The people who make it all possible.
Nicholas Sienkiewicz (he/him) is a conductor and music director currently based in NYC.
Nick has studied conducting under Dr. Chris Albanese, Dr. Betsy Burleigh, Dr. Dominick DiOrio, and Professor Walter Huff at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to this, Nicholas studied with Professor Austin McWilliams, and sang under the tutelage of Dr. Kimberly Dunn Adams at Western Michigan University. Post-graduate conducting mentors include Ted Sperling and David Bloom.
Nick's ensembles have been seen everywhere from Pennsylvania's Miller Symphony Hall, to GALA Festival in Minneapolis, to NYC's Carnegie Hall stage and collaborated with celebrity performers such as Scott Hoying.
Nick is known for his energetic podium presence, clear and inspiring gesture, and ability to lead large ensembles in high-level performances. A sought-after clinician and adjudicator, he has presented at national and international conferences and is published in Choral Journal and American Choral Review. He currently serves as Repertoire and Resources Co-Chair for Research for NY-ACDA and as Interest Session Chair for the ACDA Eastern Region Conference (2024, 2026).
An accomplished pianist and Music Director, Nick has worked Off-Broadway, regionally, and in new musical development, with credits at Vanguard Theatre, Timber Lake Playhouse, Farmers Alley Theatre, and the Barn Theatre. He is music assistant for the Broadway-bound Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical.
Nick holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Musical Arts from Western Michigan University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University. He was a conducting fellow with NYC’s Queer Urban Orchestra and currently directs the Youth Pride Chorus of NYC while teaching in the BFA Musical Theatre program at the New York Film Academy.
Liz Olson
INTERIM ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
FALL 2025
Dr. Liz Olson is a conductor, educator, and vocalist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
She is currently the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where she conducts the Dolce Treble Choir and Glee Club, assists the University Choir and Choral Union, and teaches Aural Skills and Music History. She recently completed her Doctoral Studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her research focuses on vocal science techniques for the collective choral setting and the choral music of composer Melissa Dunphy. At UW-Madison, Olson worked with the Advanced Treble Choir and University Chorus, and was awarded the prestigious University Fellowship.
In 2023, Olson founded and became the Artistic Director of a community choir in Wisconsin called Cheers, Madison! LLC, which has grown to serve over 170 singers for each concert cycle in the greater Madison area. She was awarded second place for the 2024 American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, and was a finalist for the 2024 American Prize Ernst Bacon Award. Olson is also engaged in research regarding the gender bias in choral higher education, and presented this research on a panel during the National American Choral Director's Association Conference in the spring of 2023.
She has also earned degrees from the University of South Carolina (BM Music Theory) and the University of Colorado Boulder (MM Choral Conducting). While in Boulder, she was the Music Director at Niwot United Methodist Church and the Director of the chorus at the University of Colorado Anschutz. She was a finalist in the Southwestern ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition in 2018. Upon graduation from the University of Colorado Boulder, Olson returned to South Carolina, teaching various levels of high school Chorus and International Baccalaureate Music in Hartsville, South Carolina.
Lauren Murphy
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Lauren Smith is a vocal music teacher based in the Lehigh Valley.
She is currently the choral and general music teacher at Southern Lehigh Middle School where she directs the Southern Lehigh Middle School Choirs and Spartan Chorale. She previously taught in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District and has been a music director for many local theatrical productions. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College where she studied voice with Deborah Montgomery-Cove and conducting with Dr. Troy Robertson and Dr. Janet Galván. She served as the student conductor of the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, a community choir based in Ithaca, NY dedicated to the preservation of spirituals and the legacy of American civil rights activist, Dorothy Cotton. Upon graduation, she continued to sing with the ensemble and was a featured soloist with the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She currently sings with the Lehigh Valley Chorale, is a Choral Scholar at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and is on the board of the Phillipsburg Area Summer Youth Theatre.
Kimberly Poloni
COLLABORATIVE PIANIST
Kimberly Poloni is a Lehigh Valley native who received her undergraduate degree in piano performance.
She owned and operated her own teaching studio for over 20 years. She served as staff accompanist for many of the local colleges including Moravian, Muhlenberg and DeSales University. She has had the privilege of accompanying master classes hosted by guest artists including Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell. She currently accompanies many local high school and professional musical ensembles in the Lehigh Valley including the Freddy Awards. In 2014, Kim earned a Master of Science degree from Philadelphia University and currently works as a board-certified occupational therapist. During her work as an occupational therapist, she discovered a passion for health and wellness. She went on to study at Duke University and became a certified health coach and received her personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Kim currently operates her own practice, Alive and Well Integrative Health Coaching LLC. Despite pursuing multiple career paths, music will always remain the constant.
2025 Maks Johnson Fellows
The Maksym Johnson Memorial Musical Fellowship nurtures the next generation of creative musical leaders—whether in education, conducting, or vocal performance—by providing hands-on experience working alongside the Artistic Director and access to master classes with guest composers and conductors.
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Rachel McIntosh is thrilled to be joining the Lehigh Valley Chorale!
She is a rising senior at Lehigh University, where she minors in both music and theatre, in addition to her computer science major. She has long been involved in the performing and choral arts, singing in groups such as Lehigh University’s University Choir and Dolce Treble Choir, the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus of Sopranos and Altos, and the MMEA All-State Choir.
She will be serving as a section leader for the Lehigh University Choir this academic year. Also at Lehigh University, she is a recipient of the Teufel Family Scholarship, and the Lehigh University Theater Scholarship. She also has a deep love of musical theater, with her favorite previous theatrical performance being as Donna in Mamma Mia.
She looks forward to learning, growing, and performing with the LVC.
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Giovanni Poloni is a recent 2025 graduate of Parkland High School.
He participated in numerous orchestral ensembles along with district and regional festivals. His primary instrument is the violin but he is passionate about pursuing a master's degree in conducting. During his time in high school he fenced competitively at Buck's Academy of Fencing and participated in the Junior Olympics. He was the president of the Italian club, president of the student senate, and a member of scholastic scrimmage. He placed in numerous Model UN competitions. In his free time, he enjoys making pasta and learning to speak French.
He is grateful for this fellowship opportunity and eager to work with LVC before heading off to college in Boston in the fall of 2026.