Artistic Staff and Executive Leadership

Meet the Artistic Staff

Kristina Sheppard, Artistic Director

Kristina Sheppard holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO; she previously earned her bachelor’s degree in Music and Psychology from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. 


She has taught middle school and high school choir in Colorado Springs, Fauquier County, and Prince William County over the past 12 years.  Currently, in addition to serving as The Valley Chorale's Artistic Director, Kristina is the choir director at Gainesville High School (GHS) in Gainesville, VA, where she also provides vocal direction for musical productions in partnership with the GHS theatre program.


Kristina has two beautiful children and an amazing husband. 

Reese Holahan, Assistant Artistic Director

Reese Holahan is an emerging performer, voice teacher, and researcher currently based in Winchester, VA where he is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy at Shenandoah Conservatory. Originally from Rochester, NY, Reese holds degrees in Voice Performance (BM) and Communication Disorders and Sciences (BS) from SUNY - Fredonia.


Reese’s performance credits span a variety of genres including opera, oratorio, choral, chamber, and musical theatre. His recent performances with Shenandoah Conservatory include Sasha in Moscow Cheryomushki by Dmitri Shostakovich, John F. Kennedy in Caged Birds, Tenor Soloist in Canticle of the Sun by Amy Beech, and Damon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea. 

Logan Casto, Collaborative Pianist

Logan Casto is currently a music education student doubling in piano at Shenandoah Conservatory. An avid pianist, Logan has accompanied choruses since 2016, and is thrilled to now be working with The Valley Chorale.  A lover of collaborative piano, he particularly enjoys working with singers, making music come to life.


Logan has performed at venues such as Shenandoah Conservatory, The Brevard Music Center, and more than one dozen schools in the tri-state area.  He currently studies with Marika Bournaki at Shenandoah Conservatory.

Alan Cary, Assistant Collaborative Pianist

 Alan Cary currently studies piano performance with Dr. John O'Conor at Shenandoah Conservatory, where in 2023 he won the highly competitive Concerto Competition. 

 

Specializing in classical masterworks, he has participated in numerous music festivals and workshops for promising new performers such as Brevard, Sewanee, and the Eastern Music Festival. 

Executive Leadership

David C. Freese, President and Treasurer
Mr. Freese enjoyed a 30-year career in finance and international development, working in the areas of financial reporting and compliance as well as

treasury operations.  He has also been on the board of the Friends of Samuels Public Library (Front Royal, VA) and the Master Gardeners of the Northern Shenandoah Valley.  A resident of the Shenandoah Valley since 2000, he has sung in choruses all his life and has been associated with The Valley Chorale for 15 years.


Pat Casey, Vice President
Ms. Casey retired to the Shenandoah Valley in 2014 after a successful, 32-year legal career in Washington DC. She was a partner in a major law firm and later a

Senior Vice President and manager of the legal department in a telecommunications company in Washington. Prior to law school, she was a high school English teacher for eight years. She is a member of the Master Gardeners of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and has been singing with The Valley Chorale and its predecessor

organization for some 10 years.
 
Sara Pavlak McGuire, At-Large
Ms. McGuire has 15+ years’ experience in the finance and private equity industries, working in both investor relations and acquisitions.   Additionally, she

possesses 7+ years of experience running a non-profit theatre company in Chicago, IL, and also worked as a stage actor in that city for 10 years.  She has received numerous nominations and awards for her theatrical work.

Linda Tokarski, Secretary
A retired physical therapist, Ms. Tokarski relocated to Virginia in 2020. She has been singing for more than 40 years in various choruses in New England and the southeastern United States. In addition to her role as Secretary, Ms. Tokarski also organizes the Chorale's social gatherings, where singers become better acquainted with one another and, as a result, sing better together.

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