Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

About John Mery

John Mery has been teaching at Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus since 1999. Since moving from Arizona to head the music program at Sylvania John has worked closely with transfer institutions to create a music curriculum that allows PCC students to seamlessly transfer to four-year universities, music conservatories, and colleges. John’s students have gone on to complete an undergraduate degree, master degrees, and doctorate degrees in music. His PCC students have successfully transferred to many music programs within the state, the region, and to many prominent national institutions including The Eastman School of Music in Rochester New York, Syracuse University, The Berklee College of Music in Boston, Cornish School of the Arts in Seattle, California State University at Northridge, The New England Music Conservatory, Full Sail University in Florida, Texas Christian University, Reed College, University of Portland, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, and Portland State University.

John is a critically acclaimed guitarist and recording artist who has released many recordings as a soloist and with his groups the Oregon Guitar Quartet and Tango Pacifico. He is an active member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Guitar Foundation of America. John is an active performer who has recently performed at the NW Guitar Festival, The Loudon County Guitar Festival in Virginia, The Guitar Foundation of America Festival in Fullerton California, and Chamber Music Northwest. Regionally he has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, and with the Portland Opera, and Third Angle New Music Ensemble. In 2013 and 2014 John toured Costa Rica as a featured performer with the Credomatic Music Festival.

John primarily teaches music theory, chamber ensemble, and music history courses at PCC. He holds a Master of Music Degree from the University of Arizona where he attended on scholarship and worked as a graduate teaching assistant. John also is on the music faculty of Lewis and Clark College.

About Julianne Johnson

Actress, Producer (documentary films), Stage Director, Grammy Nominated Recording Artist, Award- winning composer/songwriter and Educator. As well as, Associate Artistic Director of Stumptown Stages Portland’s Own Musical Theatre Company.

Since graduating from U of Portland, Julianne has been a celebrated professional entertainer, nationally and internationally. Her credits include Film, Television, Touring  with the USO to Korea, Japan, Okinawa with Concert performances in Spain, Rome and Cruise-headliner (national and international) touring the Mediterranean, Commercial Voice-over Artist, Director of Theatre for ESOL Otemae student Exchange Program with Portland State University (16 years) in collaboration with the extension in Osaka, Japan and recently Faculty Department Chair of the Music and Theatre programs for Portland Community College.

Classes developed or taught by Julianne included Group Vocal, History of Gospel, History of Jazz, MUP Private voice and Music Appreciation.

Director of PCC’s Concert Choir for 18 years and Chamber choir for 14 years for Voices of Soul, Julianne is also the Musical Theatre director at PCC, as well as a highly regarded musical theatre director, actress and voice teacher for over 25 years.

Julianne’s musical theatre collaborations have produced shows including Cinderella, Grease, Godspell, Les Miserable, Hairspray,  In the Heights, The Me Nobody Knows and  Jesus Christ Superstar and many more over the years. She is currently directing “Little shop of Horrors – the musical” in the Winter of 2024 at the Sylvania campus Performing Arts Center in Portland Oregon.

As an Actress and singer Julianne’s has graced numerous stages both locally and regionally as a tour-de-force since the late 80’s. Her starring roles include Effie in Dreamgirls, Charmaine in Ain’t Misbehavin  and in the Dolores Winningstad Performing Arts Center, the role of Ella Fitzgerald in the original play “Soul Harmony” and has also played Justice in the Broadway musical Rock of Ages. Other star turns with Julianne playing the leading/title roles include Hello Dolly, Gypsy, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Black and Blue, and an acclaimed regional tour of “Once on this Island “.

Julianne is a PAMTA award winner, Drammy awarded Actress and Irene Ryan Regional Award winner. She has spent over 30 years working with Charities and philanthropic organizations to bring awareness through music to the needs of those under-served.

About Jason Palmer

Jason Palmer is a drummer, percussionist, composer, and educator living in Portland, Oregon. He is nationally active in drum set performance, with appearances at St. Peter’s Church and the Knitting Factory in New York, the Rochester Jazz Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, and the Calgary Jazz Festival. Also, Jason acts as Department Chair of Music at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus.

Jason attended the University of Oregon, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance and Jazz Studies (Magna Cum Laude), as well as a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies. Regionally, he has performed as a drummer at The Waterfront Blues Festival, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, the Portland Jazz Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Oregon Festival of American Music. His performance and recording experience include work with such artists as Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Clayton, Ben Monder, Bobby Shew, Ron Miles, Dick Oatts, Dave Frishberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Zorn, Steve Wilson, Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, and Chuck Redd. Additionally, in 2011, Jason began his tenure as the drummer with the American Metropole Orchestra.

