Our Team

Angela Burns has performed as a soloist and conductor worldwide before Presidents Bush, Carter, Clinton, and Obama and in the presence of one billion listeners on TV, broadcasts, and live recordings. She has worked with well-known conductors such as Craig Hella Johnson, John Rutter, Craig Jessop, Mack Wilberg, Anton Armstrong and Eric Whitacre to name a few. Until recent, she was the leader, conductor, a Mezzo-Soprano soloist, and choral member of the official chorus of the United States Air Force, The Singing Sergeants. Throughout her career she has soloed and conducted choirs before Presidents, Vice-Presidents, numerous Heads of State and in the company of thousands at the National and Regional American Choral Director Association conventions.

Ms. Burns’ diverse musical background has afforded her the opportunity to solo and work with vocal masters such as Renee and Rachelle Fleming on classical and Broadway techniques for professional singers and up and coming students. Having recently moved from Washington DC, she now resides in Wilmington NC, of which she is a native. Angela continues to perform with the Grammy award winning professional choir, Conspirare, in Austin, Texas as a choral member and Mezzo Soprano soloist. She is currently the choir director at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmington NC. In addition, Angela is the founder and Artistic Director of Wilmington Voices, New Hanover County’s premier professional vocal ensemble. The talented group performs various styles of music while bringing musical excellence to the local community and beyond.

In her downtime she enjoys hiking, traveling, gardening, and going to the beach with her husband Cory and their dog Linden.

One of the east coast’s finest concert organists and inspiring church musicians, Tyler A. Canonico is the Minister of Music and Organist at Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he leads an expansive music program. Tyler is also an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Lebanon Valley College where he conducts the seventy-plus member College Choir. In addition to his work, he is the organist for the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and the founder and conductor of The Harrisburg Camerata. Tyler is the Dean for the Harrisburg Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is the director of the AGO National Committee for Pipe Organ Encounters.

Tyler is a graduate of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where he received a Master of Music in Organ Performance and studied under Dr. Faythe Freese. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Organ Performance and Sacred Music from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He studied organ and piano with Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman and orchestral conducting with Dr. Johannes Dietrich. Tyler has also studied organ with Dr. Jason Kissel, and piano and organ with Ms. Kathie Metz. Feel free to visit www.tylercanonico.com for a list of upcoming concerts, as well as video and audio recordings of live performances. Tyler is exclusively represented by Concert Artists Cooperative.

Jeff Dokken, Encore ROCKS conductor, has been with Encore since 2013. During that time he has conducted numerous chorales in the Washington DC region, and currently conducts Alexandria Chorale and ROCKS, Annapolis ROCKS, Glen Echo ROCKS, and DC Rocks. In addition to his responsibilities at Encore, Maestro Dokken is the Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia and Music Director and Conductor of the Rome Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest conductor of orchestras and choirs across the United States, Europe, and South America. Recent highlights include conducting the world premiere of the Philip Glass Flute Concerto in Florence, Italy, guest conducting the National Symphony of Brazil, and return engagements with several orchestras in Ecuador.

Heather Fetrow studied conducting with the late Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College and was selected from an international pool of candidates to study with Simon Carrington as conductor of a choral chamber ensemble in Sarteano, Italy.

She has conducted choirs and music directed shows at Christ Church United Methodist and The Browning School in New York City, The Hun School of Princeton, The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, The Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, New Jersey and the Strathmore Children’s Choir’s Treble Chorus in Bethesda, Maryland. She served as conductor for El Sistema based choral groups in Queens, New York and had a leadership role in development on the board of Kinnara Ensemble, a professional choral ensemble now based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has sung with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Washington National Opera Chorus, Maryland Lyric Opera Chorus and made her Carnegie Hall singing debut in An Evening of Opera. Choirs under her leadership have performed with the National Philharmonic and in collaboration with Capitol Harmonia.

She maintains an active private voice studio and sings regionally with opera companies, artist collectives, churches, and choral ensembles. Her debut album is distributed by Naxos Worldwide.

Ms Foster has served as President of the Association of Disciples Musicians as well as program chair for their annual conference. She has taught liturgical dance as a clinician throughout the US. Louise has directed choirs for 40 years, in schools, churches and communities. She was the community director for Leisure World’s musical theatre group for many years. She has worked with professional orchestras and choirs and her own group, the Louise Foster Singers performed at the Barns at Wolf Trap. She has also served as guest conductor for County choirs in New York State.

