Saturday, October 24, 2026
7:30 pm

American Reflections explores the many voices of a nation in music both intimate and grand. Joan Tower’s Made in America opens with bold energy, followed by Kevin Puts’ Letters from Georgia, a song cycle inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s letters, featuring soprano Katie Van Kooten. Narrator Ray Horak brings President Lincoln’s words to life in Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait, before Barber’s Symphony No. 1 closes the program with sweeping lyricism.

Pre-Concert Chat - You're invited to arrive a little early to join Maestro Wheatley and guest artist, Katie van Kooten, for an intimate pre-concert chat. Theater doors open at 6:40 pm for general seating, with the chat beginning at 6:45 pm. When the chat concludes, attendees will leave the theater and re-enter with their ticket to take their reserved seats for the concert.

Joan Tower
Made in America

Kevin Puts
Letters from Georgia
Katie van Kooten, soprano

Aaron Copland
A Lincoln Portrait
Ray Horak, narrator

Samuel Barber
Symphony in One Movement, Op. 9

Total Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes

ARTIST BIOS

Katie van Kooten, soprano

American soprano Katie Van Kooten’s operatic and concert appearances continue to thrill audiences and garner praise for her “powerful, gleaming soprano.” Of her role debut as Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Yevgeny Onegin, the Houston Chronicle wrote, “Her singing is extraordinary in its radiance, power and sheer expressiveness. Her ‘Letter Scene’ alone, would be reason enough to attend.”

In the 2023-24 season, Ms. Van Kooten made her house and role debut at Seattle Opera as Freia in Das Rheingold. She returned to Houston Grand Opera to sing Mother Abess in The Sound of Music and Pacific Northwest Opera to sing Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. In concert engagement, Ms. Van Kooten sang Verdi’s Requiem with Tucson Symphony Orchestra conducted by José Luis Gomez.

In the 2022/23 season, Katie Van Kooten debuted at both Utah Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in the title role of Tosca. Her concert engagements included performances of Vaughan William’s A Sea Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony under the baton of Stéphane Denève.

In past seasons, she performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Bellingham Music Festival. She also returned to Houston Grand Opera as Mother Abbess in a concert performance of The Sound of Music. Ms. Van Kooten returned to the Metropolitan Opera as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier under the baton of Sir Simon.

Other highlights of recent seasons have included performances as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Dallas Opera, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro in her house debut at Arizona Opera, and Liù in Turandot at Opera New Orleans. In concert, she has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Phoenix Symphony led by Tito Muñoz.

Career highlights include her house debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Magda in La Rondine; Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda, and Mimì in La Bohème at Houston Grand Opera; Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Dallas Opera; Elettra in Idomeneo and Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito at Oper Frankfurt; and Mimì and the Countess at Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Ms. Van Kooten studied voice with Rudolf Piernay. She received her Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Biola University where she is also Artist in Residence and a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors Institute.

Ray Horak, narrator

Since stepping into the role of Board President in July 2022, Ray Horak has helped guide the orchestra through a period of remarkable growth and transformation. What began as a one-year commitment evolved into four years of dedicated leadership, marked by steady progress, resilience, and a clear vision for Skagit Symphony’s future. Coming in at the tail end of the COVID era, Ray played an important role in helping the orchestra regain momentum at a critical time.

In partnership with Music Director Michael Wheatley and under Ray’s leadership, the orchestra has grown to nearly 80 members, strengthening both its size and its overall quality. During this period, the symphony also moved into a permanent office, an important milestone that reflects increased stability and long-term planning. The organization is financially strong, even while expanding its internal capacity by growing its staff to better support an increasingly active and ambitious orchestra.

The orchestra’s impact in the community has expanded dramatically as well. Outreach has grown from just a few events to more than 15 this season alone, helping the organization connect with broader audiences and deepen its local presence. On stage, the orchestra has continued to raise the bar, taking on more challenging repertoire and welcoming notable guest artists, including its first international guest artist. Ray brought valuable experience to the role through previous board service with The Lincoln Theatre, Rotary Club of Skagit County, and the Pacific Northwest Opera. Reflecting on his tenure, he said, “It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as board president. The gains that we have made in the past four years are not mine. Rather they are attributable to the hard work and dedication of our extraordinarily capable Executive Directors and staff, the brilliance of our Music Director/Conductor, and the skill and commitment of the members of our magnificent orchestra. I truly love Skagit Symphony and look forward to continuing to serve and support for many more