About Us

Meet the Director

Ryan Lakanen has been a singer and board member with the Chorus since 2007. She stepped in front of the choir as artistic director starting with the 2019-2020 season.

Ryan is a 2003 graduate of the University of Michigan's Choral Music Education program. She currently teaches private voice and piano lessons in her home studio. In addition to singing with the Germantown Chorus, Ryan also sings with the Memphis ChoralArts, has performed with Opera Memphis and the Germantown Symphony Orchestra, and does solo work in the area. During the Fall of 2020, due to the pandemic, Ryan brought the Chorus into the digital age with virtual rehearsals and producing several virtual concerts.

Meet the Accompanist

Lisa Machen is a busy musician in the Memphis area. She frequently works as a collaborative pianist, accompanying singers, instrumentalist and dancers in a variety of events and concerts. Lisa has accompanied many groups in the area, including Theatre Memphis, Opera Memphis, West Tennessee General Music Association Festival Chorus, DanceWorks Ballet, The Memphis Vocal Arts Ensemble, Shelby County School presentations and Memphis ChoralArts. In addition to playing for the Germantown Community Chorus, Lisa is currently the accompanist for the Bartlett Area Chorus and the student choirs as ICCS. She is also the Organist at Covenant United Methodist Church.

Lisa is married to her best friend, Tom, and they enjoy sharing their love of music. In their spare time, they love to travel. Lisa and Tom are proud of their two adult children, John and Katie.

About Us

The Germantown Chorus is a non-profit, non-auditioned group of singers from a wide variety of backgrounds who wish to foster their love of singing and share that joy with the greater Memphis area through professional-quality performances and community outreach.

Our History

The Germantown Chorus began as a summer program sponsored by the City of Germantown's Parks and Recreation Department. They were asked to sing for civic functions in the summer of 1986. When the summer - and the funding - ended, the group decided not to disband. Now, more than thirty years later, the group still sings and performs four to six concerts annually with volunteer singers from all over the Mid-South.

Germantown Chorus Day

Sunday, April 22, 2007 was proclaimed "GERMANTOWN CHORUS DAY" by Germantown Mayor, Sharon Goldsworthy during the Chorus' 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert at GPAC. Mayor Goldsworthy presented the Chorus with a certificate of merit and high praise for the Chorus' civic and community service and "for the joy it has brought to all who have heard its voices raised in song."

Thank you, Mayor Goldsworthy and the City of Germantown for support and encouragement.

Best of Germantown 2019 - Community Organization

"GERMANTOWN December 13, 2019 -- Germantown Community Chorus has been selected for the 2019 Best of Germantown Award in the Community Organization category by the Germantown Award Program.

Each year, the Germantown Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Germantown area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 Germantown Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Germantown Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Germantown Award Program

The Germantown Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Germantown area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Germantown Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy."

SOURCE: Germantown Award Program
CONTACT: Germantown Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@organizationnotice-2019.org
URL: http://www.organizationnotice-2019.org

Past Directors and Accompanists

Tommy Gaines

Director, 2002-2006, 2015-2019
Tommy Gaines, M.M., returned in the 2015-2016 season after having lead the chorus for four years, starting in 2002. Tommy has sung professionally with the Southern Opera theatre, Memphis Oratorio Society and others. He is the former Associate Professor of Music at Christian Brothers University and voice faculty member of Rhodes College, Crichton College and the University of Memphis. At the Tommy Gaines Vocal Studio, he taught both youth and adults from beginning to advanced levels. Many of his students have won competitions including Miss Tennessee, National Association of Christian Schools National Vocal Competition and National Association of Teachers of Singing in regional and local competitions. His conducting skills include sanctuary and youth choirs within church and school settings from grade school to college level as well as church orchestra.

Catherine Feazell

Director, 2012-2015
As well as being the president of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA; MS Chapter), Catherine was the choral director at Center Hill High School, where her responsibilities included directing three choirs and teaching general music. She received her BA in Music (magna cum laude) from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Mississippi.

