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Jacob Winkler
Jacob Winkler earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Washington, where he studied piano with Holly Herrmann and Marc Seales, and conducting with Peter Erös and Timothy Salzman. A versatile collaborator, his time at UW included accompanying voice and instrumental students, performing with choirs, jazz combos, and the wind ensemble, and serving as repetiteur for several opera productions — including music directing the 2003 production of John Gay's *The Beggar's Opera*.
A student of film composer Hummie Mann, Jacob now serves on the faculty of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program, leading professional recording sessions and teaching studio conducting, orchestration, and music notation software. His work in the studio extends well beyond the classroom: he has performed as a choral singer and soloist on dozens of film and game soundtracks, including for the *Halo*, *World of Warcraft*, and *Assassin's Creed* franchises, and works as a music copyist for RPM Seattle Music Preparation.
A lifelong singer, Jacob joined the Northwest Boychoir at age 8 and is still there 42 years later. As a chorister he toured internationally, sang on three holiday recordings, and performed with the Seattle Opera and Seattle Symphony. From 2009 to 2022 he served as Artistic Director of the Seattle Girls Choir, leading their top ensemble on international tours through Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and earning awards at the Kathaumixw and Llangollen Eisteddfod music festivals.
In 2022, he succeeded Joseph Crnko as Artistic Director of Northwest Choirs, where he leads the Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle in a wide range of performances each year, from Rock 'n' Roll revues to the beloved *A Festival of Lessons & Carols* series.