Chris Badgett (Tenor)
Chris is a middle school choir director and general music teacher. He attended Lynchburg College for music education where he performed in many instrumental and choral ensembles. Chris is currently working on his Master of Music Education at Boston University and is expected to graduate in may of 2024. In his free time, Chris likes to read and watch movies.
Lauren Utz (Alto)
Lauren Utz is currently an Academic Evaluator and graduate student at Liberty University. Originally from Kansas, she is a midwesterner at heart. Since moving to Lynchburg in 2016, she has loved getting to experience all of the arts that the community has to offer. This has included performances at LU, in community theatre, and at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Whether she is on the stage, behind the curtain, or in the audience, the best part is always seeing the way music brings people together. Her other hobbies include cooking, reading, painting, and playing Mario Kart with her husband, Caleb. She is thankful for another opportunity to share her love of music with this wonderful choir!
Emily Toth (Soprano)
Emily is a middle school social studies teacher and assistant cheer coach at Sandusky Middle School. Emily also works part time as a Bar Associate at the Academy Center of the Arts. She grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia but left to attend James Madison University where she received her Bachelor’s in History and Masters in the Art of Teaching. Emily participated in choir and theatre in her middle and high school career. Once she left for college she didn’t have time to participate in the arts, but performed in Masterworx production of Beauty in the Beast in the fall of 2022. Outside of work and the arts, Emily loves outdoor activities, reading, and spending time with her newlywed husband and cats.
Libby Gatzke (Alto)
Libby has been active in the performing arts scene in the Lynchburg area for well over 40 years. She’s a retired RN with an amazing husband, 2 wonderful daughters and sons-in-law, 6 incredible grandkids and a bevy of bodacious friends! She currently serves as secretary on the Board of Directors at Commerce Street Theater where she has also tackled a variety of roles including actor, director, stage manager, costumer and props mistress. She’s a lover of ALL styles of music and Seven Hills Chorus makes her singing heart very happy!!
Brooke Owens (Soprano)
Brooke Owens works as a courtroom clerk at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court here in Lynchburg. She moved from the Poconos in Pennsylvania to Lynchburg in 2004 after graduating from Lynchburg College. Since then, she has gotten involved in community theater, spending a little time on stage but mostly behind the scenes stage managing. Brooke is beyond excited to be singing again with The Seven Hills Chorus. In her free time, Brooke volunteers with Wolfbane Production and loves writing, reading and everything Halloween. Brooke also loves being a mom to her cat, Sir Atticus Finch and her bunny, Thumper.
Ali Cox (Alto)
Ali has loved theater, singing, and piano from a very young age. From performing in plays, to piano recitals, to singing in several bands, music is an enduring passion. As a career elementary teacher, Ali begins each day by playing the guitar and singing with her first graders. Ali’s son, daughter, and husband are enthusiastic audience members in all of her endeavors which means the world. Being a part of this talented chorus has been an absolute pleasure.
Christen Brunstetter (Alto)
Christen Brunstetter is a Southern California-native speech-language pathologist in the acute care and skilled nursing settings. When not at work, she enjoys performing and watching musical theatre, taking dance fitness classes at The Vibe Studios, watching Lakers basketball, and eating Outside the Cone ice cream. Christen is excited to be a part of the inaugural group of singers for The Seven Hills Chorus!
Shadia Suleman (Soprano)
Shadia is a first year college student with a passion for music. She has been in choir since elementary school and is pursuing a music major. She loves drawing, writing, and binging tv on her free time!
Paula Watson (Soprano)
Paula works locally as an administrative assistant for a law firm and is glad to be a member of the Seven Hills Chorus. She has loved to sing since she was a little girl, whether it was in chorus at school, at church, or just karaoke at home with her cousins. Outside of singing, Paula enjoys reading, writing poetry, watching cooking and home design shows, and hearing a good dad joke
Michelle Gervasio (Alto)
Michelle is a lifelong lover of choral music and been in a choir as long as she can remember. In her spare time, she loves to dabble in anything creative from sewing to baking to blacksmithing. In her not-so-spare time, she is an engineering professor at Sweet Briar College. Michelle and her husband, Stephen, are relative newcomers to Lynchburg and are proud parents of two cats.
Ginny Gordon (Soprano)
Meet Ginny Gordon! She began participating in choirs at age 3 and has been singing at church, at school, and at home ever since! Ginny took a break from choral singing for a few years to navigate early motherhood. Now, as a homeschool mom of two little boys, she is excited to interact with adults and pursue one of her own hobbies again through The Seven Hills Chorus.
Meredith Baer (Soprano)
Meet Meredith! She is SO excited to be a part of the Seven Hills Chorus! She has been leading worship at her church for the past decade, but has missed choral singing so much! She is so thankful to get back to singing in a choir again! Meredith has been singing since she could talk, and she was in elementary, middle and high school chorus. She was in the show choir in her high school and was named to All-District Chorus during her junior and senior years! She went on to study voice for about 9 years and further developed her vocal skills. She is thrilled to continue to use her voice in this choir and make beautiful music!
Grace McFarland (Alto)
Meet Grace! Grace has been interested in music for as long as she can remember and started taking piano lessons at the age of 10. Grace continued with piano lessons while engaging in various musical pursuits, including worship teams, choral groups, and dabbling with the Celtic harp. After moving to VA for her undergrad degree, however, she struggled to find her musical niche. Grace is excited to be a part of the choir, as it gives her a new opportunity to creatively express herself and collaborate with other people who are just as into music as she is!
Kristen (Alto)
Meet Kristen! Music is in her blood – Kristen’s mother was a pianist, singer, and music director and her father was a singer. Over the years, Kristen has been in church choirs, high school and college choral groups, and community choruses (she sang with FACination through the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center for years). Kristen continues to sing with her church choir and with a band – Clandestyne Highway.
She was so excited when she found out about the Seven Hills Chorus and was absolutely thrilled when selected to participate. Kristen says that singing with the Seven Hills Chorus brings so much joy to her soul!
Kristen (Alto)
Meet Lauren! After she and her husband moved to Virginia, Lauren was looking for a local organization to join so she could be surrounded by like-minded individuals. The Seven Hills Chorus fit the bill! Lauren grew up singing in her church choir and played the clarinet for several years in her younger days. Music is a wonderful outlet that brings her great joy and peace!