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About
the Director and Chorus Staff:
Director,
Liz Barrett, put a lot of thought into ways she
could give back to the community while working at something she
enjoys during her retirement years. A community chorus of children
was the answer, and she founded All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis
(ACCA) in 2001. Helping these children strive for excellence in
choral singing, Mrs. Barrett has led them from one exciting venue to the
next. Performing at least twelve times a year, the Chorus has had over 100 performances, including a recent tour to Paris and concerts with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Barenaked Ladies, Annapolis
Opera and OperaAACC, at the Hippodrome, and for a U.S. Naval Academy chapel service, while also
winning the approval of the County Board of Education. Reviews of
the children’s performances have been outstanding, and ACCA has
been cited by the County Executive for excellence and commitment
to diversity.
Mrs. Barrett is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and
has had a lifelong involvement in music, performance, and volunteer
service in the Annapolis area. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College,
she continues her study of music and singing with choral groups,
women’s ensembles, and church choirs. She has served on the Boards
of Children’s Theater of Annapolis, Annapolis Opera, and Colonial
Players, and has performed on most local stages. She was a founding
director of the Young Voices of Maryland Choral Festival. She was the recipient of the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award from the Human Relations Commission of the City of Annapolis for 2009, and the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry Award for 2008. She has received an Award of Merit for Volunteerism
by the Junior League of Annapolis and for commitment to diversity
from the Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Breakfast Committee. She
is currently President of the Corporation, and serves as Chairman
of the Board and Artistic Director.
Assistant
Director, Julie Culotta,
is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with a degree in Choral Music Education. She is currently a member
of the University Chorale and the Women’s Chorus, and she studies
voice with Martha Randall. She graduated from Middletown High School
in 2004, where she was involved in both the choral and band programs.
Mrs. Culotta has been a part of numerous honor choirs locally, regionally,
and nationally with both ACDA and MENC. Growing up she sang with
the Frederick Children’s Chorus and the Frederick Chamber Singers.
Julie oversees ACCA's Chamber Singers for our choristers who are ages 12 and over.
Accompanist, Dana Nichole Scott, a talented musician, is a collaborative pianist and conductor in the DC and Baltimore area. She recently conducted the premier of Momia in el Closet at the Gala Theatre in DC and was host and accompanist for Washington National Opera’s High School Institute at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Among many other theatrical productions, Ms. Scott performed Suor Angelica with Little Patuxent Opera Institute, Magic Flute with Opera AACC, Gallentry with Harbor Opera at the Walters Art Museum, and was rehearsal pianist for The Boys from Syracuse with Center Stage. At the Kennedy Center, Ms. Scott worked as a rehearsal pianist with Jerry Herman, Christine Baranski, and Jeff McCarthy in Mame. She served two seasons as the Music Director for FBN Production’s The Three Little Pigs, an opera outreach program in S.C. Ms Scott also performs with Arundel Vocal Arts Society, Bach in Baltimore, and Opera AACC. She can be heard at Germano’s Trattoria with Ms. Branda Lock and is the pianist/organist at Emmanuel United Methodist Church. Ms. Scott is the piano instructor, jazz ensemble director, and staff accompanist for the Saint James School in Hagerstown. She also has a small private studio in the Laurel area.
Ms. Scott received high collaborative marks in the D.C. Vocal Arts Society Competition, and was a semi-finalist in the 2007 William Garrison Piano Competition. As a soloist, she is a winner of the Sidney DeKnight Piano Competition (PA), a national competition committed to promoting aspiring ethnic musicians. She was a frequent soloist with the Imperial Symphony Orchestra in Lakeland, FL, and was a recitalist on the Mary Baker Eddy Library Millenium and James George Charitable Trust Series in Boston, MA.
Ms. Scott received her Master of Music degree in Ensemble Arts: Vocal Accompanying from Peabody with Eileen Cornett. She completed her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory of Music.
Voice
Teacher, Suzanne Stearn, has a Bachelor of Music
degree with Distinction in Opera and a Master of Music degree in
Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. She
has won awards for San Francisco Opera Auditions in San Diego (1st
prize) and Sacramento (3rd prize) Districts; Metropolitan Opera
Auditions in San Diego (1st prize) and Nevada (2nd prize) Districts;
and was a Western Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.
She won the Karl Kriz Award for Best Performer in San Francisco
Opera's Merola, and received a Performer's Award in Voice and Opera
from Eastman School. She has had leading roles in Chautauqua Opera
Co (Cosi fan tutte, Falstaff, Philip Marshall, L'Heure Espagnole,
Die Walkurie); Asolo Opera Co. (Cosi fan tutte); San
Francisco Opera's Merola (Carmen, La Finta Giardiniera);
St. Paul Opera Co. (Madama Butterfly, Tales of Hoffman);
Eastman Opera Theatre (Marriage of Figaro, Midsummer's Night
Dream, Die Fledermaus, Falstaff, Katja Kabanova, The Crucible, Don
Giovanni, L'Erismena, L'Heure Espagnole); and Opera Under the
Stars (Aida). For MGM Grand in Las Vegas, she was
the lead singer in "Hallelujah Hollywood", and for the
Broadway Dinner Theatre, starred in "On a Clear Day".
She and husband Jason performed "Suzanne and the Man"
for the Royal Viking Line world cruise.
Mrs. Stearns directed, staged and choreographed The United
States Army Chorale for 20 years, including "An American Holiday
Celebration" in Washington, DC, and shows for Constitution
Hall, Embassies throughout Washington, Congress, and the White House.
Board
of Directors:
Liz Barrett, Chairman
of the Board and Director of Marketing
Rebecca Imai, Secretary
Lauren Thomas, Director of Fundraising
Christiana Logansmith, Member-at-Large
Karen Leuschner, Member-at-Large
Stephen Logansmith, Member-at-Large
Chris Langello, Member-at-Large
Julie Thomas, Member-at-Large
Parent Volunteers:
Looking for people to chair the following committees:
Hospitality,
Rehearsal Volunteers, Touring, Budget, Auditions,
Publicity, Outreach, and Website |
