Jan Thyer has been the assistant conductor of the La Peña Community Chorus since 1988, and has sung in choruses and choirs since she was eight years old. With the Macalester College Concert Choir, she sang at Carnegie Hall in the North American premiere of famed Polish composer Krystof Penderecki's "Passion According to St. Luke," and with the Macalester Alumni Choir and Minnesota Symphony she performed Samuel Barber's "The Lovers," based on the poetry of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Jan has played and sung in numerous small groups, including the women’s band "Solid Ground" that performed songs of women and other working people in the Boston area. After moving to California in 1984, she's performed political songs with "Palomitas," "Manantial," and with various ensembles at La Peña Cultural Center.

In addition to directing, she's arranged many songs for the chorus, including Mimi Fariña's version of "Bread and Roses." An accomplished musician, Jan's studied fiddle with Robin Flower, Susie Thompson, and the late Freyda Epstein. In addition to the fiddle, she plays the Andean instruments the quena, cuatro, and tiple.