Add some info about this item

Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D., is a visionary choral conductor, new music advocate and master teacher. She plays an active role in the vibrant Manhattan choral scene and serves the national and international music community through her guest conducting and published work.

​

Her leadership as a conductor is ongoing with not only her own choral ensembles, the semi-professional Ember of Schola Cantorum on Hudson (Schola) and the choir of the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township (PCCT), but also within Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and other guest conducting appearances. Dr. King’s industry leadership roles include Chair of the New York Choral Consortium (NYCC).

​

Her commitment to nurturing the next generation in the arts can be seen through the growth of Schola’s Phoenix Initiative, an education and outreach performance program for talented high school singers.

​

Through PROJECT : ENCORETM (which she founded), Dr. King is at the leading edge of the new music industry, working with composers in finding post-premiere performances, and performing many premieres herself.

​

As a monthly columnist with ACDA’s Choral Journal and a host of WWFM’s Sounds Choral program, she serves the music community worldwide. 

Add some info about this item

Erica Westcott Kelly has been singing in choirs since the age of 4 and is the former Executive Director for the New York City Master Chorale. She currently serves as the Music Production Coordinator at Purchase College, SUNY, Director of Operations for the Westchester Children's Chorus, and Executive Director of the New Choral Society in Westchester. She previously worked in the education departments at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Before moving to New York, Erica was Executive Director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus under the direction of Dr. Andre J. Thomas, as well as Camp Director for Shrine Mont’s Music and Drama camp. Ms. Kelly holds a Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Education from James Madison University in Virginia.

Add some more info about this item...

Joanne W. Lawson is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New York Choral Society on which she serves as Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee. She also serves on the NYCHORAL Leadership Council. She has been a singing member of NYCHORAL since 1967. Joanne has previously served as an at-large board member of NYCC. Professionally Joanne served in senior management and executive positions with nonprofit organizations and advertising agencies for thirty-five years and is now retired.  For half her career she worked at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF where she was Director of the UNICEF Greeting Card Program and later served as Executive Vice President and was a member of the Executive Committee.  She has been head of direct marketing fundraising programs for CARE and the ASPCA. She was one of the four founders of D’Arcy Direct and served as Vice President of Market Strategy.

Add some more info about this item...

Jacob is the founder and CEO of Chorus Connection and a proud member of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus. A lifelong choir nerd and tech geek, he loves marrying his passions to help choruses provide richer experiences for and connect more effectively with their singers, patrons, and communities.

Add some more info about this item...

John Maclay recently celebrated his 20-year anniversary as Music Director of the Choral Society of Grace Church. During his tenure, he has built the Choral Society into one of New York City's most admired choral arts organizations. Reviewers have consistently noted his “carefully considered” programming and the “discipline and passion” of the chorus.  While in graduate school, John was assistant conductor of the Harvard Glee Club, America’s oldest collegiate chorus. He accompanied and conducted choruses at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges, where he co-founded the colleges’ musical theater troupe. Also a practicing lawyer, John is the General Counsel for Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in the Americas. He currently serves as Membership Chair for the New York Choral Consortium.

Add some more info about this item...

Lucy Mathias is the current Board secretary and former Managing Director, Development Chair, and Social Media / Marketing Manager for the Young New Yorkers' Chorus. During her tenure as a YNYC leader, the choir has accomplished significant milestones, including making their Carnegie Hall debut, performing as a featured ensemble for iHeartRadio, singing with the New York Philharmonic, and premiering a range of prestigious new music from leading composers. A lifelong musician, Lucy has been engaged in New York's rich choral community since 2012. Lucy has a history in arts marketing and currently works at a marketing and PR firm specializing in architecture and design. 

Add some more info about this item...

Elisa Nikoloulias is the Managing Director of the Young New Yorkers’ Chorus (Women’s Ensemble). Elisa is an active freelance singer in the tri-state area and serves on the Board of the TreasureHouse Chorale and Chamber Orchestra. An advocate for community, Elisa is on both the Sing for Hope and Professional Women Singer’s Association rosters. Elisa works in philanthropy and is the Senior Finance & HR Associate at New York State Health Foundation and is a graduate of Wagner College.

Add some more info about this item...

