Introducing the Tour Chaperones

The tour is less than a week away! We are getting ready to have a few intense rehearsals before our departures on August 8th to San Jose, Costa Rica. My name is Carmen and I will be in charge of writing/hosting the blog on this tour. Here you will get to read about our daily adventures, look at pictures and watch videos of the singers having fun and working hard. The singers will have the opportunity to write their stories on the blog as well, so that you can hear straight from them! 


Here are the Bios of the six chaperones: 

Jane Money-

Jane is the founder and Artistic Director of BCS.  Jane was born in Auckland, New Zealand, where she received her earliest training as a singer in the local church choir. She received her Bachelor and Master degrees in music from the University of Auckland, where she was a member of the “University Singers.” She furthered her studies at Stanford University, and Boston University, where she earned a Masters degree in Engineering. She founded BCS in 1995 and has taken the tour choir on six international tours and many tours around the U.S. She is looking forward to watching the singers grow, learn, and sing their hearts out!

Chris Chase- 
Jane's husband (and Gillian's father!) Chris Chase will be traveling to Costa Rica with the Tour Choir. An accomplished and long time singer, Chris is a construction project manager. He was a chaperone on the trip to Australia and New Zealand in 2007, and he will be our Number One Fan!

Carmen Piedad-

Carmen is a 2012 Alumni of the Boston City Singers where she spent seven years singing in the tour choir. She is now a senior at Wheelock College studying American Studies, Political Science and Global Studies. She is also a junior board member of the chorus. Carmen has travelled extensively through Europe and Central America and participated in eight national and international tours with Boston City Singers including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Last semester she studied abroad in San Jose Costa Rica and is very familiar with the country and the Costa Rican cultures and norms. On tour, Carmen will be writing the Blog, working closely with the students to provide them with daily logistical information and with whatever else they need to be healthy and happy. She will also be working closely with David Price on the peer leadership program and with team building and reflection meetings. 

David Price- 
David is a Community Development Officer from Northern Ireland who has been a friend of Boston City Singers for nearly a decade. He has been fortunate enough to work with Jane on a number of occasions as part of the Children Voices of Ireland project in 2006/7 and was invited to join Boston City Singers on our tour of New Zealand and Australia. David currently lives, works and studies in Belfast with his working cocker spaniel Betty. He works for CRIS (Community Relations In Schools) - a Peace and Reconciliation Education Charity and is currently finishing a Masters in Restorative Practices.  He is passionate about working with people of all ages and backgrounds be that exploring diversity and singing songs with nursery and primary children; working with school leaders to develop new approaches to sharing and collaboration; or delivering Community Relations training to educationalists, community workers and parents. He is delighted to be joining us on our tour of Costa Rica and is hoping he may even get a chance to sing a tune or two with the choir (if Jane will let him).

Kimani-

Kimani is the World Rhythm Ensemble Director. He grew up in Kingston, Jamaica where he studied classical piano and the traditional drumming of Jamaica and the Caribbean at the Jamaica School of Music. Upon his arrival in Boston, Kimani studied music education at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Being an avid student of the percussion and dance traditions of West Africa and the African diaspora he performs with a variety of musical groups including the Haitian Drum and Dance Company, Fantezi Kreyol, the Art of Black Music and Dance, Silimbo African Dance Company and Lamine Toure with Group Saloum. Kimani also teaches music and traditional percussion at the Young Achievers Science and Math School in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. 

Tal Zilber- 

Tal is the Principal Accompanist and Coach. He is a renown Israeli musical artist from Tel Aviv, enjoys an unusually diverse career of classical, jazz and pop performances as well as composing, arranging, and improvising. In addition to his performing career, Tal gives educational presentations at schools throughout the United States to spread a joy and appreciation for music. He holds a Masters in Piano Performance from Rice University, a Performance Diploma from Indiana University and a B.M. from the Rubin Israeli Music Academy where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Contemporary Improvisation at the New England Conservatory.