Biographical notes:
Born in Seattle and raised in Normandy Park, Washington, Sharyn Allsopp Peterson is a versatile performer and an experienced instructor of all ages of instrumental and choral groups. Her mother, Geraldine Allsopp, was a recognized pianist and teacher in the area. Her father, William J. Allsopp, flew for the Navy and for years was a leading Instructor pilot at Boeing Company. Her violin training began under Almada Biery Jones, continuing at the University of Washington with the esteemed Emanuel Zetlin, and Denes Zsigmondy. Vocal instructors were Edison Harris, Paul Ingham, Florence Mesler, Rodney Eichenberger, and Dora Mason. She studied conducting with Vilem Sokol and Dr Gary Bonner.
In her years at University of Washington, she was awarded the coveted Brechemin Scholarship two consecutive years, and performed several violin solos with the symphony there, under the direction of Dr. Stanley Chapple and Samuel Krachmalnik. Her Contemporary Group String Quartet, a scholarship ensemble, entered the Coleman International Chamber Competition, winning Second prize, and the following year, First Prize. The quartet travelled to Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts on full scholarship, where she performed under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Bernstein, and Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Chamber Music with Claude Frank
Directing positions:
1980’s: Sharyn was Sinfonette Conductor for the Cascade Youth Symphony organization, as well as First Violin Coach. Artistic Director and Conductor of Mt. Baker and Fidalgo Youth Symphonies, for over 27 years, she is also active as an adjudicator and has conducted and/or performed in many Northwest musical theatre productions.
As a teenager, Mrs. Peterson began conducting choirs, and continued throughout her employment years at Cedar Park Church in Kirkland, and Mt. Vernon Christian Schools.
Artistic Director and Conductor of Sounds of Summer Music Festival/Camp for the past 26 years, in 2004 she co-founded Skagit Opera, and was Concertmaster and orchestra agent for the first five seasons, for which she conducted Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti. For four years, she conducted Starry Night Chamber Orchestra in the Snohomish Concerto Competition Concerts in Everett, Washington.
In 2008 she led a Concert Tour in northern China, conducting a performing group of students and adult coaches from Mt Baker Youth Symphony, and giving a Master Class in Da Shi Qiao at Bei Hua University.
In 2008-09, she orchestrated and conducted the Starry Night Chamber Orchestra in the Theatre Arts Guild productions of “A Christmas Carol” and also “Cinderella” at McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon. Full-fledged musicals Mrs. Peterson has conducted: Aladdin, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver, Fame, The Rose and the Ring, Cinderella, A Christmas Carol (four separate productions), Into the Woods, Amahl and the Night Visitors (eleven separate productions-most recently December 2019), Little Women, Orphans in Candyland, Into the Woods (2018), Tom Sawyer, and Cry Wolf.
In 2014, she conducted the Starry Night Orchestra at Meydenbauer Hall in Bellevue Washington, presenting Chinese folk melodies arranged for orchestra, (including an amazing Pipa Concerto) and several Western Classic masterworks.
In 2015 She created the touring ensemble – North Stars Chamber Orchestra, which performed under her direction in the Lisbon Music Fest in Portugal. North Stars Chamber Orchestra has subsequently toured Prague & Vienna (2016), Finland (2017), Ireland (2018), and Florence, Italy & Lisbon, Portugal (2019), giving concerts in historic venues and educating the young participants in global cultures.
In May 2019 she was Artistic Director/Conductor of the Nordic Vappu Spring Celebration Concert, held at the newly built Nordic Museum in Ballard, Washington. There she led the North Stars Orchestra in a concert of mainly Scandinavian music, composed by Grieg, Sibelius, Peterson, and Nielsen, and the anthems of the five Nordic nations. Guest pianist was Finnish native Marja Kaisla in the Emporer Concerto of Beethoven.
Teaching positions:
Mrs. Peterson has served on the faculties of Seattle Pacific and Western Washington Universities, Skagit Valley College, Sehome High School, Shuksan Middle School, Skagit Family Learning Center, North Seattle Christian School, Cedar Park Christian School, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, and Greenwood Tree Cooperative School. In 2006 she founded and currently directs the Peterson Conservatory of Music and Arts, in Mt. Vernon, Washington, where she also teaches violin, viola, and voice.
