Meet Us

Who We Are

We are children and youth who love to sing. We are the parents of children and youth who love to sing. We are artistic professionals, music educators, administrators, board members, donors, grantors and sponsors who are passionate about providing professional-level musical training and diverse performance opportunities for the children of Central Massachusetts in a transformative, growth-oriented, warm, inviting, fun and musically-challenging program of excellence. We are a safe and inclusive community of people enhancing the lives of our community’s children and youth through choral singing.

OUR STORY

The Worcester Children’s Chorus (WCC) was founded in 2008 as a program of The Master Singers of Worcester by co-directors Jennifer Kane and Malcolm Halliday. A partnership was also formed at that time between the WCC and Assumption University making WCC a choir “in residence” at the University campus where WCC enjoys rehearsal and performance spaces as well as other resources.

THE DEBUT PERFORMANCE

The Chorus began as one ensemble with 33 singers, making its debut performance on Sunday, October 19, 2009 during a “Mostly Mozart” program with The Master Singers of Worcester.

A DECADE OF GROWTH

Within two years, the Chorus split into two ensembles with the addition of the Da Capo training choir under the direction of Philip Montgomery and became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In September 2014, Dr. Pamela Mindell succeeded Jennifer Kane as the Artistic Director after two years directing the Tour Chorus. A Decade of Song Gala Concert was held at Mechanic’s Hall in May 2018 celebrating a successful 10 years and looking toward a bright future for the choir.

A PASSION FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCE

The Worcester Children’s Chorus has performed with many area ensembles, including: The Master Singers of Worcester, The Assabet Valley Mastersingers, The Salisbury Singers, the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, the Worcester Youth Orchestra, and the Worcester Chorus. Members of the chorus have also performed on three occasions at Carnegie Hall in NYC, participated in the International Children’s Chorus Festival at Canterbury Cathedral and London, England, as well as the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans. In 2016, the WCC was featured at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, where they performed the Star Spangled Banner before tens of thousands.

EDUCATORS & STAFF

“The teachers are experts in their fields and know how to work with children. We are always impressed with the faculty’s ability to elicit enthusiasm and creativity from each group. Hands down, one of the best learning opportunities for our girls.”

DR. Pamela MINDELL

Artistic Director

Philip Montgomery

Associate Artistic Director

John F. Delorey

Director, Baritones

Ilana Joyce Cady

Collaborative Pianist

Chris Wychorski

Managing Director

Paige Burke

After School Educator/Conductor

Isabella Gentleman

Outreach & Education Coordinator

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Our Board is a devoted group of professionals and parents passionate about growing this choir and community to the best it can be for the children and youth of Central Massachusetts.

Chris Wychorski

President

Jennifer Tallagnon

Vice President

Al Hargrave

Treasurer

Abigail childs, md

Secretary

DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld

Member at Large

Susie Cabral

Member at Large

Robert G. Carson

Member at Large

Mary Callahan Gros

Member at Large

Sarah Johnson

Member at Large

Christopher Kardos

Member at Large

Khadine liburd

Member-at-Large

DR. Pamela MINDELL

Member Ex-Officio

Philip Montgomery

Member Ex-Officio

Moira Rouse

Member at Large

OUR PARTNERS

ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY

For Worcester Children’s Chorus, the relationship with Assumption University has provided a stable, centrally located home with the support of campus facilities and staff. Choir members enjoy rehearsals on a safe and beautiful campus and performances in a world-class performance hall. Since WCC’s inception, an Assumption faculty or staff member has sat on our Board lending support, cross-communication and valuable skills and experience. Collaboration has begun between the Assumption University chorus and WCC – bringing youth together with college-age singers offering a rich learning experience and expanded performance opportunities.

PAKACHOAG MUSIC SCHOOL OF GREATER WORCESTER

WCC and Pakachoag Music School “met” at a leadership workshop and quickly decided to form a partnership to lend strength to each organization, share resources and ideas, and expand the musical opportunities offered to the children and youth of Greater Worcester. As “Partners-in-Music” we continue to look for ways to bring diverse opportunities across the two organizations like a 10% reciprocal discount.

ONE WORCESTER

The Organization for Nonprofit Excellence (ONE Worcester) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an eight-year history of providing consulting and coaching to Worcester-area nonprofits free of charge. Formerly Jericho Road Worcester, this organization provides nonprofits with expert consulting in the areas of marketing, fundraising, strategic planning, governance, human resources, and board development. Thanks to ONE Worcester for contributing to the creation of our new website in 2021!

