Officers

Lalitha Shivaswamy, Chair; Beckie Markarian, Vice-Chair; Tom Cooke, Clerk; Joseph Horning, Treasurer; Peter Pulsifer, Resident Agent.

Board Members

Mary Brody, Lincoln, Mass.

Mary Brody sings with the Metropolitan Chorale in Brookline, Mass. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Calliope’s Call, a professional art song performance group based in New England, and has previously served on the Board of the Concord Museum, and as a director and officer of the Metropolitan Chorale. She is retired from a career practicing law as a partner of a Boston law firm.

Thomas Cooke, Mystic, Conn.

Tom started singing as a treble in the boys choir at Trinity Church On-the-Green in New Haven, CT when he was 7 years old, and hasn’t stopped since. He co-founded the Hartford-based professional choral ensemble Voce together with its Artistic Director, Mark Singleton, in 2006. Voce, with its mission to Serve Harmony, is committed to building community and making transcendent music that touches the hearts of those who hear it. As part of Voce’s educational mission, in 2021 Tom worked closely with Bass-Baritone Miles Wilson-Toliver to create Voices of Hartford, which is designed to provide Hartford’s young minority residents with the opportunity to make music together in a safe space. In addition to singing, Tom is a classically trained clarinetist. He is a graduate of Harvard College and The Law School, University of Chicago.

Michael Driscoll, Somerville, Mass.

Dr. Michael Driscoll is Director of Choirs at Brookline High School, a position he has held since September 2003. At Brookline High School he directs three choirs, advises three student-directed vocal ensembles, and teaches Advanced Placement Music Theory and piano class. He also serves as Artistic Director of Commonwealth Chorale in Boston, MA. He is past-president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and has been a member of the planning committee for three Eastern Region ACDA conferences.

Holly Druckman, Somerville, Mass.

Holly Druckman is in demand as a smart, sensitive performer of early and contemporary music. In 2024, she became the Artistic Director of Cappella Clausura, a professional chamber choir dedicated to performing music by women, trans, and non-binary composers. In addition, she is the director of the ensembles Carduus, Vox Lucens, Opera51 (Choirmaster) and Nightsong (Director of Beneficia Lucis). Ms. Druckman has also appeared as a guest conductor for the Seraphim Singers, the New England Conservatory, and Odyssey Opera (Choirmaster and Assistant Conductor). In her capacity as an advocate of new music, she has premiered, performed, and recorded music by composers Stratis Minakakis, Ty Bouque, Derek David, Linda Chase, Max Grafe, Jacob Druckman, Tonia Ko, Donnacha Dennehy, and others. Ms. Druckman is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she was the 2018 recipient of the Gunther Schuller Prize. More information about Ms. Druckman may be found at druckmanholly.com.

Katie Hart

Katie Hart (NH) is a mezzo-soprano and a seasoned choral professional, performing regularly with CONCORA and the Zenith Ensemble. Katie has performed as a soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, CONCORA, Hartford Chorale, Master Singers of Worcester, Chamber Singers of Keene, Greater Middletown Chorale, and many other New England ensembles.

Katie holds a BA in Vocal Performance from the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College and has studied with Dr. Robert Natter and Steven Scheschareg. When not singing, Katie puts her considerable administrative talents to work serving non-profit organizations in leadership and volunteer positions. She holds an MBA from the University of New Hampshire with a focus in Marketing and Business Analytics.

Jonathan Harvey, Westminster, Mass.

Dr. Jonathan Harvey is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He also serves as Music Director of the Brattleboro Concert Choir and the Brattleboro Camerata, both in Brattleboro, Vermont. He is an active member of Chorus America, the College Music Society, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the American Choral Directors Association.

Joseph Horning, Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Joseph Horning has thirty years of experience leading high school and community choirs in the Boston area. He holds a B.A. from Kenyon College in Ohio and an M.M. in choral conducting from New England Conservatory of Music. His business experience includes past roles in management with the Boston Philharmonic and in public relations with New England Conservatory. He currently serves as Chairman of a real estate management and development company.

Irene Idecheria, Melrose, Mass.

Irene Idicheria brings nearly two decades of experience in choral music education, having served as both a teacher and program director across K-12 and collegiate settings. As a certified Kodály instructor, she spent ten years teaching general music and chorus in the Lawrence Public Schools, where she also served as the District Facilitator of Music Programs. From 2012 to 2021, Irene was a faculty member at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, teaching graduate courses in music education. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Music Education Department at Berklee College of Music.

Most recently, Irene served as the Managing Director of Boston Children’s Chorus, where she oversaw HR, finance, and office operations. Before stepping into this role, she was the Chief Program Officer, leading the organization’s artistic and educational initiatives. During her tenure at BCC, Irene also conducted ensembles across various levels.

