NEW MEMBERS OF THE CHORUS AMERICA BOARD AS OF JUNE 2023

Laura Adlers has been the executive director of The Elora Singers and the Elora Festival, both under the artistic direction of Mark Vuorinen. She recently announced that she will step down to return to consulting.

Since 2019, Laura has navigated these organizations through the unique challenges of the pandemic, including: strategic planning, financial management, artistic administration, board development, marketing, fundraising, outreach programming and community engagement.

Laura has cultivated new regional, national, and international partnerships for The Elora Singers, including engaging the Singers’ first international manager and the commissioning of new works by Canadian composers. During the pandemic, The Elora Singers and the Elora Festival produced online concerts which reached new international audiences and were offered to long-term care, retirement home, and social support service residents across Ontario as outreach initiatives. Under Laura’s administrative leadership, the Elora Festival returned to live performances in July 2022 after a three-year absence, with a reimagined operational and staffing structure, including the hiring of arts management students for key production roles.

Laura has been an arts administrator and producer for almost thirty years. An avid choral singer herself, Laura is recognized for her work with Canadian and international choirs. She has a special interest and experience in arts funding program development through her past roles as National Program and Community Relations Director of artsVest™ with Business/Arts and consulting work with the Department of Canadian Heritage. She has served on the boards of several cultural institutions and has been invited to speak at conferences and universities about arts management practices. She continues to work as a consultant and produce special projects under the umbrella of The Adlers Agency.

Maria A. Ellis is a passionate educator and conductor. She is the owner of Girl Conductor LLC, a company that creates diverse music education resources and currently serves as the director of the Sheldon’s City of Music All-Star Chorus. Maria is an active clinician, u

2023 Chorus America Conference

adjudicator, and presenter throughout the United States and abroad. She holds a B.M. in Music Education emphasis on Voice (K–12 Certified) Degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has served as the arts and administrative fellow for the St. Louis Symphony and has served as the community engagement manager for the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. Maria is the host of the award-winning Show “Bach and Beyoncé” on Classic 107.3 The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis and is a host for the St. Louis Symphony “Live at Powell” broadcast. Maria is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association; National Association of Music Educators; and Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, where she is chair of the RIDE (Race, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) Committee. She holds Level 3 Certification from the CME Institute for Choral Teacher Education. Maria is the wife of Marion Ellis and the mother of Aria, Kendal, and Noah.

Director Laureate

Chorus America’s Director Laureate title is an honorary title given periodically to recognize individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership as a member of Chorus America’s board of directors and had significant impact on the choral field.

Corty Fengler

Corty Fengler served on the Chorus America Board for a total of 18 years, beginning in 2003, leading the Development Committee for the majority of that time. During her tenure, she worked very closely with the staff, serving as a de facto fundraising consultant for the organization as well as one of our lead development volunteers soliciting support—a role she continues to fill. She developed and served as the presenter for the fundraising workshop in the early Chorus Management Institutes. She also created Chorus America’s first legacy giving program Continuo.

Corty’s career in philanthropy has included work both as a development officer and as a consultant. She served as canon for development at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and before that as director of development for the San Francisco Symphony, the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and Westover School. She worked for Wellesley College during two capital campaigns. As a consultant she has provided services to nonprofits such as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and many choruses, orchestras, schools and universities. She has served on national committees for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Alumnae Board of Wellesley College, the Board of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and the board of Walden School, a summer music program in New Hampshire. n

Board Officers

Anton Armstrong+

Chair

Tosdal Professor of Music, St. Olaf College

Marie Bucoy-Calavan

Secretary

Director of Choral Studies, University of Akron

John Earls

Treasurer

Board Member, May Festival Chorus Board Chair, Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati

Brian Newhouse*

Immediate Past Chair

Vice President, Individual Giving, Minnesota Orchestra

Members of the Board

Laura Adlers❖

Management Consultant; Executive Director, The Ellora Singers and the Ellora Festival

Hilary Apfelstadt

University of Toronto

Jeffrey Barnett

Partner and CFO, Dorsal Capital Management LLC

Charles Berardesco+

Former Senior VP and General Counsel, North American Electric Reliability Corporation

Dashon Burton

Professional Singer

Iris Derke

Co-Founder and General Director, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY)

Rollo Dilworth

Professor of Choral Music Education & Vice Dean, Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts, Temple University

Maria A. Ellis❖

Educator and Conductor, Girl Conductor LLC; Director, Sheldon’s City of Music

All-Star Chorus

Todd Estabrook*

Immediate Past Chair, Handel and Haydn Society

David Hayes

Music Director, New York Choral Society

Robert Istad

Artistic Director, Pacific Chorale

Director of Choral Studies, CSU Fullerton

Craig Hella Johnson

Founder and Artistic Director, Conspirare Artistic Director, Vocal Arts Ensemble

Anne B. Keiser+

Former Board Chair, The Choral Arts Society of Washington

Robyn Reeves Lana

Artistic Director, Cincinnati Youth Choir

Mark Lawson+ President, ECS Publishing Group

Alysia Lee+

President, Baltimore Children & Youth Fund; Founder & Artistic Director, Sister Cities Girlchoir

Mary Doughty Mauch+

Conductor and Grassroots Organizer & Leader

Marcela Molina+

Director, Tucson Girls Chorus

David Morrow

Professor and Director of the Morehouse Glee Club, Morehouse College

Linda Moxley*

Executive Director, Sarasota Concert Association

Steven Neiffer

Chief Financial Officer, Los Angeles Master Chorale

John Nuechterlein

Community Leader and Former President/ CEO, American Composers Forum

Elizabeth Núñez

Creative Director, Young People’s Chorus of New York City; Founding Artistic Director, SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir

Eric V. Oliver

Zion Baptist Church;

Loretta C. Manggrum Chorale

Dianne Peterson

Executive Director Emerita, The Washington Chorus

Molly Buzick Pontin

Vice President and Director of Education

Andrea Ramsey

Composer, Conductor, and Music Educator

Eugene Rogers+

Director of Choral Activities, University of Michigan; Artistic Director, The Washington Chorus

Diana Sáez+

Director of Choral Activities, Towson University

Pearl Shangkuan*

Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music, Calvin University

Chorus Director, Grand Rapids Symphony

Karen P. Thomas

Artistic Director and Conductor, Seattle Pro Musica

Anthony Trecek-King

Resident Conductor, Handel and Haydn Society Chorus

Duain Wolfe

Former Director and Conductor, Chicago Symphony Chorus; Director and Conductor, Colorado Symphony Chorus