Peter Boal, Artistic Director

Ellen Walker, Executive Director

Kent Stowell & Francia Russell, Founding Artistic Directors

Peter BoalArtistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet; Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet School

Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York. At the age of nine, he began studying ballet at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. Mr. Boal became a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet in 1983 and became a principal dancer in 1989. In 2005, he retired from New York City Ballet after a 22-year career with the company. Mr. Boal was also a full-time faculty member at the School of American Ballet from 1997 to 2005. In 2003, he founded Peter Boal and Company, a critically acclaimed chamber ensemble.

Among the many ballets in which Mr. Boal was featured at New York City Ballet are George Balanchine’s Agon, Apollo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon), and Prodigal Son; Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering and Opus 19/The Dreamer; Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels; and works by William Forsythe, Peter Martins, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Wheeldon.

Ellen WalkerExecutive Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Ellen Walker served eleven seasons as Director of Marketing & Communications for Pacific Northwest Ballet. She is also a member of the faculty for Seattle University’s MFA program where she teaches arts marketing. Prior to joining PNB, she was a marketing and sponsorship consultant to arts and civic organizations, and managed a number of projects for Seattle Center and Seattle Center Foundation. From 1988 to 2000 Ms. Walker was Director of Marketing for Seattle Children’s Theatre. Ms. Walker is a native of Seattle, Washington with degrees from the University of Washington and Trinity College, Dublin.

Artistic Staff

Otto NeubertBallet Master

Otto Neubert became ballet master for Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1992. Mr. Neubert assists the artistic director in rehearsing, teaching, and scheduling the Company, and also rehearses PNB School students in their roles for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^® and other productions.

Mr. Neubert has performed as a guest artist in PNB’s The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and Swan Lake. Prior to joining PNB, he danced as a soloist with New York City Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. Born in Munich, Germany, he received his early training with Alex Ursuliak, ballet master of Stuttgart Ballet and director of the John Cranko School in Stuttgart. Mr. Neubert was also trained at Stuttgart Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, and with Marika Besobrasova in Monte Carlo.

Anne DabrowskiBallet Master

Anne Dabrowski joined PNB as ballet master in 1997. Originally from San Diego, Ms. Dabrowski received her early dance training from California Ballet School. She danced professionally with Hartford Ballet and continued there as company teacher and assistant ballet master and also served as a principal faculty member of the School of the Hartford Ballet. Ms. Dabrowski assists the artistic director in teaching, rehearsing, and scheduling the Company and rehearses PNBS students in their roles for George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^® and other PNB ballets.

Giovanni VillalobosBallet Master

Giovanni Villalobos was born in Puerto Rico, where he began dancing at the age of eight under the guide of Roberto Rodriguez. He studied at the School of American Ballet (with Peter Boal, Jock Soto and Andrei Kramarevsky) and the Royal Danish Ballet (as part of the D.A.N.C.E student exchange program), and he choreographed for the New York Choreographic Institute. In 2003, he was awarded the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise, and a year later he joined New York City Ballet. He has worked with prominent choreographers, including Christopher Wheeldon, Susan Stroman, Eliot Feld, Benjamin Millepied, and Liam Scarlett, and he appeared in the film version of Jerome Robbins’ Opus Jazz. In 2014, he was chosen to become a member of the Teachers Fellowship at SAB. Mr. Villalobos was a guest teacher at Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 2015, and joined PNB School as a year-round faculty member in the fall of 2018. In June 2019, he became Ballet Master for Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Emil de CouMusic Director/Principal Conductor

Emil de Cou assumed the full-time position of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Music Director and Principal Conductor at the start of the 2011-2012 season. He was associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, participating in a wide range of NSO performances and events following his Wolf Trap debut in 2000. Mr. de Cou debuted at Carnegie Hall as guest conductor for the New York Pops and has also conducted Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He was Principal Pops Conductor for the San Francisco Symphony and served as musical consultant for NASA collaborations, including “Salute to Apollo, the Kennedy Legacy” at the Kennedy Center. In 1985, Mikhail Baryshnikov hired Mr. de Cou to conduct American Ballet Theatre and in 1994, he joined the staff of San Francisco Ballet. He has also conducted New York City Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Netherlands Dance Theatre, Hong Kong Ballet, and National Ballet of Holland, among others. Mr. de Cou was born in Los Angeles and studied at the University of Southern California. He was the subject of a documentary on National Public Radio and was chosen from 200 candidates to study in Leonard Bernstein’s master class at the Hollywood Bowl.

