MEMBERS
Who We Are - a partial list -
DAVID ANCHEL
Bass member since 2009
Education: City College of New York, Brown University
Profession: opera singer, product manager, project manager, programmer/tech manager, high school physics teacher
Favorite Composer: Wagner
favorite opera, musical: Die Meistersinger, West Side Story
favorite performer/group: Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald, David Oistrakh
Performance attended recently: Metropolitan Opera (Rake’s Progress)
Favorite author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Last book read: Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
Regular reading, viewing, listening: New York Times, Guardian, MSNBC, WQXR 3
Favorite visual artist: Nolde
Favorite movie: On the Waterfront
Favorite TV show: Seinfeld
Best pizza: Patsy’s (East Harlem)
Favorite spectator sport: golf
Favorite comedian or comic actor: George Burns, Danny Kaye
Person I admire: Louis Armstrong
Pastime: cooking, travel
Favorite museum, outdoor space: Neue Galerie; Central Park
Why I sing: Love of opera led me to singing (after having played the clarinet). Music is central to my life
STEVE ARMSTRONG
Member from 2003-2007; rejoined 2022 second tenor
Education: Harvard College, Columbia University School of Law
Profession: regulatory consultant, teacher of food law; food and drug lawyer (retired)
Favorite performer/group: Wynton Marsalis, Philadelphia Orchestra, Beatles, Alicia de Larrocha
Performance attended recently: Norah Jones
Favorite author: John Steinbeck, Thomas Mann
Last book read: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
Regular reading, viewing, listening: New Yorker, MSNBC, NPR
Favorite visual artist: Van Gogh
Favorite movie: Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Favorite TV show: Law and Order (original series)
Best pizza: Venice Restaurant (Ridgefield, Connecticut)
Favorite composer: Mozart, Florence Price
Favorite opera, musical: Die Meistersinger, West Side Story, The Music Man
Favorite team: Giants
Favorite comedian or comic actor: George Carlin, Amy Schumer
Person I admire: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Winston Churchill, Harriet Beecher Stowe
Pastime: playing guitar, reading
favorite museum, outdoor space: MoMA; Kent Falls State Park (Connecticut)
Volunteer work: board member and speaker, Food and Drug Law Institute
Why I sing: I love “harmonizing” with my fellow singers – in both senses of the word: creating wonderful music amplifies feelings of friendship and camaraderie.
ALBERT BOUCHARD
Baritone member since 2018 (webmaster)
Education: Clarkson University, Hunter College, Empire State College, City College of New York, Fordham University
Profession musician: (founding member, Blue Öyster Cult); play and tour with Blue Coupe, the Bouchard Brothers, the Dictators, and Robert Gordon; high school music teacher (retired)
Favorite composer: Beethoven
Favorite opera, musical: Turandot, Hamilton, Kinky Boots
favorite performer/group Dave Brubeck Quartet, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Ventures, Beach Boys, Beatles, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Metallica, Steely Dan
Performance attended recently: Foo Fighters
Favorite author: Stephen King
Last book read: Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir by Steven Van Zandt
Regular reading, viewing, listening: Rolling Stone, PBS; Marc Maron, Mary Spender, Band Geeks, Home Skoolin’ (podcasts/vlogs); NPR, WQXR
Favorite visual artist: Seurat
Favorite movie: The Apartment
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad
Best pizza: Famous Famiglia 96th (Upper West Side)
Favorite team: Mets
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Chris Rock
Person I admire: Barack Obama
Pastime: running
Favorite museum, outdoor space: Met; Central Park
Volunteer work: New York Road Runners events; United Federation of Teachers
Why I sing I sing: to express myself in a universal language and as a form of meditation. I also love it.
