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Jennifer Adam
Artistic Director and Director of Chorale
Jennifer Adam joined the staff of Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in
October 2003, was appointed Director of Chorale in November 2003, and
appointed Artistic Director in June 2005. She brings with her extensive
skills and experience in the vocal art, both as a choral director and as a
singer. She is a classroom music teacher and chorus director in the
Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a faculty
member of The Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston,
Pennsylvania. She is a certified Kodály instructor and has taught an
elementary methods class at West Chester University, West Chester,
Pennsylvania. She is a member of The Lyric Consort, an eight voice
professional vocal ensemble specializing in 15th and 16th century
repertoires.
Ms. Adam earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (vocal
emphasis) and Violin Performance from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania. She earned a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting and
another in Voice Performance, from Temple University, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, where she was the recipient of the Elaine Brown Conducting
Award. In 1997, she was a finalist in the American Choral Director’s
Association National Student Conducting Competition.
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Jodi Rinehimer
Director of MasterSingers and Director of Choristers
Jodi Rinehimer joined Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in May 2005, when
she was appointed Director of MasterSingers for 2005-2006. In August 2007,
she was appointed Director of Choristers while remaining Director of
MasterSingers. A certified Kodály and Orff Schulwerk instructor, she is the Director of Choral
Activities at Lackawanna Trail High School, Factoryville, Pennsylvania. She
is a member of the teaching and conducting staff for the Choral Society of
Northeast Pennsylvania's children's/youth program in Scranton, Pennsylvania;
she conducts the Choral Society’s elementary Cantilena Choir, the mixed
high-school ensemble, Chanteuses, and the high-school male ensemble,
Camerata. Ms. Rinehimer also directs the Music Makers summer program for the
Performing Arts Institute at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania. She
is a member of The Lyric Consort, an eight voice professional vocal ensemble
specializing in 15th and 16th century repertoires. She serves as a Regional
Representative to the State Board of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the
American Choral Directors Association
Ms. Rinehimer earned a Bachelor and a Masters degree in Music Education from
Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She has studied conducting
with Janet Galvin at Ithaca College, Barbara Tagg at Syracuse University,
Annette Miller at Kodály Institute, Frauke Hasseman at Westminster Choir
College, and Sandra Willett at Duquesne University.
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Heather Claus
Director of Training Chorus
Heather Claus was a singing member of Berks Classical Children’s Chorus from
1993 until 2000, first as a member of the Chorale and later the
MasterSingers. She joined the staff of Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in
July 2004 when she was appointed Director of Training Chorus.
Ms. Claus holds a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from
Susquehanna University, in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. While at Susquehanna,
she won the Susquehanna University Outstanding Future Teacher Award and was
selected as “Who’s Who Among American College Students.” Ms. Claus is the
middle and high school chorus director at Schuylkill Haven School District
and has been employed as a travel and membership consultant by AAA
Reading-Berks, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.
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Mary Bishop
Accompanist
Mary Bishop served as a substitute accompanist for Berks Classical
Children’s Chorus during the BCCC Music in the Schools in April 2004. She
joined the staff in July 2004. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in
Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying from West
Chester University where she studied with Benjamin Whitten.
Mrs. Bishop has taught vocal and instrumental music in Reading School
District and Rose Tree Media School District. Currently, she is taking time
off from public music education to raise her son and is teaching private
piano, saxophone, and clarinet lessons from her home and accompanying
various groups and recitals. She also plays piano in the eighteen-piece big
band.
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Christopher Rodgers
Accompanist
Christopher Rodgers joined the staff of Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in
September 2006. He has extensive experience as an accompanist and church
musician in the Philadelphia and Reading areas. He started playing the piano
by ear at age 6, and began formal music studies at age 9. As an adolescent
he studied with Malvina Leshock at the Institute of the Arts in Wyomissing,
PA, continued his piano studies with Alexander Fiorillo at Temple
University, and received private piano coaching from Jeanneane Dowis at The
Juilliard School. He has served as organ scholar at Trinity Lutheran Church
in Reading, PA, and is currently organist at Grace Lutheran Church in
Shillington, PA. In the summer of 2007, he was appointed choral assistant
and theory instructor at Albright College. In addition, he has begun
exploring a long-standing interest in jazz improvisation as a pianist for
the Chris Heslop JazzHarmonic Orchestra in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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Dail Mahood Richie
Executive Director
Dail Mahood Richie became Executive Director of the Berks Classical
Children’s Chorus in November 1997, bringing professional experience in arts
management, including fundraising, staff and volunteer development,
communications, leadership, and community relations. In June 1998, she was
one of 14 professional chorus managers who attended the Chorus America
Summer Management Institute at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Richie holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Salem
College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a Master of Music degree in
Voice Performance from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.
Prior to joining the BCCC staff, she served as Choir Director at Christ
(Episcopal) Church, Reading, Pennsylvania, for thirteen years. As Choir
Director, she served as Chair of the Fall Festival of the Arts, a four-day
multi-disciplinary arts festival presented annually in September by Christ
Church and Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Ms. Richie has appeared as soloist for numerous organizations, including the
Reading Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra League, Reading
Choral Society, Albright College, Fall Festival of the Arts, Berks Classical
Children's Chorus, and Christ (Episcopal) Church.
Ms. Richie served on the Board of Directors of the Reading Symphony
Orchestra, Reading, Pennsylvania, for nine years. As President of the
Friends of the Symphony, she founded the award-winning Kinderkonzert and
supervised volunteer activities including the Symphony Ball and Silent
Auction. She has been a singing member of the Reading Choral Society since
1984 and served on its Board from 1985 to 2005. A member of the National
Association of Teachers of Singing, Ms. Richie has served as an Adjunct
Professor of Voice at Albright College and West Chester University and currently maintains a private voice
studio in her home.
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Donald Hinkle
Founder/Honorary Director
Donald Hinkle founded the Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in 1992 and
served as Music Director until the spring of 2000. He was then named
Artistic Director in recognition of his vision, leadership, and dedication
to the musical education of the youth in the community. He served as
Artistic Director until his retirement from BCCC in 2005. He directed the
Chorale and Chamber Singers until 1996 and the MasterSingers from 1996-2005.
He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ from Oberlin Conservatory of
Music, Oberlin, Ohio, and a Master of Sacred Music from Wittenberg
University, Springfield, Ohio. His post-graduate work includes study at
Union Theological Seminary School of Music, New York City, and Westminster
Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, and choral conducting under Elaine
Brown, Margaret Hillis, and William Reese.
In August 1996, Mr. Hinkle retired as Director of Music at Trinity Lutheran
Church, Sixth and Washington Streets, Reading, a position he had held since
1969. While at Trinity, he established its Wednesday Noonday Recital and
Luncheon series; Music from Trinity, a taped recital program broadcast over
local television; the Fall Festival of the Arts; and a vocal study program
for qualified church singers. He currently maintains a voice coaching studio
in his home, specializing in the boy’s changing voice, is the organist at
Reformation Lutheran Church, and is the vocal director for the Governor
Mifflin High School musicals.
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