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JoEllen Sharp Borton JoEllen Sharp Borton (S) received her Bachelors in Music from West Virginia University, and Masters from Duquesne University (Pittsburgh). She has performed with many vocal ensembles, including Tayside Opera in Dundee, Scotland, where she played the soprano lead in Tchaikovsky's Queen
of Spades. JoEllen and her husband Chris are also active with several local theater groups as performers and music directors. She has been with Voce for 15 seasons.
Sid
Schwartz (B) started singing in organized choral groups at the
age of eight as a first soprano with the (then) Columbus Boychoir
(now American Boychoir) of Princeton, NJ. He has sung with several
accompanied and a cappella choirs and chorales since moving to the
Washington area and is pleased to be singing with Voce. During the day,
Sid is privileged to be the director of a consulting staff of methodologists,
computer specialists, statisticians, and survey specialists at
the U.S. GAO. Sid is married and lives with his wife, two sons,
and five cats in Vienna, Virginia.
Jason Ferron A native New Englander, Jason Ferron (T) has dabbled in music and theater since his childhood. He dabbled to the point of a Fine Arts Bachelors degree in Music from UCONN, and an accompanying one in Music Education the very same year. While an undergrad, Jason sang in various ensembles and performed a wide variety of both solo and ensemble material, most notably Maurice Duruflé's Requiem at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Dr. Peter Bagley. After a six-year hiatus with the US Army, Jason underwent a radical career change and now works as a translator and sings for his own (and hopefully your) enjoyment. This is his first season with Voce and his first shot at singing tenor. He lives in Reston with his lovely and patient fiancée, Kristen. Debbie Manion Debbie Manion (A) was born, bred, raised and educated in Massachusetts (go Red Sox!). She is pleased to be living in Virginia where she’s regained the ability to pronounce the letter "R" and picked up "Y'all" as a collective noun. She has been singing in choirs and chorales since high school (please don't ask how long ago that was) and is proud to brag on former membership in the Chicago Mastersingers and the Handel and Haydn Society. Voce rehearsals and performances have given her a host of wonderful friends and the chance to make music with them - with lots of laughter and companionship as an added bonus. Joan Winter Skerritt Joan Winter Skerritt (S) is happily married to husband Michael and proud mother of Ben, Kim, Liz and Jen. Joan joined Voce in 1992, after having sung with the Brown University Chorus, the Stanford Symphonic Chorus and the Masterworks Chorale (in San Mateo, CA), and performing lots of musical theater in her younger years. Her most surreal singing experience was backing up Barry Manilow in concert at the Providence Civic Center. In addition to singing soprano with the group, Joan is Voce's Executive Director. Ed Hauck Ed Hauck’s (B) first serious choral singing was in the Big Easy when a high school music teacher invited him to join the school’s small a cappella ensemble. Later in the Air Force, he joined a quartet that won first place in an AF-wide barbershop quartet contest. He has sung in many large productions such as the Verdi Requiem and Boris
Godunov, but decided, when he moved to the Reston area, to form a small vocal ensemble that specialized in Renaissance and Early American music. The group performed in the Northern Virginia area and in Williamsburg for over 20 years. He has sung in Voce for the past several years. Stephanie Draeger Stephanie Draeger (S) has been singing with Voce since the fall of 2003. She is thoroughly enjoying singing soprano after many years of alto! She received a BA in Music Performance – Musical Theatre from Virginia Tech (go Hokies!) and currently works as a teacher in alternative school programs for Fairfax County Public Schools. She has performed with the Virginia Tech Chamber Singers, The New Virginians vocal jazz ensemble, and Opera Roanoke, but her true love is musical theatre. Although she always prefers the role of performer, she is an appreciative patron of all performing arts, particularly musical theatre, opera, and dance. Stephanie and her husband Michael live in Ashburn with two rowdy dogs. Paul Patton Paul Patton, now in his twelfth season as Voce’s accompanist, is Director of Music at Emmaus United Church of Christ in Vienna. He previously served as Minister of Music for the Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal) in Vienna, Virginia for eleven years (1995-2006). Mr. Patton’s performance with Voce has received critical praise in The
Washington Post. He is also an adjunct professor of religion at Northern Virginia Community College.
Christopher Borton Christopher Borton (B) was raised in a large musical family near Rochester, New York as a pianist, percussionist, and vocalist. A graduate of Syracuse University with a Bachelors in music education and vocal performance, he now uses his creative talents during the day for the American Red Cross Biomedical Services as a collaborative software administrator/trainer and performing with the Red Cross Chorus. In his 10th season with Voce (2007-2008), he also enjoys singing as a cantor for his church and performing in local community and dinner theater including the Reston Community Players and Elden Street Players. Dawn Jones Dawn Jones (A) was raised in Pennsylvania and did her graduate work at Columbia University in New York. She likes being back close to her roots after traveling and residing as far away as South Asia. Singing has been a permanent enjoyment in her life. She has been a church and cantata soloist and music director and has also sung with several chamber ensembles in Southern California, New York City and locally in the D.C. area. Previously a college professor, she is now the director of professional development for a national educational association. Damone Motton Damone Motton, (T) has sung in classical and musical theater ensembles, touring both domestically and internationally since 1989. Among others, he has had the opportunity to sing under the direction of Jester Hairston, Mack Wilberg, and Leonard Bernstein. Now back in his home state of Virginia, he is very happy to be a member of Voce and a member of Voce's Governing Board. Denise Tierney Denise Tierney, (A) a member of Voce since 1994, is a Senior Technical Analyst with Datatel, Inc., in Fairfax. A graduate of Louisiana State University, she came to Virginia by way of Tennessee where she was contralto soloist in several churches and was affiliated with Nashville Pro Musica, serving as Concert Manager for many years. She is married to the official Voce groupie, Pete Tierney. Elliot Wicks Elliot Wicks (B) is a health economist by profession and a long-time amateur singer by avocation. A charter member of Voce, Elliot has sung in small vocal groups all of his adult life. Taking voice lessons through nine years of college and graduate school and beyond helped to relieve the pressures of academic and professional life. Nick Mullinix Nick Mullinix (T) is a 33-year-old resident of Frederick, MD. He received his music education at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA, where he currently still studies voice with tenor Michael Forest. In addition to freelance work as a professional singer, he currently serves as the Director of Music and Worship at Faith Baptist Church in Knoxville, MD. Some of his other passions include teaching and coaching kids, traveling, and Quiet Time!
Ryan Schmelz (B) was selected for the South Dakota high school All State choir (many years ago) and he performed extensively in church groups in the same era. The there was a long musical dry spell, due to excessive business travel and relocations. Ryan performed for two seasons with the Diller Street Chorale in Winnetka, Illinois in the early 90s – before moving to Virginia and going back on the road. After selling his management consulting firm, Ryan was thrilled to be accepted into Voce for the 2006-2007 season and hopes he will be able to remain off the road and keep singing. Ryan’s wife Barbara claims no musical talent but patiently puts up with him practicing his bass parts and enjoys attending the Voce performances. Their adult daughter Stephanie is a lawyer in Washington and attends all of Ryan’s performances too.
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