Sarah DeFrancisco, Soprano – New York, NY

Sarah is currently working on a PhD in Cell & Developmental Biology at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Moving around while growing up did not stop her from singing wherever she could, from competition choirs in Texas during middle school, to singing internationally with Stephen Kushner’s Germantown Friends School choir, and singing with college friends in Northeastern University’s Choral Society under Dr. Katherine Chan. Sarah looks forward to singing with Coro Mundi whenever the opportunity arises and deeply appreciates the magical experience of being a part of such a group of singers. Outside of singing, she likes foreign films and helping her rescue cat, Boxtop, come out of his shell.

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Lucas DeJesus, Bass – Collingswood, NJ

Lucas DeJesus is a multi-disciplinary vocalist, arts administrator, and voice teacher based near his hometown: Philadelphia, PA. He holds the position of National Director of Program Operations and Regional Coordinator (Philadelphia) for ArtSmart, where he has been a voice mentor since 2017. Lucas specializes in choral music performance and is an active member of the Opera Philadelphia Chorus, EXIGENCE (Sphinx Organization), Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (Lead Section Leader & Senior Vocal Artist), Philadelphia Symphonic Chorus, Convoco (founding member), Glassbrook Vocal Ensemble (founding member & Chorus Manager), The Same Stream (founding member), and the Delaware Choral Scholars. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from Westminster Choir College in 2014. Lucas is committed to providing under-represented youth access to equitable music education and mentorship as well as fighting for the dignity, respect, and fair working conditions of professional choral musicians.

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Anand Desai, Baritone – New York, NY

Anand is a physician who lives and practices in New York City where he has lived for the past 20 years. After singing under Steve Kushner at Exeter and Steve Sano at Stanford, he sang briefly with the Collegiate Chorale (now Master Voices) in New York. His work as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst involves teaching and supervising medical students, residents, psychoanalytic candidates and other postdoctoral clinicians. He has recently served as the Associate Director of the Center for Psychoanalytic Training & Research at Columbia University and is currently co-director of its Adult Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program. He lives with his partner and their beloved dog Sadie.

 

Charlotte Dobbs, Principal Soloist, Soprano – Belmont, MA

Bio available here

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Julian Dorsey, Tenor – Philadelphia, PA

Julian is a devops (systems) engineer at Elsevier, a multi-national health and science research publisher. He was first exposed to choral music while a student at Germantown Friends School ('15). There, he sang under Stephen Kushner and eventually served as Choir President. After graduating from GFS, Julian earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University ('19). While doing so, he served as music director for the campus' premiere a cappella group, the Octopodes, and arranged more than a dozen songs for both concert and competition. Julian now lives in Philadelphia and is currently taking an independent study of composition while honing his skills as a multi-instrumentalist in a variety of styles.

 

Richard Dupuis, Bass – Philadelphia, PA

Dick is a retired physician who specialized in pulmonary and critical care medicine. A lifelong resident of Philadelphia, he learned to love choral music while a member of the Germantown Friends School choir. (Years later, his daughter, Lilly would sing in that choir under Steve Kushner; his late wife, Marj Little, would serve as the GFS Lower School librarian.) After a deep dive into a cappella singing with the Yale Alley Cats and Whiffenpoofs, he returned to Philadelphia and choral music. Choirs have included Singing City with Elaine Brown, the Music Group with Sean Deibler, and for over 30 years, the Church of St, Martin in the Fields. He lives with two cats, Waffle and Moose, who tolerate his vocalizing and attempts at the piano.

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Thayer Fisher, Baritone – Wauwatosa, WI

Thayer is a Finance Guy™ at Zurn Elkay Water Solutions where he manages forecasting, budgeting, and financial reporting. He has been singing for over 40 years, initially inspired and supported by his singing parents and older brother. He sang under Stephen Kushner at Phillips Exeter Academy, studied voice with Brett Johnson and with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and has sung with school, church, community, and semi-professional singing groups. He has been singing with Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee for the past 7 years and serves as treasurer on its board. He met his wife Hayley in a Seattle chorus and together they encourage music and singing in their two children, Helen and George, and gently discourage it in their two cats, Ricky and Rocky.

