Staff, Board & Advisors
STAFF
Jane E. Money is a native New Zealander who has lived in Dorchester for over 35 years. She co-founded Boston City Singers in 1995 as a division of Youth Pro Musica. Jane’s professional interest lies in crafting outstanding opportunities and outcomes far beyond the structure of a traditional community youth chorus. A frequent workshop presenter and adjudicator (Chorus America, American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists). Jane holds master’s degrees in music from Auckland University, in music education from Trinity College of Music in London, and in engineering from Boston University. As a former engineer and project manager, she has brought a wide-range of skills to support the growth of Boston City Singers. She is a member of the Celebrity Series of Boston Community Engagement Committee, Boston City Singers Board of Directors, and American Choral Directors Association where as a former Repertoire and Standards chairperson for Children’s Choruses she co-founded “The Big Sing,” annual festivals for young choirs from around New England. She has been recognized for her work with urban youth from numerous civic, educational and arts organizations. (Dorchester)
Melissa J. Graham joined Boston City Singers in 2011 to manage business, development, communications, government relations and human resources while serving as staff liaison to the Board of Directors. Previously she was a Founding Director of The Boston Guys, a Boston-based event planning, fundraising and marketing collaborative, the host of Commonwealth Journal, a radio talk show on WUMB, and Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank. She was a senior advance person for former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton during the Clinton White House years and had the privilege of traveling throughout the United States, Europe and South Africa on her behalf. She has been Vice President and General Manager for Nathan Tyler Productions and Director of Local Fundraising for WGBH/Boston. Her first fundraising experience was at age seven during her father’s candidacy for US Congress in Cincinnati, Ohio. A New Yorker by birth and raised in Ohio, Melissa lives in Dorchester with her husband, a son attending Quinnipiac University in CT and two rescued dogs - Elvis Pressley and Whitney Houston. Melissa attended William Smith College (Hobart) and Miami University of Ohio where she earned her Bachelors’ Degree. (Dorchester)
Dr. Matthew W. Leese received voice degrees from the University of Otago, the Longy School of Music, Indiana University and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Illinois. In addition to working with Boston City Singers Tour Choir, he is Artistic Director of Monadnock Chorus, and Co-Artistic Director of Zenith Ensemble, Northern New England's professional choir. At Keene State College he directs the Concert Choir, Keene Vocal Consort, the Opera Workshop program and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator. As a freelance singer he performs regularly with professional ensembles Spire, (Kansas City), Liber, Tactus (Oklahoma City), and Gravitación. www.matthewleese.squarespace.com (Keene, NH)
Wendy Silverberg is an accomplished vocalist and pianist who joined the staff of Boston City Singers’ in 2011. In 2012, she co-founded the Cambridge Children’s Chorus division. Wendy retired from the Cambridge Public Schools after four decades of teaching music to young children. She earned a degree in music education from the University of Rhode Island, a Master’s Degree in Education from Antioch College and a Certificate from the Kodály Musical Training Institute, New England Conservatory of Music. Wendy has served on the board of the Boston Area Kodály Educators and has sung with The Boston Cecilia since 1972. Since 2013, Wendy has traveled to Argentina, China, Norway, South Africa and Puerto Rico with Boston City Singers. (Cambridge)
Jamal Fairbanks joined Boston City Singers’ Cambridge Children’s Chorus division in 2021. Additionally, Jamal teaches music at Cambridge Public Schools. Prior to teaching in Cambridge, he taught Roland Hayes School of Music in Roxbury and Roberts Elementary School in Medford. Jamal received his Master’s in Music Education from Boston University and his Bachelor of Science in
Music from CUNY Lehman College in Bronx, NY. He is certified in Level 1 Kodaly.(Cambridge)
Kimani Lumsden joined Boston City Singers in 2012 as World Rhythm Ensemble Director. He is a vibrant music educator who is passionate about the percussion and dance traditions of West Africa and the African diaspora. He performs with a variety of musical groups including the Haitian Drum and Dance Company, Fantezi Kreyol, the Art of Black Music and Dance, Silimbo African Dance Company and Lamine Toure with Group Saloum. Kimani grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, where he studied classical piano, and traditional Jamaican and Caribbean drumming at the Jamaica School of Music. Currently, Kimani teaches music and traditional percussion at the Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island, an independent, college preparatory school for girls in Grades 1 through 12. (Providence, RI)