NED DARNALL
President (former treasurer, librarian) member since 1973 second tenor
Education: Princeton University, University of Virginia (Darden)
Military service: Army Reserve (21 years); Vietnam, active duty; lieutenant colonel, retired
Profession: real estate finance (retired)
Favorite composer: Dvořák
Favorite opera, musical: Rusalka, South Pacific
Favorite performer/group: Dave Brubeck Quartet, Bill Evans, Beatles, Judy Collins, Elton John
Music purchased recently :Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal
Favorite author; Ron Chernow, Lee Child, David McCullough
Last book read: The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas
Regular reading, listening: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, WQXR
Favorite visual artist: Monet, Rodin
Favorite movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Sorrow and the Pity
Favorite TV show: M*A*S*H
Best pizza, sushi: Sal & Carmine, Miyako (Upper West Side)
Favorite team: Yankees, Giants
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Robin Williams
Person I admire: Benjamin Franklin
Pastime: golf, tennis, bridge
Favorite museum, outdoor space: AMNH; my roof garden
Why I sing: It’s therapeutic – it relaxes and soothes me
MARTY EDELMAN
Assistant Secretary (former president, vice president), member since 1986
first tenor
Education: Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
Military service: Army Corps of Engineers (combat engineer), first lieutenant profession materials management
Favorite composer: Mozart, Mendelssohn
Favorite opera, musical: Madama Butterfly, South Pacific
favorite performer/group Beatles, Moody Blues, Charles Aznavour, Nina Simone, Yo Yo Ma
Performance attended recently: Toby Keith
Favorite author; Clive Cussler
Last book read: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
Regular viewing, listening: MSNBC, WQXR
Favorite visual artist: Michelangelo, Picasso
Favorite movie: Gone with the Wind
Favorite TV show: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Monk
Best pizza, sushi: Rizzo’s (Astoria), Ko (Upper East Side)
Favorite team Yankees
Favorite comedian or comic acto:r Mel Brooks, Benny Hill
Person I admire :Winston Churchill
Pastime: picking up litter in Central Park, swimming in saltwater pool
Favorite museum, outdoor space: Met; Central Park
Volunteer work: secretary, Vietnam Veterans of America (Manhattan chapter)
Why I sing: I’m continuing a family tradition – my mother and sister were in choruses. I started singing as a teenager and have not stopped.
RICHARD FARREN
Member-at-large (former president, secretary, treasurer) Member since 1977 baritone
Education :Yale University, Harvard Law School
Unfortunately our beloved Richard passed away before our most recent concert. Rest in Peace Brother.
RON FORBES
Member since 2006 first tenor
Education: Baruch College, Long Island University (Brooklyn campus)
Profession: comptroller
Favorite composer: Mozart, Handel, Fauré
Favorite opera, musical: Carmen, Hamilton, 110 in the Shade
Favorite performer: Mandy Patinkin
Last book read Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch
Regular reading, viewing: New York Times, HG network, MSNBC 12
Favorite visual artist: Sargent
Favorite movie: The Sound of Music
Person I admire: Winston Churchill
Pastime: painting, gardening
favorite museum, outdoor space: Met; New York Botanical Garden
Volunteer work: taught reading to learning-disabled adults
Why I sing: It brings me joy.
GEORGE FRIEDLANDER
Member since 2017 second tenor
Education: Stony Brook University, Pace University
Profession: investment strategist, political analyst, policy analyst
Favorite composer: Beethoven
Favorite opera, musical: Turandot, Guys and Dolls
favorite performer/group Beatles
Performance attended recently: Melody Gardot
last book read The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of Their Lost World by Steve Brusatte; The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution by Donald Prothero
Regular reading, viewing, listening: Washington Post, MSNBC, PBS; listen to all types of music via cable
Favorite visual artist: Picasso
Favorite movie: Casablanca
Favorite TV show: Mad Men
Best pizza, sushi: Felice 83, Sushi Seki (Upper East Side)
Favorite team: Knicks
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Robin Williams
Person I admire: Christopher Hitchens
Pastime: politics, writing (including humorous song lyrics to existing melodies), swimming, bicycling, hiking, being a smarta**
Favorite museum, outdoor space: Met; Fort Tryon Park
Why I sing: I have music in my head and on my mind all of the time.
CHUCK HARDY
Member since 2009 baritone
Education: Cornell University
Profession: manager (workshop for people with intellectual disabilities)
Favorite composer: Mozart
Favorite opera, musical: The Magic Flute, The Sound of Music
Favorite performer/group: Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Eagles
Performance attended recently: Roger McGuinn
Favorite author/last book read: The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
Regular listening: Fresh Air, Selected Shorts (NPR), WQXR
Favorite visual artist: Monet
Favorite movie; Casablanca
Favorite TV show: Vera
Best pizza: Angelo’s (Midtown East)
Favorite spectator: sport tennis
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Red Skelton
Person I admire: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.
Pastime: New York Times “Crossword”
Favorite museum, outdoor space :Frick; Roosevelt Island
Volunteer work: feeding homeless people (St. John’s Memorial Episcopal Church in New Jersey)
Why I sing: It makes me feel connected to the universe.