Michele CurtisFamily Matinee Ballet Master

Michele Curtis is Family Matinee Ballet Master for the PNB student matinee productions of Bruce Wells’ Beauty and the Beast, Le Corsaire: A Pirate’s Tale, Hansel & Gretel, Pinocchio, and Snow White. Ms. Curtis joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 2006 after a performing career with both classical and contemporary dance companies. She performed with Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Donald Byrd/The Group, Pilobolus Dance Theater, and Seattle Dance Project. From Los Angeles, CA, she received her early training from Catherine Kingsley, Meredith Baylis, Yvonne Mounsey, Rosemary Valaire, Stanley Holden, The Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Ms. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance from UCLA.

Doug Fullington, Assistant to Peter Boal

Josh Archibald-Seiffer, Conductor/Company Pianist

Rodger Burnett*, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Christina Siemens, Principal Company Pianist

Elisabeth Ellis, Company Pianist

Stephen Barnes*, Jeff Junkinsmith, Emi Oguri, Megan Phillips, Natasha Pinelis, Katja Rubin, Shelley Sutton-Bolton, Don Vollema, Annastasia Workman, Company Class Pianists

Mona Butler*, Orchestra Librarian

Jon Blake, Birgit Hansen, Librarians

Sheila Dietrich*, Archivist

Lauren Kirchner, Student Cast & Parent Volunteer Coordinator

Kent StowellFounding Artistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Kent Stowell was Artistic Director and principal choreographer of Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1977 until his retirement in June 2005.

Mr. Stowell began his dance training with Willam Christensen at the University of Utah, later joining San Francisco Ballet. He joined New York City Ballet in 1962 and was promoted to soloist in 1963. In 1970, he joined the Munich Opera Ballet as a leading dancer and choreographer. In 1973, Mr. Stowell was appointed ballet master and choreographer of Frankfurt Ballet, and he was named, with Francia Russell, Co-Artistic Director of the company in 1975. In 1977, Mr. Stowell and Ms. Russell were appointed Artistic Directors of Pacific Northwest Ballet. During his tenure, Mr. Stowell choreographed thirty-six ballets for the Company. His many contributions to the repertory include Swan Lake, Cinderella, Stowell & Sendak Nutcracker, Carmina Burana, Firebird, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Hail to the Conquering Hero, Carmen, and Silver Lining.

In 2001, the University of Utah honored Mr. Stowell with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Stowell’s other awards and honors include the Washington State Governor’s Arts Award, the Dance Magazine Award, an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Washington, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Seattle University. In 2004, Stowell received the ArtsFund Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award, the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was recognized by the King County Council for his achievements in the arts.

Francia RussellFounding Artistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Francia Russell was Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet School from 1977 until her retirement in June 2005. She is responsible for the addition to the Company’s repertory of many works of George Balanchine. In addition to teaching, rehearsing, and promoting the potential of Company dancers, Ms. Russell enriched the curriculum of PNB School by adding related subjects of study and engaging a team of expert consultants. She also oversaw the development of an extensive community education program and founded the DanceChance program in 1994. These components of the School were distinguished as ahead of their time in American dance education.

Ms. Russell’s most influential teachers were Felia Doubrovska, Antonina Tumkovsky, Vera Volkova, Robert Joffrey, and George Balanchine. She joined New York City Ballet in 1956 and was promoted to soloist in 1959. She retired from the company in 1961, danced for a year with Jerome Robbins’ Ballets USA, and taught on the faculty of the School of American Ballet in 1962-1963. In 1964, Balanchine appointed her ballet mistress of NYCB. Ms. Russell was one of the first ballet masters chosen by Balanchine to stage his works. To date, she has staged 246 productions of Balanchine ballets worldwide. In 1987, she staged the first Balanchine ballet in the People’s Republic of China for the Shanghai Ballet, and in 1988-1989, she staged the historic first authorized performance of Balanchine’s work in his homeland for the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg. From 1975 to 1977, Ms. Russell and Kent Stowell were Co-Artistic Directors of Frankfurt Ballet.

