ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ALLEGRIA DIRECTOR

An alumna of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, Karli Anderson has sung with choirs across the nation, including the Oberlin Women's Chorale, the San Antonio Mastersingers, and the Phoenix Symphony Chorus. Ms. Anderson earned her Bachelor's in Musical Studies from Oberlin College, and her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Texas, San Antonio, where she served as Assistant Director for the San Antonio Children's Chorus.

Currently, Ms. Anderson is the 8th-12th grade music teacher and choir director for Great Hearts Anthem, where she leads eight different ensembles. Ms. Anderson joined Arizona Girlchoir in 2020 as the Anima director, and began directing Allegria in 2022. We are excited to welcome her as Artistic Director!

ARIA DIRECTOR

Dr. Darla Eshelman has taught all levels of music education including PK-5 elementary music, middle school choir, and university music education. Most recently she was Founder and Artistic Director for the Central Oklahoma Solfa Youth Choirs and conductor of Voce Spiritus, an auditioned choir for girls in grades 8-12. She recently moved back to Arizona, her home state, where she earned her BME from Grand Canyon University, MME from Arizona State University, and also began her teaching career as K-8 music and choir teacher in the Peoria School District.

Dr. Eshelman has been guest conductor and clinician for numerous festivals and conferences around the country for the past 30 years. She left college teaching in 2009 as Emeritus Professor of Music Education from the University of Central Oklahoma where she was coordinator for graduate and undergraduate vocal music education, and conductor for the university women’s choir. Prior to that, she served 13 years at Oklahoma Baptist University where she was vocal music education coordinator and women’s choir conductor.

Dr. Eshelman earned her Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma with Kodaly Emphasis. She is also a composer of choral and solo music and has over 50 pieces in publication. She is very excited about joining the Arizona Girlchoir team and conducting their new auditioned choir, Aria.

ANIMA DIRECTOR

Kelsey Gross’s love for music showed itself early, diving head-first into piano lessons at age nine. Grateful to have attended a high school with an excellent music program, Kelsey participated in Acapella Choir, Vocal Jazz, show choir, music theater productions as well as band, in which she played the french horn and mellophone. At South Dakota State University, she majored in vocal music and minored in German.

Kelsey moved with her husband to Arizona in 2010 to attend Arizona State University for her master’s degree in vocal performance. She also completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice performance in 2018. During her time in graduate school, she participated in ASU's Concert Choir, several operas (including playing Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutti), and a summer program in Freiberg, Germany where she studied German lieder, language, and opera. For six years she worked as a K-8 music teacher at a private Christian school, where she built the program from the ground up and emphasized music literacy and history as well as character development in her students.

Kelsey enjoys having her two daughters sing in the choir and her dear friend Helen Brons accompany her at the piano. She also has a son and husband who are fellow lovers of music and enjoy being a part of the Arizona Girlchoir community.

AMABILE DIRECTOR
MUSIC LITERACY DIRECTOR

Laura Pyper received her Bachelors and Masters of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and her Kodály Certification from Brigham Young University. Ms. Pyper spent time performing professionally at various theatres in Northern California, Arizona, and as part of Maximum Entertainments touring cast. For the last eleven years, Ms. Pyper has served as music teacher, administrator, and Headmaster in various school settings in California, Arizona, and Texas. She recently joined the curriculum development team with Great Hearts Academies, and continues to fill her spare time performing at local theatres in the valley. In addition to her great love of music, Ms. Pyper enjoys spending time with her family and aussiedoodle, Maverick.

ANGELI DIRECTOR

Brooke Durborow’s love for singing and music started the day she was born. She grew up singing and playing piano with her grandmother and attending shows at ASU Gammage with her mom – it is the ongoing joke in the family that she was singing before she could even talk. From elementary school through high school, she was active in several youth theaters in the valley, studied piano with her grandmother, and took private lessons for both flute and voice. In high school, she was on the leadership team in both band and choir, which is what sparked her love for education.

Brooke received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Arizona State University, where she graduated in May of 2021 Summa Cum Laude and received the Outstanding Resident Achievement Award. While at ASU, Brooke also served as the President of ASU’s American Choral Directors Association Student Chapter, was on the leadership team with both Gospel Choir and Concert Choir, and worked as the Choral Librarian in the School of Music. Brooke is in her third year of teaching in the Peoria Unified School District where she teaches 5 th -8 th grade choir at both Apache and Frontier Elementary. She is currently on the District’s Leadership Team as both an Advisory Member and a Mentor to the other choir teachers in the district.

