Malinda Bird (Mindy) is a modern-day lady and scholar. With formal training as an RN, Mindy nurtures her family with love and care. Her passion for choral singing dates back to middle school, when she stumbled upon an easy credit that quickly transformed into an escape and lifelong passion. Mindy cherishes the connections and harmony that choral singing brings, and as a lifelong hobbyist choral member, she is grateful to learn and grow with the St. George Chamber Singers. Mindy and her husband, Jesse, have five children. Amidst homeschooling them, Mindy finds joy with her family in activities such as hiking, yoga, pickleball, neighborly service, and skiing.
Hilary Ferguson is a graduate from SUU’s Master of Music in Music Technology program, where she was the program’s outstanding graduate in 2023. She had previously earned bachelor’s degrees in music from Utah Tech University and in mathematics from the University of Utah. During her studies at Utah Tech, Hilary was a vocal soloist in concerts, operas, and other festivals, and she has also been a vocal soloist with the Cello Society of Southern Utah. Hilary currently enjoys conducting a church choir and creating lifelike orchestrations using virtual instruments. When she is not singing, Hilary loves playing the harp, baking cookies, and helping her teenagers with their math homework.
Ann Hatch grew up in a home brimming with music. She learned to sing from her mother, a vocal teacher, and also played the flute and piano from an early age. Ann sang in her high school’s choirs in Salt Lake City and then sang for four years with the University of Utah Singers, with whom she soloed and toured Europe three times for international choral competitions. After moving to St. George, she was a soloist in the Southwest Symphony’s production of Handel’s Messiah. Ann has both taken and taught voice lessons throughout her life and enjoys sharing a love of music with her husband and four children.
Linda Heikkila, section leader, has a passion for music that she shares with over 500 choir students each year at Crimson Cliffs High School and Washington Fields Intermediate School. Her choirs perform at high levels, as evidenced by their consistent superior ratings at festivals, such as first place at the prestigious Anaheim Music Festival in California. She was awarded Washington Area Chamber of Commerce “Teacher of the Year, 2023.” As a graduate of BYU, she received the “Top Student Teacher Award.” She earned her master’s degree from Western Governors University in 2013. She also enjoys running, cycling, hiking, and spending time with her husband, Art, ten children, and twenty-eight grandchildren.
Alicia Poppe has loved music since she was very young and sang in choir throughout middle and high school. When she was sixteen, she began studying opera with Voltaire Verzosa, Professor of Piano and Voice at the College of Southern Nevada. During that time, she was featured as the operatic soloist at the Nevada School of the Arts fundraising black-tie event two years in a row. After graduating high school, she spent a summer studying at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Since that time she has enjoyed singing in church and at special events, and she has continued to study privately. She has been a member of the St. George Chamber Singers since 2015.
Melissa Hinton has been involved in symphony (violin), choral, and solo performances from the age of five and in theater from the age of eight. Though Melissa has not had any significant formal training in music, she learned from high school teachers and other talented mentors. She has recorded with Utah’s Clive Romney and has performed in countless music events, including choral works throughout Utah, the United States, and Italy. She has also been the music director for musical theater productions and choirs. Melissa has been privileged to sing with the St. George Chamber Singers since its inception.
Natasha Johnson joined the St. George Chamber Singers at the beginning of 2020. She received her Bachelor of Music from Snow College with an emphasis in Commercial Music, as well as a Master of Music in Music Technology from Southern Utah University. During her time at the university, she had the opportunity to perform in operas, jazz combos, a rock ensemble, and, of course, various choirs. She has had the opportunity to perform at Comic Con and Star Wars: Live, in concerts in Salt Lake City, and to sing with Josh Groban’s backup choir in his 2013 “In the Round” and 2016 “Stages” tours.