Number of

employees you oversee?

Artistic

staff of eight. Number of singers: 150. Volunteers: our singers are our primary

volunteers.


Brief

background about Mid-Columbia Mastersingers:

Founded in 1986 as Consort Columbia, Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, or MCM, is the premiere adult community chorus of the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas. Our mission is to transform lives through the power of choral music. We offer participation in three choral ensembles for adults and four new ensembles this season for youth in fourth grade through high school.

Brief

background about your choral conducting experience:

My high

school choir director first gave me the opportunity during my junior year to

pick a piece that I taught to our choir and got to conduct in a concert. Since

that time, I have been an active conductor in the public school, church and

community choir sectors for the past 18 years.

How did

you land your current role? How long have you been in it?

I was

hired in the summer of 2008 as the new artistic director after the MCM board

leadership had gone through a rigorous rebranding process and realignment of

its mission. Having just received my master’s degree in choral conducting, I

was eager to secure a job and discovered an advertisement for this choral group

in Tri-Cities. I am now completing my 11th season in this role. 


What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

Accountability.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Build a

team of supporters around you who share your vision; get the right people “on

the bus.” 


Who are your role models or mentors?

Role

models include my father Fred Raffa and our current Washington state Attorney

General Bob Ferguson. Mentors include my high school choir director Mary Ann

Watson, my undergraduate voice teacher Charles Walker, and my current voice

teacher and friend Reg Unterseher.

How do

you keep your employees (or team members) motivated?

Schedule

meetings in relaxed environments that offer food/drink, willingly listen to

their concerns and strategize ways to be more effective at supporting them,

remember to celebrate their successes and congratulate them on a job well done,

trust their expertise in their particular area and give them space to do their

job well.

How did

you decide to pursue the career that you are working in today?

I was

determined to be a lawyer until my junior year of high school when I attended a

presentation on Career Day by the most burnt out, miserable lawyer I had ever

met. Having loved choir for many years, I never connected the opportunity to

pursue a career in that field until my high school choir director basically

asked me if I ever considered being a music teacher like her.

How do

you measure success in your nonprofit?

Strong,

recurring donor base, returning volunteers (singers) who participate in multiple

projects, community recognition of our name and events, grant and sponsorship

support from local and state entities, continued growth trends (annual budget,

staff expansion, program offerings) over the past decade.

What do

you consider your leadership style to be?

As a

graduate of the Leadership Tri- Cities program, I resonated greatly with the

Exemplary Leadership practice of “Model the Way.” I strive to practice what I

preach and be a model for my singers, as a fellow singer and human being.

Why should

the Tri-Cities care about arts and culture?

Arts and

culture is an important component of helping our community. “Be More Cool”

(Visit Tri-Cities’ new marketing tagline!) by supporting quality of life,

attracting/retaining employees and the impact it makes on the local economy.

Countless community-wide studies/surveys have continually shown the important

role that this industry plays, including the recent MyTri2030 endeavor in which

quality of life emerged as one of six key areas of focus.

What is

the biggest challenge facing arts and culture today?

The need

for a centralized performing arts center to serve as a home for many of our

local arts organizations that could also accommodate a variety of touring

shows/productions that current pass over the Tri-Cities. This facility would

also give a lot more visibility to the “homeless” organizations in the industry

who struggle to have a consistent presence in the community.

How do you balance work and family life?

Working

for a nonprofit organization that does not require me to report for set office

hours Monday through Friday. I have to set boundaries on my work day and ensure

that I carve out time with my partner Molly, my friends and alone time for me.

Much of that entails knowing when to put the computer down and stop reading

emails!

What do

you like to do when you are not at work? I enjoy

attending winemaker dinners and multi-course dining experiences, hosting

rotating poker games, supporting our industry partners’ events and spending

time with my friends who are fellow night owls.

What’s

your best time management strategy?

Some of

my worst rehearsals are when I show up without a plan that itemizes how much

time I should spend on each piece. It always helps me to devise a clear

schedule in advance with specific time limitations, even if I make slight

adjustments to that schedule in the moment. It affects my pacing and forces me

to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as I can.

What’s

your favorite podcast? Most-used app?

I listen

to “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross on NPR a lot. By far, my metronome is my most

used app on my phone.

Best tip

to relieve stress?

Monthly

acupuncture and massage appointments!


What

upcoming arts performances are you excited about and why?

MCM’s

season finale on May 24-25 is a massive undertaking of Carl Orff’s “Carmina

Burana,” arguably the most commercially popular, recognizable classical music

composition of the 20th century. We will be partnering with the Mid-Columbia

Ballet at the Hanford Reach outdoor stage with over 150 total performers

onstage, including two grand pianos and an arsenal of percussion instruments.

Not to be missed!