ALTO 1 Section LEADER
JOYCE BIBENS
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Platte Woods
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I have been in the chorus for almost 40 years. Favorite performances are—anything Mozart! I enjoy hiking vacations with my husband in Rocky Mountain National Park, and other parks. I enjoy visiting big cities and seeing how far I can go on foot. I have one grown son who is an architect.
ALTO 1 Section mEMBERS
KATIE CAMLIN
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Northland
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I’m a marketing and social media manager at a Kansas City brewery. I love reading, writing, video games, cooking, and visiting local breweries! In 2020, I scooped the sports world on Patrick Mahomes’ big contract and I was on ESPN!
BRIANNA CARRILLO
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: North Kansas City, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I love puzzles of all kinds and I have two cats - I call them both bean :) they know who I'm talking to.
HYANG SOOK CHOI
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Parkville, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I am an Army officer and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church. I grew up surrounded by music and studied Music Composition during my undergraduate years. After spending two years in Bangladesh as a missionary teacher, where I taught music, I felt called to become a minister and completed my seminary training in Chicago, IL. Following several years as a church pastor and four years as a hospital chaplain, I am now serving as an Army chaplain at Fort Leavenworth, KS, assigned to the Army Corrections Brigade.
JAN COHICK
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Kansas City, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I’m happy for the beautiful and interesting music we get to sing and for the community of KCSC…for me since 2001. I have been a singer, pianist and horn player since childhood. I was recently granted the life membership gold card in KC Fed. of Musicians Local No. 34-627 musicians’ union. ;-) I think this signifies you’ve stayed with what you love and gotten old. I enjoy cooking, eating, sewing, reading and road trips.
JILLIAN COLRAIN
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD:
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT:
ANNA FEATHERSTON
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Overland Park, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I’m an Elementary Music Teacher that loves to do arts in crafts in my free time!
TORI FUGATE
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: North Kansas City, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: In my downtime, I read as much as I can, and my favorite books are from the Court of Thorns and Roses series.
KIM GEAR
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Olathe, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: Chorus member since Fall 2011; former S2 Section Leader; former Executive Section Leader; President 2018 - 2021 (the Pandemic President 😏); Librarian 2021 - 2025; live with husband Ben, and senior Westie Oban; love to cook, quilt, crochet, binge Netflix, travel to the Love Shack in Arkansas to spend time with my brothers and their families; active in our church, serving in our Sunday "Cafe", and in the nursery with Ben as "baby snugglers".
PATRICIA HENSHAW
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Independence, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I play flute both solo and in a flute ensemble. I love to travel. I am a retired educator (Special Ed). I am an ordained minister in my church (Community of Christ).
LENETTE JOHNSON
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Gladstone, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I am a retired music teacher in the Nkcsd and kcmsd . I taught children with special needs. I have sung professionally in Kansas City with Trinity choir at Grace and Holy Trinity and toured the British Isles in 4 tours. I have also appeared in many musicals in the area. Favorite roles include Dolly in Hello Dolly, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma and Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act. My husband is Steve Johnson and we have 1 daughter Juliana.
ASHLEY JONES RIVERS
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Waldo
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I have a virtual voice studio called KC Songbirds and often direct music for local theatre companies. I really enjoy crafting, creating, visiting local coffee shops, and supporting small businesses.
AVERY KEOWN
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Carrolton, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I'm a cosmetology student (Beauty school, basically) and I'm an A1
ABBY LATHROP
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Overland Park, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I love all things outdoors! Ask me about my plans to van-life around the country.
KATHERINE LANG
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Brookside
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I enjoy being outside walking/hiking/biking, reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
LORI LEVINE
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: South Overland Park
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I am an archivist currently working at the National Archives and soon to be retired. I love to sing, read, hiking with my husband, and traveling.
MEGHAN LEVOTA
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Mission, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: In addition to classical music, I also have been enjoying musical improv comedy.
HOLLIE MEEK
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Independence, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT:
SVETLANA MITCHELL
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Brookside
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT:
GRACE PARK
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Overland Park (Near JCCC)
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: Founder of Harmony Horizons Foundation, Graduate Student in Music Therapy, Educator, Choir Director
[Education]
Degrees in Theater, Worship Studies (Ethnomusicology), Counseling and Music Therapy
[Experience]
• Graduate Teaching Assistant at KU
• Choir Director and Violin Teacher
• Music Therapy Practicum with diverse populations, including refugee children and young adults with Down syndrome
• International volunteer work using music for healing in underserved communities
[Research Interests]
• Music therapy for trauma recovery in refugee children
• Cross-cultural adaptation through music therapy
• Behavioral music therapy techniques
• Skills: Violin, choir direction, client-centered therapy, program development
[Career Goal]
Advocate and practitioner of music therapy, focusing on vulnerable populations like refugees and underserved children.
*Harmony Horizons Foundation (HHF) is a non-profit organization. The foundation is dedicated to using music as a healing and transformative tool for underserved and vulnerable populations, particularly refugee children and communities facing significant challenges."
ALLISON RONNING
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD:
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT:
ANNA KATE SCOTT
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Overland Park, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: Recent vocal performance graduate of Texas Women's University! Aside from a love of music, I enjoy creative writing and training my dogs, including my own service dog, Sulley.
CAITLIN SMITH
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Independence, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I have been in the chorus since January 2025. Outside of chorus I am an elementary (K-5) music teacher in the Lee's Summit School District. I love reading and am currently teaching myself how to roller skate!
GRETTA SONNENBERG
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown Kansas City, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: Outside of music, I really enjoy quilting, knitting, rock climbing, and learning about traditional menswear!
KAREN SPALDING
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: KC (Near Truman Sports Complex)
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: Being a grandmother and great grandmother, this year I found myself teaching elementary music in KCMO schools, a candidate for Missouri House of Representatives, a care taker of two grandchildren every weekend, being active in my church, reading, gardening and, of course, being in the KCSC. Having a very busy life, I find that being a member of the Kansas City Symphony Chorus is very rewarding. It surprises me that no matter how tired I am, in rehearsal, I find a certain relaxation, no matter how strenuous the repertoire. I am also amazed at what we are able to accomplish during weeks of rehearsal before a concert in those rehearsals. In the beginning, often I cannot even pronounce the language of the text correctly. Then suddently, it is rolling off my tongue. The melodies begin to be part of my mind until I can pick pitches out of thin air and aurally hear themes, often repeated even in my sleep. Each performance brings to me amazement at the synergy of our voices blending together. And what a privlege to have the Kansas City Symphony accompanying, enchancing every production. I am elated after the completion our performances, yet a little melencholy. For there will never be another performance just like that one. These memories will encourge me to meet the challenges of the KCSC's future repertoire.
SHEREE STOPPEL
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Olatha, KS (outer west banks)
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I am a retired choral director and accompanist. This is my 14th year singing with the Symphony Chorus as a proud SoprAlto. I live in the outer west banks of Olathe with husband Dwight and 20 year old cat, Harry.
MADISON THOMAS
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Overland Park, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I love pickelball.
CAITLIN WALKER
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Independence, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I spent a month in Bulgaria one summer in college.
GRACE WAMPLER
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Mission, KS
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I studied voice performance at Montclair State University and did a masters degree in arts admin at Boston University. In my free time I like gardening, spending time with my dog and cat, and doing paint by numbers.
SARAH ZUNG
CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD: Lee's Summit, MO
ABOUT ME/FUN FACT: I work for MU in a regional program where I teach high school students with disabilities job skills and career planning. Chorus member since 2017.