An advocate for music education, Irene has made significant contributions to the field. She co-founded the Massachusetts All-State Treble Chorus, served on the Board of the Massachusetts Music Educator's Association, and was a member of the Editorial Board for the Massachusetts Music Educator's Journal. Her commitment to supporting music education and performance continues through her roles on the Boards of Choral Arts New England, The New England Jazz Collaborative, and New Voices, New Orleans.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Irene moved to the United States to pursue music education at Gordon College, followed by a master’s degree from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, CT.

Nathaniel Lew, Burlington, Vt.

Nathaniel G. Lew is the Artistic Director of the Montpelier-based semi-professional choral ensemble Counterpoint, founded by Robert De Cormier. He is also Choral Director at the University of Vermont and Chorus Master at the Opera Company of Middlebury. A graduate of Yale University and the University of Cambridge, he holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has published on postwar British music and edited unpublished manuscripts of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Amy Lieberman, Lexington, Mass.

Amy Lieberman served as the Head of Vocal Arts at Hebrew College for over a decade, where she conducted the chamber choir and taught courses in conducting and art song. Amy was also Director of Choral Activities at New England Conservatory of Music, and she has been Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music and Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, and Interim Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University. A frequent guest conductor, Amy has appeared with Boston Cecilia, Cappella Clausura (Boston), Zamir Chorale of Boston, Lexington Symphony (MA), Portsmouth Symphony (NH), Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (FL), Boston Summer Sings, and on the New Music New Haven concert series. She has served as assistant conductor for the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Cantata Singers & Ensemble, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artists Orchestra. Ms. Lieberman has given pre-concert lectures for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cantata Singers, Concord Chamber Music Society, and Rhode Island Philharmonic.

Beckie Markarian, Nothampton, Mass.

Beckie Markarian is Associate Director of Alum and Family Communications for Mount Holyoke College (MA). A fundraising professional with an MBA specializing in Non-Profit Management, she has served on the board of directors for a number of arts organizations over the years, including the Pioneer Valley Symphony and the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. As a passionate community musician, Beckie has been leading small groups (officially and unofficially) for more than 20 years. In addition to singing with many community ensembles, Beckie also plays the flute and piccolo with the Pioneer Valley Symphony and The Valley Winds.

Carol Marton, Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Carol Marton, the founding director of Koleinu, Boston's Jewish Community Chorus, is a singer, choral conductor, and she has recently returned to playing the French horn, playing with the Concord Orchestra and the Brookline Community Band. She has directed several area synagogue choirs including the Temple Sinai Choir in Sharon for over 25 years. She was the founding director of Pandora’s Vox, a contemporary music ensemble for women’s voices, from 2001–2011, and more recently a guest conductor for Cantilena, A Women’s Chorale. Carol has sung with many area choral ensembles, both before and after earning a Master's in choral conducting at Indiana University, and she has a special interest in fostering contemporary choral music. She has been on the faculty of the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College, and in other Boston locations, teaching conducting, vocal technique, voice and piano. Carol is also the longtime business manager for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) in Boston.

Lisa Nappi, Plainville, Conn.

Lisa Nappi, soprano, received a B.M. from the University of Miami School of Music in Coral Gables, FL, and then moved to New York City, where she sang professionally with Musica Sacra,
Music Before 1800, New York Choral Artists, and in the ensembles of minimalist composers Steve Reich and Phillip Glass. Lisa was also a soloist and section leader in the choir of The
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. In 1991, she earned an M.M. from New England Conservatory in Boston and performed both as a member and soloist with Cantata Singers, the
Dedham Choral Society, and the all-professional choir of Church of the Advent. Returning to Connecticut in 1997, Lisa sang with CONCORA under Richard Coffey for twenty years and was a
soloist and section leader at South Congregational – First Baptist Church in New Britain, and at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. Lisa is a member of the Steering Committee of
The Music Series at South Church in New Britain, CT.

Laura Nevitt, Needham, Mass.

Laura Nevitt is a conductor, composer, & educator based in Boston. As a fierce advocate for new music, they love working with composers, and have conducted over 30 premieres of new works. She is also especially passionate about giving voice and space to gender marginalized musicians and poets through choral and vocal music.

She is the Founder & Artistic Director of Lilith Vocal Ensemble, Children’s Choir & Chamber Chorus Director at New England Conservatory Prep, a Teaching Artist with Boston Lyric Opera, Handel & Haydn Society, and NEC Prep, and Music Director at First Parish UU in Needham, MA, where she is also Artistic Director of the “To The Fore” Concert Series, focused on bringing historically marginalized voices to the forefront.

