Leadership & Artistic Staff

2024-2025 Season

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

Jared Berry is the Director of Choirs at Manhasset High School, where he leads the Symphonic Choir, Men’s Choir, Select Ensemble, and Kinsmen, and serves as the music director for the high school’s mainstage musical production. In addition to his work in public education, he is the Artistic Director & Conductor of the Babylon Chorale, an eighty-voice intergenerational community choir that presents annual holiday, classical, and pops concerts. Mr. Berry was the founding manager and is a current singer and board member with the Long Island-based eVoco Voice Collective, a premier chamber choir.

Mr. Berry has an extensive history of performance and leadership in the arts. Ensembles under his direction have performed at prominent venues such as the Chautauqua Institute and Carnegie Hall and have been invited to perform at ACDA state conferences. Internationally, he has appeared multiple times as a Music Director at the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate, England, where his productions have earned several awards, including SavoyNet’s 2019 Princess Ida (best musical direction and best chorus), Blue Hill Troupe’s 2015 Patience (overall first place, best animated chorus), and SavoyNet’s 2014 Thespis (second place, best concerted item).

His dedication to music education also spans over a decade as an instructor and Director for Administration at the New York State Summer School of the Arts (School of Choral & Vocal Studies), where he continues to shape young musicians. Previously, he was the Concert Music Director and Chorus Master for the Blue Hill Troupe, a New York City-based theater group that produces high-quality performances to support local charities.

As a leader, Mr. Berry is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, where he serves as the Honor Choir Chair for the 2025 National Conference in Dallas, TX. He has previously held roles as National and Regional Honor Choir Chair and as Program Chair for the Eastern Region Conference. Outside of music, he is an active member of Temple Am Echad, where he currently serves as the Vice President of Finance.

Mr. Berry holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Hofstra University, along with educational leadership certifications from the College of St. Rose and Hofstra University.

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PIANIST

Alice Marques is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where she earned a bachelor of music in piano performance and music education.  While at Potsdam, she studied conducting with Brock McElheran, piano with James Ball and Marion Carter, and was active in the Crane Opera Guild.   She received a master of arts and a master of education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and completed post-graduate coursework at New York University.  She is recently retired from the Commack School District, where she was a choral director. She is the former Principal Accompanist for the Long Island Children’s Choir, and a frequent accompanist at both SCMEA and NMEA festivals, as well as for various performances in schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

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SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Nicolette Minella is entering her third season with the Babylon Chorale as their Social Media Coordinator.

A proud graduate of both the MS Performing Arts Leadership and Management (’21) and BFA Musical Theatre (’20, Magna Cum Laude) programs at Shenandoah Conservatory, Nicolette has worn multiple hats in the New York and Virginia arts communities- from actor, to administrator, to educator. Currently, she serves as the founding Musical Theatre Instructor at The Music Academy for Special Learners, providing theatre-based classes and private lessons for students with special needs.

Over the last few years, Nicolette has worked arts administration positions at several nonprofits, including Theatre Forward, an organization dedicated to fundraising for the educational and outreach programming of its member theatres; LAByrinth Theater Company, a member-driven collective breaking artistic boundaries and creating new works; and Shenandoah Conservatory, assisting the managing director in facilitating theatre department activities.

In her four years of undergrad, Nicolette held leadership roles in two prominent student organizations, while balancing a rigorous class and rehearsal schedule as a Presidential Scholar. She produced over 25 plays with the Playwrights Performance Group, an entirely student-run organization that mounts student-written, directed, and performed short plays; she even rewrote the constitution and restructured organizational practices to make casting more diverse and equitable. Nicolette was also invited to pledge to Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honor Society, where she headed the Performance Committee responsible for event-planning- including multiple cabarets, original parody shows, and an annual drag show fundraiser. There, she received the Iota Award for her outstanding service.

Nicolette is so excited to be a part of the Babylon Chorale team!