LADYBUGZ INTERACTIVE AGENCY

Ladybugz Interactive Agency is a funky co-op of Boston-based web designers and digital marketers. Our journey began in 2020 with the rebrand of the Worcester Children’s Chorus with Morgatize, Inc. Our new color palette, logos, and fresh, modern look are the result of a joyful work relationship with Morgan Kropa. She invited us to work with Ladybugz Interactive Agency for our next big project – to create a new, vibrant, customer-friendly website that reflected our new brand. Thank you to Morgan, Frank Pereira, our web designer, and the whole team at Ladybugz Interactive for giving so much time, heart and soul to this project.

COMMITTEES

Committees are the workhorses of a Board of Directors. It’s where the brainstorming happens, the dreaming happens, the work happens. Currently groups of skilled volunteers comprise the Marketing, WCC Strong, Nominations, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committees. WCC Strong was born out of the adversity of the pandemic to help coordinate a socially distanced end-of-year gathering and has grown into a strong support for the staff to deliver community building events and activities.
Volunteers5K

GET INVOLVED

Getting involved with the choir on a personal volunteer level has deepened the enjoyment of the choir community experience for many parents of choristers over the years. Meeting other parents, working together to bring great opportunities to the children and youth, and delivering excellent performance experiences is extremely satisfying for many families. We often hear that the most intensive volunteer experience, chaperoning on a tour, is as positively life-changing for the chaperones as for the singers.

Donate today to support our program

Translate »

Dr. Pamela Mindell

Artistic Director

Pamela Mindell has worked with a number of children’s choirs, including the Litchfield County Children’s Choir in CT and the Paradise City Children’s Choir, in Northampton, MA, which she founded in 2001.

In addition to her work with WCC, Pamela is also Music Director of the Cambridge Community Chorus. She has served on the faculties of Smith College, Clark University, and College of the Holy Cross. Under her direction, the Holy Cross choirs traveled to Italy and Spain, as well as throughout the Northeastern United States, singing in such venues as Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Other performance highlights include a concert of Sacred Latin American music with renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Pasion segun San Marco, as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. Pamela served as Artistic Director of the Hotchkiss Summer Portals Vocal Chamber Program (CT) for high school singers for ten years.

Prior to her college teaching, Pamela spent a year in Sydney, Australia, conducting and singing professionally. As a soprano, Pamela has performed in several recitals with mezzo-soprano Justina Golden. She has sung with The Boston Secession and Emmanuel Music in Boston. Pamela received her doctorate in Choral Conducting from Yale University, where she studied with Marguerite Brooks and David Connell. She holds a master’s degree in Music Education with Kodàly Certification from The Hartt School as well as a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Princeton University.

Philip Montgomery

Philip Montgomery is the Music Coordinator at the Fay School in Southborough, MA, an independent school for students in Kindergarten through Grade Nine. He holds a Masters Degree in Organ Performance from The Boston Conservatory where he was awarded membership in Pi Kappa Lambda. He holds an additional Masters Degree in Music Education, with Kodály emphasis, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Mr. Montgomery is a certified instructor in both the Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály methodologies of music education. He also attended the 25th and 26th International Kodály Seminars at the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary. He completed levels 1, 2 and 3 of the “Creating Artistry Choral Conductors Workshop” with Henry Leck, founder and director of the Indianapolis Children’s Chorus.

Mr. Montgomery has served as Assistant Organist at All Saints Church, Worcester, MA and as Organist and Choirmaster of Saint Mark’s Church, Episcopal, in Southborough, MA. He is currently Associate Artistic Director of the Worcester Children’s Chorus where he conducts the “Da Capo” and “Young Artists” choirs. Additionally, Mr. Montgomery is a faculty member of the Kodály Music Institute, and has been a choir director and solfege teacher for the Institute’s summer programs. Philip also serves as President-Elect of the BAKE Board of Directors (Boston Area Kodály Educators).

John F. Delorey

Director

John is a conductor, composer, performer, teacher and is thrilled to be working with the Worcester Children’s Chorus. Delorey holds a BA in Music History from Vassar College, an MM in Choral Conducting from The Boston Conservatory, and is finishing his PhD in Music Education at UMass Amherst. When not with the Baritones, Delorey teaches music at Doherty Memorial High School and is the Artistic Director of Worcester’s newest chorus – Vox Omnis.

Ilana joyce Cady

Collaborative Pianist

Ilana graduated with a Master’s of Music in piano performance at Longy School of Music of Bard College; May 2017, under the direction of Leslie Amper. During her time at Longy she has performed at Pickman Hall, Sanders Theater at Harvard University, and the Dante Allegheri Society in Cambridge. She has collaborated with Longy’s Side by Side El Sistema program and the Boston Cello quartet. Being involved with Longy’s chamber program, Ilana has had the privilege to work extensively with Robert Merfeld.

