STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS
Director: Heather Mitchell
Heather Mitchell was appointed artistic director of the Hopewell Valley Chorus in the summer of 2015. She also serves as assistant conductor of the Manhattan Choral Ensemble. She is delighted to share her experience and talents with the HVC and looks forward to the undoubtedly splendid music they will be making together.
Heather holds a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Arizona and a master of music degree from Saint Cloud State University, in both choral and orchestral conducting. She was a student of Dr. Bruce Chamberlain and Dr. Elizabeth Schauer. She served as Repertory and Standards chair for the Arizona State American Choral Directors Association and as president of the Saint Cloud State chapter for the Minnesota State American Choral Directors Association.
Heather earned the Emerging Conductor Award from the Minnesota Chorale and has received Outstanding Conductor and Outstanding Achievement in Choral Music awards for three consecutive years. She has been sought out as a clinician and judge for many choral festivals and her broad conducting experience includes choirs and orchestras in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.
With the ability and opportunity to create music every day, Heather considers herself the luckiest person in the world.
Pianist/Accompanist: Stefanie Watson
Stefanie Watson of Highland Park is the music director at Emanuel Lutheran Church, in New Brunswick; is the choir pianist at J.P. Case Middle School, in Flemington; serves on the adjunct faculty at Arcadia University, in Glenside, Pennsylvania; and teaches piano to students of all ages. She earned her BA in piano performance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and her MM in collaborative piano at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
BOARD MEMBERS 2014-2015
President: Terry Trubiano
Terry works as a special education high school teacher, specializing in English and Algebra. She has been married for 33 years and has one adult daughter and an adult son. Terry grew up in Massachusetts within an Irish American family that sang in harmony around the piano at every family function, but didn't join a choral group until her children were small. She found HVC through an ad in the newspaper and has been a member for five years. She has throughly enjoyed the friendship, the community service, the exposure to great choral music, and of course the singing!
Vice President: Randye McBride
Treasurer: Katy Simonsen
Katy made her singing debut at the age of 4 and continued to sing in choirs, madrigal groups, musical theatre and individually through the end of high school. After an extended break from music lasting over two decades, she joined the Hopewell Valley Chorus in 2012. She is a biostatistician studying cancer treatment and lives in Hopewell Township, where her children attend Stony Brook and Timberlane.
Librarian: Carole Woodford
Carole Woodford has been singing with vocal groups most of her adult life. Prior to joining the Hopewell Valley Chorus in 1983, she was part of a madrigal group and has been active with her church choir for more than 20 years. Carole has served as HVC librarian since 2000.
Finance Director: Ben Primer
Ben is Associate University Librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections at Princeton University. He has sung for years in church choirs, including groups in Bridgewater and Hopewell, NJ; Baltimore and New Haven; Houston and San Marcos, TX; and Sierra Vista, AZ. Ben has been married for 36 years to the Rev. Terry Thomas Primer, who is a chaplain at Monroe Village and a graduate of Yale Divinity School. They have two sons: one a graduate student in Chemistry at Penn and the other attending the Harvard extension school, in Boston.
Secretary: Julie Amaral
Julie grew up in a musical family and sang in church choirs. As an adult, she found that she missed the "practice" of choir rehearsals. She joined HVC three years ago and enjoys the weekly opportunity to be with fellow music-lovers and learners!
Membership: Valerie Nelson
Valerie joined HVC in 2000. In 2002, she began volunteering with HVC in the Trenton Children's Chorus' after-school program. She has served continuously on the music selection committee, and has helped with the HVC booth at Pennington Day. This alto section leader sang her first-ever solo at our 50th anniversary concert in 2010. On heading HVC's Scholarship Committee: "It’s a joy to hear our local talented kids and to be able to add a bright note to their future." Valerie plays guitar and recorder with the Crossing Consort, and sings and plays autoharp and ukulele in the Alzheimer’s unit of the Greenwood House retirement home.
Public Relations: Kate O'Neill
Kate O’Neill joined the chorus in 1999 and sings with our tenor section. No surprise: She has always loved to sing and always sings the pants roles. At age 12, she was a sailor in "HMS Pinafore" and at 13, the father in "Hansel and Gretel"; next was Poo Bah in "The Mikado." Kate has coordinated our Spring into Song concert since its launch in 2000 and enjoys volunteering in the Trenton Children’s Chorus’ after-school program. A French teacher-turned-freelance writer, Kate was our public relations director for six years. She has two grown sons, an adorable grandson and two standard poodles.
Concertmasters: Gwen Samuel and Carole Allison
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Publicity/Website: Melissa Paloti
Bylaws (Chair): Joe Lazar
