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Meet The Team
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 orchestral 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 for and with Ms. Fleming for special events.
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 2022, she won the Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artists Innovate + Create contest for her work with Performers With Purpose, a youth ensemble she founded that combines music with service projects for the community. In 2024, she founded Vivace Children’s Chorus, a music education program that provides high quality vocal training to children in Montgomery County, MD. Formerly a Principal Associate Conductor of the Grammy award-winning National Children’s Chorus, she has worked 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 currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Arlington Chorale, an auditioned volunteer chorus in Arlington, VA that performs well-known masterpieces and compelling new works. Through her leadership, the Chorale has successfully formed several collaborations and partnerships with non-profits not affiliated with the arts, allowing the Chorale to reach new demographics in the community and show local residents how choral music can connect to many social issues. She believes that these connections help audiences to better understand the relevance of choral music to their community, making a difference in the way they experience and appreciate choral music.
Rachel Flicker is a collaborative pianist based in the DMV area. She recently earned her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of Maryland under the direction of Professor Rita Sloan. She currently serves as the collaborative pianist for the Arlington Chorale, Montgomery County Women’s Chorus, the Children's Chorus of Washington, and previously for Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand’s Chamber Singers. She is frequently seen performing with the Annapolis Opera, the Emerging Artists Foundation, and the Washington Opera Society. Rachel’s recent performances mark her European debut, where she served as staff pianist for Cévennes Lyriques in France and toured Portugal with Penn State’s Glee Club as their collaborative pianist.
A 2023 graduate of Penn State University, Rachel earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance studying under Dr. Timothy Shafer. Her operatic debut came in 2021 as harpsichordist for Penn State Opera Theatre’s production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, followed by her work as rehearsal and performance pianist for Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites in 2023. Rachel has been recognized with several awards, including the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award, the Sue Haug School of Music Leadership Award, the Valley Family Scholarship, the Schlegel Memorial Scholarship, and the Marie B. Ashburn Piano Scholarship. In addition to her performing career, she has an active piano studio in Maryland.
Madeline Tokman is a conductor and vocal artist based in Washington, D.C. In addition to her work with The Arlington Chorale, she serves as Artistic Director for Capital Harmonia, a chorus dedicated to supporting women's causes/aspirations through song and service. Her recent engagements include leading the D.C. chapter of HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir—preparing singers for a performance at Carnegie Hall—and serving as Assistant Conductor for the Cantate Chamber Singers. She has also worked with a range of other ensembles, including the Greater New Haven Community Chorus, Boston’s Zamir Chorale, and the Arlington Chorale's Performers with Purpose.
Madeline earned her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, where she conducted the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers—including a feature of Grammy-winning soprano Sylvia McNair—and served as Assistant Chorusmaster for Sweeney Todd, Don Giovanni, and the world premiere of an opera based on the life of Anne Frank. As a vocalist, she has performed with the Washington Master Chorale, and as a section leader at St. Paul’s Parish, K Street and Bethesda Jewish Congregation.
Amanda Steadman is thrilled to continue serving the Arlington Chorale as Chorale Manager. A singing member since 2017, Amanda also serves as a Chorale board member and webmaster. She holds degrees in music from Edinboro University and Bowling Green State University. In her full-time position as Music Library Coordinator at American University, she works closely with music students and faculty, connecting them with music that inspires creativity and introspection.