Bios / Staff
Artistic Director
Valerie J. Becker, Artistic Director for the Treble Chorus of New England is a graduate of Boston University, where she received both her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in piano performance. While at B.U. she was awarded membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honor society and was chosen most outstanding senior in music by Mu Phi Epsilon. Her post graduate studies led her to the University of Illinois where she worked on an accompaniment and coaching degree, to Austria where she studied German Lieder, and to Italy where she performed with the Rome Festival Orchestra and was their primary pianist.
She has performed as soloist with the Boston Pops. As a collaborate pianist she has appeared in recital with many major artists throughout the United States and abroad, including many who are members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As a rehearsal pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra she has had the occasion to play for world-renowned artists such as Midori, James Gallway, YoYo Ma, Kathleen Battle and Isaac Stern.
Ms. Becker taught for 15 summers in the Boston University high school program at Tanglewood, working with both choral and chamber groups. She also taught at the North Carolina School for the Arts from 1980 – 1983 and was the pianist for the Metropolitan Opera regional auditions.
In 1994 Ms. Becker joined the staff of the Treble Chorus of New England as the pianist, and in 1998 directed the new intermediate choir. As Associate Director, she has directed the Training Choir since 2004 and Concert Choir since 2005. In 2007 she was appointed Artistic Director.
Ms. Becker has been a Fine Arts faculty member of The Winsor School in Boston for the past twenty-seven years. She resides in Arlington with her husband David Medzorian and their son Alexander.
Heather ChuDirector of Schola and Opera
Heather Chu is a choral conductor, professional singer, and vocal and piano instructor. She received her BMA in Vocal & Piano Performance at California State University, Fresno and continued on to complete her Masters in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at the New England Conservatory of Music. In addition to teaching voice and piano privately, Heather has taught Voice for Non-Majors at New England Conservatory and served as Teaching Fellow and Vocal Instructor for the Boston Children's Chorus - altogether working with students from ages 6 years to adult. Heather also conducts the Cambridge Chinese Choral Society and sings professionally in Greater Boston.
Yerim KangConcert and Training Choir Accompanist
Originally from Seoul, Korea, Yerim Kang started playing the piano at the age of 6. Taught by her mother initially, she continued her studies at SunHwa Art School. After the family relocated in London, UK, Yerim attended the Royal Academy of Music, Junior Department, studying with Tessa Nicholson. She completed the Bachelors of Music degree from Guildhall School of Music and Drama(2003) , London, UK, studying with Peter Bithell. Yerim worked extensively as a piano teacher and an accompanist and a translator in ABRSM (Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music) Seoul Center while she taught numbers of private students. Yerim continues to teach private piano lessons as well as in public schools and to play the piano in concerts, master classes and workshops while she is teaching at Yamaha Music School of Boston, Lexington, MA.
Daniel PadgettSchola Accompanist
Daniel Padgett has enjoyed an active career as both a solo and collaborative pianist working in a variety of genres. He has performed with winners and finalists of numerous NATS Boston competitions. He is a recent winner of the Honors Competition at the Longy School of Music. Daniel has performed all over the east coast as well as in California and Austria. He was the winner of the Mount Dora Young Artists competition and is an alumna of Songfest and the Eastern Music Festival. Daniel received a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University and a Master of Music from the Longy School. Daniel works as a staff accompanist and coach at UMass-Dartmouth. This past summer in Boston he worked in a similar capacity at Richard Crittenden’s opera workshop and with Opera Boston’s Vocal Explosion program. He is involved in musical outreach programs throughout the Boston area with Opera To Go, Opera Boston and Mssng Lnks. He has twice premiered new music at the Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival and also performs regularly with local Gilbert and Sullivan societies. Daniel has served as music director for productions at Boston Latin Academy and at the Roland Hayes School of Music.
Rebecca FarnhamMusic Theory Teacher
Rebecca Farnham began her classical musical training at age 15, in violin, piano, and voice. She continued her studies throughout high school with a concentration in vocal performance. Valedictorian of her Senior Class, she graduated with highest honors in music and received a full music scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Ms. Farnham is currently a senior, double majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Education with a minor in Language Studies. As a performer, she appears regularly in weekly recitals at UMass Lowell. She has also studied in the Opera Workshop Program, and has had leads in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Candide,” “Der Schauspieldirektor,” and “Die Fledermaus.” In both 2010 and 2011, she was chosen as one of twenty students from around the globe to study opera in Verona, Italy as part of the Opera Viva Program. She worked with both Joyce Fieldsend and June Anderson. Farnham has had many honors bestowed upon her, with particular notice in both theory and vocal performance. Her current workload at the University includes tutoring theory and aural skills to students ranging from beginner to advanced levels. She is thrilled to be joining The Treble Chorus of New England to teach music theory.
Melanie Muggia Program Manager
Anna ChoiAdministrative Coordinator
