OUR STAFF

Allan Laiño, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

American Prize winner Allan Laiño (“lah-EE-nyoh” or / la ‘ʔi njo / ) is the fourth Artistic Director of the Congressional Chorus. As a second-generation Filipino-American with wide-ranging musical influences, he aims to reshape the landscape of American choral artistry by creating an environment in which all voices can flourish.

Laiño has prepared choral ensembles for the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop, BSO Pops and Jack Everly, NSO Pops and Steven Reineke, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, and the Josh Groban Live National Tour. He has conducted onstage at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Kennedy Center Opera House, and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center. His performances have been televised on programs such as the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, CNN’s Live from the Capitol: January 6, One Year Later, and EWTN’s Annual Christmas Concert for Charity broadcast to over 140 countries worldwide. As Co-Conductor of the Sunday Night Singers in 2012, he earned First Prize at the World Choir Games in the Mixed Chamber Choir Champions Division. He is the 2018 winner of The American Prize—Community Chorus Division, and was a finalist in two categories for the 2020 The American Prize in Composition.

As the Principal Conductor & Advanced Studies Director for the National Children’s Chorus, Laiño conducts the Premier Ensemble and Scholars and directs the advanced musicianship program nationwide. As Co-Artistic Director of DC-based professional ensemble, Bridge, Laiño produced, edited, directed, and sang in America, You’re Beautiful, an award-winning short film that merged spoken word and choral music to examine racism in America. The film won the 2021 Black Truth Film Festival and 2021 Queens Underground International Black and Brown Film Festival, and was an official selection for numerous film festivals.

Laiño served on the choral conducting faculty for the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America from 2016–2021. He directed the University Singers, who performed annually with the CU Symphony Orchestra under his baton for The Annual Christmas Concert for Charity at the National Shrine. He is a former member of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the resident professional chamber choir for which he has also guest-conducted in Masses. He has sung with groups such as Bridge, the Yale/Norfolk Music Festival Chamber Choir, Chantry, The Trinity Chamber Orchestra, the Sunday Night Singers, the Horizon Chamber Choir, and the Pacific Chorale. 

Dr. Laiño was a Diversity Fellowship recipient at the University of California, Irvine, earning his M.F.A in Choral Conducting (2009) and B.A. in Voice/Music (2006). He moved to the DMV in 2012 to pursue his D.M.A. in Choral Conducting (2015) at the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Bowie with his wife, Crossley Hawn, an accomplished vocalist in DC, their son, Ziven, and their cat, Kawai. They love the outdoors, gastronomy, and curling up on the couch to watch movies.

DELORIS AGEE, program director, NOrthEAST SEnior singers

Deloris is delighted to co-direct the NorthEast Senior Singers with fellow teaching artist Pedro Hart. She has been a member of this group of singers since 2003. Since assuming the role of teaching artist in Fall 2020, Deloris has helped prepare members to participate in an all virtual season. Under her direction the chorus produced its first virtual concert, This Little Light of Mine, and a full-length holiday concert, Proclaiming the Season: Peace, Love, and Joy. A third concert is planned for Spring 2021.

Deloris brings to this position over 30 years of experience as a choir director for all age groups.  Her experience in the area of creative arts includes drama and play writing. For the past two years she has been the creator and program manager for the Puppets for Potential where she crafted over 25 hand puppets. 

Most important to Deloris is being able to provide compassion and effective leadership to help develop an improved level of music appreciation for our seniors.  She believes motivating them to participate will aid in a healthier level of mental health and wellness in addition to a sense of belonging.

Married for 50 years to Onizene, she has three sons and seven grandchildren.

george stewart, music director, northeast senior singers

George Stewart is a widely sought-after musician due, in part to his versatility and love for music regardless of denomination or genre. George joined the Congressional Chorus during the 2021-2022 season. He has been blessed to share his gift in various venues ranging from small Pentecostal storefront churches to television studios, in concert halls on both coasts, with his past choir, Pentecostal Glory, being the first African-American Catholic Gospel Choir to perform at the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.

