Meet our staff!
Staff: Artistic
Paul Caldwell
Artistic DirectorTenure began 2016
he/him
Paul Caldwell defines the creative trajectory for one of the nation’s largest community choral organizations. He conducts both choruses for performances in Seattle’s most prestigious venues. He has redesigned the chorus’s small ensemble structure, creating the first permanent group to include members of both the Seattle Men’s and Women’s Choruses. His focus on community engagement has enabled the organization to establish sustained, meaningful relationships with new civic partners.
Before coming to Seattle in 2016, Paul was in Chicago, serving as Artistic Director of the Windy City Gay Chorus and Windy City Treble Quire. He was also Artistic Director for the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago, a community- based after-school program enrolling 200 young people in Chicago’s northern suburbs. Paul’s work with youth garnered national recognition when his chorus received the Chorus America/ ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Paul composes and arranges music collaboratively with Sean Ivory. Their choral works have been telecast on PBS and A&E and performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Legendary guitarist Steve Vai collaborated with Caldwell and Ivory to create a choral-rock fusion song, “Book of the Seven Seals.” Paul made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2014, leading concerts comprised entirely of music he composed. He has also been artistic director for the ¡Canta! Costa Rica festival in San Jose. He returns to the Sing A Mile High choral festival in Denver biennially. Paul served three terms on the Board of Directors of Chorus America. His efforts on behalf of the choral field nationwide were recognized when he received the Michael J. Korn Founders Award for Philanthropic Contribution to the Arts.
Benjamin Killey
Principal Accompanist, SMCTenure began 2011
he/him
Benjamin Killey is thrilled to transition from singing with the Seattle Men’s Chorus for 10 years to playing the piano for them. Ben attended Illinois Wesleyan University for college, earning a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a BA in Biology. While at IWU, he won the 1997-98 MTNA collegiate state piano competition for Illinois as well as Illinois Wesleyan’s concerto-aria competition. After college, he went to Southern Illinois University for medical school and specialized in emergency medicine. After a 17-year career in emergency medicine, he switched to aesthetic medicine and founded Blue Haven Medical Spa in Seattle in 2011.
Ingrid Verhulsdonk
Principal Accompanist, SWCTenure began 2022
she/her
Ingrid Verhulsdonk has been an active performer, collaborator and teacher in the Seattle area for the past 20 years. She has worked with the Emerald Ensemble, Northwest Opera in Schools Etcetera, Cornish College of the Arts and Northwest Sinfonietta’s chamber music series. Currently, she is adjunct music faculty at Holy Names Academy, Principal Organist at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Everett and staff accompanist for the Cascadian Chorale and the University of Washington. Ingrid holds degrees in piano performance from the University of Washington and the University of Hawaii. Aside from having an active performance schedule, she also thoroughly enjoys teaching and operates a small piano studio in the Shoreline area.
Dennis Coleman
Conductor Emeritus1981-2016
he/him
Dennis Coleman was the conductor and Artistic Director of Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus from 1981 until his retirement in 2016.
Dennis led the Choruses to a position of artistic and administrative excellence with a combined singing membership larger than any community chorus in North America. He served for six years on the national Board of Directors for Chorus America and was on the founding Board of Directors of GALA Choruses. As a UCC church musician, Dennis has conducted the choir of First Congregational Church of Bellevue since 1981.
Dennis Coleman commissioned and premiered choral works from many leading composers including Gian Carlo Menotti, Ned Rorem, Robert Moran, Conrad Susa, David Diamond, Robert Seeley, British composer Paul Patterson and Canadian Stephen Hatfield. Of Rage and Remembrance, a 15-minute work for male chorus, mezzo soprano, speakers and orchestra by composer John Corigliano, was premiered by Seattle Men’s Chorus in Seattle in 1991. A recording of this work and the companion Symphony 1, also called Of Rage and Remembrance, by the National Symphony under Leonard Slatkin was awarded the 1998 Grammy for Best Classical Album. Dennis has collaborated with acclaimed artists including Maya Angelou, Frederica von Stade, Judith Martin (Miss Manners), Bobby McFerrin, Tatiana Troyanos, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Harvey Fierstein, Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Marni Nixon, Diane Schuur, Chely Wright, Armistead Maupin, Lucy Lawless, Faith Prince, and Lily Tomlin.
R. Elisabeth Burton
Rehearsal ManagerTenure began 2023
she/her
R. Elisabeth “Lizzy” Burton joined Seattle Men’s Chorus / Seattle Women’s Chorus and Flying House Productions in 2022 as the Assistant Stage Manager. In 2023, she expanded her role to include Rehearsal Manager. Lizzy is a production freelancer, making the magic happen in theatrical stage management (Seattle Shakespeare, Book-It Theatre, ACT, and Village Theatre), television commercial production (Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and others), and documentary production assistance (National Geographic, Animal Planet, Netflix, and Discovery Channel). Lizzy also works as a stagehand with IATSE Local 15. Lizzy is a founding member of the Board of Directors for HONK! Festival West, a non-profit organization that produces an annual brass band festival in Seattle.