She has performed solo and chamber works for the master classes of Peter Serkin, Frank Levy, Denis Kozhukhin, Wayman Chin, Randall Hodgkinson, Roland and Almita Vamos, Ming Feng Hsin and Wen Qian, Jennifer Koh, and Dylana Jenson.

Recently Ilana has joined flutist Maria Gabriela Alvarado, in presenting “Of Water and Clouds” a concert designed to highlight women composers and bring awareness to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. They have performed this concert in the New England area, and have been invited to perform in the Civic Morning Musical concert series in Syracuse, NY, as well as the Women in Music conference at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi.

Ilana has been a faculty member of the Joy of Music Program in Worcester since 2017 and is a dance division pianist at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Ballet School. She also works as the collaborative pianist of the Worcester Children’s Chorus and South Lancaster Academy’s Il Voce, the select traveling choir, with whom she will be going on tour to Portugal in the spring and have the privilege to work with John Rutter as a rehearsal accompanist for the festival.

When not at the piano you can find Ms. Cady out walking her beagle, Ivy Ives or in the garden cultivating her favorite flower, Dahlias.

Chris Wychorski

President & Managing Director

Chris Wychorski serves as both President of the Board and Managing Director for WCC. Her daughter Vivienne sang with the chorus for 7 years before graduating high school.

Chris started volunteering and was elected to the Board in 2016. In August 2017, Chris was elected Vice President, focusing on volunteer recruitment, data collection, and systems analysis. In 2021, Chris was elected President and took on the leadership role of the organization focusing on rebranding, rebuilding after the pandemic, growth, and expansion. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has over 20 years of experience working in the non-profit sector.

Paige Burke

Paige Burke (they/them/theirs) is a Worcester-based composer, vocalist, and music educator who aims to create music that is accessible to everybody. Music should prompt its listeners to both feel and learn—and this is the guiding principle behind Mx. Burke’s creative output, whether in the classroom or the concert hall.

Mx. Burke has been commissioned by several ensembles, including the Chamber Singers at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the L.A. Choral Lab, and Longy School of Music’s Ensemble Uncaged. As a former member of the UMass Lowell Chamber Singers, Mx. Burke, an alto, has performed masterworks including movements from Bach’s Magnificat, Brahms’ Nänie and Schicksalslied, and Mozart’s Requiem, under the direction of Brian O’Connell and Dr. Jonathan Richter. Mx. Burke has also performed internationally, as a two-time participant in the Sarteano Choral Conducting Workshop in Italy, directed by Brian O’Connell, Simon Carrington, and Broni Falinska.

As an educator, Mx. Burke has experience teaching all ages and skill levels, in both private studio and classroom settings. Their work with elementary- and middle-school aged students in the general music classroom, as part of their undergraduate coursework, has been heavily composition-based. Mx. Burke also teaches piano, voice, and composition lessons from their private studio in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Mx. Burke holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and a Master of Music in Composition from the Longy School of Music at Bard College. Their teachers include Meredith Borden (applied voice), Dr. Amy Beth Kirsten, and Dr. John Morrison (both composition). They currently reside in Central Massachusetts with their family and two cats.

Isabella Gentleman

Isabella Gentleman directs music programming and teaches Music, Diversity and Social Justice, and English at Eagle Hill School, a private boarding school for diverse learners in grades 8-12. She holds her bachelor’s degree in Choral Conducting and Church Music from St. Olaf College and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Educational Research from the University of Glasgow, specializing in inclusive educational policy and curriculum development.

During her time at St. Olaf, Isabella sang with the St. Olaf Choir, under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong, for which she served as soprano section leader and toured around the United States and Norway. Isabella was also Assistant Conductor of Manitou Singers, under Dr. Therees Hibbard. From 2019-2021, Isabella served as Music Administrator at All Saints Church, where she grew up singing and found her love of music. Isabella is the music director for Eagle Hill Theater productions and supervises Eagle Hill’s series of student-run Open Mics for student performances of the fine arts, now in its second year.

Isabella’s time in the rehearsal space and classroom, both as a student and now a teacher, has led to her passion for creating relevant, inclusive, and accessible music curricula that will provide opportunities for people of all abilities to make music together.

Jennifer Tallagnon

Jennifer joined the WCC board in 2020. She has been actively involved as a volunteer parent since her daughter joined the chorus in 2015.

