Our History
Through the decades the choir has solidified its reputation for excellence by producing unique concert experiences that combine humor, storytelling, poetry, varied instrumental accompaniment, and an off-the-beaten-path repertoire.
Our mission is both simple and clear: To create, collaborate in performing, and in promoting great music, much of it composed by our members. We mentor and support one another in developing our skills as singers, lyricists and composers. Our music encompasses a wide range of personal experience and reflects the authentic connection we have with one another and the larger community.
Occidental circa 1975 (Courtesy, Sonoma County Library)
The Early Years
The choir began around a campfire in the winter of 1978. A group of Occidental locals gathered in the center of town to sing the night away, lifting their voices together in harmony. They realized that what they had was something magical, and thus began the OCC with its unofficial moto: “we didn't want to go home, so we started a choir.”
Our first director was Philip Rollnick, who guided us in our fledgling years until Allaudin Mathieu took over in 1981.
"Allaudin always wanted to do concerts that were about the place we live, about Sonoma County. [His last season in 1988] was called 'Music from Home,' and it was the first concert the OCC did that was all original material."
— Doug Bowes
The earliest known picture of the choir, from 1983, with director Allaudin Mathieu
Allaudin Matieu
Allaudin is an accomplished composer, pianist, and music teacher who began directing our little choir in 1981. He’d spent several years as an arranger and composer for the Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington orchestras, and was one of the founders and musical director for The Second City in Chicago. In 1969, he founded the Sufi Choir in San Francisco, and taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
He joined us from 1981 to 1989, and contributed many amazing, complex songs that still ring in the ears of many audiences across seasons and decades.
“Every season we work to create a brand new show, pretty much from scratch. We do original choral pieces, though some are based on classical texts and oriental poetry, etc.
We experiment a lot.
We're definitely different."
— Doug Bowes
The choir in 2003, with Bowes at front center in the jean jacket
Doug Bowes
For 15 years, Doug Bowes defined the sound of the choir. From 1989 to 2003, he contributed a wealth of fabulous songs that have continued to enchant through the years. A classically trained musician and composer born in Toronto, Bowes added north of 120 pieces to the choir’s catalog of songs.
He also encouraged many new composers out of the ranks of choir members, creating a culture of collaboration that pushed the choir to the cutting edge of compositional sound.
The choir in 2004, with Canosa at center in the blue sweater
Daniel Canosa
Argentine-born Canosa is a highly acclaimed composer who has conducted across North and South America and Europe. He led our little choir from 2004 to 2008, leading us into our 30th anniversary!
He currently leads three North Bay choirs - Marin Baroque, Apollo Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and ECHO Chamber Orchestra.
The choir in 2011, with Saulsbury welcoming the audience in red
Sarah Saulsbury
Saulsbury grew up in our choir. She first joined the choir at thirteen - encouraged by her parents Steve and Rene Fowler, two founding members of our little group. She directed from 2009 until 2013, and saw us through the move to our permanent home at the Occidental Center for the Arts. She rejoined us for 2 years in 2017.
Saulsbury has written over two dozen songs for the OCC, and currently conducts the Acorn MusEcology Project.
A performance at the newly-opened Occidental Center for the Arts
Occidental Center for the Arts
In 1998, Occidental activist Doris Murphy and Redwood Arts Council founder Kit Neustadter founded a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a home venue for the Occidental Choir and other artists in Occidental. In 2003, Orrin and Terri Theissen agreed to donate a classroom and multi-purpose room in their Harmony Village development, on the site of the closed Harmony School.
By 2010, the OCA completed $175K of construction work to create the world-class performance space that exists today.
The choir in 2014, with DelMonte atop a branch of the redwood, wearing light blue
Andy DelMonte
DelMonte directed the local high school choir in Sebastopol since 1997, and was awarded Teacher of the Year for West Sonoma County in 2013 and Director of the Year by the Northern California Band & Choir Directors Acssociation in 2017.
He joined us in 2013 until 2017, and helped nurture many lyricists and composers within our group. He currently teaches music at Park Side Elementary, and conducts at the Community Church of Sebastopol.
The choir in the 2020s, with Purdy at right in the blue tie
Gage Purdy
Purdy joined the Occidental Community Choir as director in Spring 2020 - and quickly pivoted to online! Luckily he’d had one year as assistant director under Andy DelMonte in 2019 before our lives changed forever.
He helped us transition to zoom-based rehearsals and a fully online concert in 2020, then through the safety guidelines back to in-person. In the process he’s created dozens of compositions and arrangements for the choir, and led us to our largest membership yet at over 55 chorists!
Alumni
We still don’t have information for some of the 350+ alumni who have sung in our choir, If you know any of these folks, please write to Diane Masura at TileGal@sonic.net. Thanks!
Robin Nicolaus
Barbara O’Hara
Karl Oppen
Howard Powell
Sandra Respini
Claire Rickey
Carolyne Riley
Holly Saunders
Suzanne Schlosser
James Sellers
Tomji Serianni
Wendy Sherman
Barbara Spaulding
Mike Spechtor
Wendy Steinke
David and Susan Schumaker
Beth Stinnett
Mick Stratton
Aura Sullivan
Annemarie Rosa (Webster)
Dennis Sullivan
Wendy Susinke
Suzie Ussery (Kelly)
Pat Vaughan
John Volkmann
Dan Wickham
Kate Willens
Jeff Wilson
Kathy (Mei Lin) Wong
Carol Young
Gail Allen
John Banks
Barbara Barnaby
Brian Batoosingh
Howard Besserman
Laurie Borns
Laurie Bourren
Alice Bradshaw
Ann Bush
Marilyn Casty
Clyde Champman
Frank Dunlap
Kevin Ehlers
Sarah Endicott
Mark Evans
Doug Fetterly
Gail Gorman
Sarah Greenfield
Jan Harmon
Joesph Held
Tony Heller
Joan Helmes
Pat Henry
Sally Hutt
Susan Inadomi
Richard Inadomi
Anna Iuppa
Cathy Keckeley
Elyscia Letterman
Roger Lewis
Larry and Barbara Lund
Paulette Luning
Sherry Maddox
Philip Malone
Sarah Miller
Susan Moore
Ted Morgan
Larry Natalini
Jeffrey Nation
Sandra Nelson