EMBER’S LEADERSHIP TEAM
Dr. Deborah Simpkin King
Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D., is a conductor, new music advocate, and master teacher. She plays an active role in the vibrant Manhattan choral scene and serves the national and international music community through her guest conducting and body of published work.
Her current conducting affiliations include those as Founding Artistic Director of the semi-professional Ember, of Ember Choral Arts (formerly Schola Cantorum on Hudson); Vocal Faculty at Manhattan School of Music; and Director of Music and Arts at the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, NJ.
Ember Choral Arts is the parent organization of PROJECT : ENCORE™, an international advocacy initiative founded by Dr. King that promotes post-premiere performances of new music. Through PROJECT : ENCORE, and through the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab, she is at the leading edge of the new music industry, working with composers in finding post-premiere performances, and performing many premieres and post-premieres, herself.
Dr. King’s commitment to nurturing the next generation in the arts can be seen through the arts education initiatives at Ember Choral Arts, her long standing leadership of the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival, and the expansion of the New York Choral Consortium’s (which she Chairs) work to embrace and highlight young singers through the Big Sing Jr.
Dr. King is a conductor within Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and a frequent guest conductor of choral festivals and workshops. As a monthly columnist with ACDA’s The Choral Journal, and host of public radio’s Sounds Choral, (syndicated through WWFM), Dr. King serves the music community internationally. King also serves as Chair of the New York Choral Consortium (NYCC), served as coordinator of the NJ-ACDA HS Choral Festival between 1994 and 2018, and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on choral consortia and new music. Connect with her at DeborahSKing.com.
Founding Artistic Director
Ember Choral Arts Staff
Click on the Staff Member’s Name to Learn More About Them
Deborah Simpkin King, PhD, Founding Artistic Director
Mark Davies, Deputy Treasurer
Lana Norris, Assistant Conductor, Collaborative Pianist
Wayne Eastwood, Webmaster, PROJECT : ENCORE
Anna Willson, Ember Choral Arts Operations Manager and PROJECT : ENCORE Operations Manager
Susan Baer, Audition Coordinator
Kathleen Braslow, CFRE, Donor Management Consultant
Board of Directors
Gary Peterson
Gary Peterson became Board Chair in July 2024. He is the founder and President of IMAG, the International Management Advisory Group for the past 30 years. IMAG provides advisory services to global banks and institutions in the areas of governance, risk, compliance, and audit. He is a graduate of Lehigh University, summa cum laude, and a Juris Doctorate from the School of Law at Case Western Reserve University.
Interim Board Chair 
Richard Seeger
Richard is Schola’s Treasurer and Board member for the past 10 years. Originally from Saline, Michigan, Richard attended the University of Michigan School of Music but decided to pursue a career in accounting and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Cleary College.
Richard was a senior executive at American Standard Inc. from 1972. Throughout his career, he worked in the corporate tax department and eventually managed the payroll tax group for 25,000 employees and 7,000 retirees. Richard retired in 2005 having made a significant impact in his field.
Richard lives in Greenwich Village NY.
Treasurer
Alan, a retired CPA, is a nationally known subject matter expert regarding financial institution financial crime programs, with a deep knowledge of sound internal audit practices. He has over 25 years of experience and has worked with Boards, senior management teams and internal audit departments of more than 100 global and regional banks, non-bank financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies. For many years, Alan served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Foundation of the City University of New York (CUNY).
Alan Abel
Mark Davies
Mark is a management accountant turned IT professional, working with all the disciplines of international software project teams, both internally and with customers. Mark began singing at three years old to the record album of boy soprano Robertino and wishes he still knew any of the Italian in those songs – and some of those high notes. He is actively involved in the bass section of Church of the Holy Innocents in West Orange, NJ, has toured the U.S. with a contemporary worship band, and has soloed in front of thousands in contemporary worship services. Mark has been involved with Ember since 1999 as a baritone vocalist. He also previously served on the Board of Directors in 2002-2006 and again in 2012, serving as chair in 2002-2005. He is drawn to Ember not only because of the astounding artistry of Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, but also the talent, dedication, and heart of his fellow Ember vocalists.
Alyson is a singing member of Schola. She has a successful career in the areas of technology, digital performance and branding strategies. She is currently Head of Digital Performance Strategy Services at Adobe. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music degree from Depau University. Alyson has been on the Board for 6 years
Alyson Navarro
Billy Shaw serves as on the Board as a non-voting Artist Representative. He is a professional singer and a principal singer at Schola. He grew up in Towanda, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of the Arts where he studied Vocal performance and was a featured soloist with the Music Group of Philadelphia. He graduated with an emphasis in Musical Theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
Billy has performed in many touring and regional productions including the national tour of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot and was an ambassador soloist with the Sound of America European concert tour. He worked as a Lead Production Singer for Holland America Line for 8 years and had the opportunity to travel to all 7 continents.
Billy has performed in countless productions as an actor at the Metropolitan Opera including Aida, LaBoheme, Turandot and many more.
Billy Shaw
Jean Tait is an accomplished singer/actor/director whose wide-ranging career spans theatre, cabaret, television, film, and radio. Her extensive body of work for Theatre Jacksonville includes directing Hello, Dolly! (starring Broadway veterans Pamela Myers and Harvey Evans), Saving Grace, Over the River and Through the Woods, Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, Over the Tavern, Pack of Lies, Tsunami Tales, and Steel Magnolias (starring Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie, Pamela Myers, Sally Mayes, and Emily Swallow), as well as numerous musical reviews with Donna McKechnie, Amanda McBroom, and Linda Purl. Most recently, Ms. Tait directed the joint Florida Theatre/Theatre Jacksonville productions of Mame: The Broadway Musical in Concert in August 2024, starring Linda Purl and featuring a 26-piece orchestra and 30- member chorus, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in August 2025, starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman. Jean’s Off-Broadway directing credits with the Alternative Theatre Company include The Audition, The Proceedings, 13 Seconds, It Gets Better, Come Back Miss Calliope, Pearly Gates, and Hijab at First Sight. Ms. Tait helped establish the Jacksonville Film Festival (JFF) as Director of Programming and Executive Director, leading the festival through its formative years of growth and helping establish it as an important destination for the independent film community throughout the Southeast. Jean has served as a judge for the LA Press Club Journalism Awards in the category of Documentary Film and as a Preliminary Juror for the International Emmys in the category of Documentary Film. As an experienced teacher and coach, Ms. Tait specializes in audition preparation and helping performers find new depth in monologues and songs. She is currently using her talents as a performing member of Ember Choral Arts and as a Board Member of Theatre Jacksonville, the longest continuously-run community theatre in the country.
Jean Tait
Alex Wentworth has been a Board member for over 20 years. He has served as a Senior Staff Engineer at ITT Communications Systems in Clifton, NJ, with decades of experience. Working as a software engineer, he has designed and developed software for military radios and their networking equipment.
Alex has been a singing member of Schola since its inception in 1995, and prior to that, he was a singing member of the Jersey City University-based community chorus from which Schola was formed.
He has been a Board Member since July 2002, and served as Treasurer from July 2003 to June 2005.