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 Yevgeny Onegin, the Houston Chroniclewrote, “Her singing is extraordinary in its radiance, power and sheer expressiveness. Her ‘Letter Scene’ alone would be reason enough to attend.”

In the 2026–27 season, Ms. Van Kooten will return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Priestess in Aida and to cover the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. She will sing Beethoven's Missa solemnis with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and appear with the North Carolina Symphony in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and excerpts from Fidelio.

In the 2025-26 season, she made her role debut in the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos with Pacific Northwest Opera. In concert, she appeared with the Nashville Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem with conductor José Luis Gomez. She also joined the Florida Orchestra and Bellingham Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Ms. Van Kooten also performed Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio with the Euguene Concert Choir and Orchestra.

Last season, she returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. She appeared in concert with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem.

Past seasons have featured her in leading roles at Utah Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Seattle Opera, where she made her house and role debut as Freia in Das Rheingold. She returned to Houston Grand Opera as Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and sang Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro with Pacific Northwest Opera. In concert, she performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She debuted at Utah Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in the title role of Tosca and has performed leading roles such as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Dallas Opera, Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at Arizona Opera, and Liù in Turandot at Opera New Orleans.

Her concert appearances include Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Stéphane Denève; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas and the Bellingham Music Festival; and Verdi’s Requiem with the Phoenix Symphony conducted by Tito Muñoz. At Houston Grand Opera, she has performed roles including Tatyana in Yevgeny Onegin, Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda, Mimì in La bohème, and Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. At the Metropolitan Opera, she made her house debut as Magda in La rondine and appeared as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier with Sir Simon Rattle.

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 studied with Dr. Jeanne Robison, and is a graduate and 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