The Singers of the Virginia Chorale
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Arthur Broadbent III (Bass)
“Chip” received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music Education and Voice from the School of Music at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. He has performed throughout Hampton Roads as a core member and soloist with the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the Virginia Chorale since 1989. From 1989 to 1999 he performed with the Virginia Opera Chorus. He has also appeared as soloist with the choirs of Old Dominion University, Virginia Wesleyan College and Christopher Newport University as well as numerous local churches and other arts organizations. Between the years 1985 and 2004 he served as Section Leader, Assistant Director and Interim Director of the Chancel Choir at First Presbyterian Church, Norfolk. Chip is currently the choral director at Norview Middle School as well as the Artistic Director of the Hampton Roads Men’s Chorus. He is a member of Chorus America, MENC, VCDA and ACDA
Bruce Brown (Bass)
Bruce joins the Virginia Chorale a year after locating to Williamsburg from western New York. A Michigan native, he pursued vocal/choral music study at Wheaton College and the University of Southern California, culminating in a DMA in Church Music. Dr. Brown was on the faculty of Houghton College (NY) for nearly 30 years, serving as head of the Voice Department and choral conductor. In addition, he directed church choirs over a span of four decades. As a member of the Roger Wagner Chorale, he sang on tours of Russia, Israel, and the United States. While on sabbatical leaves, he studied professional choral ensembles in Great Britain and sang with the Dale Warland Singers. He is currently a core member of the Virginia Symphony Chorus and the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church Choir.
Lisa Relaford Coston (Alto)
Lisa, a Petersburg native, is busy as a soloist throughout the Hampton Roads area. She is a member of the professional core of the Virginia Symphony Chorus and serves on the music faculty at Christopher Newport University as adjunct professor of voice. She also performs with Creo, a new music ensemble based at Old Dominion University. A member of the Chorale’s Artist in Residence Quartet, Lisa is celebrating her 12th season with the Chorale.
Harris Ipcock (Bass)
Harris received his Bachelor’s degrees in Music and Economics from the University of North Carolina where he performed as a section leader and soloist for several ensembles and starred in a number of local opera productions. Harris has been a member of TodiVoices, Virginia Symphony Chorus and the opera chorus at TodiMusicFest. He has served as a baritone soloist at Trinity Episcopal Church and works for the International Longshoreman Association in Norfolk and Portsmouth. This is his second year in the Virginia Chorale.
Steve Kelley (Bass)
Steve began his musical career at the University of Miami and continued study at Valdosta State University, earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music. He has sung with a number of choruses including the Miami Civic Chorale, the Virginia Choral Society and the Virginia Symphony Chorus has performed as soloist with the Norfolk Consort, Schola Cantorum, Cantata Chorus, and in many venues throughout the United States and Europe including appearances in the United Kingdom, Prague and Vienna. He sings regularly at Ohef Sholom Temple and is a founding member of the Chorale’s Artists in Residence Quartet. Steve also has sung choral and comprimario roles.
Anne Kincaid-Luna (Alto)
A Hampton Roads native, Anne holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from James Madison University with a major in voice and minor in organ. This is Anne’s fifteenth year with the Chorale. She is a member of the professional core of the Virginia Symphony Chorus with whom she has appeared as a soloist and she is the alto soloist at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Norfolk. She has performed with the Master Chorale of Washington D.C. as well as various churches in the Tidewater area. Anne is currently studying with Robyn Redmon. She is entering her 31st year of teaching with the Portsmouth Public School System as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Hodges Manor Elementary School.
Michael Kotrady (Tenor)
Michael has sung as both a chorister and soloist for numerous choirs and ensembles over the last twenty years. In recent years he has performed with the Richmond Symphony and Chorus, Williamsburg Choral Guild, TodiVoices and James River Singers. Mike sings regularly for two of Richmond’s most historic houses of worship: Congregation Beth Ahaba and St. Paul’s Church. He is a University of Richmond graduate and is entering his third season with the Chorale.
Olindo Marseglia (Tenor)
Olindo has numerous roles to his credit with several different performance companies—including the Virginia Opera, TodiMusicFest, and Center City Opera Theater (Philadelphia). He was a 2004– 2005 Resident Artist with Opera Carolina (Charlotte), made his debut with Nashville Opera in 2004 and frequently performs with Augusta (GA) Opera. In addition, he will be performing throughout Virginia with the Virginia Symphony Chorus this season and was a featured chorister in A Three Cantors Concert in Richmond last September. In his debut year with the Chorale, he holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Music and Theater) from Coastal Carolina University and a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Converse College in Spartanburg.
Barbara Paul (Alto)
In her third season with the Virginia Chorale, Barbara comes from a Montana ranching family, and her early music study was focused on voice and tuba performance. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Barbara enjoyed lead roles in musical theater at Annapolis and the privilege of singing the National Anthem for Presidents Reagan and Bush. While stationed in the UK, she was a frequent alto soloist with the St. David’s Cathedral Choir of West Wales. Barbara has been active in area music during several tours of duty in Virginia, including the ’93-94 season of Virginia Pro Musica, and as a member of the principal core of the Virginia Symphony Chorus. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Music, a non-profit community music school, and was recognized in 2003 as Hampton Roads’ Outstanding Professional Woman for her community service.
Charles Porter (Tenor)
Charles is in his second year with the Virginia Chorale. A life-long Hampton Roads resident, he was a member of the Madrigal Singers at Old Dominion University. He has been a chorister and soloist at local churches for the past twenty years or so, and has also been a member of the principal core of the Virginia Symphony Chorus. Charles is currently part of the music staff at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Norfolk and also serves as music coordinator and leader for Episcopal Youth Community events in the Diocese of Southern Virginia.
Douglas Price (Bass)
Doug, who joined the Chorale in 2003, is a Williamsburg resident and is bass section leader and soloist for the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church Choir. He is a regular soloist for Temple Sinai in Newport News and has been a soloist for the Williamsburg Choral Guild as well as a member of The Chamber Singers, a professional a cappella sextet since 1985. He was selected to be a member of the original TodiVoices in Portsmouth. He holds a Ph. D. degree in Mathematics from North Carolina State University. He retired from NASA Langley Research Center in January 2004 and now teaches mathematics for the College of William and Mary.
Virginia Vail (Soprano)
Virginia performs as a singer in classical, cabaret, and jazz venues and is in her twelfth year with the Virginia Chorale. She is also an actor and has worked for a variety of theaters, including a one-woman show at the 40th Street Stage singing from the Cole Porter songbook in the multi- media production, “Let’s Do It.” She has done solo cabaret shows of American popular song and jazz standards as well as a variety of musical theater productionsand has been a soloist with the Virginia Symphony and the Chorale. She has been asoloist for twelve years with the choir of Trinity Episcopal Church in Portsmouth and is on the voice faculty of the Academy of Music in Norfolk.
Melissa Thrasher West (Soprano)
A member of the Chorale since 1987, Melissa is currently soprano soloist with Christ and St. Luke’s Church. Locally, she has performed with Cantata Chorus, Virginia Symphony Chorus, Virginia Musical Theatre, and Norfolk Savoyards. In February 2007 she will sing with the Norfolk Chamber Consort inArvo Pärt’s Passio. Melissa received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from East Carolina University.