Since 2022, we have been thrilled to have Travis Rogers leading our chorale, who brings over fifty years of conducting experience to our organization!

Travis retired from full-time choral conducting in 2017 after thirty-seven years as the choral music instructor at Napa High School in Napa, California. Born and raised in Napa, he directed the choir program he sang in and played piano for as a student.

During his tenure at Napa High School, the choral program grew from three choirs involving 80 students in grades 9-12 to nearly 400 singers in seven ensembles served by two full-time conductors, office staff and supported by a very active parent booster club organization.

The Napa High Choirs under Travis’ direction won multiple first-place awards at choral competitions, both in the United States and internationally and were honored to sing, by invitation, in many world-famous venues including Davies Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Sydney Opera House, Westminster Abbey, Sagrada Familia, the Barcelona Cathedral, and Notre Dame.  NHS Choirs under Rogers’ direction also performed with Chanticleer, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and the Napa Valley Symphony.

Travis studied choral music with William Andrew Cottle, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Loren Wiebe, and Wesley B. Reed, earning a Bachelor’s degree in choral music education and piano performance at Biola College (1978) and a Master’s in choral conducting at Northern Arizona University (1987).

A member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Rogers is a past President of both the California California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) and the Western Region of ACDA.  He received the 2022 Howard Swan Lifetime Achievement Award from CCDA in recognition of his contributions to the choral art in California.

Still very active as a conference presenter, conductor, festival adjudicator and clinician, Travis Rogers has served, part-time, as the music director/organist at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa since 1997 and as the conductor of the Ragazzi Boys Chorus’ Young Men’s Ensemble in Redwood City since 2018.

He has been married to his wife Sharon since 1980 and has two adult children, Tara and Jay.

Caleb Sinclair is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, with a degree in music education. Caleb is the current director of choirs at Napa Valley high school. Caleb is excited to return for another season as assistant director for Sonoma Valley Chorale. He is grateful to once again be singing for and working alongside his teacher, Travis Rogers.

Sheila Whitney, President

Mary Swisher, Vice President

Elisabeth Carpenter, Secretary

Kevin Jones, Treasurer

Dave DeBalli, President Emeritus

Linda Goudey, Staff Coordinator

Georgiann Rovai, Director

John  Sellen, Director

Denny Olmsted, Director

Michael Schneider, Director