PGC Staff
Contact Kathryn
Kathryn Copeland Donaldson
PGC Artistic Director
Conductor: Concentio, Chamber Choir, Via
“I am absolutely delighted and deeply honored to step into the role of Artistic Director for the Pittsburgh Girls Choir. This vibrant community of young voices has long inspired me with its dedication to musical excellence, creative expression, and the joyful power of choral singing. I look forward to building on the choir’s rich legacy while nurturing the unique talents of each singer, fostering a spirit of collaboration, and exploring bold new artistic directions together. It is a privilege to join this extraordinary family, and I am filled with excitement for the journey ahead.”
Soprano Kathryn Copeland Donaldson has performed extensively in the Pittsburgh and London music landscapes. A graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University and Royal Academy of Music in London, Ms. Donaldson had sung with Gabrieli Consort, BBC Singers, Richard Hickox Singers, City Bach Collective, and under the baton of Sir Paul McCreesh, Laurence Cummings, Thomas Douglas and Joseph Flummerfelt, and is currently a contracted singer with the Pittsburgh Camerata. An accomplished recitalist, Ms. Donaldson also sings with Pittsburgh Opera Chorus and performed roles with Pittsburgh’s Undercroft Opera and Microscopic Opera.
Ms. Donaldson teaches private voice and directs choral ensembles at Geneva College and Beaver County Christian School, and is frequently sought after as a choral workshop instructor in the Pittsburgh area. In addition to performing and teaching, Ms. Donaldson enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with her family. She is excited to get to know and collaborate with the Pittsburgh Girls Choir staff, students and families.
Contact Emily
Emily Tiberi
Conductor: Women of Song
Emily Tiberi, soprano, is a passionate singer, voice teacher, and choral conductor. She has sung numerous operatic roles (Giunia, Lucio Silla; Marie, Marie Begins; Noémie, Cendrillon; Mother, Avow; First Lady, Die Zauberflöte; Nella, Gianni Schicchi; Madame Silberklang, The Impresario; Lisette, La Rondine; Berta, I barbiere di Siviglia). Emily has premiered two roles: Princess Peach in I fratelli Mario, a comedic opera about Mario Bros., and Angela in Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera. She has placed first in both the state and regional NATS competitions.
Emily is also an accomplished choral singer, singing regularly with the Philadelphia Symphonic Orchestra Chorus, regularly under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and twice as a Resident Chorister at Spoleto Festival USA. She is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, where she won the Westminster Voice Awards scholarship competition and served as the graduate assistant in the Presser Voice Lab.
Emily has served as an Adjunct Professor of voice at Rowan University, as well as a choral conductor and educator for the Pittsburgh Girls Choir (PGC) and PGC’s Women of Song. She is thrilled to conduct Women of Song.
Contact Samantha
Samantha Smith
Conductor: Melodia, Harmonia
Samantha Smith has been teaching music in urban and suburban public schools since 2010. Samantha earned her BA in Music from the University of Pittsburgh and her MA in Music Teaching from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. She has taught MusicPlay classes to preschoolers at Oberlin, K-8 General Music and Chorus in OH and PA, and has served as vocal music director for several high school musicals.
Samantha, a soprano, spent nine years living and working in Cleveland, OH. While there, she sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst. She concluded her tenure with the organization after a performance at Carnegie Hall.
After moving to Pittsburgh, Samantha taught music for Pittsburgh Public Schools and, most recently, North Allegheny School District (K-5 General Music and Chorus). Samantha has recently decided to step down from teaching full-time, and spends her days with her two young children. She loves working with the girls in Melodia and Harmonia!
Gail Novak Mosites
Via assistant
Gail, a soprano, is a passionate advocate for vocal arts and girls’ education, and she is honored to join Via as choral assistant.
Ms. Mosites is an accomplished performer and dedicated music educator with extensive experience both on the stage and in the classroom. Ms. Mosites sings with the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus, Voces Solis and Aria 412, and she performed roles with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Odyssey Opera of Boston, Opera San Antonio, Microscopic Opera Company, Undercroft Opera, and Pittsburgh Savoyards. A committed educator, Ms. Mosites maintains a private voice studio and previously led the choral and vocal program at The Ellis School, where she championed young girls’ artistic growth and musical confidence.
Katie Lyons
Concentio and Chamber Choir Assistant
Katie Lyons is a recent graduate of Westminster College PA, where she earned her B.M. in Music Education and Piano Performance. At Westminster, she participated in various ensembles and organizations such as the Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Titan Theatre Group, and PcMEA. Katie has performed across Pennsylvania and made numerous appearances both as a collaborative pianist and as a soloist. She performs as an accompanist for multiple high school choirs, and has played in musicals like Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, and Something Rotten, among others. In addition to being a frequent performer, she teaches private lessons in both piano and violin. In her free time, Katie loves to read, draw, hike, and travel.
Contact Leah
Leah Givelber
Managing Director
Leah Givelber is an accomplished performer and violin teacher. Leah began playing violin at the age of 4 and has degrees from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory. She has brought her love of the violin and classical music to students as a teacher for the past two decades. Leah’s goal as a teacher is to help her students find beauty in music, life and in themselves through mastery of the violin.
As a performer Leah can be found playing with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Opera and the Pittsburgh Symphony. She is also a long term member of the Academy String Ensemble, performing many string quartet performances in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.
Leah’s work on the Pittsburgh Girls Choir administrative team allows her to advance her belief in the arts as a powerful tool for both performers and audiences.