Angela Kasper Broeker, St. Thomas director of choral activities and music professor, is leaving the university. Kasper Broeker will be in charge of the choral music education students at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington in the fall.

Kasper Broeker has worked at St. Thomas for 20 years, conducting Chamber Singers, Concert and Festival Choirs. Those choirs have performed at national, regional, and state conventions of the American Choral Director’s Association and have toured extensively in Europe and South America, according to her staff biography.

“Circumstances in my personal life changed and made it so I was free to go ahead and make the move and pursue this new opportunity,” Kasper Broeker said.

St. Thomas will hire a interim director to carry forward the choirs and be responsible for the choral portion of the televised Christmas program until a full-time replacement starts in the fall of 2020, Kasper Broeker said.

First-year concert choir student Quinn McKush said Kasper Broeker made choir a fun experience for everyone and put emphasis on inclusivity.

“She is an incredible teacher. Although she was having a very tough year, she was always enthusiastic about learning and teaching,” McKush said. “We had really good discussions in class, she tackled big social issues so well.”

Kasper Broeker visited Western Washington University in the fall of 2017 to work with their choirs and conducting students.

“I fell in love with Bellingham and the surrounding communities,” Kasper Broeker said.

Kasper Broeker will be conducting three choirs and be in charge of the choral music education students.

Dr. Kasper Broeker said Western Washington is a very vibrant music education school.

Kasper Broeker loves the choral program that she helped build at St. Thomas.

“I will miss the students and making music with them every week. I will miss teaching the grad students in the summer, they have always been such a joy. They graduate and become my colleagues,” Kasper Broeker said.

Rae Beaner can be reached at rnbeaner696@stkate.edu.
Lexie Nustvold can be reached at lexie.nustvold@stthomas.edu.