Current board
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Becca Crivello, President
Choral Director, Hudson Memorial School Becca Crivello is the Choral Director at Hudson Memorial School where she teaches grades 6-8 choir, grades 7-8 general music, as well as an after-school, audition-based choir and the annual musical. She received a M.M. in Music Education from Boston University and received a Departmental Award in Music Education from the College of Fine Arts. She also received a B.M. in Music Studies (Education) from UMass Lowell with a concentration in voice and a Minor in Italian Studies. While at UMass Lowell, she founded The Hawkettes, a female-identified a cappella group and was their Music Director for 4 years. As of 2024, she serves as the Associate Conductor for Youth Chorale and Concert Choir, two choirs within the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses. |
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Brianne Biastoff, Immediate Past-President Choral Director, Nashua High School North Brianne Biastoff is in her tenth year both as Choral Director at Nashua High School North in Nashua, New Hampshire and as a member of the adjunct choral faculty at University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Ms. Biastoff's high school choirs have performed at venues in Montreal, New York City, and Brugges and Gent, Belgium. Choirs led by Ms. Biastoff have participated in several invitational collegiate choral festivals, and have consistently performed alongside choirs and orchestra from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, as well as having been recorded there. Ms. Biastoff’s private studio and public school students have participated in NAfME's All-National and All-Eastern Division Honors Ensemble Festivals, ACDA’s National and Eastern Division Honors Choirs as well as both Massachusetts and New Hampshire All-State festivals; a great number have also now moved on to higher education as music majors and have become music educators themselves. She is the current president of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, and was nominated for NH ACDA Choral Director of the Year for 2023. Ms. Biastoff’s recent guest conducting appearances include MMEA Southeastern Jr. District Treble Choir (MA), the Tri-County Choral Festival (MA), and the Nashua All-City Middle School Festival Chorus for the Nashua Sings! Festival. She has upcoming guest conducting appearances scheduled in both NH and MA in the upcoming school year. Ms. Biastoff's educational passions are focused on exploring diversity and inclusion in repertoire, classroom resources, curriculum, and personnel, especially as related to social justice. She is ACDA’s Repertoire and Resources chair for Treble Choirs in New Hampshire. Ms. Biastoff received both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and has participated in the Sarteano Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop in Sarteano, Tuscany, Italy three times. As a singer, she has most recently performed as the alto soloist for Mozart's Requiem at UMass Lowell, and is currently a staff singer for First Church in Nashua, as well as a member of the alto section of the New Hampshire Master Chorale. She has recently performed with many choral groups including the Berkshire Bach Society, the Cantilena Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers of UMass Lowell, Albany Pro Musica and the Masterworks Chorale of Lexington, Massachusetts. Ms. Biastoff resides in Nashua, NH with her young son, Morgan. |
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James Slipp, Secretary
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Sandra Howard, Treasurer
Professor of Music - Keene State College Music Education, Choral Methods, Keene State Concert Choir and Chamber Singers Sandra Howard is a Professor of Music at Keene State College. She teaches courses in choral methods and conducting, supervises methods practicum and student teaching, and conducts the Keene State College Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. She serves as the Artistic Director of the Monadnock Chorus. Dr. Howard earned a B.M. Music Education and M.M. Vocal Performance from the University of Maine and a Ph.D. in Music Education/Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She taught middle and high school music in Conway, New Hampshire and served as an adjunct faculty member at Granite State College, Blue River Community College in Missouri, and the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. She is an active presenter at Society for Research in Music Education and Society for Music Teacher Education Research symposia and at ACDA and MEA state and regional conferences. Her scholarship has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education, The Choral Journal, Teaching Music, and NHMEA QuarterNotes Journal. Howard is the recipient of the 2016 Campus Compact for New Hampshire Presidents’ Good Steward Award and 2017 NHACDA Association Choral Director of the Year. She has conducted in United States, Canada, Germany, and Italy. Dr. Howard resides in Westmoreland, New Hampshire with her husband, son, and two chocolate Labrador retrievers. |
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Blake Leister, Membership Chair
Choral Director & Music Educator, Windham High School www.blakeleister.com Since 2022, Blake Leister has been a Choral Director and Music Educator at Windham High School in Windham, NH where he conducts multiple choirs and teaches various music electives and theatre courses. Prior to this position, Mr. Leister was the Choral Director at West Running Brook Middle School in Derry, NH for 18 years. He received his Masters of Music Education from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Bachelor of Music from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Blake performs with the BSO's Tanglewood Festival Choir and the New Hampshire Master Chorale. In addition, Blake is a highly active collaborative pianist, freelance musician, and theatre music director. He is a proud member of NHMEA and NHACDA. Blake resides in Manchester, NH with his husband and two Cairn Terriers, Monty and Oscar. |
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Matthew Barbosa, Member at Large
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