Charlotte Choir School’s accomplished artistic staff are responsible for developing the program and curriculum that defines the Choir School experience. Trained in voice and instrumental performance, as well as music education, our staff are well equipped to ensure every chorister receives musical training meeting our high standards, no matter what level the singer may be at.
Artistic Staff
Elizabeth Lenti
Artistic Director
Elizabeth Lenti is Artistic Director of Charlotte Choir School. A native of Rochester, NY, Ms. Lenti is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Before joining the staff of Charlotte Choir School as Assistant Director in 2014, she was Associate Director of Music and Worship at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, OH. Ms. Lenti has also served as a member of the organ faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is active as a recitalist, having performed on concert series throughout the United States, and has played at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians.
Andrew Pester
Associate Director
A native of Dayton, OH, Dr. Andrew Pester is active as an organist, conductor, and composer who has performed across the United States and Europe, extensively in collaborative endeavors, including as organ soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and as continuo organist for Monteverdi’s Vespers (1610) with the renowned renaissance wind band, Piffaro. Prior to his appointment as Associate Director of Charlotte Choir School, Andrew was Associate Minister of Music at Morning Star Lutheran Church (Matthews, NC) and Associate Director of Music and Organist at Providence UMC (Charlotte, NC).
Kirstin Contreras
Town Choir Director
Kirstin Contreras, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, is an accomplished musician and educator based in Charlotte. She began her musical training with flute and bassoon studies and later expanded her expertise to choral music. She holds a B.A. in Music and Classics from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.M. in performance from Northwestern University, with additional coursework at U.C. Santa Barbara.
Administration
Hunter Rigsby
Director of Operations
NC native, Ms. Hunter Rigsby, M.A. is the Director of Operations for Charlotte Choir School. Hunter obtained a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Winthrop University. While in college, she held the title of Performing Arts Coordinator for The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to then move on to begin her career as a Theater Arts educator, directing and teaching students.
MasterSingers Assistants
Kevin Beyer
Kevin Beyer assists with the tenor section of the MasterSingers. He attended Wingate College, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. A private voice instructor, he has also appeared in various stage productions including “1776” and “Smoke on the Mountain.” He is a member of the St. Peter’s Choir and the Evensong Choir.
John Hall
John Hall assists with the bass and tenor sections of the Master Singers, and serves as President of the Charlotte Choir School Board of Directors. He received his Bachelors of Science degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia where he studied voice and saxophone in addition to performing in or vocal directing various musicals including Evita and The Canterbury Tales. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Louisville and provides clinical video telehealth for veterans with PTSD and serves as the LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator for the Salisbury VA Healthcare System. He has served as section leader and soloist for various local churches, synagogues, and community choruses.
Brent Maher
Brent Maher assists with the bass section. Brent also sings with the St. Peter’s adult choir and at Davidson College where he serves as the Associate Dean for Institutional Effectiveness at Davidson College. He holds an undergraduate degree in voice from Taylor University in Indiana and a doctorate in higher education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Daniel Wielunski
Daniel Wielunski assists with the tenor section of the Mastersingers. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Yale University. Highlights of his musical career include violin in the pit orchestra for the Benjamin Britten opera Turn of the Screw, piano for the musical The Last Five Years, and directing the Yale Klezmer Band. He currently works for Bank of America in Corporate Treasury Quantitative Analytics and sings with choirs at Myers Park Baptist and Holy Comforter Episcopal.