Among George’s greatest honors was being invited to perform at the White House for its annual Black History Month Celebration in February 2021 and to grace the altar as one of the musicians for the Junipero Serra Canonization Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

George served more than 35 years as choir director, accompanist and minister of music for several area churches and played on several recordings including the GIA-published “Catholic Classics, Volume VII,” and the Holy Comforter St Cyprian’s Church Choir’s “We Offer Praise.” He currently serves as the director of music for the Holy Comforter St Cyprian’s Church.

JONATHON HAMPTON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, AMERICAN YOUTH CHORUS

Jonathon Hampton is a unique and versatile singer and conductor with nearly 20 years teaching experience, specializing in spirituals, early classical music, and contemporary popular repertoire. He is Artistic Director of American Youth Chorus in Washington, DC and previously created choral programs at Washington International School; at Grace Church in Newark, New Jersey; at his alma mater Cornell University and with alumni in New York; and in California at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Richmond's King Elementary, Caliber Beta Academy, and San Francisco Early Music Society's Music Discovery Workshop and Youth Collegium.

Having spent his youth in The American Boychoir, Hampton became Associate Director of Music and Outreach for another rare choir school, the Grammy-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. Over 14 years, he taught all ages, recorded several albums, conducted tours, camps, and orchestral collaborations, managed recruitment, community programs, marketing and communications administration, and was principal conductor of the training chorus for day-school grades 4-8 and the after-school a cappella group of high schoolers, Continuum.

Hampton has also been Artistic Director of the adult Renaissance ensemble, Tactus SF, and Associate Director of San Francisco Youth Chorus. Also in California, he’s been guest conductor of Piedmont East Bay Children's Chorus, Cantare’s Nova Choir, the Cathedral of Christ the Light, Lafayette Christian Church, and Enriching Lives Through Music. In New York he has guest conducted the Cornell University World Music Choir and at Trinity Wall Street and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church; in New Jersey at Trinity Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and Trinity and St. Philip's Cathedral. 

In addition to business management for several of the aforementioned, Hampton spent five years in arts administration with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, and more recently with American Bach Soloists, Vocal Arts DC, and now Strathmore. He’s also recently been appointed as a board member of Experiments in Opera.

As a professional vocalist, Hampton sings alto, tenor, and baritone. He’s heard on 17 commercial recordings, including his solo album, Negro Spirituals: Songs of Trial & Triumph. In 2022 he was honored as a Heritage Keeper by Friends of Negro Spirituals. With guitar and piano, he also sings contemporary, popular music, including songs of his own. He often performs with Washington Douglass Chorale and with the choir of Washington National Cathedral. He has also recently performed with the schola of St. John Paul II National Shrine, Washington Master Chorale, Cathedral Choral Society, National Philharmonic Chorale, and Washington Men’s Camerata among many others. JonHampton.com

Dr. Steven seigart, principal collaborative pianist, congressional chorus

Based in the Washington D. C. area, Dr. Steven Seigart's musical pursuits and interests are diverse and occupy a unique niche in the worlds of sacred music and music education. Dr. Seigart enjoys a rich and varied musical life as conductor, organist, pianist, composer, and teacher.
 
Dr. Seigart is currently the Director of Music and Organist at the historic Old Presbyterian Meeting House in Alexandria, VA, where he continues nearly 250 years of ministry and leadership in the community. At the Meeting House, he directs several amateur and professional choirs, supervises the youth and children's music programs, and runs their popular "Concerts with a Cause" series, whose recent highlights have included period-instrument performances of Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem. Previously, Dr. Seigart served as Music Director at the Church of Saint Joseph in Bronxville, NY, where in addition to weekend liturgies, he led an active concert series with the Orchestra of Saint Joseph and Parish Choir, and led them on a choir tour to Salzburg and Vienna, performing Mozart's Coronation Mass in the Salzburger Dom. In 2017, Dr. Seigart earned the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied with Dr. Edward Maclary. At UMD, he served as co-conductor of the University Chorale, chorus master and assistant conductor for the Maryland Opera Studio, and assistant conductor of the Chamber Singers, which he has prepared for concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he completed the Master of Sacred Music degree at Boston University, specializing in choral conducting under the tutelage of Dr. Ann Howard Jones. He also served as Assistant Conductor for the BU Tanglewood Institute Chorus for three consecutive summers. As an opera conductor and coach, Dr. Seigart served as the musical director/conductor for the Arezzo Opera Festival, Assistant Conductor/Coach for Opera Saratoga, and chorus master for the Boston University Opera Institute. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
 