  

Bryan Frederick, Bass – Bethesda, MD

Bryan is a Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he conducts research on a range of international security issues. Bryan started singing under Mr. Kushner at Phillips Exeter Academy, for which he is eternally grateful. He founded his college a cappella group (which just celebrated its 25th birthday) at Williams College and later sang in the semi-professional vocal group Uncle Bazz and the Jive Street Five in New York City (which is now, perhaps unsurprisingly, defunct). In graduate school at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, he wrote and composed two original musicals about international relations: Love On a Lie, and Free Trade, Tough Love. He lives outside of Washington, DC with his wife and son, who would really prefer he had more musical outlets outside the home.

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Gabriela Godin, Soprano – Philadelphia, PA

Gabriela received her BS in Neuroscience with Honors in May 2023 and graduated with a Master of Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2024. She currently serves as a medical assistant with the Schweiger Dermatology Group, and regularly volunteers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Crisis Text Line, a mental health nonprofit. Gabriela brings eight years of experience in solo and ensemble vocal performance. She previously performed with Steve Kushner as a member of the Germantown Friends School Choir, and toured Italy with the group. At Haverford College, she sang as a member of the Haverford-Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers and with the Outskirts a cappella group. She conducted her vocal studies under Misoon Ghim, and in 2022 received second place in the Eastern Regional National Student Auditions hosted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She is thrilled to be joining Coro Mundi for a second year! 

 

John Goldsborough, Baritone – Philadelphia, PA

John Goldsborough is a staff attorney  for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, specializing in complex federal habeas, a field he practiced in for two decades before joining the court.  Before, during, and after college, he sang with Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and served on its board, assisting in rewriting its bylaws.  At Swarthmore, singing a cappella in a men's group, he met his future wife, Julia Stein, who sang in a women's group.  He held a core choir position at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, for over 20 years and has sung regularly with The Philadelphia Chorus and the choir of St. John's Lutheran Church in Blue Bell, among other groups.  Julia and he currently sing with the Haverford-Bryn Mawr Chorale.  John and Julia came to know Steve Kushner and his choral excellence through their children's school, Germantown Friends.

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Julia Gray, Soprano – Chatham, NJ

Julia is thrilled to have the opportunity to sing with Coro Mundi. Although it feels like a lifetime ago, Julia graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a degree in Vocal Performance and concurrently earned an English degree from the University of Rochester.  From there, she spent a decade working in the artistic programming department at Carnegie Hall, before transitioning to full-time parenting while her two sons were young. She later completed her Masters in Social Work at Columbia University which led her to her current role as a psychotherapist in private practice. Alongside her clinical work, Julia is a dedicated yoga teacher and practitioner and she is honored to guide yoga sessions at Coro Mundi's recent retreats. Being a part of Coro Mundi is a profound gift and cherished part of her life, blending her love for music, wellness, and community connection.  

 

Rebecca Greenawalt, Alto – Denver, CO

Rebecca is an operating executive, strategist, and advisor who has spent over twenty years working with companies in multiple industries to drive profitable growth. In 2019, Rebecca left her job with ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, where she held roles including Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations, to travel internationally with her family (just in time!), engage with several organizations as an advisor and/or board member, and delve back into music.  She sang under Mr. Kushner at Phillips Exeter Academy and studied with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute before falling down an (entirely delightful) a cappella rabbit hole in college at Harvard, from which she also received her MBA.  Rebecca lives in Denver with her husband Keith, their daughters Sloan and Tess, and their enthusiastic dog Zelda.

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Gigi Guida, Alto – Philadelphia, PA

Gigi graduated from the University of Michigan in December of 2023, where she studied Spanish and designed a major called Urban People, Spaces, and Narratives. After living in Ann Arbor, MI for 5 years, Gigi recently returned to Philly and is delighted to sing any chance she gets. Early in college, Gigi sang in U-M’s Amazin’ Blue, a competitive a cappella group known for their experimental student-composed arrangements. Most recently, she sang alto in the University Musical Society Choral Union, who perform Handel’s Messiah every December as part of their year-long season. Gigi is the youngest in a family of choir nerds — she grew up listening to her mom, Kristin, warm up on Sunday mornings and proudly cheered on her older siblings in their various vocal pursuits over the years. Like her brother and sister, Gigi sang in the upper school choir at Germantown Friends School under Steve Kushner.

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Lucy Guida, Alto – Philadelphia, PA
Lucy is a software developer at the LA-based neo-bank Dave Inc where she works on the Risk team to engineer code-based solutions to prevent fraud and protect customer identity. Her love of choral music began at a young age and was fostered while singing with Steve Kushner in the Germantown Friend School choir. Subsequently, while studying  Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, she sang and eventually directed the then student-run a-cappella and performing arts group the Penn Sirens. She currently sings both in the choir of the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Chestnut Hill, and in the a-cappella group Project Philly. She lives in Fishtown, and enjoys hobbies such as yoga, playing piano, rock climbing, and jigsaw puzzles.

