Western Reserve Chorale
STACY NEWMAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
​Stacy is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Western Reserve Chorale. She has been a member since 2000 and has served on the Board of Directors and was the Soprano section leader.
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With the completion of the Chorus Management Institute, Stacy feels confident in helping to grow the Chorale in Access, Diversity, and Equity; engage and grow the Board and general membership, and plan for the future with a strong Mission and Vision.
Stacy has her BA in Linguistics from Miami University, and is an intuitive energy medicine practitioner. She offers private tele-sessions worldwide and mentors practitioners of various healing modalities.
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DAVID GILSON
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
David Gilson has served as Artistic Director for the Western Reserve Chorale since 2012. He also serves on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University and holds degrees in music from Allegheny College and the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) with major studies in the fields of vocal performance, choral conducting and Dalcroze eurhythmics.
David has served as the director of music for Church of the Saviour (Cleveland Heights), Chagrin Falls UMC, and Bethany Covenant Church (Lyndhurst). He has also conducted North-East Ohio ensembles including Choral Arts Cleveland, the Singers’ Club of Cleveland, the University Circle Chorale and Chamber Choirs, and the CIM Singers.
Having stepped down from the Cleveland Institute of Music following a 30-year career of administration and teaching on the faculty (choral conducting and eurhythmics), he currently works for the Cleveland Heights/University Heights school district.
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David appeared as the guest conductor/clinician for the Fireland’s District Music Festival. Additionally, he has also served as choral director for Park Synagogue, Pathfinder Music Camp, Bethany Covenant Church, and the Allegheny College Chapel Choir.
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As a vocalist, David has appeared numerous times as a recitalist in Northeast Ohio, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania and as soloist with various choral ensembles. He has appeared in musicals and operas including productions with the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, CIM Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland.
SARA SMITH
ACCOMPANIST
With Bachelor & Masters degrees from The Eastman School of Music, Sara works as an educator, arranger, coach and accompanist in the Cleveland area. Regional venues have included Great Lakes Theatre, Cleveland PlayHouse, PlayHouse Square Foundation, Shaker Ensemble Theatre, Opera Per Tutti, Cleveland Opera on Tour, Blossom Festival Opera, Access to the Arts, and assorted other theatre, dance and choral organizations.
Currently a staff accompanist at Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, she was previously collaborative staff for 10 years at The Cleveland Institute of Music. She also served as Head of the Accompanying Dept at the Cleveland Music School Settlement, where she was on the piano, accompanying and theory faculties for 18 years.
Sara is a proud member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 4.
The purpose of the Western Reserve Chorale is to harmoniously advance the joy of music in Northeast Ohio by providing free public concerts and an engaging opportunity for members to experience the challenge and camaraderie brought through rehearsing and performing a wide variety of choral works.
New singers are welcome to join us in September for our 2024-25 Season. For more information email WRC@westernreservechorale.org
or call 216-282-4022
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THE WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE
2024-2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President - Sharon Core
Vice President - Bryan McGucken
Secretary - Samantha Miller
Treasurer - Andrea Ber
Richard Drake, Jane Richmond, John Sherck,
Kelsey Tarase, Mark Wakefield
Thank you for celebrating 33 years of community choral music with us!
THE WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE David Gilson, Artistic Director. Founded in 1992, the Western Reserve Chorale has been following its mission to enhance the quality of life for residents of Cleveland and its suburbs by providing free, high quality performances of choral music. With a membership of over 100 singers of varying musical backgrounds, the Chorale sings music from many periods and styles (Palestrina to Forrest and Schubert to Shearing), including newly commissioned works. WRC’s repertoire focuses on primarily on traditional choral standards and works for chorus and orchestra which include in our most recent years works by Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Dan Forrest, Karl Jenkins, Ola Gielo, John Rutter and more.