MEET OUR TEAM
AMY J. BRANAHLPresident
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ANDREW M. WALLACEArtistic Director
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DANIEL HAMMONDOperations Manager
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GREGORY SHIFRINPrincipal Accompanist
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Amy J. Branahl is President of the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago (YCT), a community-based after-school program enrolling 100 young people in Chicago’s northern suburbs. Amy graduated from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) with a BME and MME degrees in Choral Music Education (Voice/Piano).
Amy is also the Director of Choirs at New Trier High School. There, she is an adviser and teaches Choruses and Guitar. She is the Music Director of the Frosh-Soph Musical Workshop and also coaches badminton.
Amy is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), NAfME, Jazz Education Network, and League of Women Voters of Wilmette. Amy is active in the community and serves as on the ACDA Illinois Board as the Children’s Choir Chair and is on the NUSH North Shore Board. Amy and her husband Jared have three beautiful boys and reside in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Amy is also the Director of Choirs at New Trier High School. There, she is an adviser and teaches Choruses and Guitar. She is the Music Director of the Frosh-Soph Musical Workshop and also coaches badminton.
Amy is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), NAfME, Jazz Education Network, and League of Women Voters of Wilmette. Amy is active in the community and serves as on the ACDA Illinois Board as the Children’s Choir Chair and is on the NUSH North Shore Board. Amy and her husband Jared have three beautiful boys and reside in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Andrew M. Wallace (Artistic Director) has been teaching choral music for nearly 20 years - having taught at both the high school and middle school levels. He formerly was the Director of Choirs for the Wilmette District 39 Schools, Highcrest Middle School and Wilmette Junior High School, and previously the Director of Choirs at Glenbrook North High School. Andrew is an avid arranger and explores numerous genres of music from traditional choral music to contemporary a cappella, and most recently was a featured arranger and composer for the Youth Choral Theater of Wilmette. Andrew has his Masters in Music Education from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Andrew has been the guest conductor for several music festivals, notably the 2013 Illinois Music Educators Association District VII Junior High Music Festival, and served as music director for the 2013 Illinois Theater Festival All-State musical, Memphis.
During the day, Andrew is the Vice President of Programs & Partnerships at BibRave, a niche marketing agency in the endurance and running industry. Andrew also performs, directs, and arranges for a professional cabaret group in Chicago, The Chicago Red Line.
During the day, Andrew is the Vice President of Programs & Partnerships at BibRave, a niche marketing agency in the endurance and running industry. Andrew also performs, directs, and arranges for a professional cabaret group in Chicago, The Chicago Red Line.
Daniel Hammond is Operations Manager at the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago. Daniel holds degrees in music education from Augustana College (2010) and VanderCook College of Music (2017). After completing his undergraduate degree, Daniel taught English at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, China, and worked with the university’s TianKong Choir and conductor Tian Xiaobao. Since returning from China, he has taught music at both the middle and high school levels.
Daniel is a member of the Chicago Chamber Choir, which performs throughout the Chicago area, as well as the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Currently, Daniel teaches general music and choir at Marie Murphy School in Wilmette.
Daniel is a member of the Chicago Chamber Choir, which performs throughout the Chicago area, as well as the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Currently, Daniel teaches general music and choir at Marie Murphy School in Wilmette.
Gregory Shifrin serves as the principal pianist for the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago and for the choral department at Glenbrook South High School. Gregory grew up in Moscow, studying at the college of the Moscow Conservatory. He immigrated to Israel to study at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. As a member of the Kotlyar-Shifrin Piano Duo, he has won international competitions in Poland and the USA. He has been featured in performances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, The New World Symphony Orchestra, the Bialystok Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Gregory lives in Vernon Hills with his wife, Kira, and their sons, Itamar and Ariel.
