Twelve years ago, mezzo-soprano Christine Hill sat in a rehearsal for the annual Christmas Cantata at the Montesano United Methodist Church, a family holiday tradition. “All of a sudden, this amazing, glorious voice came out (of the bass section),” she remembers. “I wondered, ‘who in the world is that, and how did they get him?’
”The voice belonged to Ken Albert, newly arrived in Montesano with his family. Within days, he called Christine to request voice lessons. They shared similar tastes in music and quickly discovered that their voices blended well together. Once they built up a repertoire, they began performing and recording together. The duo recently released their third album, titled “Temptation.”
The two vocalists sing a range of styles, from jazz standards to pop songs of various decades and tunes from the likes of Elvis and Lionel Richie. Though trained in opera, Hill’s deliciously smooth voice seems built for jazz and provides the perfect balance to Albert’s rich bass. In normal times, they sing at venues throughout the Harbor, from festivals to coffee shops and everything in between.
Hill’s name rings familiar to local music and theater aficionados. A classically trained musician, she grew up in Grays Harbor, attending Aberdeen High School before earning degrees in music at Western Washington University. In the past 30 years she has taught hundreds of local students, both in her private studio and at Grays Harbor College. Many of her students continue to delight audiences. One of her students, Aberdeen’s Ben Fagerstedt, wowed crowds when he was handed the mic at a Michael Buble’ concert he was attending at The Tacoma Dome in 2019.
Albert moved to Montesano in 2008 and quickly immersed himself in local life. He currently serves as the Grays Harbor County Treasurer but says music is “in my DNA.” Years ago, as a young man in the military, Albert auditioned for a talent show. He took home first prize and has been singing ever since.
Hill and Albert have appeared in numerous local musical theater productions at the Bishop Center and with the Driftwood Players. In fact, Hill and her husband, Shawn, appeared on stage together in leading roles in a Bishop Center production of “The Sound of Music.” And for years, Hill worked behind the scenes as vocal director for the Grays Harbor College spring musicals. She and Albert both emphasize the significant role music and theater play in the community.
“One of the things I love about musical theater is that people come together for a common goal,” explains Hill. “Everybody works together: the crew, the pit orchestra, the actors and musicians. It’s a wonderful thing to do that.”
Like other performers in the area, Hill and Albert have had to adapt to the new normal this year. They record music for church services and YouTube and hope to do live concerts over Zoom soon. Albert and his wife, Donna (also an accomplished musician) have kept busy writing and recording original music at home.
Meanwhile, Hill and Albert’s new album, “Temptation,” is available at Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora and Deezer. Listeners can sit back and enjoy classic love songs through the decades including the title track “Temptation,” as well as “The Nearness of You” and “We’ve Got Tonight.”
And someday soon, when life begins to open up, Albert recommends spending an evening rediscovering the area’s music scene. “Grays Harbor is rich in talent,” he says. “Anytime there is live music in the area, go see what’s there. In almost every case, it’s very, very good.”