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Anne Hess, Soprano – Philadelphia, PA

Anne Hess is a choral conductor, music educator, and soprano living in Philadelphia, PA. She joined the Germantown Friends School faculty in 2004 and has been integral to the tradition of choral excellence at GFS through her leadership of Middle and Upper School choral ensembles. She currently directs the Upper School Choir and Chorus and teaches and develops general music coursework. Outside of GFS, Anne is a long-time soprano with the Singing City choir of Philadelphia. Anne got her start as a musician studying piano as a child and singing in the church choir. In high school and college, she also trained as a vocalist, pianist, and orchestral percussionist. Anne is fluent in French and Spanish, holds a Bachelor's degree in Music and Biology from Lehigh University, and a Master’s in Music Education from Boston University. She has relished the privilege of conducting her two sons in choirs at GFS since they were in sixth grade. They are now a first-year college student and a junior in high school. Anne enjoys fitting as many plants as possible into her urban garden and loves traveling, hiking, and learning new languages. 

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Hee Sung Kim, Principal Pianist and Alto –  Brooklyn, NY

Bio available here

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Kristin Kopple, Soprano – Philadelphia, PA

Kristin Kopple has been singing choral music almost her whole life!  From a parish girl’s choir to high school chamber choir and college acapella, from parish choir volunteer to community chorus soloist and early music recording artist, Kristin has kept her love for choral and polyphonic music active for over 5 decades.  She has sung as a volunteer in groups such as the Dartmouth Woodswind, the  St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chestnut Hill Adult Choir and the 20-voice early music ensemble Ancient Voices at the University of Pennsylvania. She was Cantoris Soprano section leader at St. Clement’s Church, Philadelphia, for 15 years, where she participated in three recordings on the Dorian Label.  She performed repeatedly as soprano soloist for Bryn Athyn Cathedral Choir’s Annual Messiah performance.  She has also been part of several small early music ensembles, including Skylark and Chiaroscuro.  More recently, Kristin has volunteered for the St. Mark’s Singers, and for Canto et Spirito.  She first met Steve Kushner when her children sang in his choir at the Germantown Friends School.  Professionally, Dr. Kopple is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in Center City Philadelphia.   Beyond music and psychology, Kristin enjoys walking, hiking, sailing, swimming, tennis, cooking, and being outdoors. 

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Elissa Kranzler, Alto – Philadelphia, PA

Elissa is a senior scientist at Fors Marsh, a research company, where she oversees health campaign evaluation research for federal and state contracts. She was born and raised in West Hartford, CT, where her passion for performing started at a young age with violin, piano, and voice lessons. As a teenager, Elissa immersed herself in musical theater at her local Jewish Community Center and delighted in singing everything from motets to vocal jazz with her high school’s select choir. As a college student at New York University, she sang with and served as music director for the Cleftomaniacs, a women’s a cappella group. After completing a BS in Music Education, Elissa taught elementary music in Brooklyn, NY, for two years, during which time she sang with Riverside Choral Society and Uncommon Chord, a vocal jazz ensemble. In 2008, Elissa relocated to Philadelphia to pursue a graduate degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania, and later completed a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She has sung with Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, and Tower of Song, a summertime immersion in women’s choral music. Elissa’s most fulfilling choral experience has been her tenure with Chestnut Street Singers, a cooperative chamber choir with which she has sung for more than a decade. She enjoys being active outside and spending time with her husband (Thomas), dog (Charlie), and toddler (Emmy), with whom she loves to sing.

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Alexander Levicoff, Bass – Philadelphia, PA

Alexander is an educator and performer born and raised in the Philadelphia area. A founding member of the Keystone State Boychoir, under the direction of Steven Fisher and Joe Fitzmartin, Alex was lucky to travel the world learning and making music. He completed his undergraduate degree in Music Education at Temple University, where he sang under Paul Rardin and Rollo Dilworth. A featured soloist with Warminster Symphony Orchestra and Bryn Athyn Orchestra, Alex performs regularly around Southeastern Pennsylvania. No stranger to sacred music, he is a bass section leader at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Whitemarsh, under the direction of Michael Smith. Alex is currently a STEAM specialist in Northeast Philadelphia. When not busy at school, he enjoys biking, tinkering, and reading. Alex lives with his wife, cat, and dog in Lancaster county.