She is excited to be joining the Arizona Girlchoir team and to share her love of music with young girls throughout the community.

ALLEGRIA COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Janet Norman, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in 2009 from Arizona State University; she has been teaching music and playing piano in Arizona since 1996. She also holds music degrees from Bowling Green State University and Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio. She has performed in various states and countries, including Italy, Chile, New York, and Ohio. Honors for her performances include winner of Most Distinguished Music Award with IBLA foundation in Ragusa IBLA, Italy; third-place winner in the Klatzkin Competition; first-place winner in the inaugural ASU Contemporary Music Society Competition for performers in 1999; two-time winner of the Three Arts Club of Lakewood, Ohio, in both 1987 and 1988; and winner of the 1986 Baldwin-Wallace College/Conservatory Concerto Competition.

Currently Janet teaches music with the Mesa Public Schools, offers private piano lessons, and works as a freelance accompanist.

ARIA COLLOBORATIVE PIANIST

David White received his Bachelor of Music, Music Education from Northern Kentucky University and his Master of Arts, Church Music from Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University.

David is currently the organist at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church, but his skills in voice and piano show in his varied accomplishments. He has taught choral ensembles and piano keyboarding for grades 7-12 in public schools.; been a Church Director of Worship and Music at King of Glory Lutheran; Co-Director at Southern State Community College Summer Music Theatre, and has developed other musical theatre programs.

David has also served as principal organist and choral accompanist at several churches.

An accomplished vocalist, David was a Professional Tenor for the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble.

We are excited to welcome David and his talents to Arizona Girlchoir!

ANIMA COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Helen was born and raised in the Netherlands. In 2000, her family moved from Europe to Iowa. Starting in 7th grade, she accompanied her grade school choir, which led to playing for a local youth choir, being the rehearsal/performance pianist for many musical and opera productions, and becoming a church organist. Helen moved to Arizona and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She went on to complete her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University. She studied privately with Prof. Rita Borden, Dr. Walter Cosand, and Prof. Russell Ryan. Helen taught piano at Kat’s Artist Tree, was a music faculty adjunct at Grand Canyon University, and accompanied the ProMusica Arizona chorale. Currently, Helen teaches private lessons, plays for church, and has her hands full raising two young boys with her husband.

AMABILE COLLOBORATIVE PIANST

Heather Pryse is an internationally performed young American composer and recent graduate of Music Composition from the University of North Texas. Her most notable achievements include a 3rd prize in the Pure Classic Vienna International Composition Competition in 2024, a fellowship with No Divide KC for the “Come as You Are” initiative in partnership with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, performances at SEAMUS National Conferences in 2024, an Honorable Mention Finalist placing in the 2023 Flute New Music Consortium Flute and Electronics Category, a Semi- Finalist placing in the Instrumental Chamber Music category of the American Prize 2018, being featured on National Public Radio for the premiere of her first symphony by the Crozet Community Orchestra, and receiving performances on the Italian radio station Gingiana RadioArte.

Her music focuses on exploring improvisation and other forms of collaboration as well as theatrical multimedia productions which utilize live and fixed electronics, poetry recitations, cake decoration, and other performance elements that create narrative impact. Pryse recently accepted a teaching position with Great Hearts as the 3-5th grade music teacher at Archway Lincoln and is excited to become an educator and mentor for young artists.

ANGELI COLLOBORATIVE PIANIST

Jean-Luc Villamor was born in the Philippines but was raised here in the Valley. He started piano lessons in the 2nd grade and started accompanying ensembles in the 6th grade. He furthered his musicianship in piano, voice, and band at Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics and graduated in 2017 with an Arts diploma for completing 23 extra music credits, student directing the honors choir, marching band, and orchestra. During this time. Jean-Luc also joined the Phoenix Children’s Chorus, Class of 2017, and has continued to be involved with the organization ever since.

Jean-Luc attended Arizona State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy and a focus in Jazz Piano. He’s had the honor of performing around the world including The Nash Jazz Club, Carnegie Hall in New York, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Vatican City. He’s worked with the ASU Gospel Choir as both a vocalist and pianist under directions of Dr. Jason Thompson and Prof. Nathan Myers, Grammy award-winning artist Myron Butler, the York University Gospel Choir under direction of Karen Burke, and has led workshops with the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).

