By Julia Goldman
Held at the mercy of a “very strict” instructor, Sharon Tanabe followed the footsteps of her mother and played violin as a child.
Though Tanabe said she has always loved to sing, she viewed herself then as a violinist first and a vocalist second. It wasn’t until the summer of eighth grade when a surprised Tanabe learned she had placed in the highest vocal group after auditioning at the Interlochen International Music Camp that her life changed direction. From then on, she never waivered.
“I went in as a violinist and I wasn’t a very good one,” Tanabe said. “But – I came out as a singer.”
Now 71, retired, and looking back on a lifetime spent as a mezzosoprano with ensembles across California, Tanabe recalls the memories with confident laughter. Much of her vocal vocation was spent with Long Beach Camerata Singers, joining around 1989 as a singer and eventually rising to the role of president from 2010 to 2012.
When she wasn’t singing or leading, Tanabe also worked; a self-described “headhunter” for 35 years, she spent her career recruiting senior-level candidates for roles in the workforce like medicine, engineering and higher education.
“It [was] a very stressful job, I did a lot of traveling,” Tanabe said. “My one joy in the work was being able to sing – that was a great stress reliever for me.”
Despite her career in executive recruiting, Tanabe initially wanted to become a music educator, receiving her undergrad from the California State University of Fullerton and earning a secondary teaching credential from Sacramento State University.
It was when Tanabe returned from Sacramento, that she became a soloist for the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Long Beach, where she eventually discovered Camerata performing at the same venue. From then on, it was history; joining under former Artistic Director David Wilson, Tanabe was initially placed in the alto section, where she said she rose to the position of a section leader very early on.
“I was pretty demanding of myself and other people,” Tanabe said. “Making sure the quality was continuously high.”
Eventually resuming the position of a mezzosoprano, Tanabe also appeared as a soloist for many of the concerts, receiving direct praise from a 1995 article from the Los Angeles Times for her performance in Handel’s Oratorio ‘Belshazzar.’
An archived Los Angeles Times Newspaper article from 1995, written as a concert review from Long Beach Camerata Singer’s performance of Handel’s oratorio ‘Belshazzar.” Former singer and president, Sharon Tanabe is recognized for her performance as a soloist in the last graph. Photo credit: Long Beach Camerata Archives
Toward the mid-to-late 2000s, Tanabe eventually transitioned away from singing and served as a board member for Camerata until former Artistic Director Jonathan Talberg directly asked her to take over as president in 2008.
Serving for the next two to three years, Tanabe made a few changes she said were seen as “controversial.” From tightening up the audition process to re-audition singers each year, to implementing pay for singers and seeking additional funding, Tanabe said she sought to professionalize the organization.
Arguably one of the most impactful changes that Tanabe sparked, however, took shape in her ‘headhunting’ skillset; leading Camerata throughout the transitional change of artistic directors, she helped find and recruit Robert Istad.
“I’m good at transitioning,” Tanabe said. “You have to make sure people don’t float away – and with the help of a lot of fabulous people on our board, we pulled it off. Pulling Rob in was a great gamechanger too.”
In 2012, Tanabe stepped down as president of Camerata due to demands from her work and has since retired, spending her days traveling or at her home in Costa Rica alongside her husband and two dogs, “Warrior Princess” Xena and Kona “Coffee Bean.”
She expresses fondness for her time with Camerata and still follows along as well, citing relief that the ensemble has continued and survived despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a damaging time for many performing groups.
“I’m glad they are viable, they have street cred, beyond surviving,” Tanabe said. “They’re doing things for the community, front porch concerts – that is boot-strap outreach to the community.”