Artistic Director: Dr. David A. McConnell
Dr. David A. McConnell founded Vox Philia in 2012 as an intergenerational chamber choir comprised of professional and gifted amateur singers. The choir’s performances have garnered considerable acclaim for thematic programming and musical excellence. In the summer of 2014, Dr. McConnell co-founded Berks Sinfonietta, a chamber orchestra that also utilizes an intergenerational approach, bringing professional Reading, PA players together with gifted students in both high school and college.
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Dr. McConnell teaches music courses at Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus and Alvernia University in Reading. As Minister of Music at Immanuel UCC, he plays for weekly liturgies, conducts the Senior Choir and Bell Choir, oversees the training and rehearsing of four other choirs and manages an active concert series at the church.
Dr. McConnell received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in December 2002. |
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A native of Philadelphia, Dr. McConnell also holds degrees from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey and Temple University in Philadelphia. He has attended the prestigious Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians in Hancock, Maine, the South Carolina Conductor's Institute in Columbia, South Carolina, and The Conductors Institute at Bard College.
Dr. McConnell has presented papers at the national American Choral Directors Association in San Antonio, Texas and the College Music Society Northeast Chapter Conference in Lewiston, Maine. Articles by Dr. McConnell have appeared in journals of the International Federation of Choral Music, the American Choral Director’s Association, the Conductors’ Guild and the American Beethoven Society. He has written a chapter on Beethoven’s early Piano Concerto in E-flat for inclusion in a book being published about Beethoven’s time in Bonn.
In recent years, Dr. McConnell has conducted choirs in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Latvia, as well as throughout the northeastern United States.
Dr. McConnell has presented papers at the national American Choral Directors Association in San Antonio, Texas and the College Music Society Northeast Chapter Conference in Lewiston, Maine. Articles by Dr. McConnell have appeared in journals of the International Federation of Choral Music, the American Choral Director’s Association, the Conductors’ Guild and the American Beethoven Society. He has written a chapter on Beethoven’s early Piano Concerto in E-flat for inclusion in a book being published about Beethoven’s time in Bonn.
In recent years, Dr. McConnell has conducted choirs in Portugal, The Netherlands, and Latvia, as well as throughout the northeastern United States.
Assistant Conductor: Caela Johnson
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Caela also serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Moorestown High School, where she has spent the past five years building a thriving choral program and inspiring students to achieve artistic excellence. Under her leadership, the choirs have performed at the Princeton University Chapel and toured internationally, performing in Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. Additionally, she is the Minister of Music at First Baptist Church of Haddonfield, New Jersey, where she directs the adult and children’s choirs and oversees the music ministry.
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A graduate of Rowan University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education, Caela is currently pursuing a Master of Music Education with a concentration in Choral Conducting at Florida State University. She is committed to creating expressive, stylistically informed performances while helping singers grow as both musicians and thoughtful artists.
Accompanist: Dr. Akiko Hosaki
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Dr. Akiko Hosaki, collaborative pianist, serves as accompanist with Voices Chorale NJ. She has worked with several opera companies in the U.S. and Japan, and is an active chamber musician. Dr. Hosaki currently serves as the head of vocal staff accompanists and the pianist coordinator at Westminster Choir College, and Senior Choir Director/organist at Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone, where she runs the concert series. She holds degrees from Musashino Academia Musicae in Japan, Westminster Choir College, and University of Minnesota.
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Voices Chorale NJ Board of Directors:
President: Catherine Judd Hirsch
Vice President: Justin Lacombe
Treasurer: Bob Wiedemann
Secretary: Linda Silber
Member: Sarah Cartmell
Member: Meredith Harmison
Member: Bob Kull
Member: Yvonne Kunz
Member: Rob Long
Member: Kim Stolow
Artistic Director: David A. McConnell
