About The West Village Chorale

West Village Chorale 2005-2006 Season

December 2005

About The West Village Chorale

Director Michael Conley
Pianist Elena Belli
The Chorale
History

Michael Conley, Director

Michael Conley, composer, conductor, organist, pianist, oboist, and singer, was appointed MUSIC DIRECTOR of the West Village Chorale in July 2000, becoming the third conductor in the choir’s 35-year history. He leads the Chorale in a series of annual concerts usually at the historic Church of St. Luke-in-the-Fields in the beautiful Greenwich Village section of Manhattan.

Conley holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from James Madison University in Virginia. His master’s degree in conducting is from Westminster Choir College, where his principal teacher was Joseph Flummerfelt. While a student at Westminster he was awarded the Mueller Prize for outstanding work in the field of choral composition. In New York City, Mr. Conley has held positions as Assistant Director of Music to Kent Tritle at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (1996-1999), as Assistant Conductor of The Collegiate Chorale (2000-05), and as Director of the High School Chorus at the Dalton School (currently). With the Collegiate Chorale, Mr. Conley conducted the “Remembering the Dream” concert in January 2005 at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Times Square, besides helping prepare the Chorale for 14 Carnegie Hall performances and several special performances with the EOS Orchestra, the Ulster Philharmonic, at the Caramoor Festival and at the Verbier Festival.

Mr. Conley’s other New York area conducting engagements have included a collaboration with the Omega Dance Company at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, leading a performance of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Copland’s In the Beginning; a season as choirmaster for the Connecticut Grand Opera; and two seasons as Music Director and pianist at the Woodstock Fringe Festival. As a singer, Mr. Conley is a founding member of the professional 12-voice choir “Manhattan Voices” and was the baritone soloist with the Gregg Smith Singers in the premiere performance and recording of Princeton composer Dmitri Tymoczko’s The Agony of Modern Music in spring, 2005. He is also currently Music Director at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South.

Elena Belli, Pianist

Elena Belli, PIANIST is a native of New York City. She has performed at Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, and Weill Recital Hall as well as throughout Europe, South America and the United States as both soloist and chamber musician. A versatile artist, she appears regularly with instrumentalists and vocalists from New York's leading ensembles, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Columbia Festival Orchestra.

She is a founding member of the chamber group Musical Chairs, which has been featured frequently on WQXR and WNYC. Teaching is also an integral part of Ms. Belli's professional life, and as a member of the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division, her students have distinguished themselves with many prizes and awards.

The West Village Chorale Members

The Chorale members are talented avocational singers who share varied professional backgrounds but one goal: to make beautiful music. They give voice, leadership and passion to the Chorale.

SOPRANOS:
April Darcy Katie Ghilain Ellen Gottlieb Jenna Johnson Melanie McCammon Maureen McCarthy Triicia Hale Amelia Meena Carolyn Swartz Sally Woodring
ALTOS:
Kathy Armitage Ana Beranek Renee Cafiero Grace Goodman Susan Leicher Christina Longo Claire Lowdon Marge Pfleiderer Loren Silber Jaylan Turkkan Joette Warren Renae Willer
TENORS:
Steven Bizzell Andrew McDonough John Onderdonk Edward Shiner
BASSES:
Teedo Bilecky John Herzfeld David Latynski Warren Moore Nicholas Mulligan Greg Niclas Tom Randle Jeffery Reagan Lewis Warshauer

History Founded in 1971 by Gwen Gould, the WVC is a non-sectarian, community based, not-for-profit organization. The Chorale usually rehearses and performs at the historic Church of St. Luke in the Fields, where it began and where it continues to enjoy an affiliation. The Chorale has performed a wide range of traditional and contemporary choral music, including commissions, performances and premieres of works by local composers including Robert De Cormier, Michael Ward, Robert Beckhard, Jerome Jolles, and David Goldstein and current Music Director Michael Conley. Gwen Gould

In 1998 The Chorale was led for two seasons by Dr. Andrew Megill. Michael Conley has led the Chorale since September, 2000. The Chorale had its beginnings in service to the community and has continued that tradition for the past 30 years. Our annual Caroling Walk through the streets of the West Village has become a popular holiday tradition, as well as the Messiah Sing each holiday season. The Summer Sings series provides a forum for music lovers to sing classic choral works, led by the New York area’s outstanding choral conductors. The WVC is listed on the Vocal Area Network (van.org) and Choral Net (choralnet.org).