Julie Rains Kangas has been an active member of the Seattle/Tacoma vocal arts community for 20 years. She taught choral music at Charles Wright Academy in both the Middle School and Upper School between 1992 and 2004. Julie’s husband David teaches science in the Upper School. Their daughters are current students. Julie was on campus recently and shared her memories of the school’s performing arts program.

My first introduction to CWA was courtesy of Jennifer Laughlin Stewart. Jennifer and I met as sophomores at PLU in French class. That winter, she invited me to see her father’s production of Catch 22. We were college students now, so I wasn’t too sure about this high school performance, but I went anyway. I had never been to Charles Wright or even University Place, for that matter.

I remember it being quite dark, walking a very long distance from my car, up stairs, into the building, through this cement room, outside, up another set of stairs and finally into the theater. If someone had yelled fire, I would have been lost! On entering the theater, the thing that struck me most was the set, which was amazing. Simple and yet it contained such intricate details, from the period cot to the camouflage netting hanging on the wall. Until I came as Donn’s vocal coach on West Side Story, I had no idea what kind of space the “theater” actually was.

I carry such wonderful memories of student performances: Of Nikki Pryanyski ’99 playing a medium. Of Beth (Olson) Sutro ‘93 as Mama in Fiddler. Of Caitlyn McLaughlin ’01 as Dorothy, as Little Red Riding Hood, and then on the cover of the state solo and ensemble program. Of the first time the small vocal women’s ensemble took first at a contest, and then the second time, and then when we couldn’t sing because Brittany (Haroldson) Brown ‘99 got the chicken pox, and then Becca Spence ’00 and Jenny George taking first the next year.

Of Drew Weyerhaeuser ‘00 and Laird Bennion ’00 as princes, which they are. Of Ben Weyerhaeuser ’02 singing “Walls of Zion” and then those four boys from the class of 2002, Jake Wham and Alex Henry and Ben and George Costakis, in their tuxes at the Lakewood McDonald’s before singing at a board retreat. Of Alex singing like a girl in that silly, fun-loving quartet that brought the house down. Of them singing “Goodnight, My Angel” as a surprise to me and then unborn Ella at our last concert before I took maternity leave.

One of my other favorite memories was running sectionals in small vocal. I would put a group in the office, a group in the room, a group (small, please) in the piano room up stairs and a group in the storage closet – we’d draw straws for who got stuck in the closet. And yet the students thrived.

I remember talking to Sam and Nathalie Brown at our last First Night’s Supper before High Sprits. I made a less than complimentary comment about the “theater.” Nathalie remarked that perhaps it was the adversity that gave rise to such stellar performances. The adults and student alike have done amazing things in amazing places, and I’m glad to see that the performing and language arts have survived the adversity and can’t wait to see what is possible with what is to come.

Julie was a founding member of Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, a resident ensemble at St. James Cathedral. She has also sung with the Tudor Choir, including performing Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She has sung with the St. James Cathedral Choir and Women’s Schola and most recently has sung with the Northwest Repertory Singers. She is also a frequent soloist in the area.

Julie earned a bachelor of music in vocal performance from Pacific Lutheran University, studying with Barbara Poulshock and Mira Frohnmayer. She has also studied with Marianne Weltmann, Marcia Baldwin and Charles Peterson. Julie currently teaches music at Sunset Primary School, a kindergarten through fourth grade school, and directs children’s music at Mt. Cross Lutheran Church. She is also a frequent adjudicator for both solo and ensemble and choral contests in the Puget Sound region.