Artistic Staff

Richard Cole
Richard ColeArtistic Director

Richard Cole has served as the Artistic Director for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the second half of the 1997/98 season. He joined the chorus as a singer in 1989 and got actively involved from the beginning by serving on the Board for several years. In addition to the full chorus, Rich also directs The Coastliners, NCMC’s small ensemble. Rich was the Chair for the wildly successful Band and Choral events for the 2014 Gay Games hosted in Cleveland. In 2015, Rich was the recipient of an LGBT Heritage Day award by the City of Cleveland for his contributions to entertainment in the city.

NCMC has flourished under his leadership and guidance. In addition to annual increases in attendance at our concerts and growth in membership, his enthusiasm, energy and creativity have been the driving force responsible for bringing guest artists in to perform with the chorus, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Leslie Jordan, Armistead Maupin and Bernadette Peters.

Rich graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and frequently arranges and/or transcribes pieces of music for the Chorus.

Robert Day
Robert DayPrincipal Accompanist

Robert Day began his tenure as NCMC’s Principal Accompanist in the June 2000 “Touching Hearts, Changing Lives” concerts. Since then, he has accompanied the chorus in all concerts, NCMC benefits, at six GALA Chorus Festivals, and on their five CDs.

A native Clevelander, Bob holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Otterbein University, and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from The Ohio State University. Bob is retired from 30 years of public school teaching in choral music, but still serves as Organist at The Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights.

Ron Palka
Ron PalkaCoastliners Accompanist

Ron Palka is a full-time librarian as well as an active and versatile musician. He earned his MM at Manhattan School of Music and his MLS from Kent State University.

As an accompanist, he has performed at Carnegie Hall and Severance Hall. He has served as music director for several area churches and has taught privately and as a faculty member of the Oberlin Community Music School. Ron’s performances have taken him as far afield as Brazil, where he was invited to teach and perform.

Recent performances include a June 2018 concert at The Bop Stop with classical saxophonist, Javier Oviedo. He makes his debut with The Cleveland Philharmonic in October with a performance of Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals with long-time piano duo partner, Coren Estrin Mino. The duo has been featured on WCLV’s program, Cleveland Ovations.

Ron can be heard accompanying cellist Catherine Clyatt Schroth on her debut CD entitled “Songs for My Son.”

Lora Workman
Lora WorkmanChoreographer

Lora Workman, a graduate from Baldwin-Wallace University’s Conservatory of Music, has worn many theatrical hats throughout the Greater Cleveland area, but she is probably best known for her role as choreographer with the Chorus since 1997.

She has performed in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Barbara Eden, The Student Prince with Jerome Hines, Cedar Point Amusement Park, and The 24-Hour Project at Dobama Theatre.

She studied the genre of cabaret in Italy and New York and was selected to participate in the 2007 Cabaret Conference at Yale University, where she worked with Tony Nominee Tovah Feldshuh, Jason Graae, and the late Julie Wilson.

She was a semi-finalist in the 2003 San Francisco Cabaret Competition, performed at Don’t Tell Mama’s in NYC and created the Cleveland Cabaret Project where she directed/produced the Cleveland premieres of Miss Gulch Returns and A Cabaret Sampler.

She created Class by the Glass, a cabaret/wine tasting event at Playhouse Square, producing such sold out shows as: Twisted Sisters and Misters, What a Fool Believes and the popular Halloween show Cadaveret. Lora directed the critically acclaimed The Will Rogers Follies at Berea Summer Theatre.

By day, Lora is the Community Relationships Manager at Playhouse Square where she brings in over 50,000 students and teachers each year for field trip experiences as well as creates the resource guides that relate common core standards to the Children’s Theatre and International Children’s Theatre Festival shows.

Doug Braun
Doug BraunASL Interpreter

Doug Braun has been part of the NCMC since its beginning. Braun graduated from Oberlin College and received his sign language training at Cleveland State University. Braun earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1991. He provides in-home counseling for Cleveland elders. A ham radio operator for twenty years, he volunteers with the Amateur Radio Emergency Services.

Administrative Staff

Richard Cole
Richard ColeInterim Executive Director

Richard Cole has served as the Artistic Director for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the second half of the 1997/98 season. He joined the chorus as a singer in 1989 and got actively involved from the beginning by serving on the Board for several years. In addition to the full chorus, Rich also directs The Coastliners, NCMC’s small ensemble.

