Leadership | Orchard Park Chorale

ARTISTIC AND

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAMS

DAVID CURTIS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

David Curtis recently retired from the Director of Choral Activities at Niagara Wheatfield High School, is currently Organist/Director of Music at the Oakfield United Methodist Church, a former artistic staff member of the Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus, and is the former director of the Niagara County Community College Choir. Mr. Curtis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, receiving a Bachelor's and Master of Music degrees in Music Education.

He frequently conducts and accompanies All-County and Honors Choirs throughout New York State and has presented numerous Music Education and Choral Conducting workshops to Music Educators. His choirs have earned numerous "Gold with Distinction" awards at N.Y.S.S.M.A choral evaluations and National Choral Competitions. The Niagara Wheatfield Choirs, under his direction, have performed for the N.Y.S.S.M.A. winter conference, A.C.D.A. conference, E.C.M.E.A. conference, Ithaca College Composers Festival, have served as a model choir for college practicum students, and was the featured choir at Carnegie Hall for the National Youth Concert Series in March of 2009, and 2011. In 2015, he received the “Choral Music Educator of the Year” award from Buffalo State College.

THE ACCOMPANIST

JOANNE HOLLENBECK, ACCOMPANIST

Joanne Hollenbeck retired in May of 2017 from the position of Keyboardist at the Hamburg Presbyterian Church where she served for 24 years. She previously served as Director of Music at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church and as keyboardist at the Hamburg Christian Science Church and the Dunkirk Presbyterian Church. She is currently the accompanist for the Orchard Park Chorale and the Advent Chorale of Western New York, which performs Handel’s MESSIAH every December.

Mrs. Hollenbeck studied piano and organ with David Bond, Frederick Burgomaster, Allen Giles and Johannes Magendanz. She earned an undergraduate degree in voice from SUNY Fredonia, where she accompanied the Festival Chorus, Opera Theatre, and numerous vocal and instrumental soloists. She has also accompanied choruses and soloists in the Western New York area and at summer music conferences in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina.

A former Emergency Medical Technician, Mrs. Hollenbeck now serves the Hamburg Volunteer Fire Department as a member of the Family Assistance Team and travels each winter to Haiti to do medical mission work with Functional Literacy Ministry.

Board of Directors

THE PRESIDENT

If you're interested to join the chorale or find out more info, please contact me at

president@orchardparkchorale.org

PATRICIA CHIODO, PRESIDENT

Patricia Chiodo received her Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and her Ph.D. in Music Education from the University at Buffalo. After retiring from teaching elementary general music for more than 30 years in the Williamsville Central Schools, she taught music education at the graduate level at the University at Buffalo for another ten years. During that time, she was awarded the ECMEA/Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Award for Excellence in Music Education, served on the NYSSMA Executive Council as the Chairperson of the NYSSMA Classroom Music Committee, worked on the Editorial Board of the Music Educators Journal, and presented frequently at state and national conferences.