President and Acting Chair

Keith Biggs received his BA in Political Science from Portland State University and his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. At age 8, Keith started taking piano lessons from concert pianist Brent Johnston. In middle and high school he added to his musical background by taking up the trombone and singing. He shared his passion for the piano by teaching piano for several years. In college, he learned how to play the organ and now plays the organ and piano for several musical events in the Portland, Oregon region. One of Keith’s biggest musical highlights was being able to play the famous Mormon Tabernacle Organ in August of 2013.

Keith has been involved with the Portland Choir & Orchestra from its beginning concepts in 2005. He has voluntarily served as public relations director for the choir and orchestra and now serves as the president and acting chairman of the board of directors. In his spare time, he loves to travel, study American history, and act. You may have seen him briefly in a few episodes of Leverage and GRIMM as well as a few local commercials.

Treasurer

Please contact us if you are interested in this critical position.

Secretary

Paula Flynn is the Secretary for the PCO Board, and the Cello Section Leader. She has an Associate of Arts in Music from Ricks College and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Oregon. Paula has played with PCO off and on since its inception.

Paula is a stay-at-home mom, and she and her husband, Kelly, are the parents of 8 kids. Her hobbies include baking more cookies than her family, neighbors, and friends will eat; hiking in the Columbia River Gorge; tinkering with her fantasy football lineup; and watching home improvement shows, especially The Property Brothers.

Director

Dr. Dean earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Utah State University then moved to Oregon where he received his doctorate degree. He grew up in a musical family. His father was a high school choir teacher where Marlo was active in choir all of his high school years. He participated in All State Choirs, Chamber and Acapella Choirs, state solo competitions, and Promised Valley Productions. Marlo comes to the choir not only with musical background, but also with a strong financial business background as an executive board member of other non-profit organizations which services his position as a board member of the choir.

Director

Kyle is a native of Portland, Oregon and started studying piano and cello from a young age. He attended Clackamas High School and participated as a cellist in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, as well as numerous community orchestras and musical theater productions. Kyle received a bachelor’s degree in cello performance from BYU-Idaho and went on to attend law school at BYU. For one summer in 2008 he had the privilege of attending the Aspen Music Festival. After graduating law school, Kyle and his wife, Kellie, moved to Portland. Although his career is now in the practice of real estate law with Vial Fotheringham, his true passion is for music and its ability to uplift and inspire individuals in the community. He has been involved with the Portland Choir and Orchestra since 2012 as a cellist in the orchestra and as a member of the Board of Directors.

Director

Brant Russell joined the Portland Choir and Orchestra six years ago and recently completed a three year assignment as the organization’s Technical and Stage Director, and now serves on its Board of Directors. Brant received a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Oregon. His mother’s love for beautiful music—a superb soprano herself—flooded his childhood home with great performances of opera and orchestral masterpieces, instilling his love of music and performance. After hearing Leonard Bernstein’s historic introduction to classical music to children at age ten, and attending his first opera at age 12 (and being awestruck at the grandeur of the orchestra, stage production, and glorious singing—all together!), he remains an avid enthusiast to this day of beautiful music and its capacity to lift the human spirit. In addition to music, Brant loves travel (next trip: China!), old movies, and WWII history.

Concert Tickets

Daya has been a member of the Portland Choir and Orchestra since its beginning in 2005. Music has always been a big part of her life. She participated in choirs and musicals all through middle and high school and continues to sing with her mom and sisters as part of the group Mama C and Her Chickadees. Daya worked as a dental assistant for 11 years before retiring and beginning her real career as a full-time mom to her four children. In her spare time she enjoys decorating wedding and party cakes.

Membership Chair

Katherine is a transplant to the beautiful Northwest due to marrying a Portland native. In 2010 she and her family left the sunshine and warmth of Las Vegas and returned to Portland where she has fallen in love all over again with the lush green landscapes, the unique Portland culture, and the wonderful people! Katherine joined the Portland Choir almost immediately upon moving to the Portland area and she has been thrilled to be able to reignite her love for music through her participation with such an uplifting and talented choir.

Katherine graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing but took a maternity leave from the medical field 13 years ago to focus her time and energy on raising her four young children. She enjoys reading, running, cooking, and any travel she can get, but her favorite place to be is always at home with her family.

Producer

After attending a performance of the Portland Choir and Orchestra in 2009 that he described as “Carnegie Hall in Portland,” Brad became a volunteer. He has been involved in every concert since. He currently produces Portland Choir and Orchestra concerts and supervises a crew of dedicated volunteers who handle production design, sound, lighting, stage management, transportation, decorations, house management, box office, ushering, post-production recordings, and video. Brad spent four years as the drum major of the Brigham Young University marching band. Professionally he is a software architect at Oracle, a global software company.