Currently Jean-Luc is the choir director of a children’s choir for homeschool kids, the assistant music director at his church, a worship leader for numerous churches around the valley, and a private piano and voice instructor.

PRIMA INSTRUCTOR

Ashlie Lauren Smith is a dedicated and accomplished mezzo-soprano based in Phoenix, AZ.

She holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Stetson University and a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Throughout her academic career, she has consistently excelled, earning numerous scholarships and competition awards, including the William E. Dukwitz Talent Scholarship and multiple first-place wins in the NATS Competition.

Ashlie's extensive performance experience spans various roles and soloist appearances in renowned operas and concert works, such as Handel’s “Messiah”, Rossini's “L'Italiana in Algeri”, and Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd”. Her recent engagements include performances at the Arizona Bach Festival and as a soloist for the Arizona Piano Institute. In the spring of 2025 she looks forward in joining the Arizona Opera Chorus’s production of “Aida” and Seattle’s Skagit Symphony Orchestra presentation of Elgar’s Sea Pictures.

In addition to her performance career, Ashlie has a strong background in music education. She has maintained a private voice and piano studio since 2004 and has taught Music Together in Phoenix since 2019. She currently teaches voice and piano at Prestige Music Academy, and is the music and theater director at Desert Marigold School. She also has been a soloist and section leader for the All Saints Choir Episcopal Church in Phoenix since 2021.

Fluent in German and proficient in several other languages, Ashlie brings a diverse skill set to her roles. Her professional memberships include Sigma Alpha Iota, Kaleidoscope Club, and Pi Kappa Lambda. Ashlie is passionate about sharing her love for music with others and is excited about the opportunity to inspire and instruct the Prima Class at Arizona Girlchoir.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Prior to accepting the position of Executive Director, Charlene spent six years on the Board of Directors of Arizona Girlchoir, with one year as secretary and three years as treasurer. She is a graduate of the University of the Pacific with a BA in English.

Her 10-year career in technical writing for Silicon Valley tech companies included designing templates for manuals (remember those?), working with software engineers on user interface design, testing products, developing online help strategies, and forays into web design and databases. She also co-edited and wrote articles for the journal for the Silicon Valley Chapter of Society for Technical Writers.

After the birth of her first child, Charlene stayed at home and eventually homeschooled her four children. She was the Children’s Ministry Director for her church in San Jose for nine years, managing all aspects of children’s programming, including planning and executing yearly Vacation Bible School. Her passion for supporting mothers and babies led to volunteer work with La Leche League International and Breastfeeding USA, where she led meetings, managed over 200 breastfeeding counselors nationally, and assisted with branding, marketing strategies, and organizational development, including redesign, testing, and editing of the website and education modules for Breastfeeding USA. She has also served on leadership teams for her churches in California and Arizona.

In her spare time, she facilitates a monthly support group for mothers at her church. Charlene knows firsthand the important role that choir can play in development and growth of young women (and men) as her children have been in choir since they could talk. Her two older daughters are choir alumnae and now sing with Allegria.

CHOIR PHOTOGRAPHER

Gary’s passion for photography started at a young age. In high school, he was promoted to chief artist and photographer for the newspaper, cutting his teeth covering chess club championships, volleyball games, etc.

After college, Gary was ready to see the world through the lens of his Canon. He joined the Navy, of all things, and after graduating from the esteemed US Navy Schools of Photography, worked his craft aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln for five years, then was chosen for a prestigious position with the White House Communications Agency in Washington, DC, where he served four more years, traveling twice overseas with the President. After his stint in Washington, he continued his career stateside—shooting creative campaigns for some of the top agencies in the Southwest.

Gary lives in Avondale with his wife Kimberly and 7 wonderful children. He recently retired as a Senior Chief in the Navy Reserve. His youngest daughter has been singing with the choir for 3 years.

Many thanks to G Man Studios for creating nearly all of the beautiful photographs on our site! Gary volunteers to photograph many of our concerts and events so we have amazing pictures of our choir and singers.

Diane Crunk

Stacey Klein

Liz Fuge

Maritza Brehm
Marsha Fagan
Christie Gibbons