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… was the Artistic Director of the Alexandria Kinderchoir from 2018-2020 and is delighted to continue his service as the Artistic Director once again. Ben is a native of Statesville, North Carolina. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Alabama, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Furman University. Currently, Dr. Hutchens is also the Director of Music Ministries at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria. At Westminster, he conducts a 60 voice adult choir, multiple handbell ensembles, and a robust graded children’s choir program. When not making music, he enjoys travel, cooking, and sailing.

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Reba Winstead, soprano, is a graduate from Catholic University’s Rome School of Music in classical performance. Reba has performed a wide variety of musical styles as supporting and ensemble roles in opera and musical theater productions, including The Nurse and Maddalena in Rigoletto, Gladys Hand in West Side Story, Mme. Hermione in M. Choufleuri, the Princess in Les Contes de Fées Réécrits, and oratorio performances. In 2023, Reba was the featured vocalist for the Alexandria Citizens Band Swing Ensemble.

Reba taught for 12 years as a lead instructor at Forte Music Studios, an independent music school in Fredericksburg, VA, before coming back to Alexandria. At Forte, she was teaching voice, piano, flute, recorder, and directing children’s ensembles. Once returning to Alexandria, Reba directed the Washington Sangerbund’s Kinderchor for 3 seasons, and currently continues to teach lessons in a home studio.

Reba also performs technical and back stage roles with Bel Cantanti Opera company as costume coordinator, stage manager, and assistant set director.

Reba is extremely excited to join the directing staff for Alexandria Children’s Chorus.

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… is absolutely thrilled to direct choruses of the Alexandria Children’s Chorus. Jacque (“Jackie”) pursued doctoral studies at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, with a Music Education emphasis. She received her Masters in Music, also from Thornton SoM, and Bachelor of Arts in Music from Cal Lutheran University. While at USC, Jacque taught general music to third through fifth graders as part of the Thornton Outreach program, and had a choir of second through fifth graders at St. Agnes School. For the last 12 years, Jacque has pursued a stage career in both opera and musical theater, notably as Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera National Tour for three years and over one thousand performances. She even played the Kennedy Center for two months! Her private vocal studio includes professional singers to first timers. This last year, she, like most of the world, pivoted, and became an Audio Editor and Project Manager for Arts Laureate, where she met her fiancé, Brian Isaac, Artistic Director for the Alexandria Choral Society (Kinderchoir’s sister organization). They live with their 14 year old orange cat, Gatsby, and 14 year old blind and deaf pup, Cosmo. When not making music, Jacque loves to camp, code, and cycle! Oh, and more than a few years back she was Miss California. Her favorite part of the job was meeting and talking with kids throughout the state in assemblies and classroom visits!

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… performs frequently in opera, concert, and recital settings. Her voice has been described as having a “…brilliant and shimmering tone,” and “perfect for the intimacy of the song recital”. The Washington Post called her performance of Marie in Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment “outstanding”. She has performed numerous times with Washington Musica Viva, IBIS Chamber Music Society, and at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, most recently to sing Dvorak’s Op. 32 Moravian Duets, which was broadcast on “Front Row Washington” on WETA-FM . Ms. Kluegel has also performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Monadnock Music Festival in Vermont, Reinzanaka Recital Series in Tokyo, Dayton Opera, Master Chorale of Washington, Virginia Opera, The Kennedy Center Orchestra, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera International and Capitol City Opera, among others. In past seasons she has sung Handel’s Messiah at the Kennedy Center concert hall. A recent performance of Samuel Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with IBIS Chamber Music Society was included in H. Paul Moon’s documentary of the composer. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music from Indiana University. Elizabeth was a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Elizabeth’s passion and focus on the developing adolescent and teen singer as well as the aging voice is carried through in her choral conducting and in her teaching. She enjoys working with singers ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to 70+. Her private voice students have gone to some of the most prestigious colleges and conservatories of music, including Manhattan School of Music, McGill University, Indiana University and Westminster Choir College. She is the Director of Music at Rock Spring Congregational UCC church in Arlington, and teaches voice privately in Arlington and Alexandria, VA.

…is the Kinderchoir’s founder and original Managing Artistic Director. Kay has experience leading early childhood music classes in the area and has taught music in the elementary school classroom setting. She is a classically trained soprano, who has embraced choral singing her entire life, and she currently sings with the choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Alexandria. Kay also holds a doctoral degree in Agricultural Sciences and is a devoted yoga teacher and practitioner, living in Del Ray with her husband and two children.

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…has many years of experience working with church and not-for-profit organizations. His education includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and history from Wheaton College, IL, St. Olaf and Luther Seminary, MN, and the University of North Carolina. He also studied not-for-profit executive management at Georgetown University, DC.

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We are always looking for new Board members to join our team! Please reach out to board@alexandriachildrenschorus.org if you are interested.