Debbie Slade joined the Cambridge division of Boston City Singers in 2014. Formerly a music specialist and arts department chairperson at Buckingham Browne & Nichols Lower School for more than 35 years, Debbie taught Pre-K to 6th grade music classes, chorus, orchestra, recorder ensemble, co-directed sixth grade musicals, and taught 5th grade math. Active as a choral singer, Debbie has performed with New World Chorale, Chorus pro Musica, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus with the Boston Symphony. She received a Music Education degree at UMass-Amherst and a Masters in Elementary Education at Lesley University. Besides her commitment to Cambridge Children’s Chorus, she is a Collections Assistant at Longyear Museum in Chestnut Hill. She lives with her husband, an organist, choral singer and retired systems analyst, and enjoys photography, gardening, cooking and being on or near the water in Maine and Cape Cod. (Concord)
Katie has taken on the role of directing Vocalise, a Dorchester-based program for teens. Having previously served as a Teaching Fellow with our Cambridge division, Katie earned her Master’s of Music in Opera from the Longy School of Music of Bard College and a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from Samford University in Birmingham, AL. She taught first and second grade at the Birmingham Girls Choir for three years was a staff singer at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, and was a section leader for Longy’s El Sistema Side by Side program. Katie is also an active performer and has brought many characters to life on the stage, both in opera and musical theatre.
Emma Greenough is the newest member of the Boston City Singers’ staff. Emma originally hails from the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Lawrence University, she moved to Cork City, Ireland. She completed a Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology at University College Cork (UCC), where her passion for community outreach and inclusion by way of singing was fostered. In October 2019, Emma founded and began directing Cork Sanctuary Singers Youth Choir, a creative and expressive outlet for asylum seekers and refugee children and youth living within the Direct Provision system in Cork City. During her time in Cork, Emma was very active in the choral community as a 2018-19 member of UCC Singers with whom she competed at international choral festivals in Sligo, Budapest, and Cork. She was also a chorister and soloist for St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork City and a member of the Irish Youth Choir in 2019. In her free time, Emma enjoys hiking the NH 4000 footers, cross-country skiing, cooking, baking, and dunking in the ocean any day of the year!
BOOKKEEPER
Joseph Penella
ACCOMPANISTS
Matt Holehan is the accompanist for Cantare with Cambridge Children's Chorus, a division of Boston City Singers. He previously served as the Vocalise Director in Dorchester. Originally from Maryland, he holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Pennsylvania State University and served as a staff accompanist at Ithaca College. In addition to his work with Boston City Singers, Matt teaches piano lessons and is the Director of Music at the Ballardvale United Church in Andover. He is well-versed in many vocal techniques as well as languages including Italian, French, German, and English. Matt is pursuing a Master’s of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. When not working, he enjoys cooking and baking for friends and co-workers. (Malden)
Accompanist Eileen Huang has been the principal accompanist for the Cambridge Training Chorus since 2013. In recent seasons, she made her Rockport Chamber Music Festival debut alongside Boston Symphony Orchestra principal bass Edwin Barker and violinist Yevgeny Kutik, appeared at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, conductor James Burton, and BSO Associate Concertmaster Alexander Velinzon.
Eileen is a rehearsal pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Emmanuel Music. She teaches on the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she has been an Affiliated Artist since 2010. Elieen, an accomplished soprano, has also appeared as a soloist with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Wellesley Choral Society, and Nahant Music Festival. She also holds a degree in chemistry from MIT. www.eileenhuangmusic.com.