Upon moving to Portland, OR in 2011, Jason began playing regularly with many noted Portland jazz artists, including Randy Porter, George Colligan, Darrell Grant, John Gross, and Dan Balmer. Jason’s recorded work includes releases on Origin Records (Toby Koenigsberg Trio and Jim Olsen), Space Age Bachelor Pad (The Daddies), and Crescent Records (Don Latarksi and Rue De Blues). His recordings have been reviewed in Cadence, All About Jazz, and the All Music Guide. In 2015, Jason was nominated for a Grammy Award in the children’s music category for his performance on the Lori Henriques album “How Great Can This Day Be”.

About Samuel Barbara

Dr. Samuel Barbara is the newly appointed Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, where he conducts the chamber and concert choirs, teaches applied lessons and class voice. Before relocating home to Oregon, Samuel served as Director of Choral Activities and assistant professor of music at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. He completed his doctorate in choral music at the University of Southern California, where he was a senior teaching assistant in the Department of Choral and Sacred Music and assistant conductor of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers. While at USC, he studied under Jo-Michael Scheibe, Nick Strimple, Cristian Grases, and Donald Brinegar. Before moving to Southern California, Dr. Barbara served as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where he was awarded the “Golden C” for excellence in teaching. Under his direction, the Cleveland “A” Choir won the 5A Oregon State Choir Championships three times. Samuel earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from the University of Portland. After completing his undergraduate work, Samuel was awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach English and study music in Weimar, Germany. While in Weimar he taught at the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere, sang in the chamber choir at the Franz Liszt Music Conservatory, and took choral conducting coursework under Professor Jürgen Puschbeck.

Samuel has sung professionally, both as a soloist and an ensemble member, and he remains active as a vocal artist. As a member of the University of Southern California Thornton Chamber Singers, Dr. Barbara appeared on live television with Barry Manilow and sang backup with the Rolling Stones; worked closely with notable composers such as Morten Lauridsen, Paul Mealor, Wolfram Buchenberg, and David Conte; attended masterclasses with Rodney Eichenberger, Jamison Marvin, Joan Conlon, and Vance George; and performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. Under Dr. Barbara’s direction, the Westminster College Concert Choir appeared live on stage with the internationally renowned performing group “The Tenors,” performed J.S. Bach’s Cantata 191 with the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra and collaborated with the Shenango Valley Chorale to present Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Each year, the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers embarked on an extensive performance tour and, under his direction, the ensembles performed in cathedrals throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

Before serving at Westminster College, Dr. Barbara was Interim Director of Choral Activities at the University of Tennessee at Martin. While in Tennessee, Samuel presented for the Tennessee Music Educators Association, lectured on Music in Terezín as a part of the UT Martin Academic Speakers Series, conducted the UT Martin Honor Choir, and was invited by the West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association to adjudicate their choral and solo and ensemble festivals. Dr. Barbara has also presented his research at state conferences of the National Association for Music Education in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and is published in volume four of Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. Samuel served as Festival Host for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 5 Honors Chorus and Choral Music Performance Assessment, Treasurer for the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, as well as the tri-state chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Dr. Barbara is in demand as a guest conductor, choral clinician, and adjudicator. His research interests include solfège as a path to music literacy, Evangelical church composers active during the Third Reich, and the choral music of the contemporary German composer, Wolfram Buchenberg.

About Julia Banzi

Julia Banzi received her Ph.D in Ethnomusicology and her M.A. from University of California as well as her B.M. from Lewis and Clark College. She is considered a pioneer for women on the guitar and her work reflects over twenty-five years of living, studying and performing in Spain and North Africa. Her principal teachers included Isidro Muñoz (Familia Muñoz-Sanlúcar) in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain; Felipe Maya, Juan Maya”Marote,” David Serva (Diego del Moron), Rafael Morales in Madrid, Spain; Manolo Sanlúcar in the 1° Curso Internacional de “Sanlúcar de Barrameda” (Vicente Amigo discovery); Miguel Habichuela (Habichuela-Carmona Dynasty) in Granada, Spain and more recently studies with Gerardo Nuñez. She spent years in Madrid’s Amor de Dios studios in Madrid, Spain accompanying flamenco dance including Ciro, la Tati and Manolete and is one of a very few female flamenco guitarists worldwide.

Julia continues to tour worldwide with regularity with the international performance ensemble, Al-Andalus which she also co-directs. Julia frequently gives talks worldwide on the subject of guitar, flamenco, and women and music.

Dr. Banzi is a winner of the 2009 “Peoples Grammy Award” for “Best World Music Song of 2009” and was nominated for the “Best Contemporary Classical Album of 2010.”