H+H Youth Choruses
Ambassador Ensemble
"The teachers are amazing and they balance fun with learning very well." — HHYC Singer
The HHYC Ambassador Ensemble (grades 7-12) is for singers who are passionate about building community through collaborative performance. The singers in this ensemble are members of the High School Soloist program and/or are HHYC leaders. The ensemble performs a diverse selection of music from the Baroque and Classical periods, along with spirituals, jazz, folk songs, a cappella, and contemporary choral repertoire. This year, the ensemble will perform at the Opening Our Doors festival (hosted by The Fenway Alliance), at the Dedham Museum & Archive, and at the Hebrew Senior Center.
Faculty
Andrew Milne, conductor and HHYC alumnus
Leona Cheung, collaborative pianist
Faculty
Conductor
Andrew Milne
An avid conductor, singer, and music educator based in Massachusetts, Andrew Milne is thrilled to be in his 5th year on the faculty of HHYC. In this time he has worked as Associate Conductor with the Youth Chorale and Concert Choir, and currently in the same role with the Chorus of Sopranos and Altos and Chamber Choir. He is also the Conductor of HHYC's Ambassador Ensemble. He has helped to prepare choruses for performances with Jonathan Cohen, Raphael Pichon, and others. Outside of HHYC, Andrew serves as Director of Choirs at Auburn High School in Auburn, MA. His students have been accepted to district, state, and national honor ensembles, and his choirs have received top honors in festival performances. As a singer Andrew has sung with choirs such as the internationally acclaimed choirs of Joyful Noise in Torrington, CT with Dr. Gabriel Lofvall, and the Worcester Chorus under Dr. Chris Shepard. His conducting teachers have included Dr. Vernon Huff, Dr. Edward Bolkovac, and Dr. Julie Hagen.
In 2014 Milne was honored as the recipient of the Evangelyna Etienne Scholarship Award given by H+H to a member of the HHYC community for commitment and passion for vocal music; he is a 2010 alum of HHYC. Mr. Milne is passionate about community music making, sparking a joy and love of singing in his students, and helping singers understand and navigate the voice change. Andrew is an active member of NAfME, ACDA, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He holds a Bachelor's in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a Master's in Music Education: Choral Conducting from The Hartt School, and he is currently pursuing a DMA in Music Education at Boston University.
Collaborative Pianist
kim whitehead
Kimberly (Vars) Whitehead is thrilled to join the Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses faculty team as collaborative pianist for the Chorus of Tenors + Basses and the Ambassador with her esteemed colleagues, Dr. Kevin McDonald and Andrew Milne. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in piano and organ performance from the University of New Hampshire, and went on to complete her Master’s degree in organ performance at Boston University as a student of James David Christie.
Whitehead comes to HHYC with 35 years of experience accompanying choirs and musicians, and has spent the last 25 years teaching piano and conducting. She currently serves as Minister of Music at The First Congregational Church of Milford, NH and as collaborative pianist for Souhegan Valley Chorus and Milford (NH) High School. Passionate about handbells, she serves on the national committee for handbells/ handchimes in schools and is recognized internationally. Whitehead loves photography, museums, the beach, travel, but most especially spending as much time as possible with her three amazing children including her youngest daughter who is in Youth Chorale!