Director

MARINA ALEXANDER has been Musical Director of the Richmond Choral Society since 1995. Under her direction in May 2001, the ensemble celebrated its half century of bringing great music to Staten Island, singing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy , which it reprised at Carnegie Hall. The anniversary concert also included the world premiere of an English translation Ms. Alexander created for a rediscovered Ode to Joy by Tchaikovsky, the second performance ever of that piece in the United States. In the last several years, she has moderated various choral seminars sponsored by the RCS, and led its Chamber Ensemble in many special performances throughout the area and on cable television. For the RCS May 2002 presentation of Mozart’s  “Requiem” she composed a new completion of the  “Lacrymosa” movement in the style of Mozart.

In 1993, Ms. Alexander founded The Arcadian Chorale. Under her leadership, the group has established a reputation for musical innovation and excellence, and is now one of the most active ensembles in New Jersey. Committed to creating a permanent record of its work, the group has released several recordings.

Ms. Alexander is also  Assistant Professor of Choral Music at the College of Staten Island-CUNY. She leads open sings for her own ensembles, as well as The New York Choral Society, the North Jersey Choral Society, and the city of Freehold. Known as a scholar and translator, she produces many new editions of choral music. She teaches conducting privately, and often appears as a clinician and guest speaker at choral workshops and music festivals.

Ms. Alexander is involved in the community both as musician and as an advocate for the arts. She is a founding member and president of the Mid-state Arts Resource Team (mART), a regional organization working to create a new local fine & performing arts center in Monmouth County. It is currently sponsoring a multi-year community arts project,  “Sharks for the Arts,” as a marketing and fundraising vehicle towards that goal. Her contribution to the quality of life in Monmouth County was acknowledged this spring, when she was nominated by Fleet Bank for its Small Business Leadership Awards.

Ms. Alexander holds a Masters Degree in Conducting from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and was subsequently invited to teach there as Interim Director of the Department of Choral Music. From that same institution, she earned a BFA in Stage Directing for Opera, and then worked with opera companies and festivals both here and abroad. These include the Santa Fe Opera, The New Jersey State Opera, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Lake George Opera, and the Corfu International Music Festival.

Accompanist: Doug Keilitz

Douglas Keilitz has held church positions in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and currently serves as Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch in NY. He has been active as a recitalist, performing concerts in many of New York’s landmark churches, and has performed in master classes with some of the top names among French and American organists.. Mr. Keilitz has also formed and/or directed several community choruses. He currently serves as a member of the Executive Board of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In addition to his musical career, Mr. Keilitz has been active as a pipe organ builder, restorer and curator. He is an active accompanist who serves the Summit (New Jersey) Chorale as well as the Richmond Choral Society (since January 2006).