Introducing Lisa Richardson - New Choral Associate

This past June the Chancel Choir said goodbye to our long time soprano choral associate, Rebekah Strohmeyer, as she headed off to graduate school. Tasked with finding someone to help support the choir this autumn, it didn’t take long to find a terrific addition to our community.

I would like to welcome soprano Lisa Richardson, our new choral associate who joins our worship services this week. Please take a moment to say hello and get to know her! Here is a little more about Lisa’s background:

Lisa is an award winning lyric soprano whose musical journey began with her playing the flute at the tender age of six. She originally auditioned for and attended the famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and the Performing Arts in Manhattan as an instrumental music major until she was forced to sing during a sight singing class in her first semester. Her teacher instructed Lisa to re-audition for the school as a voice major and set her feet upon a path of exploring and loving the many facets of the human voice.

Some of the roles Lisa has performed both fully staged and in concert setting were: Contessa Almaviva, from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro; Erste Dame from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Helena from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Rosalinda from Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Lisa is also enjoys the unequaled alchemy that ensemble work provides, having performed Gustav Holst’s The Planets with the Greenwich Village Orchestra; Candlelight Musical Meditations with ARTEK and was a long time member of both eVoco Voice Collective’s Mixed and Treble Ensembles.

Lisa is happy to serve when and where she is able. First as an Administrator in the U.S. Navy for 12.5 years. She was both President and Development Chairperson of eVoco Voice Collective for four of her eight years with the organization. Lisa was also the Children’s Choir Director at Immanuel Lutheran Church for three years and most recently served as the Assistant Music Director and Soprano Section Leader at Grace United Methodist Church in Valley Stream, NY for five years.

Lisa holds a B.S. in Finance from SUNY Old Westbury that she earned while simultaneously studying voice at Juilliard at night. She is married to her high school sweetheart who is also a wonderful musician. Ken and Lisa have two children, a dog and a cat. Finally, Lisa is incredibly happy to have found such a wonderful and welcoming church community at St. John’s.