Staff: Administration
Craig Coogan
Executive DirectorTenure began 2022
he/him
Prior to joining the Seattle Choruses Craig Coogan served as Executive Director from 2012-2022 of Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. He is an expert in developing strategies and programs to help LGBTQA and other nonprofit organizations achieve their operational and artistic goals. A graduate of Syracuse University, he brings experience in both the for-profit and non-profit arenas. Mr. Coogan previously served as Executive Director for One Voice Mixed Chorus in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was a founding board member and treasurer for ten years of the acclaimed women’s choral group Vox Femina Los Angeles. He has also produced independent films, award-winning documentaries, and acclaimed original plays that tell the LGBTQA experience. To learn more visit craigcoogan.com.
Rick Jung
Director of DevelopmentTenure began 2022
he/him
Richard Jung comes to the Seattle Men’s Chorus & Seattle Women’s Chorus with more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector including over 6 years as the National Senior Program Officer at the Gill Foundation in Denver, CO where he worked on various LGBT initiatives targeting Community Centers, Communities of Color and Statewide Organizing. Rick has extensive background in HIV/AIDS, both at the community level, having served as the Director of Development for the Boulder County AIDS Project in Boulder, CO and nationally, as a member of the Ms. Foundation’s ‘Women and AIDS Advisory Committee’ and as the Vice-Chair of Funders Concerned About AIDS. He has worked in higher education as a Director of Development for his alma mater, Boise State University, and at Rutgers University and Portland State University. He is also the Executive Director of the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. Rick hales from Boise, Idaho and is a proud graduated of Boise State University where he earned a degree in Theatre Arts. He is a U. S. Navy veteran.
Michael Willer
Director of VideoTenure began 2022
he/him
Michael Willer is an award-winning film producer, director, and editor with over a decade of experience working around the world. His films are watched internationally, from feature documentary Music Triumphs Homophobia to the award-winning sci fi short film The Volunteer.
Michael has dedicated his film expertise to social change through his seven years as Director of Video for the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, and now with the Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus. It is Michael’s goal to create art and tell stories that will reach through walls and broaden understanding.
Jeff Boyer
Deputy Director of DevelopmentTenure began 2024
he/him
Jeff grew up on Whidbey Island in the quaint town of Coupeville, and moved to Seattle in 2009. He comes to the Seattle Men’s Chorus & Seattle Women’s Chorus with more than 15 years of experience fundraising for various nonprofit organizations in the Seattle area serving children, families, and vulnerable populations. Jeff graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and from the University of Washington with a certificate in fundraising management. When he’s not at work, you can find him tending to his extensive houseplant collection, traveling, listening to music, or camping in the great outdoors!
Benedict Hough
Office Manager & Marketing CoordinatorTenure began 2022
he/him
A local of western Washington, Benedict grew up in the town of Sammamish. He joined the Seattle Choruses team in October 2022 as an administrative assistant.
He has always been a lover of music and performance, having grown up participating in choir and theatre, as well as coming from a family of Sweet Adelines singers. Benny graduated from Western Washington University in June 2020 with a degree in Theater Arts.
When not working on Chorus production, he still makes theatre, both on stage and behind the scenes. In his free times, he enjoys sewing, painting, and playing piano.
Andrea Bowling
Senior Financial Analyst & HR ManagerTenure began 2023
she/her
Bio coming soon.
Mandie Frye
Development, Operations & Data ManagerTenure began 2021
she/her
Mandie moved to Seattle in January of 2021 from Fairbanks, Alaska and originates from Chicago. She joins the Seattle Choruses family with a background in Customer Service and Administration, and as a performer herself, having been a member of the Sweet Adelines since 2017.
Mandie is a Music Business graduate from Full Sail University, and attended Gallaudet University for Theatre: Production/Performance. Additionally, she is an Improv graduate from Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver, CO. Fun fact: she started a Disney Acapella group in Colorado, although short-lived.
As a child of Deaf adults (Coda) and a member of CODA, International, Mandie brings a welcomed perspective to the choruses along with her first language, American Sign Language. Her personal hobbies include knitting, crocheting and playing the ukulele. Say hello at the next concert where Mandie is our Box Office extraordinaire!
Raven Klingele
Administrative AssistantTenure began 2024
she/her
After spending a year living and teaching English in Vienna, Raven returned to her native Pacific Northwest and joined the Seattle Choruses team in August 2024 as an administrative assistant. Her previous experience includes working as the Films Coordinator for Western Washington University, where she developed and managed film events for the student community. She graduated from Western with a history degree in June 2022, specializing in LGBTQ history. In her free time, she enjoys thrift shopping, performing in drag, videography, and cuddling with her cat Frida.
Nathan Young
Production Director
Johnny Baca
Sound Designer
Doris Black
Artist in Residence (Costumes)
Peter Bracilano
Lighting Designer
Kate Neville, PoleStar Communications
Grant Writer
WHY for Good
PR and Media Management, Graphic Design
AGVY Enterprises
Social Media Content Creator
John Pai
SMC Photographer
Conrado Tapado of eQuality Images
SWC Photographer