Their compositions are frequently performed by musicians across the country, some highlights being the Handel & Haydn Society Youth Choruses, Choral Arts Initiative, the Evelyn Duo, Voices Boston Children’s Choir, Boston Conservatory Choir, Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, Lilith Vocal Ensemble, BRACE New Music Choir, Opera on Tap Boston, the UofSC Concert Choir, sparks & wiry cries’ songSLAM, Source Song Festival, and the Detroit Women’s Chorus.

Peter Pulsifer, Winchester, Mass.

Raised in a musical household, Peter first experienced choral music as a member of his church's children's choir, but later focused most of his musical energies on the trumpet. A transformative experience came in graduate school, when he joined the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (TFC); that led, after graduation, to many rewarding years with the Washington Chorus in Washington, D.C. Back in Boston, Peter currently sings with the TFC and the New World Chorale, and was a member of Chorus pro Musica for 18 years. He has served on the Board of Choral Arts New England, off and on, since 2003. He is the former President of Boston Singers' Resource, which supports solo and choral singers throughout the region. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from Boston College, and has worked mostly in government-related scientific projects.

Courtney Elf Rowe, Needham, Mass.

Courtney Elf Rowe received her Master of Music degree in Music Theory and Composition from Boston University in 2002. While at BU, she became active in the choral programs and sang under the baton of Ann Howard Jones. Her Master's thesis composition was a choral mass, tying her even more deeply to the choral arts world. Since leaving Boston University, Courtney has performed with many Boston-area choral groups, including Commonwealth Chorale, Calliope, Vermilion Quartet, Cappella Clausura, and the choir at Old Cambridge Baptish Church. Her compositions have been performed by the Newton Choral Society, Vermilion, the choir at Wellesley Congregational Church, and various Greek Orthodox choir performances. Courtney is currently the Choir Director of Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Somerville.

Jon Saxton

Jon has previously been a member of the Choral Arts New England board, where he served as Vice Chair and was a major organizer of the Voice for Voices capital campaign. He was a long-time member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and is currently singing with numerous choruses.

Lalitha Shivaswamy, Simsbury, Conn.

Lalitha Shivaswamy is both a singer and Board President with the Hartford Chorale, and her passion for choral music has been described as unrivaled. In addition to her contributions to choral music in New England, Lalitha runs her own business and works as an attorney.

Jana Walters-Gidseg, Greenfield, Mass.

Janna Walters-Gidseg (she/her), is executive director of the Pioneer Valley Symphony (Greenfield, MA), one of the oldest community orchestra organizations in the nation, which has since 1962 been the home of the dynamic PVS Chorus. Janna is also a nonprofit development consultant working with a wide range of groups on strategic visioning, financial planning and compliance, and infrastructure solutions. Formerly a choral singer and accompanist for musical theater, Janna holds an MA in Public Ethics from Université St Paul/University of Ottawa and a BA in Biology from Earlham College (IN).

Douglas Weeks, Mendon, Mass.

Dr. Douglas Weeks, long time resident of Mendon was the Director of the WPI Orchestra for 40 years where he was also the Associate Head of the Department of Humanities and Arts and Professor Emeritus. Students under his direction have performed within the U.S. and at venues throughout Europe and Russia. As a performer he directs and plays with the Worcester Brass and Trombone Consorts, performs with the Massachusetts Symphony and Claflin Hill Orchestras, and has played with many ensembles as a freelance musician throughout New England. In 1987 he was the opening soloist for the White Nights Festival in Pushkin, Russia and has for five summers performed and mentored with students and faculty from the Al Kamandjati Music School in Ramallah, Palestine. He is also currently the low brass coach for the Worcester youth Symphony Orchestra, College of the Holy Cross, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Elizabeth Woodhouse, Newport, RI

Elizabeth Woodhouse (she/her) is a choral music educator and conductor with over 20 years of experience working with choruses all across the country from Denver, Colorado to Brooklyn, New York. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Newport Sings in Rhode Island, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities for youth and adults to discover the joy and power of singing in community with others. At Newport Sings she conducts Aquidneck Singers, a multigenerational treble chorus, and Quorus, an LGBTQIA+ chorus for teens and adults. She also oversees the Newport County Youth Chorus programs and leads Community Sing, a weekly singalong program for adults with disabilities. Elizabeth has prepared and conducted ensembles at performances at Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) as well as for a national PBS Kids Commercial.

Elizabeth is an adjunct professor at University of Rhode Island where she conducts the University Chorus and teaches conducting and music education courses. She also serves as a student teacher supervisor at Rhode Island College. A 2019-2020 Jubilation Foundation Fellow, Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at The Ohio State University, where she was a University Fellow.