Ronnie Oliver, Jr. is a conductor and educator whose commitment to the advancement of the choral art through performance, mentoring, and teaching has spanned over 30 years.  Ronnie is currently the Associate Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of EnsembleNYC, an emerging choral ensemble whose vision is to be a catalyst for hope in New York City. He has served as choral director and teacher of conducting at Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ), Western Michigan University, Western Kentucky University, Greensboro College (NC), and Texas Tech University.

Ronnie received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Murray State University in Murray, KY, and his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting and the Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University.  He studied conducting with Robert Baar, Gerald Welker, and Kenneth Davis. In addition, Ronnie has participated in masterclasses with Paul Salamunovich, Robert Page, Dennis Keene, Helmuth Rilling, and Robert Shaw. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, most recently conducting Fauré’s Requiem with the Masterworks Festival Chorus and New York City Chamber Orchestra.

Add some more info about this item...

Richard Pace is the President of the Oratoiro Society of New York. He joined the Society in 1968. He has also sung with the City College Chorus, and the Collegiate Choral in the 1960s. He is a founding member of the Consortium and worked on the incorporation documents. He also serves as president of Amherst Early Music, and president of S’Cool Sounds. He was a member of the board of New York Public Radio from 1998 to 2019.

Add some more info about this item...

Erika Rohrbach has served as NYCC Secretary since 2011 and been singing with and on the board of The Dessoff Choirs for over 15 years. By day, she is a Professor and International Student Advisor directing International Student Services at the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY. Active in the international education community, she currently serves as diversity adviser for NAFSA: Association of International Educators and is a past chair of NAFSA Region X. She has received distinguished service and leadership awards from NAFSA Region X and the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, and is a former Fulbright scholar to Japan. She is a member of One To World’s Higher Education Advisory Committee and a freelance writer for Kirkus Reviews

Add some more info about this item...

Everett McCorvey is in his 6th Season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale and Orchestra at Lincoln Center in New York City. The National Chorale, in its 52nd Season, is known for concerts featuring the major titans of the choral repertory as well as New York’s popular Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center, which just celebrated 52 years. Dr. McCorvey is also the Founder and Music Director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, which is celebrating 25 years of touring throughout the world celebrating the American Negro Spiritual. Dr. McCorvey holds the rank of Professor of Voice and the OperaLex Endowed Chair in Opera Studies and is the Director and Executive Producer of University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. He was recently chosen as the 2020 recipient of the Southeastern Athletic Conference Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Kentucky and was the 2018 recipient of the University of Kentucky Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement Award, one of the highest awards presented by the University. The award promotes education and creative thought. Dr. McCorvey is the vice-chair of the Kentucky Arts Council for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and received his degrees from the University of Alabama.

Add some more info about this item...

John Daly Goodwin has conducted concerts in major venues around the world including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, The Grand Theater in Shanghai, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Sala Nezahualcóyotl and OllinYolitzli in Mexico City, the Cathedrals of Notre Dame and Chartres in France, and the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. He has also been selected to prepare performances for such prominent conductors as Marco Armiliato, Leonard Bernstein, Joseph Colaneri, Dennis Russell Davies, Robert De Cormier, Srba Dinic, Asher Fisch, Lukas Foss, Fabio Luisi, Yehudi Menuhin, John Nelson, Daniel Oren, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Eve Queler, Corrado Rovaris, Julius Rudel, Gerard Schwarz, Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, and Hugh Wolff. He served as Music Director of the New York Choral Society from 1987 to 2012 and was a founding member of the New York Choral Consortium.

Add some more info about this item...

Bryan Zaros is a young American conductor recognized for his “strong musical imagination” and “deep sense of musicality and communication.” He is the Associate Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Music Director of the Pro Arte Chorale, a lecturer in the Distance Learning program at the Manhattan School of Music and an active coach and clinician of ensembles in the USA. He has been featured as a clinician and conductor at both the National Pastoral Musicians (NPM) and American Choral Director Association (ACDA) Conferences. He is a recipient of several national grants and conducting awards including an American Prize award in Conducting.

A native New Yorker, Bryan began his professional musical training as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus and as a boy chorister and Assistant Choirmaster at The Church of the Transfiguration, NYC. He received a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College, a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of Michigan and is currently ABD for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting at the Manhattan School of Music.