In the summer of 2012, Mrs. Peterson travelled again to China with Mt Baker Youth Symphony, where she and the staff of Sounds of Summer Music Festival held a collaborative Music Camp with the instructors at Songjiang Youth Center for the Arts, in Shanghai. In August, 2013, she was Artistic Director and Conductor for Sounds of Summer International Music Festival, held at Camp Brotherhood in Mt Vernon, Washington. The festival included 32 Chinese youth musicians from the Songjiang Center, and featured their instructors as collaborative teachers with the American staff of Sounds of Summer, culminating in a Gala Finale Concert at McIntyre Hall in Mt Vernon. Their leader, Weiqiang Yue, was Guest Conductor and Master Class Instructor.
For several summers she has taught vocal classes at the META Summer Camps (for youth), and been a guest vocal instructor and Conductor for Sarabande and Allegra women’s choirs in Bellingham. She has been on staff of several churches and ministry groups, and taught and conducted orchestras and choirs at Cedar Park School in Kirkland, Northgate Christian School, Grace Academy in Marysville, Skagit Family Learning Center, and Bellingham Christian School.
In her ongoing work with her private students, Mrs. Peterson seeks to prepare and present violinists, violists, and vocalists who are trained to perform confidently with correct, healthy technique, and beautiful tone. Her students are performing and teaching in many areas of the world, often in leading roles, and some are currently performing with the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Rock Orchestra, the Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Diego Symphony, and the Seattle Opera.
Performing experience:
Founder and Artistic Director of both Starry Night Chamber Series and Peterson Conservatory, she has served as violin soloist/concertmaster with Northwest chorales, dance groups, and symphonic ensembles. (Orchestra Seattle-Brahms Concerto, Northwest Ballet Theater-Nutcracker Ballet, Whatcom Symphony-Sibelius Concerto, Skagit Symphony-Mendelssohn Concerto, Thalia Symphony-Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Barton Frank, also the Sibelius Concerto, Skagit Valley Chorale, Northwest Community Chorale-(several decades) in Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, among other stellar works, Lynden Choral Society-seven years Concertmaster and soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Cascade Cantabile, Rainier Symphony-Brahms Concerto.) She has served as Concertmaster for the Grace Experimental Orchestra in Seattle, and led the Starry Night Chamber Strings in Karin Stevens’ Dance Troupe performances in Ballard and Edmonds, Washington.
In 2009 – 2012 she served on the worship team as lead violinist for First Love Ministries Convention in Washington DC, and in 2013 in San Ramon, California.
Sharyn and her husband, Malcolm, have three times been featured artists in the Monteverde Music Festival in Monteverde, Costa Rica. (Sharyn-voice and violin, Malcolm-trumpet)
In April, 2013, Mrs. Peterson had the honor of soloing in Benaroya Hall, Seattle, in a Chinese/American Cultural Concert in which she premiered the Violin Concerto by Fang Li: “Awakening the Lion”. She also worked as orchestra agent for the event, (which featured new compositions of Chinese and American composers) securing 70 free-lance performers with Starry Night Chamber Orchestra as core principal players.
For over 15 years, Mrs. Peterson was the featured violinist for the Aglow International Annual Convention, and during that time performed on many CD’s for Spiritsong Celebration company. An experienced recording studio artist, she has recorded most recently with the “House of Breaking Glass” Studio and Studio North in Seattle.
Her former trio, Trio Lumina, performed together in the Northwest for over a decade, playing concerts, weddings, and parties for various occasions. Additionally, Mrs. Peterson performed with a Gypsy Jazz quartet-“Le Chat Souriant”, and collaborated with noted guitarists Henk Sikkenga and Richard Rorex. Her current trio, Trio Seattle, with Mannfried Funk- cello, and Mayumi Tayake- piano, performs in the Northwest and Alaska.
Her chamber music series, Music for a Starry Night, (1995-present) has given many concerts with local and international guest musicians, mainly at the historic Lincoln Theater in Mt Vernon, Washington. She also performs regularly in the first violin section of the Federal Way Symphony. Collaborating with flutist Jeffrey Cohan in 2018, she performed contemporary new compositions by Bill Smith and Huntley Beyer, in a Salish Sea New Music tour of the Northwest.
With pianist Lorraine Earle, she performed two recent chamber music concerts at the Willowbrook Manor in Sedro Woolley.
Mrs. Peterson teaches in Mount Vernon, Sedro Woolley, and Bellingham. She resides in Sedro Woolley on a 9.5 acre farm with her husband, Malcolm, and occasional flocks of peacocks.