Kimberly Doucette
Kimberly Doucette has been Artistic Director of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus since the 2009-2010 season, after serving as an integral part of the artistic staff since 2005. Under her leadership, the WCC has solidified its reputation for vocal artistry, musical literacy, professionalism, and community outreach.
Through her unique training and experience in both singing and music education, Ms. Doucette has forged a reputation for excellence as a conductor, educator and performer. She has served as a presenter, clinician and adjudicator for the American Choral Directors Association and for regional music festivals and conferences. Ms. Doucette maintains an active private voice studio for singers of all ages and has developed a vocal study curriculum designed for younger singers that emphasizes the development of music literacy in addition to vocal technique.
An active performer and soloist, Ms. Doucette has appeared on stage and in concert throughout the region, most notably with OperaDelaware, Delaware ChoralArts, and the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. She is currently a member of and frequent soloist with the SsAM Collegium, the professional choral ensemble at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew.
Ms. Doucette holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education and Voice Performance from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s Degree in Voice Performance from the University of Delaware. She is certified in Elementary General Music by The Gordon Institute for Music Learning and is the Director of Education for OperaDelaware.
Lianna Magerr
Lianna Magerr is a non-profit leader, music educator, and singer who serves as the Executive Director for the Wilmington Children’s Chorus. Her love of music and education began when she joined the Wilmington Children’s Chorus as a chorister in 2007. Having worked her way up from chorister to intern, and later from Manager of Operations to Executive Director, she has been a member of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus family since eight grade. Ms. Magerr also works with many area schools and organizations as a teacher, clinician, and organizer, and serves as a director for the Neighborhood Choir program.
Ms. Magerr is a proud alumn of the Leadership Delaware Class of 2020 and the Catalysts Together Class of 2024. She continues to model a life-long love of learning in her pursuit of professional development. Her goal is to inspire the children of Delaware to find strength and resiliency within themselves, reach high levels of achievement, and change their world through music.
Philip Doucette
Philip Doucette has been the Associate Director of WCC since 2009 and served as chorus manager from 2005-2015. Mr. Doucette is the director of WCC’s Tenor/Bass Choir (TBC) and co-directs the other ensembles.
Mr. Doucette’s interest in the human voice has taken him down many paths as a performer, collaborator, teacher, conductor, researcher, and clinician. As a performer, he has extensive professional experience in a variety of styles including opera, oratorio, operetta, choral, musical theater, and popular styles including folk, rock, and pop. As an artistic collaborator and voice teacher, Mr. Doucette has had the pleasure of working with singers and artists of the highest caliber in opera, classical and contemporary concert music, musical theater, choral music, and jazz as well as non-western traditions including classical Arabic and Indian (Hindustani and Carnatic) song.
Phil is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with clinical experience assisting individuals recovering from vocal injury as well as variety of speech, language, and swallowing dysfunctions. He is a member of the Voice Care Team at Philadelphia Ear Nose and Throat Associates where he serves at a Speech-Language Therapist and Singing Voice Specialist.
He has been a featured presenter on issues relating to the changing young male singing voice for regional American Choral Directors Association events and has been a presenting lecturer at several colleges and universities on voice health and care for the high-performance voice user. He is Associate Director of the Thomas Jefferson University Choir. He is a regular reviewer for The Journal of Voice, a peer-reviewed journal of voice medicine and research.
Mr. Doucette holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from West Chester University. He is a member of The National Association of Teachers of Singing, The Voice Foundation, The American Speech and Hearing Association, the American Guild of Musical Artists and The American Choral Directors Association.
Pam Queen
Pamela Queen serves as the Program Coordinator for the Wilmington Children’s Chorus. As a native of Wilmington, Delaware, she is passionate about the state and the city of Wilmington. Pam has a background in music in addition to a background in the social services sector. Her interest in music started while singing in choir at the age of five years old at St. Peters Cathedral School, located on West 6th Street. Ms. Queen continued her musical career at Concord High School (home of the Raiders!)
Ms. Queen is also a graduate of Delaware State University, where she was a Senior Resident Assistant, a test proctor, Junior Class Secretary, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. After graduating in 2014, Cum Laude, with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a concentration in Criminal Justice, Ms. Queen prioritized working with children and young adults through positions with Wilmington Job Corps Center and Catholic Charities.
Noelle Picara
Noelle Picara is a vocal music teacher, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter with over 20 years experience teaching and studying internationally in Germany, India, and Cuba. In Wilmington, Noelle has been a song leader for the Poor People’s Campaign, accompanist for City Theater Company, and community drum circle leader for the Wilmington Alliance. As a teacher, Noelle has previously taught K-12 vocal music and directed musical theater at Kuumba Academy and the Tatnall School, producing hundreds of student performances such as the Coffee House at the Queen.
As a singer-songwriter, Noelle co-produced with Sam Nobles her last album, “The World Without Us,” featuring musicians such as Sharon Sable, Rob Zinn, and Brian Viglione. In 2022 Noelle married her long-time drummer and best buddy Jeremy Hebbel and became a mom to their daughter Jasper. She is thrilled and honored to become a member of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus.
Ariel Alvarado
Assistant DirectorAriel Antoinette Alvarado is the Assistant Director of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus, where she collaboratively conducts the Performing Choirs and works with our Neighborhood Choirs. Ariel came to WCC has the Inaugural Daniel L. Ridout Teaching Fellow. Ariel is a conductor, vocalist, and scholartist dedicated to restorative justice and student empowerment through culturally responsive pedagogy. Having grown up with little representation of her identities, Ariel’s work focuses on centering the voices of the marginalized and making connections across cultures.
Ms. Alvarado is also a Conducting Apprentice for the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and a member of the Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts flagship ensemble. She earned a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Alvarado makes meaning with the world around her through music and is journeying to leave the world a more beautiful place than she found it.