Ruth Ross has been the staff accompanist for our Jamaica Plain division for many years. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master's Degree in Piano from Boston University and is an accompanist for the Newton Public Schools. She has a private teaching studio and is the pianist on Aline Shader’s CD “Singing to Benefit Children.” Ruth has performed as a soloist and also as accompanist for many instrumentalists and singers.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jane Money (Founding Artistic Director, Tour Choir and Dorchester Training Chorus Director) is a native New Zealander and has lived in Dorchester for nearly three decades. She co-founded Boston City Singers in 1995 as a division of Youth Pro Musica. Jane’s professional interest lies in crafting outstanding opportunities and outcomes far beyond the structure of a traditional community youth chorus. A frequent workshop presenter and adjudicator (Chorus America, American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists). Jane holds master’s degrees in music from Auckland University, in music education from Trinity College of Music in London, and in engineering from Boston University. As a former engineer and project manager, she has brought a wide range of skills to support the growth of Boston City Singers. She is a member of the Celebrity Series of Boston Community Engagement Committee, Boston City Singers Board of Directors, and American Choral Directors Association where as a former Repertoire and Standards chairperson for Children’s Choruses she co-founded “The Big Sing,” annual festivals for young choirs from around New England. She has been recognized for her work with urban youth from numerous civic, educational and arts organizations. (1995, Faculty/Dorchester)
Mary Perry Alexander, MD is a primary care pediatrician who is committed to social justice. As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill she helped lead the APPLES service learning program as president and board chair. After completing her Master’s Degree in Public Health at UNC, she worked on addressing drug resistant tuberculosis in Peru with an inspiring team from Partners in Health. She went on to complete her medical degree at Harvard Medical School and her pediatric residency at Mass General Hospital for Children, serving for an additional year as Chief Resident. Mary loves to hike in the New Hampshire mountains, bike around Cambridge and teach young children about the human body with her model skeleton. (2019, Parent Representative/Cambridge)
Joe is a management executive with years of experience as principal, mentor, visionary, teacher, and team player in a variety of positions. Previously he served as President/Executive Director of the Paraclete Foundation and Academy, Director and VP External Affairs of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston, VP External Affairs of Stewart Health Care System/Carney Hospital; Director of Development for DotWell, and a partner in several Public Relations firms in Boston. (Community Representative, Dorchester, 2021)
Todd is a clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. He teaches music in Boston Public Schools for K-8 programs, is a professor of clarinet and saxophone at Middlesex Community College, and is also affiliated with the Powers Music School in Belmont where he serves as the Jazz improvisation director summer faculty for MOTH, clarinet, and saxophone teacher from 2001-2018, chamber music coach and outreach concert performing artist. (Parent Representative, Arlington, 2021)
Anmarie is an accomplished attorney who retired from Fidelity Investments after serving as a consultant, Chief Compliance Officer, and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for 37+ years. She is adept in risk assessment, policy development, investigations, regulatory compliance, and complex case management. Anmarie has a passion for growing positive relationships with clients and colleagues across all organizational levels. (Community Representative, Boston, and Milton)
VICE CHAIR - Community Representative
Jeff is an entrepreneurial, hands-on, strategic operations and HR executive who has driven people’s operations in for-profit and non-profit institutions that support youth and families. He has over 25 years of experience growing educational outfits and developing new services to the global marketplace. Jeff is the Operations Manager for Cure Blindness in Waterbury, VT whose mission is to cure needless blindness with high-quality, cost-effective eye care in underserved areas of the world. In his previous roles as COO of Eduboston and Senior Director of Operations for the Cambridge Network, Jeff drove international student placement in secondary private day schools throughout the United States. He has also designed global intergenerational travel programs for Road Scholar, the world’s largest non-profit provider of travel-based, experiential learning opportunities for adults over 50. Jeff received his Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) from Cabrini College where he majored in Early Childhood Education & Elementary Education and his Bachelor’s of Arts from Boston College, majoring in Communications and Marketing.
