Sarah Weiss is a choral singer and performing arts marketer based in NYC. She has been an active member of The Choral Society at Grace Church for over 25 seasons and has lent her concert promotion marketing skills to support the group’s performances at Carnegie Hall. Sarah has recently transitioned her career in NYC nightlife to a consulting practice supporting choral and performing arts organizations and music festivals.

Juney Li is a soprano, bandleader, and music educator based in New York City, dedicated to inspiring young musicians through both performance and education.

As a New York State Department of Education certified music teacher, Juney has spent the past six years teaching voice, piano, guitar, and ukulele to students of diverse ages and backgrounds. She is passionate about developing musicianship, vocal technique, and artistic confidence while fostering a lifelong love of music. Her students have achieved success in programs and examinations such as NYSSMA and ABRSM and regularly participate in performances that encourage both individual growth and ensemble excellence.

Juney studied under soprano Dr. Sherry Overholt and pianist Donna Gill, developing her artistry as both a vocalist and musician. She holds a Master of Music in Classical Voice Performance and Music Education degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.

Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D. Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D., is a conductor, program builder and new music advocate, whose career bridges artistry, innovation, and mentorship. A dynamic presence in the Manhattan choral scene, she serves as Chair of the New York Choral Consortium, and is a frequent conductor with Lincoln Center projects, most recently the choral director with Jeanine Tesori’s opera Blue. She serves the national and international music community through guest conducting, thought leadership, and extensive body of published work.

Dr. King serves as Director of Choirs at Manhattan School of Music; is founding Artistic Director of Ember Choral Arts and its international advocacy initiative, PROJECT : ENCORE™; and serves the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, NJ, as Director of Music and Arts. Her commitment to arts education is reflected in her long-time leadership of the NJ-ACDA HS Choral Festival, the NYCC’s BIG SING, Jr., and the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab. A respected communicator and thought leader, King is a monthly columnist with The Choral Journal and a rotational host of the award-winning Sounds Choral, syndicated through WWFM.

Hannah Nacheman is a conductor, vocalist, and educator based in New York City. A lifelong musician and arts advocate, Hannah has performed on many prestigious stages including Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, the David H. Koch Theater of Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall.

Hannah currently serves as Music Director of Grace Chorale of Brooklyn, Adjunct Professor and Director of Mixed Chorus at St. John's University, Assistant Conductor to The Choral Society at Grace Church in NY, and Teaching Artist for the VOCES8 Foundation. She is one of the co-creators of Girls Who Conduct, a mentorship program for young women and non-binary musicians, whose mission is to foster diversity and inclusion in classical music. Furthermore, she serves as Guest Faculty for the Juilliard School Preparatory Division and Manhattan School of Music Precollege.

In addition to vocal performance, her musical training includes harp, piano, and violin, which she teaches in her private music studio in NYC, along with conducting and musicianship. Hannah holds music degrees from Bryn Mawr College and The Manhattan School of Music. Hannah's specialized pedagogical work focuses on the intersection of music and psychology, enabling her to provide students and ensembles with a musical toolkit with which to better approach all aspects of their lives.

Theresa Hubbard is an active member of the The Oratorio Society of New York, the Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale, and the adult choir at the Church of Saint Saviour in Brooklyn, NY. She serves as CEO at Fractured Atlas, where for over a decade, she has provided support for more than 15,000 artists and arts organizations raising funds for their creative projects.

Theresa serves on the steering committee of the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors and is a regular presenter at conferences and workshops around the country. In 2016, she earned a Certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy through a partnership between National Arts Strategies and the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Syracuse University and previously worked in the education departments for Carnegie Hall and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Ryan James Brandau is the Artistic Director of several ensembles: Amor Artis, a 40-voice chamber choir and baroque orchestra that specializes in Renaissance, Baroque, and Contemporary music; Res Facta, a 16-voice professional chamber ensemble; Princeton Pro Musica, a 100-voice symphonic chorus and orchestra. For 14 seasons, he also led Monmouth Civic Chorus, a 100-voice symphonic chorus.

Equally at home leading choruses and orchestras, Dr. Brandau has established a reputation for incisive interpretations and dynamic, uplifting performances. His repertoire spans the Renaissance and Baroque, contemporary music, and the full cannon of large-scale choral-orchestral masterworks. In addition to leading his own performances, he has prepared choruses for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony.

As an orchestral and choral arranger, he has created many works for his own and others’ vocal, chamber, and orchestral ensembles. Each December thousands of audience members around the globe have their ears delighted and their hearts warmed by his beautifully-crafted, stirring holiday arrangements, lauded by MET Opera and NY Pops cellist David Heiss as “inventive . . . unfailingly gratifying . . . in a class by themselves.”

He is a host of Sounds Choral, an hour-long radio program on WWFM, the Classical Network, and his essays and program notes have been featured by a variety of ensembles and are collected at The Living Voice.

John Maclay has served as Music Director of the Choral Society of Grace Church since 1999. 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.