Ms. Russell’s numerous awards include the Washington State Governor’s Arts Award, the Dance Magazine Award, an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Washington, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Seattle University, and the Brava Award from Women’s University Club of Seattle. In 2004, Ms. Russell received the Arts Fund Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award, the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was recognized by the King County Council for her achievements in the arts.

Production

Norbert HerrigesTechnical Director

Norbert Herriges began working in Seattle theater after receiving a degree in Theatre Arts at Southern Oregon State College in Ashland, Oregon. In 1984, he started at ACT as a scenic builder and in 1991 moved to Seattle Repertory Theatre, where he worked for fifteen years as a shop carpenter and later as Scenic Coordinator. In the course of his 28-year career in local theater, Mr. Herriges has worked backstage for PNB in various capacities. Most recently, he coordinated the set construction for PNB’s new production of George Balanchine’s Coppélia. He became Interim Technical Director for PNB in February 2011 and assumed the position of Technical Director in July of 2011. Mr. Herriges oversees and coordinates all technical aspects of PNB’s productions, assisted by an exceptional staff of stage technicians and managers.

Reed NakayamaResident Lighting Design Coordinator

Reed Nakayama is a lighting and video designer based in Seattle. Originally from Denver, Colorado, he moved to Washington to attend Cornish College of the Arts, where he studied lighting and scenic design, receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2007. His designs for local companies include Seattle Shakespeare Company (A Winter’s Tale), Strawberry Theatre Workshop (Our Town), and Teatro Zinzanni (In Tents). In 2013, Mr. Nakayama joined PNB as a member of the stage crew and was named Resident Lighting Design Coordinator in 2019. He has designed the lighting for Kyle Davis’ A Dark and Lonely Space and Ezra Thomson’s The Perpetual State, among other works.

Sandra Barrack, Production Stage Manager

Leigh’Ann Andrews, Stage Manager

Meleta Buckstaff, Assistant for Shoes & Rentals

Jeffrey Stebbins*, Master of Properties

Alan Hiskey*, Flyman

Greg Davis, Master Carpenter

Tim Casey, Assistant Carpenter

Cole Erin Guinn, Assistant Carpenter

Michael Grogan, Master Electrician

Kate Takata, Assistant Electrician

Jonathan Hackett*, Production Electrician

Jay Gosselin*, Kevin Krist*, Properties Assistants

Jan Harvey-Smith*, Master Scenic Artist

Scott Bennet, Jennifer Law, Kelly Staton, Scenic Artists

Dominic Iacono, Lighting Technician

Toby Basiliko, Sound

Jeremiah Gibson, Jordan Whiteley, Projectionists

Jim Austin*, Tammy Martin, Followspot Operators

Jack Taylor, Videographer

Costume Shop

Christine Joly De LotbiniereCostume Shop Manager

Bio coming soon.

Sherri J. Thompson*, Wardrobe Mistress

Carrie Steficek, Christine Scoggins Grandquist, Wardrobe Leads

Meleta Buckstaff, Costume Shop Assistant

Luna Pham, Draper

Pauline Smith*, First Hand

Rob Newton, Costume Technician

Liliyana Deneva, Stitcher

Madeleine DeGracia, Wardrobe Assistant

Patrick Stovall, Men’s Cutter & Wardrobe Assistant

Terry Frank, Millinery/Crafts

Wendy Oberlin, Dyer/Painter

Executive Office

Terrie FlamingDirector of Human Resources

Ms. Flaming brings 16 years of experience in Human Resources leadership and development, in diverse industries including Architecture and Engineering, Telecommunications, Manufacturing and Non-Profits Arts. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development from Hawaii Pacific University and has earned her Senior Professional Human Resources credentials from the Human Resource Certification Institute. Her primary areas of expertise include Employee Relations, Labor Relations, Leadership Coaching and Development, HR Administration and Project Management.

Craig Big Eagle, IT Manager

Jason Darland, Desktop Support

Finance

David ThorpeChief Financial Officer

Mr. Thorpe was a senior manager at the accounting firm Bader Martin, PS before joining PNB in 2010. He is a CPA and received his B.A. in business from the University of Washington.

Karen Portzer, Accounting Analyst

Kaleriya Maslyak, Accounting/Payroll Associate

Operations

Serni Reeves, Office Manager

Brian Zenk, Maintenance Supervisor

Cheryl Gunder, Receptionist

Diane Sardeson, Saturday Receptionist

Company Operations & Touring

Kiyon RossDirector of Company Operations

Bio coming soon.

