San Diego Pro Arte Voices
Board of Directors
Dr. David Chase, President
earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ohio State. He moved from Cincinnati to San Diego with his wife Ann in the early 1970s, when he began conducting the chorus at UC San Diego and at Palomar College, where he landed on the faculty. Chase was choral conductor of the 120-member La Jolla Symphony & Chorus for forty-four years until his retirement in 2017.
Chris Lott, Vice President
is a Systems Engineer for Qualcomm Research, designing algorithms, conceiving new ideas, and developing new commercial products.
Radhika Gowaikar, Secretary
was born and raised in India and came to the US to attend grad school in Electrical Engineering. The Caltech campus was where she heard a choir for the very first time, at the ripe old age of 22. Luckily for her, the Glee Club was happy to take in completely clueless people, and she was hooked. She has consistently tried to avoid choir-less-ness since then, and attends as many choral concerts around San Diego as she can. Radhika is a Systems Engineer for Qualcomm Research, designing algorithms, conceiving new ideas, and developing new commercial products.
Thomas Edward Welch, Treasurer
is a career banker and currently works as Senior Vice President/SBA Department Manager at Neighborhood National Bank, National City, CA. He has extensive experience as Treasurer and President of nonprofit organizations and enjoys taking voice lessons and performing in musicals.
Michael Gerdes, Board Member
is Director of Orchestras at San Diego State University where he leads the San Diego State Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra. Gerdes is an eager collaborator, most recently conducting the La Jolla Symphony with soloist Steven Schick, and leading Westwind Brass Ensemble. Serving in his fifth year as Assistant Conductor of the La Jolla Symphony, Gerdes will work with the orchestra and chorus in subscription concerts this season on performances of Britten’s ‘War Requiem.’ Gerdes has commissioned or conducted premieres of works by Vivian Fung, Jocelyn Hagen, Richard Thompson, Liviu Marinescu, Brent Dutton, Joseph Waters, Jason Haney, Cory Hibbs, John Hilliard, Daniel Breedon, Sofia Gubaidulina, Russell Peterson, Tina Tallon, and Nkeiru Okoye. Maestro Gerdes has served as an executive of the Los Angeles Conducting Institute, President of the San Diego Pro Arte Voices, and a member of the Musical Merit Fundation Board of Directors. Gerdes is also Director of Orchestras for the Bravo International Music Academy and serves on the faculty of the Dortmund International Festival; he lectures as the prelude speaker for the La Jolla Music Society.
Dr. Patrick Walders, ex officio Board Member
Founding Artistic Director, a native of Buffalo, New York, is the Founding Artistic Director of the Pro Arte Voices, which presents the annual Summer Choral Festival & Conducting Workshop. He has led Honors Choruses and workshops in every corner of the U.S., and his international conducting experience includes teaching and guest conducting in Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, England and Germany. After teaching in public junior high and high schools in western New York, Dr. Walders taught at the university level for 20 years, building thriving choral programs and developing curricula at the University of Maryland, James Madison University and San Diego State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the State University of New York – Fredonia, a master’s degree in choral conducting from the Westminster Choir College, and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Maryland – College Park. He is passionate about teaching all ages, enabling clients to be significant ambassadors not only for vocal/choral music, but also for all the arts.
Karen Erickson, Board Member
is the Director of Litigation and Risk for Sharp HealthCare. She has played the piano and sung in choruses since the age of 5 and is currently a member of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus and the Coronado Community Church Choir. She serves as the pianist to The Sharp Players, a choir of more than 20 former and current patients, who through song and dance, celebrate the challenges and triumphs of life following a catastrophic injury or illness. Ms. Erickson has a B.S.E, M.S.E and J.D. from Drake University, Des Moines, IA. After relocating to San Diego, Ms. Erickson has been a devoted supporter of numerous performing arts organizations throughout the county. She currently serves as Board President of the Ministry Center Community Clinic, a free healthcare clinic located in the Normal Heights neighborhood of San Diego
Otto Sorensen, Board Member
has practiced corporate finance and securities law since 1976, representing start-up, development stage, large private and public companies. He was a founder and President of the UCSD Connect Financial Forum. He has served as a Board Member and the President of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. He was a two term President of the San Diego Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. He served on the national Board of Governors of the Commanderie de Bordeaux for five years. He was a founding member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club. He graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1973 and from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1976. He has performed in Southern California choral groups since 1977.