Her joy (and icing on the cake) was being the Department chair and choir director at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes DE. Her Cape Chorale performed throughout the Eastern States to achieve high regard and performed at one of the inaugural balls for President Obama.

She enjoys travelling, reading, gardening and cooking as well as having a private studio where she teaches about 25 students of all ages. She is also director of music at Coolspring Presbyterian church in Lewes.

Stephen Harouff is the conductor for several Encore Chorale ensembles in Maryland. He is also the Music Director and Organist at Towson Presbyterian Church. As a collaborative artist he has performed with the Annapolis Opera Company, Peabody Opera, the US Naval Academy Band and Annapolis Wind Symphony. He holds a Master of Music degree in Organ from Peabody Conservatory and has undergraduate degrees in music education and piano from West Virginia University.

For nine seasons, Ms. Hoke was the assistant conductor of the Dalton Chorale, leading sectionals and accompanying the choir on the organ or piano for their spring concerts. She holds an MM in piano performance, the Associate Certificate of the American Guild of Organists (A.A.G.O.), and has participated in conducting intensives with Dennis Keene and Simon Carrington. She is the conductor of the New York City Encore Chorale.

Jeanne Kelly is the founder of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing an excellent, accessible, and sustainable artistic environment for older adults over 55 years of age, either beginning, intermediate or advanced levels, who seek arts education and performance opportunities under a professional artist.

Jeanne Kelly’s career of over forty years has produced a unique blend of experience as a vocal performer, teacher, conductor and music administrator. She earned an undergraduate degree in voice performance and piano from the University of Findlay and a master’s degree in voice performance from the Peabody Conservatory.

As a performer, Ms. Kelly made her professional operatic debut with the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center as Elizabetta in L’elisir d’amore. She has also performed major roles with the Baltimore Opera, Opera Delaware, Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Annapolis Opera where she performed the first opera the company produced, The Medium, and the New York City Opera Education Department. She appeared in the world premiere of Rappaccini’s Daughter with the Pennsylvania Opera Theater. Ms. Kelly has sung on the concert stage with the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Delaware Symphony, Allentown Symphony and Annapolis Symphony. Additionally, she has sung with the Berlin Brass Quintet, Bach Aria Group, St. Louis Bach Society, Bethlehem Bach Festival, Richmond Choral Arts Society, Annapolis Brass Quintet, Washington Bach Consort and the Monumental Brass Quintet.

Ms. Kelly’s expertise in vocal technique has been of benefit to students ranging from those preparing for professional vocal careers to those who simply enjoy music as a hobby. Ms. Kelly has served on the faculties of the Baltimore School for the Arts; Hood College in Frederick, MD; the United States Naval Academy and the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC. Ms. Kelly has also conducted workshops for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

A native of Burlington, NC., Mr. Lang served as director of music / principal organist for the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption (1983-2000), and as artistic director for The Louisville Youth Choir.

Mr. Lang received a Bachelor of Music degree in choral music education and sacred music from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from the University of Louisville. He has studied under such keyboard luminaries as H. Max Smith, Melvin Dickinson, Marilyn Keiser, and Bruce Neswick. Mr. Lang has been a featured performing artist and guest conductor for conventions of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and National Pastoral Musicians (NPM).

She spent three years as the Voice Department Chair of the Merit School of Music, a community music school that serves over six thousand students with a focus on underserved communities.

Collaborating with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, she worked with Renée Fleming to develop curriculum for Merit’s Solo Voice Program, and her choir performed both for and with Ms. Fleming for special events.

Dr. Lestrud has served on the faculty of several colleges in the midwest and on the east coast, leading both choral and orchestral programs. Formerly the Principal Associate Conductor of the Grammy award-winning National Children’s Chorus, she worked with some of the finest young singers in the nation, preparing them for concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Dr. Lestrud is currently the Artistic Director of the Arlington Chorale, an auditioned community chorus in Arlington, VA. For Encore Creativity, she conducts the Arlington Encore Chorale and the Glen Echo Chorale.

He then began accompanying the vocal jazz choirs at College of the Canyons and played various musicals with the Canyon Theater Guild in Santa Clarita.