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Allie Lipshutz, Alto – Boston, MA

Allie is a scientific research and current PhD student in Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University. Before moving to Boston, she lived in New York City attending Barnard College of Columbia University and working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Raised by parents who met in a semi-professional choir, Allie cannot remember a time without music in her life. She credits her love of singing largely to her tenure in the Choir at Germantown Friends School under the direction of Stephen Kushner, where she eventually served as the Alto section leader and Choir President. She continues to creatively introduce music into her daily pursuits, including by briefly singing with Choral Chameleon in NYC, and occasionally by playing her small electric keyboard and treasured blue ukulele. When she isn’t singing or researching, Allie can be found running through the parks of Boston or cuddling her cat Evie.

 

Kirsten Trainer Mallik, Alto – Oak Park, IL

Kirsten Trainer Mallik has worked as a development officer for over twenty years, advancing organizations in education, health care access, antiracism, and the arts. She currently supports Chicago's vulnerable youth at BUILD, providing access to the care and opportunities they need to persist and prevail - especially opportunities to make art and music. Stephen Kushner's choir at Phillips Exeter Academy activated a life dedicated to choral singing, and Kirsten went on to sing with the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, marry tenor Atul Mallik, and continue singing with Chicago's celebrated Chicago Chorale. She has served on both boards - believing fervently in the importance of high-quality non-professional choirs to a healthy society. Kirsten and Atul live in Chicago with their two children, both of whom - unsurprisingly - love to sing.

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Hank Miller, Tenor – Philadelphia, PA

Hank has lived in Philly for a whole ten years after bouncing around Maryland for his first few decades. Building on undergraduate degrees in music and psychology, he earned a Masters in Music Therapy from Temple University and currently works with older adults who have dementia. Hank has been the musical director of two marginally inappropriately-named a cappella groups, but now sings with the classier Chestnut Street Singers. Outside of all the rich musical experiences he delights in, Hank enjoys soccer, festivals, and stouts.

 

Ellen Peters, Alto – West Chester, PA

Ellen Peters has been a steadfast choral alto in the Philadelphia area ever since she moved here post-graduation from Vassar College in the 90’s. She’s been a core singer with multiple churches and organizations, most notably with Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Singers, Mendelssohn Club, Curtis Opera, Coro Mundi, Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and the Crossing, where she sang on grammy-nominated and grammy-winning recordings. She’s performed at the Bard SummerScape Festival, the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, Westminster Cathedral, St Paul’s and St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, La Mama Experimental Theatre in NY, and in the backup choir for Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Mac, Rod Stewart and for the Rolling Stones on their 50th anniversary tour.  By day, Ellen is the Accounting Director of UnTours, a travel company dedicated to slow travel, based in Media, PA. UnTours has the honor of being the very first certified B Corporation and is the home of Fair Trade Media and the UnTours Foundation.

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Molly Rabuffo, Soprano – Brooklyn, NY

Molly Rabuffo is a singer and sound healing artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She completed a dual B.M. degree in Vocal Performance and Music Management at The Hartt School at University of Hartford, and has been performing with NYC-based vocal ensemble Choral Chameleon since 2018. Eager to merge her passions for music and meditation, Molly pursued a Sound Healing Certificate from Sage Academy of Sound in 2019. Soon after, she founded Bloom Sound Collective, a community of musicians and sound healing artists dedicated to creating transformative experiences with sound, and created their signature “choral sound bath” combining the power of the human voice with traditional sound healing instruments and rituals. The Collective has since worked with major artists and institutions in New York City, including the World Trade Center, The Seaport, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Sound Mind Live, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Through Bloom, Molly continues to bring sound meditation to new audiences through innovative collaborations and first-of-its-kind programming across New York and the greater Northeast.

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Jeremy Reid, Tenor – Moorestown, NJ

​Jeremy is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement outside of Philadelphia in southern New Jersey. He oversees the fellowship training of new subspecialist surgeons in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, and trains surgeons worldwide in robotic-assisted surgical techniques. Notwithstanding this, Jeremy holds his bachelor degree in music theory and composition, and an undergraduate certificate in vocal performance.  He spent his college years as a vocalist and music director of the Princeton Nassoons, among other musical adventures.  After singing with the Aspen Music Festival, he studied voice and medicine in New York, and later sang with the Los Angeles Chorale during his residency training. Presently, he is an amateur leader of the First Presbyterian Church Adult Choir of Moorestown. He lives at a cartoon tempo with his wife and two comedian sons.

