JoANNE WASSERMAN is in her seventeenth season as conductor and artistic director of the Santa Barbara Choral Society. She has worked with an impressive list of outstanding choral and orchestral conductors, including John Alexander and Lawrence Christensen and was chosen to participate in master classes with Paul Salamunovich, the late Robert Shaw and Roger Wagner. She has been Master Class Conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival, Chorus Master for Opera Santa Barbara, and has served on the faculty of California State University, Northridge.

JoAnne Wasserman's dedication to music education, the development of emerging young artists, and her philosophy of increasing cultural awareness has enlivened the Santa Barbara Choral Society's commitment to sharing excellence in choral music with the arts community both locally and internationally

In their frequent collaboration over the last decade, Ms. Wasserman has prepared choral works for the Santa Barbara Symphony, including Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" and Symphony No. 9, Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3, Zemlinsky's "Der 23rd Psalm," the Verdi "Stabat Mater" and "Requiem," the Bloch "Sacred Service," and Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria.”

In the debut season of The Granada, she conducted the Choral Society and Santa Barbara Symphony orchestra in excerpts from Orff's "Carmina Burana" at the Gala Grand Opening in March 2008, and the full production in May 2008 in collaboration with State Street Ballet. Most recently, she conducted the Choral Society and Orchestra in the Verdi “Requiem” at the Granada.

Upcoming concerts for which Ms. Wasserman will be preparing the chorus include the Haydn’s “Mass in Time of War” (“Paukenmesse”), Handel’s "Messiah," a Beatles tribute “LoveLoveLove” in collaboration with State Street Ballet, and Vaughan-Williams’ “A Sea Symphony” as the grand finale to the Santa Barbara Sea Festival in May 2010.

Revised October 2009