ELMER JOERG
Member since 1993 first tenor
Education: Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey City University
Profession: math teacher, piano technician, musician, mental health worker, program aide (working with high school students)
Favorite composer: Beethoven, Bach, Brahms
Favorite opera, musical: La Bohème, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, West Side Story
Favorite performer: Nat King Cole
Performance attended recently: Ocean Grove Choir Festival
Favorite autho:r Kahlil Gibran
Last book read: algebra and geometry texts
Regular reading, viewing: RV magazines, MSNBC
Favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life, Gone with the Wind, On Borrowed Time
Favorite TV show: All in the Family, Blue Bloods, Jeopardy!
Favorite team: Yankees, Mets, Giants
Favorite comedian or comic actor: George Burns
Person I admire: Richard Rodgers
Pastime: motorhome camping, conducting, bicycling
volunteer work: Partnership for the Homeless; crisis intervention hotline counselor
Why I sing: I love the male choral sound – as a toddler I listened to Fred Waring on the radio and TV (he featured a men’s chorus with his orchestra). My mother said I sang before I talked.
JOÉL PÉREZ MORA
Member from 2015-2017; rejoined 2022 baritone
Education: Lehman College, Pacific College of Health and Science
Profession: student (master’s program in acupuncture)
Favorite composer: Mozart, Handel
Favorite musical: Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods
Favorite performer/group: Lake Street Dive, La Santa Cecilia, Whitney Houston, Catherine Russell
Performance attended recently: El Caribefunk
Favorite autho:r Paulo Cuelho
last book read: The Dawn of Yangchen by F. C. Yee
Regular viewing, listening: Gaia TV (YouTube), Tiny Desk concerts (NPR)
Favorite visual artist: Caravaggio
Favorite movie: Matilda, Jumanji
Favorite TV show: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Best pizza: Two Boots (East Village), Fumo (Harlem)
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Joan Rivers (and our conductor Gene Wisoff)
Person I admire: Don Miguel Ruiz, Eckhart Tolle, Joe Dispenza
Pastime: learning Italian and other languages
Favorite museum, outdoor space: AMNH; Central Park, Highline
Why I sing: It makes me ecstatic. Nothing compares to making a joyful noise with others. The harmonic blending of voices feels like a sonic hug and always makes my day 1,000 times better.
JORY PROBBER
Member since 1999 second tenor
Profession: manufacturer’s representative
Education: Brandeis University
Favorite composer: Bach
Favorite opera, musical: Don Giovanni, Guys and Dolls
Favorite performer/group: Glenn Gould, John Coltrane, Jackson Brown, Les Brown and His Band of Renown, Otis Redding, Leonard Cohen
Performance attended recently, music purchased: War (live), Oshima Brothers (Dark Nights Golden Days)
Favorite author: Herman Melville
Last book read: Historic Black Brooklyn: 400 Years of Struggle and Hope by Brian Merlis and Clarence Taylor
Regular reading, viewing, listening: New York Times, New Yorker, Mother Jones, Atlantic, BBC TV, NPR, WNYC, WFUV, WQXR
Favorite visual artist: Calder
Favorite movie: Pennies from Heaven (1981 version)
Favorite TV show: The Wire
Best pizza, sushi: Denino’s (Staten Island) and dessert across the street at Ralph’s Italian Ices; Kouzan (upper West Side)
Favorite team: Mets, New York Rangers, Giants
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Charlie Chaplin
person I admire: Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, King David
Pastime: golf, archival research in art and design
Favorite museum, outdoor space: Whitney; Highline
Volunteer work: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Why I sing: Singing is instant happiness. It gives me hope and courage and connects me to the musical world.
DENNIS O’NEILL
Member since 2016 bass
Education: Manhattan College, Purdue University
Military service: Air Force ROTC
Profession: computer scientist (retired)
Favorite composer: Mozart
Favorite opera, musical: Aida, H.M.S. Pinafore, Man of La Mancha, Carousel, South Pacific
Favorite performer/group: Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra
Performance attended recently: Andrea Bocelli
Favorite autho:r Connie Willis (science fiction)
Last book read: Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
Regular listening: Siriusly Sinatra, Willie's Roadhouse, 60s Gold (SiriusXM)
Favorite visual artist: Michelangelo
Favorite movie: Casablanca
Favorite TV show: Keeping Up Appearances
Favorite team, spectator: sport Mets, golf
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Mel Brooks
Person I admire: Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr.