Marketing & Advancement

Lia ChiarelliChief Marketing & Advancement Officer

Lia Chiarelli has spent her career marketing her favorite arts organization—Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her areas of expertise include: earned revenue optimization, community management and comprehensive advertising and promotional campaigns. A Seattle native, Ms. Chiarelli has a degree from the University of Washington. She speaks and consults on a variety of topics related to ticketing, social media and arts administration.

Lexi Clements, Director of Marketing

Liza Madison, Director of Development/Donor Engagement

Carrie Mood Okada, Director of Development/Individual & Planned Giving

Gary Tucker, Director of Communications

Jen Shealy, Tessitura Database Manager

Kristen Liang, Engagement Manager/Executive Assistant

Development

Suzanne Erickson, Foundation & Government Relations Manager

Jackson Cooper, Major Gifts Officer

Caitlin Bell, Corporate Relations Manager

Kristin Price, Special Events Manager

Nicole Song, Annual Fund Manager

Marianna Clair, Individual Giving & Board Liaison Associate

Maria Gorbaty, Development Coordinator

Jennifer Cho, Donor Information Coordinator

Marketing & Communications

Marsha Bennion*, Publications Manager

Lindsay Thomas, Videographer

Cassandra Lea-Saxton, Digital Experience Designer

Noel Pederson, Marketing Coordinator

Doug Fullington, Audience Education Manager

Kate Farwell, Manager of Amusements

Patron Services

Megan Weigley, Patron Experience Manager

Max Frauel, Patron Experience Supervisor

Amanda Mulvihill, Patron Experience Lead

Julie Jamieson, Group Sales

Teal Christensen, LiLi Pigott, Patron Service Representatives

Shaliese Rogers, Telesales Manager

Orchestra

Violin 1
Michael Jinsoo Lim, Concertmaster
Jennifer Caine Provine, Associate Concertmaster
Emilie Choi, Assistant Concertmaster
Stephen Daniels**
Tom Dziekonski*
Ella Marie Gray*
YeSol Im
Lynn Bartlett Johnson**
Petro Krysa

Violin 2
Rita Lee, Principal
Ingrid Fredrickson*
William E. Boyd*
Anne Cady*
Adrianna Hulscher
Laurie Wells
Kim Zabelle**

Viola
Alexander Grimes, Principal
Betty Agent*, Assistant Principal
Kayleigh Miller
Joyce Ramée*
Laura Renz
Eileen Swanson*

Cello
Page Smith*, Principal
Virginia Dziekonski*, Assistant Principal
Meg Brennand**
Andrea Chandler**
Charles Jacot
Brian Wharton

Bass
Todd Larsen**, Principal
Stephen Schermer**, Assistant Principal
Maurice Clubb
Ben Musa**

Flute
Evan Pengra Sult, Principal
Laura Werner

Piccolo
Laura Werner

Oboe
Dan Williams, Principal
Tad Margelli*

English Horn
Tad Margelli

Clarinet
Jennifer Nelson**, Principal
Denise Lum

Bass Clarinet/E-Flat
Denise Lum

Bassoon
Mona S. Butler*, Principal
Dana Jackson

Horn
Rodger Burnett*, Principal
Danielle Lemieux
Richard Reed*
Ryan Stewart

Trumpet
Sarah Viens, Principal
Richard Werner*

Trombone
Mark Williams*, Principal

Bass Trombone
Douglas Nierman*

Tuba
Ryan Schultz, Principal

Tympani
Phil Hanson*, Principal

Percussion
Matthew Kocmieroski*, Principal
Gunnar Folsom

Harp
John Carrington, Principal

Keyboard
Allan Dameron
Christina Siemens

Personnel Manager
Rodger Burnett

Music Librarian
Mona S. Butler

*Founding members of PNB Orchestra (1989).
**25 plus years with PNB Orchestra.
The Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is composed of musicians represented by the PNB Orchestra Players Organization.
Steinway & Sons is the official piano of PNB.

