Under the music direction of Ash Walker, our love of singing in community and creating a shared experience with every audience drives our commitment to excellence in live and recorded performance.
Pacific Edge Voices attracts passionate non-professional singers (and, occasionally, professional ones) with strong and diverse artistic backgrounds and experience, who love to make music in a community of equally committed singers and audience members. The auditioned, Grammy-nominated chorus has toured in the U.S. and internationally, performing in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Germany, France, Cuba, and England.
In 2014, the Pacific Mozart Ensemble changed its name to Pacific Edge Voices to reflect the group’s distinct and longstanding legacy of musical innovation — performing multiple musical genres, collaborating on new works by diverse composers and performing artists, and presenting courageous and innovative vocal music programs.
In the 2019-20 season, the group celebrated its 40th anniversary and named Ash Walker as its new music director, following the retirement of Dr. Lynne Morrow, who led the group from 2006 to 2020. PEV (then PME) was led by Richard Grant from its founding in 1980 through its 25th anniversary season.
Ash Walker, Music Director
Ash Walker was named Music Director of Pacific Edge Voices in August 2020. He succeeded Dr. Lynne Morrow, who retired from the position at the end of the 2019-2020 season, PEV’s 40th.
Ash Walker currently serves as chorus director for the Oakland Symphony and as cantor and associate director of choirs at the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He completed a Masters degree in choral conducting at California State University East Bay. While there, Walker won the Trustees Scholarship and on two occasions co-presented research at the National American Choral Directors Association Conference with his mentor Dr. Buddy James.
A Pennsylvania native, Walker began his musical career singing and touring internationally with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale. He attended Millersville University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a B.A. in music. While an undergraduate, he co-founded and directed the Men's Choir and served as vice president of the American Choral Directors Association, Lancaster Chapter.
In 2009, Ash founded and served as artistic director of the 'Music for Everyone' Lancaster Community Chorus, a community choir open to singers of every age and stage, with a mission of cultivating the power of community and music in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania.