NEWPORT SINGS STAFF

Bessie (She/they) has always had music as part of her life in many forms. She grew up singing in choirs and playing oboe for over a decade, playing in orchestras throughout Rhode Island. Later, she learned to play the accordion. She wrote songs, sang and played keys/accordion in a handful of bands. Although much of her creative energy is spent crafting and singing songs with her wife and child, she still writes/composes pieces and hopes to compose a piece for Quorus to sing one day. 

Bessie has been singing (and playing accordion) with Quorus since its inception. Bessie is now the alto section leader for Quorus. In her spare time, Bessie is also a Mechanical Engineer.

Drew has been singing in choirs, bands, acapella groups, and competitively for over 20 years. He has held several positions of leadership during this time including section leader of his high school choir, elementary classroom music teacher, and band leader for church growing up. He has a passion for music, especially vocals, and loves to watch people discover the magic of voices together in song.

After spending 10 years in the special education field all across New England and Utah, Drew has settled down in New England and is currently working in the mental health field. He firmly believes that a little kindness goes a long way and that music brings healing when we need it most. He lives with his wonderful girlfriend Sam and their dog Piper. 

Drew has been a member of Quorus for the last year and is happy to be joining this year as the Bass/Baritone section leader. He can't wait for everyone to experience our music in the year ahead.

Elise graduated from the University of Rhode Island where she earned her BA in Music Education. She is the founder of Voces Excelsis, the treble chorus at the University of Rhode Island. She started her career teaching Middle School Chorus and General Music in the public schools. Along with teaching at Newport Sings, she co-teaches a music course at MCI-Norfolk in Massachusetts. She currently serves on the leadership team of the artists collective Voices21C in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2019, she interned at the Casterbridge Music Development Academy in White River, South Africa. While in South Africa, she also taught General Music at Mshadza Disability Center. 

Caleb Hilyard is a Music Teacher and Assistant Band Director at East Providence High School where he teaches courses in piano, guitar, and instrumental ensembles. He also serves as the Assistant Director of the “Pride of East Providence” Townie Marching Band.

Caleb graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a BM in Music Education. While he studied saxophone as a primary instrument, he developed a love of singing and piano playing in college. When not making music, he enjoys summers on the beach and baking in the kitchen.

Kristin Lafferty is the music teacher at Nayatt Elementary School in Barrington, Rhode Island, where she teaches students in kindergarten through third grade and leads the Nayatt Third Grade Chorus. In addition to her work at Nayatt and with Newport Sings, she serves as a section leader for the choir at St. Gregory the Great Church.

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Kristin is actively involved in the choral community both locally and regionally. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (RIACDA), having previously held the role of Repertoire & Resources Chair for Elementary Choirs (2023–2025). She also managed the 2024 ACDA Eastern Division Elementary Honor Choir and will oversee the 2026 Eastern Division High School SATB Honor Choir. At the state level, she works closely with Rhode Island’s youth choirs, including serving as manager for the RI All-State Senior Treble Choir.

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Kristin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Rhode Island, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Her passion for music education and choral excellence continues to inspire young musicians across the state.

Julia works in the Office of Undergraduate Studies at Salve Regina University. She
graduated from Salve in 2017 with a BA in English Literature and Religious Studies.
She attended graduate school at Boston University and previously taught Religion at
Salve Regina. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and crafting, and loves
trivia nights with friends. Julia began singing in elementary school and continued
through college. In 2022, she joined Aquidneck Singers. Since then, she has been
loving Tuesday evenings with Aquidneck Singers!

Jan is a local musician and piano teacher who moved to Rhode Island in 2020, after raising her family in the Seattle area for 25 years. In addition to her role at Newport Sings, she serves as the Music Department Accompanist for Salve Regina University and the Director of Music for Channing Memorial Church in Newport. Jan's unwavering commitment to her craft, along with her ability to create beautiful musical experiences, make her an invaluable asset to the music community in Newport. When not at the piano, Jan can be found in nature, with her dogs.

Anik (they/them) has been a musician their whole life, starting with the violin at age 4. They have taken lessons in many instruments, including viola, piano, bass, and trombone, but love singing the most. In high school, Anik was part of many musical groups, and took private lessons. Now, they are the Tenor Section Leader for Quorus and a board member of Newport Sings. After a decade of working in academic and corporate tech, Anik is studying for an MS in Holistic Counseling at Salve Regina, and actively teaches yoga throughout RI. 

Mel (she/they) has loved music for as long as she can remember. She grew up singing and playing the violin and toured Europe twice with her orchestra before the age of 18. She rediscovered her love for choral music in adulthood through Aquidneck Singers and found herself wanting a place for the LGBTQIA+ community to rediscover their voices through song. She has been in Quorus, Newport's first Queer chorus, since its inception in 2023.

Mel works for a local nonprofit specializing in substance prevention and harm reduction, and is a certified full-spectrum doula. A long-time resident of Newport, she is a Pan/Bi parent of two amazing children and will forever be an advocate for their community.

Helen is a lover of music, having grown up in a family that played instruments and sang together. Helen has been singing her whole life, more formally singing in several choirs throughout her middle and high school years. After a few years without a choral group Helen was grateful to find the Aquidneck Singers in the fall of 2022. The community and joy that she finds with Aquidneck Singers keeps her coming back year after year. Helen works as an elementary school teacher. When not teaching she can be found bicycling, reading, baking, and gardening, often while singing the latest song that is stuck in her head.