Director of Puget Sound Singers
Erin Guinup is a composer, conductor, and arts consultant whose innovative work spans multiple continents and communities. As the founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Tacoma Refugee Choir, she led singers from 75 countries in performances for more than 50,000 people, including the Governor's State of the State Address, TEDxSeattle, and national conferences for ACDA and Welcoming America.
As a composer, Erin's works emerge from a deep belief that music should be both accessible and transformative. She is drawn to stories and texts that invite us to see ourselves in others, to acknowledge pain while nurturing hope, and to discover the joy that comes from being truly present with one another. Her compositions have been performed at the ACDA National Conference, on PBS, and by the US Air Force Band of the Golden West and Symphony Tacoma.
Drawing from extensive performance experience, Erin's diverse background includes the title role in Mary Poppins, and appearances as soprano soloist with Symphony Tacoma, Ensign Symphony & Chorus, Tacoma Concert Band, and Tacoma City Ballet. She has performed in twenty languages throughout her career and her cross-cultural musical collaborations include performing with the Israeli-Palestinian choir Common Ground Voices in Jerusalem and Germany, participating in the Silkroad Ensemble's Global Musicians Workshop, and singing in China on a diplomatic cultural exchange. She also sings lead for a rock band, and her one-woman show, The Ladies of Lyric and Song, celebrating female musical theatre composers, toured internationally.
She has conducted orchestras and choirs including the world premiere performance of Orson Scott Card & Mark Mitchell鈥檚 He is There and Rob Gardner鈥檚 Lamb of God. Her voice students have sung on Broadway and operatic stages and she is a frequent adjudicator. As the founder of Arts Resonance鈥攁 consulting firm centered on strategic planning, audience development, leadership support, and the art of belonging鈥攕he brings an outside-the-box approach to creating transformative musical experiences.
A contributing author to three books and sought-after presenter on vocal technique including Belting 101, Erin's accolades include the American Academy of Teachers of Singing Award for Inclusion and Inspiration, Chorus America's Louis Botto Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and 253 Lifestyle Magazine's Person of the Year. She holds an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute and a Bachelor鈥檚 in Music from the 兔子先生.