He now works with both the musical theatre and choral departments of College of the Canyons and has accompanied other local choirs as well.
Alex also leads the music department at St. Euphrasia School in Granada Hills where he sings and plays with the choir for Mass each weekend. He began as the accompanist of the Santa Clarita Encore Chorale in the Spring of 2022 and is thrilled to lead the first West Coast Encore group!

He served as Director of Music for both Ascension Lutheran Church and Ascension Lutheran Day School in Landover Hills, MD from 1995 to 2012. From 2006 through 2019, he served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the 100-voice Congressional Chorus in Washington, DC. He became the Founding Artistic Director of American Youth Chorus in 2008 and the founding director of the 24 member a cappella Congressional Chamber Ensemble in 2012, the same year he assumed the leadership of the NorthEast Senior Singers. From 2017 through the summer of 2021, David served as the Organist and Choir Director for Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC. From September of 2019 through August of 2021, David served as an Encore conductor in the DC region and then as the Associate Artistic Director of Encore Creativity. In September of 2021 accepted the appointment as the Director of Music for the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware. An accomplished pianist and church organist, David has been playing professionally since the age of 14. David conducted for many DC area companies including the Washington National Opera, The Capital City Symphony and the Washington Savoyards, at numerous venues, including The White House, US Capitol Building, State Department, Library of Congress, National Archives, The National Building Museum, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Round House Theater, the Harman Center for the Arts, the National Theatre, the Alden Theater, the Gildenhorn Theater, The Katzen Center for the Arts, Arena Stage, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. In addition, he worked in the education and outreach programs of numerous choral organizations, including The Washington Chorus and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. David is excited to be returning to the Encore roster of conductors as he establishes Encore’s inaugural presence in “The First State.”

Singer-songwriter, composer, pianist, and producer Chris Urquiaga, known as JChris, is lauded for his exciting performance energy and smooth voice. Hailed as “…the next big thing” by Metro Weekly magazine, this Latin pop virtuoso is internationally recognized for his pop compositions which are laced with Latin, Afro and Brazilian influences. His music explores themes of gender fluidity and queer culture.

Music education is something that Chris deeply values, as it changed his life for the better. In New York, Chris is a music teacher at the prestigious Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, teaching The Songwriter’s Toolbox, The Science of Music, Chorus, Voice and Piano to middle school and high school students. In 2022, Chris was the professor and curator for the Arts Conservatory For Teens’ singer-songwriter program in St. Petersburg, Florida. Chris was entrusted with the task of developing and directing the conservatory’s singer-songwriter program for its very first season. Chris has expanded his outreach by teaching workshops. He teaches engaging Latino-themed workshops for youth including La Música: A World Of Encanto, which had a summer residency series at Tysons Corner in 2023. With JChris’ concert touring, he also offers music education workshops and discussions to youth and adults surrounding the Latino identity.

While attending the Eastman School of Music, he composed and performed music for all styles and mediums. His education in music helped him achieve several career milestones including commissions by Congressional Chorus, Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and soprano Carmen Balthrop, and performances for Barack and Michelle Obama at The White House, and La Universidad Nacional de Música in Lima, Perú, among other venues in the US, South America, and Europe.

Deborah Int Veldt has a B.S. in Music Education from the University of Maryland in addition to many years of private training in vocal performance, working with such luminaries as Ruth Drucker and Molly Donnelly. She taught secondary vocal music in the Montgomery County, MD school district for 20 years and has taught voice and piano privately in her home for the past 15 years. In 1994, Ms. Int Veldt joined the Frederick Chorale (where she met her husband Nick) with whom she is a frequent soloist and the soprano section leader. She is the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and leads a 30-voice adult choir there. She has high hopes of starting a children’s chorus at the church in the near future.

Ms. Int Veldt directed the Buckingham’s Choice Singers from 2002-2009 and recently gave a presentation on the aging voice to the Frederick chapter of the American Guild of Organists. When she is not making music, Deb can be found in the garden. She grows much of the food she and Nick consume as well as beautiful flowers and herbs. She also enjoys sewing, quilting and other creative crafts. In her younger days she danced on a professional clogging team for ten years, and still enjoys square- and contra-dancing. She and Nick live in Hagerstown with their small flock of laying hens.