Laurie Nelson has been involved with serious choral music since her years as a voice major at the H.S. of Music & Art in the early ‘70s. She continued singing at Swarthmore College and joined The Greenwich Village Chamber Singers (GVCS) in 1982, while in law school. For many of the ensuing 40+ years, she served GVCS variously as alto section leader, Treasurer, Administrative Director, and President. In September 2025, she joined The Oratorio Society of New York and studies voice with Peter Stewart. Throughout her career as a real estate counsel at Clifford Chance and then Ropes & Gray, she represented many non-profits on a pro bono basis, concentrating on governance, incorporation, leasing, and contract issues. In 2022, she was honored to receive Ropes & Gray’s annual award for outstanding pro bono service, and she has been similarly honored by NYC Medics and The Lawyer’s Alliance. She was a member of the board of NYC Medics from 2006 to 2009. Laurie retired from large firm law practice in December 2025 and now represents a few select clients as a solo practitioner. She currently serves as governance director for the New York Choral Consortium. 

Elisa worked in the finance departments of two top theatrical publishing houses before transitioning to the nonprofit sector. Prior to her current Senior Operations role at the Simons Foundation, she was the Senior Finance & HR Associate at New York State Health Foundation for a decade, Finance Manager for the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, an artist endowed foundation, the Finance Manager for PILnet, a nonprofit focused on connecting with local partners to develop the institutions essential to rights-respecting societies and served as the Finance and Operations Manager for the National School Climate Center, a nonprofit that helps schools integrate crucial social and emotional learning with academic instruction. Elisa is a freelance singer, lifelong arts advocate and actively serves on the Boards of two additional incredible arts organizations.

GRAMMY-nominated composer Joseph Jones has established himself as a distinctive, powerful, and eloquent voice on the classical music stage, one whose music creates ‘a vivid impression’ (The Washington Post). A prolific composer whose catalog includes art song, chamber music, choral and choral orchestral works, orchestral, opera, and ballet, Mr. Jones is equally at home in the concert hall and on stage.

A first generation American of Colombian and Spanish descent, Mr. Jones was adopted into a white family as an infant and grew up on a farm in small town in Rhode Island. His love of nature was fostered through this environment. A veritable third culture kid, the complex questions about his identity he’s often faced are subverted by his cosmopolitanism and total commitment to music as a transcendent force: his music speaks with humanity at its center.

Mr. Jones studied at the Peabody Conservatory of music where he worked with Nicholas Maw, and at the Bowdoin festival where he was a student of Dr. Samuel Adler. His music is characterized by a distinctive and personal approach to harmony, consistent use of counterpoint, clear formal structures, and a willingness to embrace the romantic gesture.

His music has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He has been commissioned by the American Youth Philharmonic, bassoonist Brad Balliett, and soprano Laura Strickling, and appeared as a featured guest composer with the Wichita Symphony.

A consummate musician, Mr. Jones has a performance background in violin, viola, percussion, and voice, playing and singing as an orchestral, chamber, and choral musician and oratorio soloist.

His work on the podium has included assistant and fellowship positions at the Aspen Music Festival, National Music Festival, Gulf Coast Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, and Allentown Symphony.

He currently resides in the New York City area.

Everett McCorvey is in his 9th Season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale and Orchestra at Lincoln Center in New York City. The National Chorale, in its 55thSeason, 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 55 years. Dr. McCorvey is also the Founder and Music Director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, a professional organization which tours throughout the world celebrating the preservation of the American Negro Spiritual. Dr. McCorvey holds the rank of Professor of Voice and the OperaLex Endowed Chair in Opera Studies at the University of Kentucky.  He is also the Director and Executive Producer of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. He was recently chosen as the recipient of the Southeastern Athletic Conference Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Kentucky. Dr. McCorvey is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Arts Council for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He is also a trustee for the Sullivan Foundation of New York, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding, developing, and furthering the careers of promising opera singers within the United States.  He is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and received his degrees from the University of Alabama.

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.

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.

Mark currently serves as the Executive Director of Musica Sacra, New York longest continuously running professional chorus. During Mark’s tenure, Musica Sacra has presented its 82ndperformance of Handel’s Messiah, commissioned and presented world premieres by Michael Gilbertson and Wang Jie, and enjoyed collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more.

As a music educator, Mark has taught voice and music theory at Washington Heights Choir School, a free after-school music program based out of Holyrood Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz. Mark was also the founder, performer, librettist, and CEO of Opera-Tunity, a children’s opera company that created original children’s operas based on a diverse array of myths and folktales.  The operas were performed in schools throughout Connecticut and fully integrated into the schools’ curriculum.

Mark also enjoys a career as a freelance musician in New York, singing with many choral ensembles, church choirs, and synagogues around New York City.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Music from The Manhattan School of Music.

Mary is a DMA student in conducting at the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln, and was recommended for this internship by Dr. Marques Garrett. Find out more about the project Mary is working on HERE.