Rich was the Chair for the wildly successful Band and Choral events for the 2014 Gay Games hosted in Cleveland. In 2015, Rich was the recipient of an LGBT Heritage Day award by the City of Cleveland for his contributions to entertainment in the city.

NCMC has flourished under his leadership and guidance. In addition to annual increases in attendance at our concerts and growth in membership, his enthusiasm, energy, and creativity have been the driving force responsible for bringing guest artists in to perform with the chorus, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Leslie Jordan, Armistead Maupin and Bernadette Peters.

Rich graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and frequently arranges and/or transcribes pieces of music for the Chorus.

Andrew Zupcsan
Andrew ZupcsanBusiness Manager

Andrew Zupcsan has served as Business Manager for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the fall of 2010. Prior to accepting that position he served 5 years on the Board of Directors, including 2 years as Treasurer. He has been actively involved in many aspects of Chorus administration since he joined as a singing member in 2002.

Andrew holds a BS in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Urban Planning from Cleveland State University. He currently works in Operations and Customer Relations for ShredPro, LLC a local secure shredding and information management company. He also serves as President of the Madison High School Alumni Association.

Sherry Thaler
Sherry ThalerAdministrative Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator

Sherry

Wade Tolleson
Wade TollesonMusic Librarian

Wade Tolleson

Board of Directors

Todd Narvin
Todd NarvinPresident & Member at Large
(Open)
(Open)Vice-President
Robert Syto
Robert SytoTreasurer

Robert Syto

James McPeak
James McPeakSecretary
Shawn Belt
Shawn BeltMembership Advocate
Adam Stobinski
Adam StobinskiAssociate Member Advocate

Adam Stobinski is a Senior IT Report / Business Intelligence Developer at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. He enjoys creating meaningful easy to understand information reporting solutions to provide value and insights for improving business decisions and improve patient experiences and outcomes.

When not digging into data to create reporting solutions, Adam is a singing member of the North Coast Men’s Chorus and has been a member since 2015.

Adam has also been a singing member of multiple vocal music groups during his academic career that has had performances at multiple venues around the Midwest including several statewide music educator conferences in both Columbus, OH [OMEA] and Springfield, IL [IMEA].

Sofi Vaattovaara
Sofi VaattovaaraMember At Large
Joseph Hollings
Joseph HollingsBoard Member

Joe Hollings has been passionately connected with NCMC for many years as an audience member, friend, advocate, and current board fundraising chair.

He manages a team of extraordinary public relationships and social media professionals at Adcom, a premiere marketing agency in Cleveland where he helps lead positioning, media relations, influencer marketing and social media strategy and execution projects for wide range of clients.

Joe is member of the Cleveland Composers Guild, a pianist, a provider of dog treats and a work-in-progress husband.

Natalie Leek
Natalie LeekBoard Member

Natalie Leek as over 30 years of experience in non-profit and corporate environments focused in business development, program design, data and outcomes measures, advocacy, marketing, and fundraising.

Since 2001, Ms. Leek has been the CEO and President for Providence House, Inc., Ohio’s first and one of the nation’s largest and longest operating non-profit crisis nurseries for infants and children focused on keeping kids safe and families together.

Natalie is deeply committed to community engagement in both the nonprofit and public sector and is an influential voice for our community’s most vulnerable citizens and issues, and a collaborative convener in city, state, and national arenas among nonprofit, government, business and civic constituents who seek positive action and systemic change.

Michael Rich
Michael RichBoard Member

Michael Rich has been working in the theater both professionally and non-professionally for over 30 years, performing many duties including Stage Manager, Master Electrician, Lighting Designer, Vari*Lite™ Programmer and Technical Director.

Some credits are: Cassidy: Songs for a New WorldJesus Christ SuperstarEvita; Cleveland Opera: Die FledermausShowboatIl TrovatoreCarousel, The Daughter of the RegimentRigolettoCavalleria Rusticana/PagliacciThe Magic Flute.

Michael has also worked with The Cleveland Ballet, Dancing Wheels, Cleveland Opera on Tour, CIM Opera, The Ohio Ballet, and the Tom Everett Dance Company. Other credits include, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Driving Miss DaisyPeter PanThe Phantom of the OperaHairFiddler on the RoofA Christmas CarolOliver! and West Side Story.