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Lindsey Reinhard Silva, Soprano – Philadelphia, PA

Lindsey Reinhard Silva is a choral conductor, music educator, and soprano living in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her undergraduate degree in Music Education at Westminster Choir College where she sang in multiple award-winning ensembles. Lindsey then received her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Georgia State University under the mentorship of Deanna Joseph. While in Atlanta, Lindsey also held staff singer positions at The Cathedral of St. Philip and The First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Upon returning to the northeast, Lindsey taught music at Germantown Friends School and Monroe Township High School before beginning her current position as Director of Choral Activities at Strath Haven High School in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. She loves Philadelphia deeply for its music, culture, and community. Lindsey lives in Fishtown with her cherished husband, dog, and cat.

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Matt Robbins, Tenor – Brooklyn, NY

Matt is a musician, piano technician, and software developer.  After moving to New York to study and perform as a jazz pianist, Matt found a niche in working as a piano/vocalist in several bands, touring and appearing in clubs and on festival stages throughout the northeast. Simultaneously, he pursued private vocal studies, and found a warm welcome back home in choral music, where his formative experience singing under Mr. Kushner at Phillips Exeter was a tremendous asset. He has been a sought-after ensemble singer, working with the New York based new music ensemble Choral Chameleon, and the Empire City Men’s Chorus, among others. Matt holds a Masters of Music in Jazz Piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

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Michael Roberts, Tenor –  Brooklyn, NY

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D'quan Tyson, Baritone – Philadelphia, PA

D’quan is an active arts administrator and freelance performer based in Philadelphia. He works in the non-profit sector as the Orchestral and In-School Programs Coordinator at Musicopia & their affiliate organization-Dancing Classrooms Philly. Over his professional career, he has had the pleasure of performing with various organizations including the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia (Section Leader), Old Pine Presbyterian Church (Section Leader), the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Opera Philadelphia (Sub Roster), and the Princeton Festival (Chorister). In the summer of 2023, he was a cohort member for the premiere of Freedom is a Constant Struggle in the Lincoln Center Summer Stage series at Damrosch Park. D'quan graduated with a Bachelor's of Music in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College and has completed coursework in trauma-informed practice and socioemotional learning from The Bartol Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania: Graduate School of Education. He is thrilled to be joining Coro Mundi to share in this beautiful program!

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Joy Warren, Alto – Philadelphia, PA

Joy is a former teacher at Germantown Friends School, recently retired.  She has sung for many decades: first in her native Wisconsin with the Lawrence University Choir; later with the Riverside Church Choir in Manhattan where she met Steve Kushner; currently in Philadelphia with the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill Gallery Choir, the Philadelphia Women’s Music Project and Choral Arts Philadelphia. She was a member of the inaugural Coro Mundi choir in Orvieto, Italy and is pleased to be back with the group. 

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Nicholas Weininger, Tenor – San Francisco, CA

Nick is a software engineering consultant and choral composer based in San Francisco, where he was an engineering manager for Google from 2005-2020. Nick has sung with the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco since 2007 and was its founding Composer-in-Residence in 2015-16; IOCSF has premiered at least ten of his compositions. Scores and recordings of Nick’s music are available at nicholasweininger.com. Nick’s experience singing under Mr. Kushner at Exeter remains a major influence on his composition. Nick lives with his wife Catharine and son Lewis in the Forest Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.

 

Anthony Wirtz-Regele, Tenor – Denver, CO

As a current student at The Lamont School of Music through The University of Denver, Anthony is pursuing a double masters in vocal performance and conducting. His choral music experience is extensive at almost 30 years - starting all the way back to grade school in Belmond, Iowa.  He has been a member of SPEBSQSA (the Barbershop Harmony Society) as well as the Norsemen and Nordic choirs at Luther College, is active in the Lamont opera program and the Opera Colorado chorus, sings for two of Lamont’s choirs (Chorale and Voces Fortes), and he has participated in countless choral recitals and other choral performances peppered throughout his career.  He is currently at Denver’s St. John’s Cathedral as one of the tenor section leaders and is also a conducting and vocal intern with St. Martin’s Chamber Choir of Denver.  Among all of his choral experience, he is an active multi-instrumentalist, composer, and music history/theory enthusiast.  Anthony would like to extend his gratitude to everyone at Coro Mundi for the opportunity and experience, and he would like to give a special thanks to his husband, Jeffrey, for being insanely supportive of him through all of his many, many endeavors.​​​​​​​​