ARTISTIC STAFF

​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 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. Formerly the 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.

In addition to The Arlington Chorale, Dr. Lestrud conducts the Encore Chorale of Arlington through Encore Creativity, a choral organization for older adults that focuses on preparing high quality performances while fostering a sense of community through singing. She also serves as the Assistant Conductor for Capital City Symphony in Washington, D.C., conducting outreach concerts and leading the orchestra for the Atlas Performing Arts Center’s INTERSECTIONS Festival, a performing arts festival that illustrates where the art world and the real world intersect.

Rachel Flicker

Collaborative Pianist
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Rachel Flicker is a graduate student at the University of Maryland under the direction of Professor Rita Sloan, and is earning her Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano. She is currently the collaborative pianist for Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand’s Chamber Singers choir. She recently toured with Penn State’s Glee Club choir in Portugal as their collaborative pianist. This season, she is the collaborative pianist for The Arlington Chorale and The Montgomery County Women’s Chorus. 

Rachel graduated Cum Laude from Penn State University in 2023 where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance under the direction of Dr. Timothy Shafer. There, she made her opera debut as harpsichordist for Penn State’s Opera Theatre’s production of Dido and Aeneas in 2021, and was the rehearsal and performance pianist in 2023 for their production of Dialogues of the Carmelites. She has been the recipient of 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. Rachel has also taught private piano lessons at Flicker Music Studio in Pennsylvania for 9 years and recently began teaching at Chevy Chase Music in Maryland. 

Madeline Tokman

Joseph and Karen Luquire Conducting Fellow
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Madeline Tokman is a conductor and vocal artist newly based in the Washington, D.C. area. In addition to her work with the Arlington Chorale, she conducts the D.C. chapter of HaZamir (an international Jewish teen choir), serves as Assistant Conductor for the Cantate Chamber Singers, and is the Alto section leader at St. Paul's, K Street.

Madeline recently graduated with her MM from Indiana University, where she assistant conducted the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers and the All-Campus Choir, and was an assistant opera chorusmaster for Anne Frank (a premiere), Don Giovanni, and Sweeney Todd. Previously, Madeline directed Yale University's Jewish choir while pursuing a BA in music and philosophy. She has also assistant conducted the Greater New Haven Community Choir and served as a conducting intern for Boston’s largest Jewish choir, Zamir Chorale.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Amanda Steadman

Chorale Manager

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.