Pacific Northwest Ballet School

Peter Boal, Director

Denise Bolstad*, Managing Director

Abbie Siegel*, School Principal

Meg Potter, Assistant Principal

Andrea Abercrombie, School Supervisor

Wendy Casper*, Assistant to the Managing Director

Eva Stone, NEXT STEP Program Coordinator

Naomi Glass, DanceChance Manager

Lauren Kirchner, DanceChance Coordinator

David Jensen, Summer Residence Director

Kristen Carder, Registrar

Bethany Nielcen, FRC Operations Coordinator

Amy Barkley, Allison Larson, Rachel Henderson, and Lorraine Pagan, Administrative Assistants

Faculty

Marisa Albee*, Peter Boal, Nancy Crowley, Dana Hanson, Dane Holman, Carrie Imler, Kaori Nakamura, Jonathan Porretta, Meg Potter, Abbie Siegel*, Jennifer Turner, Le Yin

Kelly Boal, Emily Coello, Caitlin Cooney, Michele Curtis, Dammiel Cruz, Kyle Davis, Lauren DeBard, Naomi Glass, Susan Gorter, Ikolo Griffin, Benjamin Griffiths, Claudia Houston-Aragon, Deborah Kenner, Miriam Landis, Ayumi Matsuda, Dina McDermott, Samantha Myer, Louise Nadeau*, Laurie McKarns Perrault, Lesley Rausch, Kendal Ruland, Suzanne Singla, Eva Stone, Marjorie Thompson, Julie Tobiason*, Malia Vassar, Amber Willett

PNB Company dancers, Guest Faculty

School Accompanists

Don Vollema, Music Staff Coordinator

Jessica Andrews, David Barela, Stephen Barnes, Carol Buschmann, David Clodfelter, David Close, Tatyana Dadayeva, Oleg Dusaev, Evelyn Hsu, Eva Huentelman, Irv Huck, Nathan Jensen, Jeff Junkinsmith, Marina Katsel, Adam Kessler, Art Koshi, Avi Lasser, Emi Oguri, Michael Owcharuk, Susan Paton, Megan Phillips, Natasha Pinelis, Randall Plut, Elizabeth Purswell, Angela Rinaldi-Gribas, Katja Rubin, Shelley Sutton-Bolton, Rob Vienneau, Annastasia Workman, Josh Zimmerman

Community Education

Shannon Barnes, Director

Rochelle Rapaszky, Associate Director and Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Initiative Coordinator

Ann Marie Caldwell, Programs Manager

Mikhail Calliste, Ciara McCormack Greenwalt, Lauren Kirchner, Mackenzie Malhotra, Robert Moore, Amanda Morgan, Hayley Shannon, Ayako Shapiro, Suzanne Singla, Ellen Tejera, Adriana Wright, Teaching Artists

Becca Baggenstoss, Devin Bews, Noah Colbeck, Jordan Furrow, Nick Helgeson, Max Holmberg, Jeremy Jones, Adam Kessler, Accompanists

PNBConditioning Staff

Amy Barkley, Conditioning Coordinator

Melissa Brown, Carol Elsner, Teresa Hanawalt, Deborah Kenner, Dina McDermott, Kayoko Price, Suzanne Singla, Tara F. Stepenberg, Marjorie Thompson, Jennifer Turner

Therapy

Steven Anderson, MD, Consulting Physician

Boyd Bender, Director of Physical Therapy Services & Physical Therapist

Elizabeth Rigsbee, Lisa Van Loben Sels, Physical Therapists

Lori Brewington, Physical Therapy Assistant

Christopher Kagen, Dorothee Wihl, Massage Therapists

Seattle Gym, Official Fitness Club for PNB Company dancers & Staff

Consultants

Toby Diamond, Ph.D.*, Psychologist

Henry Lu, P.T., A.T.C., Physical Therapist

Josh Spell, M.S.W., Therapist

Special Counsel

Perkins Coie, Employment Law

MacDonald Hoague & Bayless, Immigration Law

Moss Adams LLP, Auditors

Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers are represented by AGMA—the American Guild of Musical Artists,

AFLCIO. Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is represented by the PNB Orchestra Players Organization. Stage Crew is represented by I.A.T.S.E., local #15. Wardrobe work is performed by employees represented by Theatrical Wardrobe Union #887, I.A.T.S.E. Stage Draperies: I. Weiss, New York.

PNB is an EOE.

*25 or more years with PNB