Al Hargrave

Treasurer

Al Hargrave is a CPA and Financial Adviser with McCarthy, Hargrave and Co. located in Northborough, MA and Stafford Springs, CT. He holds a BS in Economics from Brown University and has been working with non-profit organizations for over 20 years. Al has been the Treasurer of WCC for the past 4 years

Abigail childs

Abigail works as a neuroradiologist in Milford and has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She earned her medical degree from Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine, and holds an MBA from Clark University and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. Abigail is a passionate supporter of the arts with a commitment to the mission of WCC. It is her goal to make WCC accessible to all students in the greater Worcester area so they may experience the joy and wonder of music.

DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld

DeMisty D. Bellinger-Delfeld has an MFA in creative writing from Southampton College and a PhD in English from the University of Nebraska. She teaches creative writing at Fitchburg State University and serves as first violinist in the Fitchburg State University Community Orchestra. She serves as poetry editor at Porcupine Literary and Malarkey Books. DeMisty is also a writer whose work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, including The Best Small Fictions: 2019. Her chapbook of poems Rubbing Elbows is now available and her full-length poetry collection, Peculiar Heritage, is forthcoming with Mason Jar Press.

Susie Cabral

Susie Cabral serves as a board member and Chair of the Marketing Committee for WCC. Her daughter Katia has been singing with the chorus for over five years.

Susie works in technology marketing and owns her own consulting practice. Seen as a savvy Silicon Valley marketing leader with 15-year proven track record of delivering inventive marketing, creating high performing teams and consistently achieving results. Susie is involved in many local events and charities organizations. Passionate about advocacy for child causes as well as with dachshund rescues. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, International Business and Marketing from the University of San Francisco.

Robert G. Carson

Robert G. Carson, MSHRM is the Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Assumption University in Worcester, MA where he provides strategic leadership and operational management on all human resources and workplace initiatives in concert with the institution’s strategic plan, mission, and culture. His duties included talent acquisition, professional development for staff, succession planning, performance management, benefits, compensation, labor relations, policy development, and human resources information systems management. Robert also serves as Director of Music and Organist at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church here in Worcester, MA, where he leads the music ministry of the parish.

 

Robert, who speaks English and Spanish, earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Scranton. He is an AIRS-Certified Diversity Recruiter and Professional Certified Recruiter currently pursuing certification as a Senior Professional Human Resources designation from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Professional memberships held by Robert include The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), College and University Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), and a Board Member of the Human Resources Management Association of Central Massachusetts (HRMA).

Mary Callahan Gros

Mary is passionate about the arts and education. A graduate of Framingham State and Boston College, Mary spent two decades as an educator in Watertown, Mass. Public School System as well as Lesley University. As a parent of three children in the Westborough school system, Mary is involved in school and cultural programs.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-callahan-a398a722/

Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson is pleased to have joined the WCC board in 2020. Her daughter, Sammy, has been a member since 2014 and together they have traveled to New Orleans, New York City, and Canada with the WCC. Sarah was very involved in instrumental music all the way up through college herself and is happy to support her children’s love of music now. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Sociology from Boston College as well as a Master’s of Elementary Education from Simmons College. She has been teaching second grade in Westborough, MA since 1997.

Christopher Kardos

Chris is a Partner at Strategic Benefit Advisors, an employee benefits consulting firm based on Southborough, MA. He resides in Northborough with his wife Cindy and four children, who all enjoy making music in its many forms.

Chris grew up in a musical family and received instruction in classical piano and organ throughout his childhood years and in college. His father was an accomplished violinist and choir singer, his mother an organist.

Khadine Liburd

My name is Khadine Liburd, and I currently work as a Credit Analyst at a financial institution. I’m relatively new to the role; however, I’ve been in the banking industry for ten years. Growing up in a West Indian household with many adopted children, I’ve grown a love and passion for uplifting children. This has led me to dedicate my extra time as a proud advocate for the CASA organization. Although this is the first board I’ve served on, I have been a member of Organizations such as YPWA and CASA. I frequently participate in many charity events for my job and organizations. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of Worcester Chorus because singing has brought so much joy into my life, and I know I will do the same for the kids we’ll be mentoring. I have a passion and drive to serve the community, and it gives me great pleasure to participate in this movement.

Moira Rouse

Moira Rouse joined the WCC Board in 2017. She has two children who have sung with WCC for a combined total of twelve years, and the oldest of whom continues with the Baritone Chorus and loves singing. Moira sings with the Master Singers of Worcester and served on their board for many years, including the formative years of WCC before its independence. She holds a both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Clark University. SE has worked for a nonprofit serving towns and cities since 2015.