browne (PSU).

Barbara currently resides in the lovely suburb of Riverdale, teaches voice & piano, is exploring blues & jazz on voice and sax, and runs a B&B in the summer.

Accompaniest Emeritus

As pianist and organist, Barry Kitchen has led choirs and congregations in London, Ontario and in Whitehorse at Trinity Lutheran and Whitehorse United churches. He has taught music and band classes in Alberta schools, at all levels, and in Whitehorse at Grey Mountain Primary School.

He has been accompanist for the Whitehorse Community Choir since 1996.

Barry has been a piano technician since 2001, tuning and repairing pianos throughout the Yukon. Barry teaches piano privately and lives with his wife Wendy.

Director Emeritus

Thanks to quality public school music programming, Rachel became a conductor in Grade 2 when she led her school’s rhythm band in Lethbridge, Alberta.  She later began violin and viola studies at school in Ontario, eventually becoming a music educator herself.  Arriving in the Yukon in 1989, Rachel quickly became involved in the local performing scene. She sang with the Whitehorse Community Choir at its first public concert in 1990 and became full conductor in 1994. During her sixteen years with the choir, she co-founded a Suzuki music program, directed musicals, obtained an M.Mus. in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta, and led the choir to a national award for its history-based concert and tour Voices of the Klondike. Rachel thanks all the board members who have sustained the choir over the decades and is grateful to the Kwänlin Dän First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council for the opportunity to sing and play in their traditional lands. Thanks to quality public school music programming, Rachel became a conductor in Grade 2 when she led her school’s rhythm band in Lethbridge, Alberta.  She later began violin and viola studies at school in Ontario, eventually becoming a music educator herself.  Arriving in the Yukon in 1989, Rachel quickly became involved in the local performing scene. She sang with the Whitehorse Community Choir at its first public concert in 1990 and became full conductor in 1994. During her sixteen years with the choir, she co-founded a Suzuki music program, directed musicals, obtained an M.Mus. in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta, and led the choir to a national award for its history-based concert and tour Voices of the Klondike. Rachel thanks all the board members who have sustained the choir over the decades and is grateful to the Kwänlin Dän First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council for the opportunity to sing and play in their traditional lands.