Our Team
Sonja Hindmarsh -
Artistic Director
Sonja is no new face to Pacific Voices, formerly the Pacific Mennonite Children’s Choir. In fact, not only was she director from 2009-2014, but she was also a singer herself for ten years under the direction of founder Nancy Dyck!
Sonja has worked professionally as a freelance violinist and choral musician in the Vancouver area, directs her studio of budding musicians, and just recently launched a music curriculum business called "My Homegrown Symphony."
Sonja graduated from Biola University in Southern California with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. Sonjaʼs formative years were spent in violin studies with Dr. Calvin Dyck, piano with Dr. Betty Suderman, and voice lessons with Melanie Krueger and Gail Suderman.
Sonja and her husband Jared are raising their four children in Abbotsford, B.C.
Betty Lieuwen -
Director of the Shine Division
Betty has been teaching music within the school system for over 25 years and currently teaches Music and Choir at MEI Elementary. She acted as a Worship Director in a local church for 10 years, conducting children’s and adult choirs. In 2015, Betty founded the Abbotsford Homeschool Children’s Choir.
Betty graduated from Trinity Western University with a BA in Music and Education and completed her Professional Teaching Certificate at Simon Fraser University. Her main instrument was the pipe organ, but she also studied voice and plays the piano. After graduation, she did further training in both Kodaly and Orff (approaches to music education for young children), and Choral Conducting. Betty and her husband Brian live in Mission, B.C. They have 4 grown sons and enjoy spending time with their families.
Andrea Peterson -
Director of the Spark Division
"Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!"
Psalm 96:1
Having completed her B.A. in Vocal Performance at Trinity Western University, Andrea has been a professional vocalist and recording artist for almost twenty years. Her passion for vocal and choral music has been lifelong and she has fond memories of choral performances, recordings, and festivals from when she herself was the same age as the Tinies.
Andrea is a familiar face to the Pacific Voices, having been involved in recent years in a variety of capacities including as a guest soloist for concerts, instructing private lessons as the vocal coach for Choir Camp, serving on the Board for two years, and assisting with the Musical Literacy (Theory) component of the choir. She is committed to bringing excellent music and proper vocal technique to the youngest members of the Pacific Voices family through fun activities, games, and repertoire. She is also committed to developing solid relationships with each singer while encouraging each to grow deeper in their understanding of God and His beautiful world.
Andrea resides in Mission with her husband, Brian, a local firefighter. They have three young daughters who are all enrolled with the choir this season. Together, they also manage a menagerie of farm animals on their organic hobby farm, including a very nasty rooster named "Scary Gary" and a Highland bull named Ferdinand.
Rob Workman -
Assistant Director
Rob is an up-and-coming choral director in the Lower Mainland. A versatile musician, Rob uses a diverse musical background to influence an engaging and educational choir experience for keen singers.
Rob’s passion for choral music began at Trinity Western University, where he obtained his B.A. in Music (Vocal Studies). Delving head-first into the remarkable experiences that choral artistry presents, Rob worked hard to develop his voice into a versatile instrument. However, Rob increasingly found himself intrigued by the art of conducting, so he pursued his M.Mus. in Choral Conducting, which he received from the University of Manitoba in 2020.
Rob strives to inspire excellence in his singers. He uses an adaptive teaching style to cater to each singer’s learning style. He loves “lightbulb” moments and hopes that all who he teaches will come to understand the magic and wonder that music can create.
As a conductor, you can also find Rob on the podium with two other choirs, Gloria Dei Chorale in New Westminster and Valley Festival Singers in Abbotsford. Rob has sung professionally as a chorister with some of Canada’s top choirs, including Polycoro in Winnipeg and the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
Rob now lives in Langley with his wife and precious daughter.
Cheryl Harder - Manager
Cheryl was first introduced to this incredible choir in 1984. She was thrilled two years later to be asked by Nancy Dyck to join the division that would be touring Europe and attending a choral music festival in Innsbruck, Austria. During these formative years, she developed a love for choral music, made wonderful friends, and learned many lifelong skills. She continued participating in various choral groups in the following years while attending Mennonite Educational Institute, Briercrest Bible College, and Columbia Bible College. As an adult, while juggling her primary role as wife and Mom, Cheryl continued to sing on her church worship teams and briefly with the Valley Festival Singers.
When her daughter joined in 2010, Cheryl had no idea what surprises and plans God had in store for her as she rekindled her relationship and love for this organization. In 2011 the board asked her to consider becoming the manager, and now twelve years later, Cheryl continues to demonstrate her extraordinary organizational skills, her commitment to the staff, board, singers, and families, and her passion for fostering a love and joy of music in the next generation.
Cheryl, her husband Bruce and their family reside in Chilliwack.
Katherine Wight - Accompanist
Katherine has been teaching piano and voice in Abbotsford for over 20 years. In addition to her thriving home studio, Katherine has taught theory, piano and voice at Columbia Bible College and piano at Abbotsford Music School (formally Central Valley Academy of Music). An active choral singer and soloist, Katherine has sung with the Vancouver Cantata Singers, the West Coast Mennonite Chamber Choir, Valley Festival Singers and currently with the Langley-based choir Ensemble 20/21. In addition to her music studio and choral pursuits, Katherine has worked as a music/worship coordinator at three local churches.
In 2002 Katherine graduated from CMU (Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg) with a Bachelor of Church Music Degree. While there, she studied piano with Irmgard Baerg and Dr. Cheryl Pauls and voice with Henriette Schellenberg.
When not teaching, singing, grocery shopping, gardening or baking. Katherine can be found at the soccer field, ball hockey cage, gymnastics gym or at the track, watching anyone of her three sons or one daughter.
