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BGMC Staff
The staff of the BGMC has diverse musical backgrounds, but each brings a fresh perspective and dogged determination to bring innovative, beautiful, and engaging performances to our audiences.
- Reuben M Reynolds, III, Music Director
- Steven F. Smith, Executive Director
- Chad Weirick, Principal Accompanist and Assistant Music Director
- LeWana Clark, American Sign Language Interpreter
- Brian Griffin, Administrative Manager
- Jared West, General Manager
Reuben M. Reynolds, III
Music Director
Reuben M. Reynolds III is in his tenth season as Music Director of the nationally acclaimed Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. The Boston Globe stated, “The Georgia-born Reynolds brings an interesting resume and varied musical skills to the post… he is a skillful and resourceful conductor, and an emotionally generous one. Also, like Keith Lockhart, he boasts an easy, unpretentious way of speaking to the audience.”
After earning undergraduate degrees in both economics and music, Mr. Reynolds received his Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University where he was teaching assistant to Metropolitan Opera soprano Martina Arroyo, and was on the conducting staff of the Baton Rouge Lyric Opera. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music. In Kansas City, Mr. Reynolds served as Music Director of the Heartland Men’s Chorus from 1989 to 1998 and was also Conductor of the Philharmonia of Kansas City and the Kansas City Civic Opera Theatre.
In the summer of 1994, Mr. Reynolds made his European debut conducting the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra and the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra of Ostrava, Czech Republic. He returned to the Czech Republic to conduct the West Bohemia Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Reuben spent the summer of 1998 in St. Petersburg, Russia, conducting the Hermitage Camerata in the Catherine the Great Theatre.
An experienced opera conductor, Mr. Reynolds recently led a new production of Candide at Boston Conservatory, where he was praised by The Boston Globe for his “expert and idiomatic” conducting. With the Civic Opera he conducted the second performances of Mark Adamo’s opera Little Women, and with the Heartland Men’s Chorus he led the second production of Robert Moran’s new opera for chorus, Night Passage, as well as premieres of new works by Roger Bourland, Paul Siskind and John Mueter. In Kansas City, Mr. Reynolds also conducted productions of La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, The Turn of the Screw, Il Signor Bruschino, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Cosí fan Tutte, Albert Herring, West Side Story, Dr. Miracle and The Medium.
Steven F. Smith
Executive Director
Steven F. Smith has served as Executive Director of the BGMC since 1995. Under his leadership, the BGMC has blossomed artistically and earned a reputation as a highly respected and innovative non profit organization. During his tenure, the BGMC’s annual operating budget has grown from $150,000 to $600,000 and increased its annual audience by 220 percent.
As a consultant and presenter, Steve has worked with local non profits and given seminars on audience development, marketing, corporate sponsorship and fundraising for Arts/Boston, Greater Boston Choral Consortium and for national conferences of GALA Choruses and Chorus America. He serves as Board Chair of the Greater Boston Choral Consortium. He is also participating in the Achieving Excellence Executive Leadership Program for nonprofit cultural organizations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
A magna cum laude graduate of the Arts Management program at Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music, Steve has served as an arts administrator for 20 years. He programmed and produced more than 125 diverse concerts and special events for Northeastern University’s music department. At the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts, he worked with the resident Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director Leonard Slatkin coordinating classical programs. Steve also managed an international roster of concert organists and English cathedral choirs for Karen McFarlane Artists Management.
Trained as a trombonist, Steve has sung with the BGMC for 15 years. Other musical accomplishments include narrating Tubby the Tuba and appearing as soloist in Leroy Anderson’s Typewriter Concerto. Interests include cooking, American political history, and the arts. He and his partner reside in Boston.
Chad Weirick
Principal Accompanist and Assistant Music Director
A native of Rockford, Illinois, Chad graduated high school at the age of 15 and moved to New York City. There, he became the organist for Radio City Music Hall and rehearsal pianist for the Rockettes, a position that earned him a listing in ‘Ripley's “Believe It Or Not!”’ as the youngest musician to ever work full time on Broadway. He also was the pianist for various Broadway shows including “A Chorus Line”, “Shenandoah” and “The Act”. Subsequently he moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, where he received a Masters Degree in Composition under Malcolm Peyton. He also worked as music director for Marriott's Great America theme park in Gurnee, Illinois.
Chad‘s numerous choral arrangements have been performed and recorded not only by the BGMC, but many other choruses nationally and internationally. Currently he works in the choral department of Wellesley High School and is the Minister of Music at the First Congregational Church in Hanover, MA. In addition to his music credits, he is most proud of being a registered black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Chad thanks his partner David Slaga for his support, friendship and love.
LeWana Clark
American Sign Language Interpreter
LeWana Clark, a Texas native, has been on staff with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus since the 1989 Holiday concerts. Her unique style of interpreting incorporates not only the lyrics that are sung but also the tone and musical qualities of the melody. Since becoming nationally certified as an ASL/English Interpreter in 1979, she continues to provide ASL communication services for deaf, hard of hearing, and non-deaf consumers in Boston, across the Commonwealth, nationally and internationally. Although she spends most of her time working in court or in other legal settings, she’s also qualified to interpret in medical, mental health, governmental, educational and theatrical/performing arts settings.
Brian Griffin
Administrative Manager
As the most recent addition to the BGMC staff, Brian Griffin joined the organization in June 2006. Brian has worked in many capacities in the financial, publishing, and marketing industries, with an emphasis on technology and client relationship management.
Brian originally sang with the BGMC from 1992 to1996 and he was active in music and theater throughout school.
Raised in Concord, Massachusetts, Brian has been a resident of Boston’s South End for nearly 10 years. He enjoys cooking, exercise, computers, reading, movies, and sharing quality time with his family, friends, and his dog, Logan.
Jared West
General Manager
Jared West joined the BGMC staff as Operations and Events Coordinator in November 2002. He comes to the Chorus with a wide range of skills and a background in special events. His experience includes three years spent with Pallotta TeamWorks working on large-scale, bold and challenging multi-day fundraising events including the Boston-New York AIDS Ride, the AVON Breast Cancer 3-Day and the Canada-US AIDS Vaccine Ride. Jared has also spent time working for other non-profits including Zoo New England and American Student Assistance.
A native upstate New Yorker hailing from Lake Champlain, Jared has been in Boston since 1996. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Theater at the University at Albany, SUNY and his Masters of Science in Public Affairs from University of Massachusetts Boston.
Outside of the Chorus, Jared enjoys traveling, gardening and outdoor sports including running, biking and snowboarding. He completed his first Boston-New York AIDS Ride in 1997 and his first triathlon in 2001.