As a composer and arranger, Dr. Seigart's works have been heard in the US and Europe, and has had several commissions from choirs and instrumental ensembles across the country. His anthem, "Rejoice in the Lord Always" was the winning submission for the Eighth International Anthem Competition of First Baptist Church, Worcester, MA and his arrangement of the Widor Toccata for Harp Quartet continues to be performed around the world. He has written works for chorus, organ, handbells, harp, piano, brass, strings, and voice, and is published both by the University of Rochester Press and his own company, Steven Seigart Publishing. Dr. Seigart is an ASCAP licensed composer and publisher.

Dr. Seigart is also active as a collaborative pianist and is frequently in-demand as a continuo player (harpsichord and organ), performing recently with the DC Honor Choir Festival, Meeting House Orchestra, Orchestra of Saint Joseph, the University of Maryland Chamber Singers and Chorale, the Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, the Eastman Collegium Musicum, the Schola Cantorum of Christ Church, Rochester, and numerous theater companies.

Dr. Iris Cheng, pianist, american youth chorus

Noted for her “dynamic and graceful” performances imbued with “virtuosity” and “truly lyrical expression,” American pianist Iris Cheng has given performances across the United States and Canada and has garnered numerous awards. An avid soloist and chamber musician, Iris is a founding member of the Cheng-MacLean Duo and has collaborated with a wide variety of outstanding instrumentalists and singers including violist Marina Thibeault, cellist Julie Trudeau, pianist Heidi Louise Williams, the Florida State University Singers, and the National Children’s Chorus. In 2022, the Cheng-MacLean Duo gave their New York debut in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, performing works from the 20th and 21st century, including a commissioned piece by Kyle W. Brown. Iris has worked with distinguished American composers including Shawn Okpebholo, James Primosch, Liliya Ugay, and Brian Raphael Nabors; her programming highlights the rich diversity of contemporary works through the performance of solo and chamber works by Henri Dutilleux, George Enescu, Leoš Janáček, Béla Bartók, Jennifer Higdon, and Joan Tower. Upcoming projects include a solo debut album to be released by Albany Records featuring contemporary piano works and recorded premieres by Eleanor Alberga, James Lee III, Brian Raphael Nabors, Shawn Okpebholo, and Hannah Kendall.

Prizewinner of the International Young Artist Piano Competition and Florida State University College of Music Carnegie Hall Entrepreneurship Competition, and recipient of the James Streem Scholarship, Rockwood Endowed Scholarship, and Tallahassee Music Guild Scholarship Janice Harsanyi Award, Iris completed her DM in Piano Performance and two MM degrees, in Piano Performance and in Piano Pedagogy-Performance, from the Florida State University. She completed her BM Piano Performance degree at Wheaton College, Illinois, and has also participated in national and international music festivals including Domaine Forget International Music Festival, Camp Musical des Laurentides, and the MasterWorks Festival. Her piano mentors include Dr. Heidi Louise Williams, Dr. Daniel Paul Horn, Faye Bonner, Philip Chiu, Chiharu Iinuma, and Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla. 

An active pedagogue, Iris is artist-faculty for the Tutti Chamber Music Summer Festival Program in Wheaton, Illinois, faculty at the Opal Music Studio in Alexandria, Virginia, Associate Pianist for the National Children’s Chorus, and pianist for the American Youth Chorus. She also maintains a private studio. Prior to relocating to Washington D.C., Iris served as adjunct instructor at Wallace Community College in Dothan Alabama and on the board of the FSU Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Chapter.