Rafael Comeau - Accompanist
Rafael Comeau is an 18-year-old pianist, violinist, violist, and composer from Mission, BC. He has been an eager music learner from a young age, starting piano at age 4 and strings at age 7. He is now an accomplished musician in various disciplines, and has won many prizes over the years.
He presently enjoys many musical roles such as a piano soloist and accompanist, assistant strings teacher at Bakerview Music Academy, and Principal Violist of the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra where he has been a member for almost a decade.
Tracey Tobin - Accompanist
Tracey Tobin holds a Degree in Piano Performance from the DePaul University of Chicago and a Degree in Church Music from Moody Bible Institute. She began playing for the choir many years ago when invited to accompany Sonja Hindmarsh for Festival 500 in Newfoundland. She's been associated with the choir for many years, acting as principal accompanist under former director Betty-Ann Braun. Besides accompanying she loves teaching piano at Central Valley Academy of Music.
Tracey is thrilled to return to playing for children and believes strongly that Christ-centered music plays an important role in the formation of their faith.
Janelle Stauffer - Choreographer
Janelle Stauffer is a trained teacher, singer, violinist, and dancer passionate about music and movement. She graduated from Trinity Western University with a teaching degree and minors in music and human kinetics. Since then, she has enjoyed teaching music and dance at the Abbotsford Integrated School of the Arts and choreographing for PMCC and The Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.
Janelle is an alumnus of both PMCC (now Pacific Voices) and AYO (Abbotsford Youth Orchestra) and is delighted to be part of the incredible Pacific Voices team that brings music, movement, and faith to life for another generation of children!
The Pacific Voices Board of Directors
Pacific Voices is a registered non-profit society operated by a Board of Directors elected at an Annual General Meeting held every September. Parents of children or youth enrolled in the choir are voting members of the society and are encouraged to attend the AGM.
The choir employs Artistic Directors and an Administrator, who work together to meet the objectives of Pacific Voices. The board and staff are responsible for planning a choral education program that includes weekly rehearsals, choir camps, music literacy classes, ticketed concerts, and other performances in various venues.
Pacific Voices also provides opportunities to participate in tours and music festivals at home and abroad.
Board Chair: Cheryl Mulder
Vice Chair: Bryon Carpenter
Secretary: Heather Thiessen
Treasurer: Melanie Koperski
Member at large: Tamara Evans
Member at large: Kristal Sawyer
Previous Pacific Mennonite Children’s Choir Directors
Nancy Dyck
Nancy Dyck was PMCC’s founding Artistic Director and she served with enormous skill and commitment from 1978 until 2003. Her motivation and vision for launching the PMCC was attributed to her desire to teach, sing and serve.
Over the years, many eager singers learned music that represented their heritage of faith, as well as classical and contemporary repertoire. Music was chosen with thought-provoking texts in order that the singers might be inspired by God to live a life worthy of their high calling in Christ Jesus.
Nancy’s desire was that God would use her, in any way He chose, to teach singers to be instruments of His peace.
Calvin Dyck
Calvin Dyck was interim Artistic Director for the 2003-04 concert season, and he brought enormous energy, skill and dedication to the task. Music for Calvin is a passion, a profession and a pleasure. He started his musical training on the accordion at age 5. His violin training began when he was 8. Following the completion of his A.R.C.T. in 1981 he went on to study at Biola University and the University of Southern California where, in 1991, he received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance.
Calvin has traveled around the world with various musical ensembles and enjoys a wide variety of engagements, including playing for musicals, weddings, films and recording sessions. Currently, Calvin is the concertmaster for the Vancouver Island Symphony in Nanaimo and director of the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.
Kimberley and Wes Janzen
Kimberley and Wes Janzen became artistic directors of PMCC in 2004. At the time Dr. Wes Janzen was also the Director of Choral Activities at Trinity Western University and had been since 1981.
Under their direction, the choir continued to focus on musical excellence, faith affirmation, and service to the community.
Sonja Hindmarsh
In 2010 the enduring legacy of PMCC was passed on to sisters Sonja Hindmarsh and Carmen Hollett, the first directors of the choir who are alumni members. They spent many childhood years singing and touring with the choir under founding director Nancy Dyck.
Sonja graduated from Biola University in Southern California with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance. Sonjaʼs formative years were spent in violin studies with Dr. Calvin Dyck, piano with Dr. Betty Suderman and voice lessons with Melanie Krueger and Gail Suderman.
Carmen Hollett
Carmen Hollett is currently a faculty member at Trinity Western University working with the TWU choirs. She holds a BA (Music) from TWU, an ARCT diploma in piano performance, and a degree in Choral Conducting (MMus) from California State University.
Carmen is also a Mom to four little kids who keep her very busy and she daily tries to find a balance between her family and musical endeavours.
Betty-Ann Braun
When Betty-Ann was a teenager she met a children’s choir director and thought, “I want to be just like her when I grow up.” Little did she know that one day her dream would come true!
She spent most of her life practicing the piano, earning a degree in piano performance from Trinity Western University, but after graduation found herself directing choirs wherever she went. The beauty of voices singing together brings her continual joy, both in rehearsal and in performance, and she loves pushing herself and her singers to greater levels of musical excellence, for the glory of God. Betty-Ann who also has her ARCT diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music was artistic director from 2014-2021.
Betty-Ann currently works as the music director at Christ Covenant Church in Langley, BC. She lives in Abbotsford with her husband, Mitch, and her daughter, Susie, where she gardens all summer and knits all winter.