​Dr. Ingrid Lestrud

Artistic Director

Dr. Ingrid Lestrud enjoys an active career as a conductor and educator. Drawn to music and singing at an early age, she studied vocal performance as an undergraduate and discovered a passion for conducting choral and orchestral music. She went on to study conducting at the graduate level, eventually completing her Doctor of Music degree at Northwestern University, where she studied with Victor Yampolsky. While living in Chicago, Dr. Lestrud sang with the Chicago Symphony Chorus for several seasons under the baton of Riccardo Muti, performing in the Grammy award-winning recording of Verdi’s Requiem. She spent three years as the Voice Department Chair of the Merit School of Music, a community music school that serves over six thousand students with a focus on underserved communities. Collaborating with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, she worked with Renée Fleming to develop curriculum for Merit’s Solo Voice Program, and her choir performed both for and with Ms. Fleming for special events.
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Dr. Lestrud has served on the faculty of several colleges in the midwest and on the east coast, leading both choral and orchestral programs. In 2019, she performed as a member of the Living Arts Collective at the National Gallery of Art, conducting several movements of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in an event that showcased both musicians and dancers, highlighting an exhibition of lunar photographs and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing. As the Principal Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus, she works with some of the finest young singers in the nation, preparing them for concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Dr. Lestrud is also a conductor with Encore Creativity, a choral organization for older adults that focuses on preparing high quality performances while also fostering a sense of community through singing.

George Peachey

Pianist

George Peachey is much in demand in the greater Washington, DC area as a collaborative pianist. Critics have called him “an exemplary accompanist” who plays with “sensitive expertise.” He has performed at The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, The Phillips Collection, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Organization of American States, and the embassies of Austria, Germany and France, to name a few. As a vocal accompanist, he has worked with The Washington Opera, The Vocal Arts Society, The Maryland Opera Society, and for many years served as studio accompanist to renowned baritone Todd Duncan. As a chamber musician, he has been guest artist on the National Symphony Chamber Music Series, and has performed with the Sunrise String Quartet, the Stratford Chamber Players and the Washington Music Ensemble. Mr. Peachey’s other musical activities include coaching singers and teaching piano in his studio near Kensington, MD and recording song and aria accompaniments for singers, available at iTunes and amazon. He received his musical training at the Catholic University of America where he studied with Thomas Mastroianni and Fernando Laires, and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria where he was a pupil of Michael Krist.

Marissa Works

Joseph and Karen Luquire Conducting Fellow

Marissa Works graduated magna cum laude with interdisciplinary honors in music education (voice) and public relations from Penn State University in December 2019. Marissa currently teaches vocal music and chorus at Arlington Traditional Elementary School. She also serves as an Associate Conductor for the National Children's Choir. She is currently pursuing a master's degree at The George Washington University.