Michelle brings over 20 years of experience in music, educational leadership, fundraising, non-profit management, and fiscal management to her role as Executive Director. A Grammy®-nominated music educator and passionate nonprofit leader, she leverages a broad range of business consulting and nonprofit management skills in her role.  As a former accountant with EY, she worked on audit and consulting teams for fortune 500 companies. In her role as the Director of Institutional Fundraising and Development Services at The Curtis Institute of Music, she was instrumental in completing their largest ever capital campaign, raising over $40 million.  Michelle was a passionate music educator and department leader for the School District of Philadelphia for 15 years where she led a team of arts educators at a magnet performing arts high school and trained new music educators for the district yearly.  Students in her programs performed alongside musical greats including Kenny Loggins, Eric Church, Metallica, and Smokey Robinson. 

Michelle holds master’s degrees in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and in vocal performance from Florida State University.  She holds bachelor’s degrees in Accounting, Music, and Theater from Lehigh University. Michelle is also a classical singer and has performed locally with Opera Philadelphia, Lehigh Opera, and as a member of the Voices of The Philly Pops.  While not working in the Philadelphia music sphere, Michelle is a proud mom to twins and lives in New Jersey with her husband, Frederick.

An alumnus of Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale, Smith became Music Director in 2004 and has since led the choir on concert tours throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia.  Under his direction, the choir has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Ballet, Philly POPS, Opera Philadelphia and Curtis Institute. Venues have included the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.  Smith has led the group on local and national television including five consecutive annual appearances on “Good Morning America”.  Many political dignitaries have been an audience to the choir, including foreign ambassadors, presidents and prime ministers, and American ambassadors and presidents.

Smith is a 1999 summa cum laude graduate of Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. His original compositions and vocal/instrumental arrangements have been performed by various ensembles throughout the country, including the Toledo Symphony, York Theatre (NYC), Ocean City Pops and Philly POPS.  As a pianist in much demand, Smith has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Philly POPS, and for several shows on and Off-Broadway. He is also assistant conductor for the Philly POPS.

Nathan Wadley began his choral training at the age of eleven when he became a chorister with The American Boychoir, under the direction of Dr. James Litton, and he returned 15 years later to become the Resident Training Choir Director of The American Boychoir School, where he trained the newest choirboys in performance skills and musicianship. He has taught for over 20 years in both public and private school settings, and currently is on the faculty of Friends Select School in Philadelphia. Mr. Wadley earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University, and was awarded a graduate assistantship under noted conductor Dr. Guy B. Webb. He is a certified Kodály music educator, studying at both New York University and Capitol University in Columbus, Ohio.

Dominique DeSilva currently leads the Choral team at the Girard Academic Music Program and has also been a member of the All City High School and Middle School Choir committees for the past 6 years, serving as an assistant director for 2 years.

Mrs. DeSilva holds two degrees in Music Education from Temple University and focused her Master’s study on informal and community music learning, spending over a month in Ireland observing and participating in singing sessions.  As of Summer 2025, Mrs. DeSilva has earned a Master’s in Education and Principal Certification from the University of Pennsylvania.

As a music educator, Dominique strives to embed both formal and informal music learning strategies, working to build students’ musical excellence while centering community building and communal learning.  Mrs. DeSilva believes that, in order to create life-long music makers who are also good humans, we must ensure students see themselves, their lived experiences, and the lived experiences of others, in music.

Amanda directs all fundraising, marketing, and communications efforts at the Philadelphia Youth Choral Ensembles. Amanda’s experience includes four years at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she led the annual fund and the Friends of Music giving society as Assistant Director of Development. Amanda has served in fundraising and executive director roles for Choral Arts Philadelphia, the Bach Festival of Philadelphia, Burlington County Bar Association, and Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, and has consulted for numerous music organizations in the area.

As a trained singer with a passion for choral music, Amanda has performed professionally with various ensembles including The Philadelphia Singers, Meridian Vocal Consort, West Jersey Chamber Music Society, and serves as the mezzo-soprano soloist at First Presbyterian Church in Moorestown. Internationally, Amanda has directed at the Moravian Church Music Conference in Antigua and as part of opera choruses at the Spoleto Festival (SC) for four seasons.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Westminster Choir College and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from La Salle University’s Nonprofit Center.