She maintains active memberships in Chorus America and the National Association for Music Education. She was also inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa in 2007. She has participated in workshops with Chanticleer, Rodney Eichenberger, Carol Krueger, and Rene Clausen.

Rick Marshall

Director, 2006-2012
The strong call of music moved Rick from his career in architecture in 1978 to receive a degree in voice and choral conducting from the School of Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He has performed as a baritone soloist in various works as well as been a soloist and member of choral groups including the Memphis Symphony Chorus, the Tennessee Baptist Men's Chorale and the American Choral Directors Association. Rick has also directed and produced musical pageantry, dinner theaters and choir tours in the U.S. and South America. Prior to directing the chorus, Rick was an active member for four years. Rick Marshall came from within the Chorus ranks - a first in the history of the Chorus.

Mona Kreitner

Director, 1998-2002
Mona was an adjunct faculty member at Rhodes College where she taught voice and directs the Women's Chorus. She holds a BM in Music Therapy from Mansfield University, an MM in Vocal Performance and Literature plus a Performer's Certificate in Voice from the Eastman School of Music, and a PhD (ABD) in Historical Musicology from the University of Memphis. As a soprano, Mona has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music concerts at Rhodes College, the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, and Lyon College in Arkansas. In addition to her time at Rhodes, she teaches music history and co-directs the Collegium Musicum at the University of Memphis. She has also served on the music faculties of Northwest Mississippi Community College and Lausanne Collegiate School.

John Scott, Rick Marshall, Tommy Gaines, Mona Kreitner, Anthony Williams and Mary Elizabeth Griffith at the Chorus' 20th Anniversary Celebration in 2007.

Anthony Williams

Director, 1986-1998
The Chorus' founding director, Anthony is the former Associate Professor of Music at Christian Brothers University where he taught vocal and choral music since 1988, and was Chair of the Fine Arts and Speech Department since 1992. Anthony, a tenor, has been a featured soloist throughout the Southeast adn in Europe, singing various masterpieces including Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem and Bach's B-minor Mass. He served as Director of the St Francis of Assisi Adult Choir since 2000. Anthony was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions, Mid-South Region, in 1972, 1973 and 1974, and was awarded the Nancy Merriweather Memorial Award.

John Scott

Accompanist, 1999-2019
An accomplished pianist and gifted musician, John studied music at The University of Memphis before joining the U. S. Navy and continuing his education at the Navy School of Music. He toured and performed with the Second Fleet Navy Band, playing a variety of genres.

He was featured accompanist of the Shelby Singers, a group of Shelby County choral directors. John has performed as accompanist for many choral groups of Audubon Park Baptist Church where he recently celebrated 42 years as pianist/accompanist. He is a celebrated area accompanist for many private events, has accompanied the National Association of Teachers of Singing and has played for many notable soloists. When he is not accompanying or enjoying music, especially jazz, you can find him teaching piano at Lane Music, Germantown.

John, it has been said, "has hearts in his fingertips and the ability to express feeling at the keyboard." His experience in a wide variety of musical styles, which he makes seem effortless, is amazing! We are grateful to John for his support as our accompanist for these many years. His ability to recognize specific problem areas in individual choral sections is particularly beneficial during rehearsal time. A gentle soul, John is a treasured member of the Germantown Chorus. Thank you, John!

Mary Elizabeth Griffith

Accompanist, 1986-1995
The Chorus' original accompanist, Mrs. Griffith helped form the Germantown Chorus by recruiting singers and serving as its accompanist for the first nine years. Due to her accomplished skills as both piano accompanist and organist, the Chorus was gifted with a wide variety of repertoire to perform, including Durufle's Requiem and Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. Mary Elizabeth holds a degree in Music Education from Henderson State University and Masters degrees in Sacred Music and Organ Performance from the University of Memphis. She served as organist and choir director at many churches throughout the Memphis area and most recently retired as Director of Music at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Memphis.