Director Bios
Patricia JoyceFounder, Artistic Director and Advanced Chorus Director
Patricia Joyce received her Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, in Music Education from Marywood College in Scranton, PA, and her Master of Music degree, With Distinction, in Music Education from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. She has completed certification in Kodaly Methodology from the Kodaly Musical Training Institute. Trish has conducted the Central New Jersey Elementary Honors Choir, the North Jersey Junior High Women's Honors Choir, and the Vermont Children's Choir Festival.
Patricia Joyce is the President-Elect of the New Jersey American Choral Directors Association, and also serves as the Co-Chair of the NJ ACDA Summer Conference. Trish is an adjunct teacher in the Music Education Department at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, and is also a free-lance organist.
JD Burnett
Director, Young Men's Ensemble
Mr. Burnett has enjoyed a varied career as a conductor, singer, and educator. He served as the Interim Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University, where he conducted the Concert Choir and Women’s Chorus, and taught courses in fundamentals of music, conducting, voice, and choral techniques and literature. Prior to arriving in San Jose, Burnett was Artistic Director of the New Jersey Chamber Singers.
He was also Music Director of the Houston Masterworks Chorus, Houston’s largest independent choral society. He founded Men’s Consort Houston, a burgeoning ensemble of some of Houston’s finest choral professionals, and was a member of the choral music faculty at Kingwood High School, where he worked with a choral music program of four hundred students, ten choirs, and three full time choral faculty.
A native of the Hudson Valley of New York, Burnett did undergraduate study at Stanford University and completed a Bachelor of Music in Music Education at Oklahoma State University. While at OSU, he was recipient of the L.N. Perkins Award for Excellence in Music Education, and the Stillwater Chamber Singers Award for exceptional promise in choral music. He holds a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, America’s premier training institution for choral music. While at Westminster, Burnett sang in the Westminster Symphonic Choir and Westminster Kantorei, and served as assistant conductor of the renowned Westminster Choir.
As a professional singer, Burnett has performed concerts and recordings with the Stillwater Chamber Singers, Cantare Houston, The Santa Fe Desert Chorale, The Robert Shaw Festival Singers, and Conspirare.
Tara Postigo
Director, Intermediate Chorus
Tara Postigo received her Bachelor of Music from The College of NJ and her Master of Arts in Music and Music Education from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. At Teacher’s College, Tara had the honor of working with Dino Anagnost, the conductor of NYC’s Little Orchestra Society and Metropolitan Singers. While at TC, Tara performed with the Metropolitan Singers in many NYC locations including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. For the last ten years Tara has taught Choral, General and Instrumental Music as a Music Educator by the Washington Township School District in Long Valley, NJ. Tara was also the conductor of the 2008 North Jersey Junior High School Region Treble Choir. She is a proud member of MENC and has served on the local NJSMA executive board as treasurer.
Catherine FlynnDirector, Musicianship Group
Ms. Flynn has a B.M.Ed. in Music Education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, Kodaly Certification from the University of Hartford and has recently completed two levels of Orff-Schulwerk at Anderson University.
Catherine has taught Elementary and Middle School general music in New York and New Jersey and is currently teaching in New Providence, NJ.
In addition to teaching public school, she teaches piano and voice lessons, and has taught preschool music classes in her community. She is an active church soloist and has also appeared in various Opera and Musical theater productions. Last May, she sang Maria in "The Sound of Music", her dream role! Originally from Pennsylvania, Ms. Flynn currently resides in Englewood, NJ.
Phillip Steffani, Accompanist
Phillip Steffani graduated magna cum laude from Westminster Choir College with a B.M. in Theory and Composition. Phillip has sung under Joseph Flumerfelt, Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch, John Rutter, Robert Shaw and Simon Rattle in performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, NY Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, NJ Symphony, and the London and Berlin Philharmonic. Phillip is currently the Director of Choral Music at Saint Peter the Apostle Schools in New Brunswick, and the Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Spotswood, NJ. As a composer, Phillip receives commissions from numerous schools, churches, and other organizations. He serves as accompanist for several choral groups and has accompanied numerous choral festival and competitions. In addition to accompanying, Phillip is also a conductor, violinist and singer.
Christopher Wolff, Accompanist - Young Men's Ensemble
Christopher Wolff currently teaches Vocal and General Music
at Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School in Summit, NJ where he directs over 200 students in
four choirs. In addition to teaching public school, Mr. Wolff also teaches private piano and voice
lessons and is the Director of Music at Pottersville Reformed Church in Pottersville, NJ.
Mr. Wolff’s varied experience as a conductor and accompanist includes school, university, church, and community choirs (including The Masterwork Chorus of New Jersey), as well as work with youth in summer camp music ensembles. In these capacities he has taken in part in international and national tours, radio shows, cabarets, pit orchestras, and frequent concert and festival performances.
In 2008, Christopher Wolff graduated magna cum laude from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. While at TCNJ, Mr. Wolff performed in many musical and opera productions, as well as the premier choral ensembles. He studied piano with Dr. Tomoko Kanamaru and voice under Dr. Nora Sirbaugh; Mr. Wolff continues his vocal training with Mr. Kenneth Bryson.