Board of Trustees
Officers
David Halstead, President
David Halstead joined Musica Sacra as a singer in 2003 and as a board member in 2005. Originally from Unionville, PA, where he began singing in choir in elementary school, he attended the Pennsylvania State University and graduated in 1993 with a B.S. in chemistry, singing in several choirs along the way and serving as music director for a small student-run choir. David then moved to Cambridge, MA, where he lives today, to earn both a Ph.D. and J.D. from Harvard, singing all the while. He currently utilizes his scientific background as a patent attorney at one of Boston's largest law firms, enjoying Musica Sacra's diverse and unusual repertoire and fine choral sound in his spare time.
Katherine Von Kohorn, Treasurer
Katie Von Kohorn began singing in Musica Sacra in 2006 and joined the board in 2008. She grew up in Bangor, Maine, where she sang in her RSCM church choir, traveled to the UK several times for choir tours and choral courses, and received.the St. Cecilia award for musical achievement and scholarship. She attended Harvard College, graduating in 1999, during which time she was a member of the University Choir and the Early Music Society, and directed the Radcliffe Pitches. At N.Y.U School of Law, she music directed the law school musical and sang in several choirs. Katie practices estate planning, trust and nonprofit law at a small firm in downtown Boston. She is an avid cook and gourmet baker, and lives in Newton with her husband and young daughter.
Anne Chalmers, Clerk (Marketing & Publicity Committee; Print Design)
Anne Palms Chalmers is a native of Washington, DC and has been on the board of Musica Sacra since 1999. She was educated at Smith College, where she earned a B.A. in English, followed by an M.A. in Art History from The Courtauld Institute of The University of London, and the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. Additionally, she holds a Certificate of Museum Training through a joint program of the Institute of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum, and has received two Chester Dale Fellowships from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to catalogue their rare illustrated books. She is the Art Director for interiors of Cookbooks, Field Guides, and Garden Guides at Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston. Her books have been chosen to appear in competitive design exhibitions, including the Leipzig International Book Fair, where she received a bronze medal. Anne, who resides in Newton, MA, has sung in numerous other choral groups prior to joining Musica Sacra.
Members-at-Large
Lynn Courtney
Biographical details forthcoming.
Coventry Edwards-Pitt
Biographical details forthcoming.
Deb Girard
Deb Girard is a long-time supporter of Musica Sacra, and joined the board in 2004. She is a native of Massachusetts, where she studied at Merrimack College (B.A. Psychology), Assumptions College (M.A. Counseling Psychology) and Simmons College (M.B.A.), and currently resides in Acton. As the current Executive Director of the Massachusetts Melanoma Foundation, Ms. Girard brings a wealth of non-profit and fundraising experience to Musica Sacra, having previously worked with the Concord Community Pools Organization, Brockton Hospital, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the Acton Infant Toddler Center. Deb's stated goals for Musica Sacra are to implement a development program, including Annual Fund, Major Gifts, and special events targeting both new donors and cultivating existing annual fund donors.
Kimball Halsey
Kimball Halsey is the President of Radius Capital Management, a registered investment management company he founded back in 2004. Radius currently manages over $26 million in assets for individuals, 401(k), pension and profit sharing plans, and trusts. Before entering the investment management industry, Mr. Halsey worked in a number of positions including three years in finance and strategic planning at Hewlett Packard and six years as a mathematics and French teacher at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA. Mr. Halsey graduated from Dartmouth College in 1983 with a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics. In 1996 he earned his M.B.A. (with high honors) in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in the top 5% of his class (Palmer Scholar). At the same time he also earned a M.A. (with honors) in International Studies from the Lauder Institute (School of Arts and Sciences) of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to English, Mr. Halsey is fluent in German and French and has a basic knowledge of Russian. He has been singing tenor in Musica Sacra since January 2001.
Non-Voting Members
Anne Riesenfeld, Executive Director
Anne Riesenfeld joined Musica Sacra in September 2005, following several years as Executive Director of the New School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ms. Riesenfeld is a professionally-trained Mezzo-Soprano, and has performed with numerous groups, including Boston Baroque.
Ex-Officio
Mary Beekman, Artistic Director
Mary Beekman is the Artistic Director of Musica Sacra.