Pastime: bass fishing
Favorite museum: MoMA, AMNH
Volunteer work: control subject, U.S. POINTER Study (Alzheimer's Association)
Why I sing: When I took voice lessons a while back, I discovered I’m a bass, not a tenor. At that point, singing became much more gratifying and has since become an avocation.
Steve Ridley
Member since 2019 Bass
Education: Computer Processing Institute
Profession: desktop technician
Favorite composer: Beethoven
Favorite musical: The Fantasticks
Favorite performer/group :Stevie Wonder, Prince, George Benson, The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Austin, Diane Schuur, Ann Hampton Callaway; Earth, Wind & Fire
Performance attended recently: Ann Hampton Callaway
Favorite author: James Baldwin
Last book read: A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Regular viewing, listening: Eyewitness News; Urban View (SiriusXM)
Favorite visual artist: Basquiat
Favorite movie: American Pop
Favorite TV show: The Flintstones
Best pizza: Famous Famiglia 96th (Upper West Side)
Favorite team: Giants
Favorite comedian or comic actor: Richard Pryor
Person I admire: Bill Russell
Pastime: writing music
Favorite museum: AMNH
Why I sing: It’s in my blood!
Ben Rinzler
Bass Member since 2009
Education: University of California (Berkeley)
Profession: software analyst, program management
Favorite composer: Bach, Handel, Haydn, Vivaldi
Favorite opera, musical: The Magic Flute, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar
Favorite performer/group Beatles, Zombies, The Who, George Jones, Louis Jordan, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Carole King, Radiohead
Performances attended recently: Resurrection Symphony (Mahler), American Utopia (David Byrne)
Favorite author: George Eliot, J. R .R. Tolkien
Last book read A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: from the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Regular listening WNYC, In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)
Favorite visual artist my brothers Peter and Jonathan; Michelangelo, Rembrandt
Favorite movie Lord of the Rings
Favorite TV show Only Murders in the Building
Favorite comedian or comic actor Monty Python, Marx Brothers, Larry David
Person I admire my wife; Beyoncé
Pastime skiing, outdoor activities
Favorite museum Frick
Volunteer work co-op board president; backup cook, St. Michael's Saturday Kitchen
Why I sing Making music together, and especially singing, always lifts the spirit and evokes the sublime.
Mike Seidita
member since 2921 second tenor
education Long Island University (Brooklyn campus)
profession
collections, U.S. Treasury Department (retired)
favorite composer
Verdi
28
favorite opera, musical Aida, Jersey Boys
favorite group Duprees
last book read The Orphan Master by Jean Zimmerman
regular reading, viewing, listening New York Post, Kings Courier, PBS, 1950s-60s music stations
favorite visual artist Van Gogh
favorite movie Casablanca
favorite TV show Law and Order (original series)
best pizza Famous Joe's and Bleecker Street Pizza (West Village)
favorite team Mets
favorite comedian or comic actor George Carlin
person I admire Abraham Lincoln
pastime going to dinner and a movie with my family
favorite museum, outdoor space New York Transit Museum; Central Park, Prospect Park, Roosevelt Island
volunteer work tour guide, Big Apple Greeters; tour assistant, Ellis Island
why I sing I love it. I was in a folk group and glee club in high school and college. I’m especially fond of the American Songbook.
Gary Samuels
baritone
education Middlebury College, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
profession senior vice president, chief communications officer (clinical laboratory)
favorite composer Rachmaninoff favorite opera, musical Turandot, Sweeney Todd
favorite performer/group Bill Evans; Earth, Wind & Fire
performance attended recently, music purchased Ron Carter Trio (live); Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band (Novus Series '70)
favorite author Tom Wolfe
last book read Chapman Piloting & Seamanship (69th edition)
regular reading, listening New York Times, Wall Street Journal, WKCR
favorite visual artist Pissarro
favorite movie Dr. Strangelove
favorite TV show The West Wing
best pizza Roberta’s (Bushwick)
favorite team Mets
favorite comedian or comic actor Larry David
person I admire Winston Churchill
pastime listening to music, going to concerts, skiing, bicycling, boating, kayaking
favorite museum, outdoor space Met; Central Park, Highline
volunteer work food pantry, Newark; homeless shelter (Breaking Ground)
why I sing I love harmonizing and blending with other voices. There’s something about singing in an ensemble that’s just great for my soul.