Yasser, a Boston City Singers 2011 alumni, and Posse Scholar is an Execution Trader at WorldQuant in New York City. He was previously a member of the Global Markets team at State Street State Bank Corporation as a Trading and Algorithmic Strategist in Boston and a Quantitative Analyst within State Street’s Global Liquidity Risk Management team. Yasser is a graduate of Union College (NY) which he attended through a Posse Foundation Leadership Merit Scholarship with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and a minor in Economics. A native of Morocco, Yasser speaks Arabic and standard Moroccan Berber. He joined Boston City Singers as a young teen. (Community Representative and Boston City Singers Alumni, Quincy and Somerville, 2019)
Rachel Goldberg is currently a student in the Social Impact MBA program at Boston University where she is concentrating in non-profit management and marketing. After graduation, Rachel will be starting at Deloitte in the government consulting practice. Prior to BU, Rachel worked for several Jewish non-profits in the Boston area coordinating an initiative called Boston Partners for Peace which educated about grassroots projects to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Rachel also lived in Israel where she worked at the Abraham Initiatives, an NGO that promotes shared society initiatives between Jewish and Arab Israelis. Before her time in Israel, Rachel served as the Director of Community Relations at the Consulate General of Israel to New England. Rachel graduated from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY in 2015 with a BA in Political Science. Rachel now resides in Cambridge, MA.
Faye is a primary care pediatrician and educator. She works at Boston Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center and provides high-quality care emphasizing prevention and management of chronic diseases to a diverse patient population. She is medical director of the Primary Care Asthma Program and established an award-winning asthma population management program. Faye also serves as the medical director of Community Primary Care in the Office of Community Health. Additionally, Faye teaches Harvard medical students and pediatric residents in primary care. Hailing originally from Barbados, she migrated to the US with her family. She earned degrees from Wellesley College, Dartmouth-Brown Medical Program, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and completed medical residency training at the University of Michigan. (Parent Representative, Arlington)
Maureen is a special education teacher for students in grades 3-8 with Boston Public Schools. She is a licensed PreK 9 and grades 5-12 moderate special needs professional with an SEI Endorsement. Her passion is working to ensure all children have equal opportunities in school is evidenced by her membership on the Roosevelt Equity Roundtable and the Roosevelt School Re-Imagine Task Force. Previously Maureen was the Inclusion Facilitator for the Lawrence School in Brookline as well as their Learning Center Teacher for grades K-7. (Parent Representative, Hyde Park)
Isabelle is a program coordinator II at the Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC) within the Boston Public Health Commission. She is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Society with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies with a magna cum laude distinction. At her time in college, she was a highly devoted and engaged student leader participating in various organizations from being a resident assistant to co-founding an organization called STEMming While Black. She was recognized for her efforts within her University community having been presented with awards for her efforts. Isabelle is an alumnus of the Boston City Singers having been a member of Cantare and the Tour Choir for several years. She performed at several locations including an international tour in South Africa. Isabelle has always wanted to give back to BCS, a community that has had a great impact on her growing up. She is finally able to do this as the secretary on the Board of Directors. (Boston City Singers Alumni, Dorchester, 2017)Jaap’s two children sang with Boston City Singers for many years. As an IT professional focused on Data and Analytics, he came from the Netherlands to the US in 1997. He has lived and worked in Boston ever since, and is currently the Director for Business Analytics for Road Scholar. Jaap is active in the school community of his children, having served as the registrar for the Boston Latin School crew team and treasurer for the Philbrick Parent Council. Through his church, Jaap is actively involved as a Summer Search mentor to college students.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Mirena Bagur, Marketing Consultant
Maureen Forry, Dorchester Reporter/Haitian Reporter
Anne Gillespie, Esq., Attorney
Steve Gross, Life is Good Playmakers
David Hodgkins, Coro Allegro
Dr. Joanna Horobin, Verastem
Jill LaMonica, Leahy Holloran Community Center
Jen Erbe Leggett, LICSW, The Leggett Group
Timothy Nichols, Suffolk Construction
Sean Rogers, Consultant