Jaquetta Bustion found her voice as a choral singer while pursuing her Master’s degree in Music and Music Education at Columbia University; since then she has lent her voice to groups such as New Amsterdam Singers and Coral Cantigas. Also a classical pianist, Jaquetta earned her B.A. in music and literature from Brown University. She has taught thousands of children the joy of making music, and currently develops curriculum and teaches at Community Roots Charter School in Brooklyn.
Janet Davidson has been singing since preschool, having started out in children’s choruses and girls’ ensembles at church. In high school, Janet began studying classical voice and was awarded first in state for female vocal solo her senior year by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. She went on to graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. After college she sang with the Texas Early Music Project and the Conspirare Symphonic Choir in Austin, in addition to performing in musicals, most notably with the award-winning Austin Musical Theatre until its final season in 2003. After arriving in NYC, Janet sang with the Juilliard Choral Union in its last year (2006-2007) and has since sung with the Clurman Singers, Central City Chorus, Amuse, and as a soprano ringer in area churches. Favorite choral moments have been performing in “Kristin Chenoweth: Live at the Met,” “Jason Robert Brown: American Songbook” at Lincoln Center, and in concerts at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops under conductor, Marvin Hamlisch. Janet is currently a member of the choir at The First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich Village, and in her “day job” she has a support role on an asset management team at a firm in Midtown.
Bonnie French has been a student of music her entire life. She discovered her love of choral singing in high school under the mentorship of Deborah B. O'Brien and went on to earn a BA in Music from Swarthmore College. In addition to teaching 8th grade chorus for several years, Bonnie has participated in a number of choirs and choruses, including Greenwich Choral Society, Amuse, and the Dessoff Choirs. Inspired by a variety of choral ensembles from Anonymous 4 to Voci Nobili, she draws particular influence from groups such as Sweet Honey in the Rock who combine world-class musicianship with social consciousness. Alongside her musical life, Bonnie is an avid student of yoga, and she is a PhD candidate in Sociology at The Graduate Center, CUNY with a focus on racial inequality in the US.
Akiko Fuchisawa began singing in choirs at the age of 10 in Japan and has continued to do so in Canada, where she performed for Queen Elizabeth II, and the US. While also a member of Sacrum Convivium (an early music eight-voice ensemble), she particularly admires contemporary choral music from Finland, Estonia, and Hungary. In her “spare time,” she works as an immunohematologist.
Liz Geisewite has been living and singing in NYC since graduating Truman State University with an M.A. in Vocal Performance in 2005. Some of the ensembles with whom she has performed include: Cerddorion, Amuse, Saint Joseph's Singers, Canopus, New York Choral Society, Melodia, The Choir of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, the UN Singers, and the Carnegie Hall Professional Choral Workshop. She studied voice with Dr. Debra Lynn at Manchester College (North Manchester, IN) and Dr. Phyllis Robertson (Truman State University), and choral conducting with Dr. Mark Jennings (Truman State University). Among her favorite ensembles are: Putni, Kitka, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Pro Musica, and Trio Medieval. When she's not working as Adult Education Director for a non-profit organization in Brooklyn, Liz teaches fitness classes (including Punk Rope) at the YMCA, volunteers with The Doula Project, and plays tenor sax in the Rude Mechanical Orchestra.
Mary Kaufman graduated from SUNY College at Oneonta with a BA in Music Business. Since moving to New York City, she's performed with the Dessoff Choirs, Amuse, and currently sings with the Zion Episcopal Parish Choir in Queens. Mary has also had the pleasure of performing Ravel's Daphne et Chloe at Carnegie Hall and Charles Ives' Holiday Symphony at Lincoln Center with the San Francisco Philharmonic under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Besides enjoying choral music, Mary is a huge fan of hard rock, an avid New York Rangers fan, and currently works in Online Marketing for a publisher.
Kristin Mannion is a newcomer to Accord and the NYC choral community. She has always enjoyed singing - in church choir as a child, in choruses and chamber choirs in high school and college, and in various musical theater productions. She works at a small Bronx high school called Wings Academy teaching English to the masses and Performing Arts to the few: the dedicated members of the Wings Drama Club. She loves helping young people develop their talents, but is also very glad to be performing again herself, especially with the talented and accomplished ladies of Accord.
Ronika McClain has been a choral singer since the age of 6 when she joined the San Francisco Girls Chorus. With the SFGC she performed several symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony, sang in the 2007 World Choral Symposium in Kyoto, Japan, traveled to China and South Korea, recorded three CDs and performed commissions by such composers as Frank La Rocca, Chen Yi, and Eleanor Daley. During her time in high school, she spent each summer singing with the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong and performed with the OBF Symphony and Choir. While at the Oregon Bach Festival, she sang major choral works and performed with Bobby McFerrin, Thomas Quasthoff and was on Prairie Home Companion. Upon graduating high school, she left the Bay Area to attend Parsons The New School for Design to study photography, and is immensely excited to continue her choral singing career.
Jennifer O’Neill has been a vocalist for over 15 years and has experience in classical choral music ranging from medieval chant to American and European contemporary music. A resident of New York City, she has sung with Musica Viva of New York, Amuse, Dessoff Symphonic Choir, and Amor Artis, for which she is also a board member. Ms. O’Neill has performed in dozens of NYC-area venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Jewish Museum, and Yankee Stadium, and has performed abroad in Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, and Cesky Krumlov. Recent choral recordings include Sacred Jewels: The works of Tomás Luis de Victoria on Amor Artis Edition and The Salzburg Mozart on Lyrichord. Jennifer also performs and tours with Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica, a 21-piece big band that performs space-age, big band music of the late arranger, Juan Garcia Esquivel, and can be heard on the newly released album, The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel. When she is not singing, Jennifer is a classical flutist and student of classical ballet, which she has studied for over 20 years. She is also a financial services operations leader at one of the “big 4” accounting firms and holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Boston College.
Kristina Vaskys has been involved in making music since childhood. Whether singing, dancing, or playing an instrument, music has always been an integral part of her life. Since moving to New York in 2003, she has performed with various ensembles, including Sweet Amaryllis, Cerddorion, Uncommon Chord, Izvornotes, and Bosilek Folk Dance Ensemble. Kristina earned her BS in Music Therapy from Duquesne University and currently teaches recorder, chorus, and general music at Village Community School. Whenever she catches a free moment, she spends her time Balkan folk dancing and dreaming of her next overseas adventure.