Crista Berryessa - Artistic Director
Crista has always found a particular interest in how music relates to society, its peoples, their values, and beliefs. She retains her desire to have not just a personal experience with music, but to provide memorable experiences for her singers and audience. Her education is now being broadened in her Master’s program where the pedagogy takes music out of traditional theoretical relationships and looks closely at the patterns found in nature, relating everything to harmonic structure. It takes a keen ear to hear and analyze music in this manner and she is becoming a master at this approach. As an artist and an educator she hopes to always be a servant to the great art and science of organized sound.
Crista holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from San Jose State University and has completed the coursework for her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Cal State Los Angeles.
From 2002-2009 She was affiliated with the many choirs at Cabrillo College. 2007-2010 served as choir assistant with Cantabile Youth Chorus and Symphony Silicon Valley. 2010-2012 she started a choral program at Aptos High School. 2010-2015 directed the Chancel Choir at Los Gatos UMC and the Santa Clara Men's Chorale. 2015 gave birth to her first son and founded the Redwood Chamber Choir!
The Choir
Hailing from all over Santa Cruz County, The Redwood Chamber Choir singers are proud to come together representing our local communities of Aptos, Ben Lomond, Bonny Doon, Brookdale, Boulder Creek, Capitola, Felton, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Soquel.
Our dynamic singers come from all walks of life - professional artists to talented singers who had never sung with a choir before. Members range in ages from 20's to 60's truly representing the diversity of Santa Cruz. They look forward to providing our county with memorable experiences for many years to come.
Photos of the Redwood Chamber Choir at a recent rehearsal. Photography by Maryruth Priebe. Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved