Board of Directors
Matt Herbst
President
Matt hadn't sung in an ensemble before coming to the "sing! Sing! SING!" program in 2015 but has been singing lead with Northwest Sound ever since. Previously a member on the new member orientation team and an attendance administrator, Matt is now serving his third year as President. He also sings in the quartet Travelin' Lite and occasionally can be found singing with various small-time rock bands in the Seattle area. Outside of the realm of music, Matt is a software developer with an affinity for pinball machines and his home-baked gourmet cookies have graced many concert concession stands.
Keith Bankston
Immediate Past President
Keith has sung bass with Northwest Sound since 2018, following two years with the chapter's "sing! Sing! SING!" program. A longtime member of NWMix, he recently enjoyed performing in several holiday gigs as the bass in The Better Half. As Immediate Past President, Keith is available to assist the President and chapter as needed. When he's not making music, he can usually be found biking, volunteering with the MS Society, tending his garden, or turning its bounty into copious batches of homemade jam.
Lee Holmes
Secretary
Lee is a very active member of Northwest Sound, joining in 2015 and singing lead. He has been a member of the chapter board, having served as Member at Large, and is currently Secretary for his fifth year. As Secretary, Lee processes new memberships and makes sure that everyone's registrations are up-to-date. Lee is very recognizable because he also sets up the rehearsal video and recording equipment each week and sends the rehearsal recording out to the membership so everyone can review, allowing members who can't attend to keep up.
Kerry Davis
Treasurer
Kerry discovered Northwest Sound in 2023 and was immediately drawn to the tight a cappella harmonies that reminded him of his early years in musical theater. He has been a proud member of the chorus ever since, serving this year as Treasurer and also performing with the barbershop quartet New Groove.
Jake Bailey
VP Music and Performance, Northwest Sound
Chris Powell
VP Music and Performance, Northwest Mix
A longtime pillar of the Pacific Northwest barbershop community, Chris lends his voice, leadership, and steady enthusiasm to nearly every corner of the organization. He has sung with Northwest Sound and Northwest Mix as a bass since 2010, after participating in the chapter's first "sing! Sing! SING!" program. He also sings in the quartet Travelin' Lite. Previously serving as treasurer and marketing VP for Northwest Sound, he is currently now the VP of Music and Performance for Northwest Mix. As well, Chris serves as secretary of the Evergreen District board and is a trustee and chair for the Bud Leabo Memorial Fund.
Ben Hodge
VP Membership - Northwest Sound
With a fascination for how things are put together at the molecular level, Ben has applied his chemical engineering degree in the airplane, electronics, architecture, utilities and construction industries. Likewise, he approaches barbershop singing with the same keen attention to harmony and musical expression. Having joined the men's chorus in 2013, Ben now sings baritone in both the men's and mix choruses and is rumored to own more chorus‑themed T‑shirts than actual regular clothing. As the current VP of Membership of NWS, he welcomes new members with the enthusiasm of someone greeting long‑lost cousins at a family reunion. Outside of singing and his work in the engineering world, Ben enjoys spontaneous road trips that begin with "I'll just take the scenic route home."
Julie Nelson
VP Membership, Northwest Mix
Julie, a true Seattle native, is a perfect fit for VP of Membership. She is the friendly force who makes every singer feel instantly included. When she's not soaring the high notes with the tenor section or trying out new recipes for the next chorus potluck or plotting creative ideas for the next "sing! Sing! SING!" program, she's probably hunting down a grapefruit green tea boba with pitch-perfect determination. Coming from a clarinet background growing up, she was introduced to barbershop singing through her high school Drama/English teacher – there was no turning back! Julie is a proactive, community‑minded problem‑solver who brings equal parts determination, creativity, and heart to everything she takes on. Whether she's advocating for accessibility improvements at her church, navigating complex legal processes with clarity and persistence, or helping her kids explore career pathways, Julie approaches every challenge with purpose and compassion. Her energy keeps Northwest Mix connected, caffeinated, and smiling.
Ed Dierdorff
VP Marketing, Northwest Sound
By the time Ed was eleven years old, his dad and his quartet the Tiki Tones were well-known Hawaiian fixtures and Ed was invited to join his Dad’s chorus. That was the Aloha Chapter in Honolulu where they attended together for the next nine years, traveling to district on the mainland several times. Ed sang with the Aloha Chapter until leaving the islands for college at the age of 20. During his college days, he joined and sang with both the Tacoma Totemaires and the Seattle Seacordsmen. He joined Northwest Sound in 2001. He also sings in a Seattle-based VLQ called What’s Cookin’.
Ed also serves as Evergreen District Historian. If you want to know anything about Evergreen history, ask Ed…he probably has it in his head, if not otherwise in his district archives.
Jim Civarra
VP Marketing, Northwest Mix
Jim is the rare Seattle native. He started barbershopping in a production of “The Music Man” back in 1971. He joined the Barbershop Society in 1983 while living in New Jersey and then returned to Seattle and joined the new Northwest Sound Men's Chorus in 1985. He has sung in a number of quartets including Pieces of Eight, which sang together for 21 years, and Premium Blend prior to singing with Vocal Vintage and In The Mix. In addition to barbershop and school and community choirs, Jim has sung in the Seattle Opera chorus and performed in over a dozen musical comedies and operettas. He has played Baron Bombast in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, Harold Hill in “The Music Man”, Daddy Warbucks in “Annie” and the Major General Stanley in “The Pirates of Penzance”.
Devin Soelberg
VP of Quartet Activities
Devin Soelberg champions quartet singing with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely believes four people can solve anything with harmony. He's notorious for recruiting unsuspecting bystanders into impromptu tags. Devin once tried to schedule a quartet rehearsal during a power outage "for the ambiance." He recently celebrated a tomato harvest so bountiful he briefly considered forming a produce‑themed quartet. A mentor and advisor in a range of healthcare technology ventures, Devin brings the same problem‑solving energy he brings to barbershop harmony, connecting our choruses to the greater community ... with a wink and a smile!
Chris Cone
VP of Communications
Paul Renhard
Board Member at Large, Northwest Sound & Northwest Mix
Paul is in his fourth decade as a barbershopper. Even though he has won a Seniors District Championship singing as a Tenor, he is most proud of his marriage of 45 years. We can thank his wife, Dji, for kickstarting his barbershop career with the Seattle Seachordsmen. Paul was a chapter officer with that chorus for ten years before moving to Northwest Sound where he has been a member ever since. For nine years he sang with the Far Shore Four and with several more quartets as part of the Quartet Initiative. He was the President of Northwest Sound for five years and continues to serve in many areas including the Music Team, the Logistics Team and the Riser Crew. Having summitted three of Washington State’s five major mountains, Paul remains keen on staying on top - and on key. His pitchpipe is always at the ready.
Queenie Con
Board Member at Large, Northwest Mix
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Queenie began choral singing in the 9th grade. There under the direction of a beloved Polish music teacher, she honed her harmonizing skills in the first soprano section with Mennonite classmates. While working towards her teaching credentials, she led a tiny church choir and even ventured a few wedding singer stints, one notably with now-husband, Aaron. Fast forward past many years of PTA, soccer team managing, singing alto in a 70-plus-voice church choir, and serving in a kids’ minstrel ministry, Queenie is back to singing soprano - as a charter member of Northwest Mix and as one fourth of The Better Half quartet. Now empty nesters, she and Aaron love traveling and singing silly songs with their two adorable granddaughters. When not learning new music, Queenie finds delight in word games, jigsaw puzzles, golf, pressed pennies, and playing her Cordoba ukulele.
Nik Kaprantzas
Board Member at Large, Northwest Sound