Choir Leadership

Dr. Joy Hirokawa is the Artistic/Executive Director of the Mosaic Youth Chorus, established in 2023 to provide an opportunity for diverse youth to create community, build empathy, and effect positive social change through artistic and expressive choral singing.

As the previous Artistic Director and founder of The Bel Canto Youth Chorus of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem for 30 years, the BCYC performed locally, nationally, and internationally to great acclaim, and appeared at numerous ACDA, NAfME, and PMEA conferences.

Dr. Hirokawa is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician, presenting regularly at numerous international, national and state conferences, and conducting elementary and secondary regional and all-state honor choirs.

Following 20 years of teaching at all levels in the public schools, Dr. Hirokawa led the music education program at Moravian College for ten years, was an adjunct instructor at Temple University, and led the Lafayette College Concert Choir. She is the ACDA National Repertoire and Resources Chair for Children and Community Youth Choirs.

Dr. Hirokawa earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University, a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University, and a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Music Education, also from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

She is a passionate advocate for creating musical spaces in which youth can express themselves through the choral art as they navigate and learn about a complicated world. Bel Canto’s 2021 video Stand Up: Singing the Underground Railroad (conceived and directed by Dr. Hirokawa) has been widely acclaimed for its creative and artistic approach to understanding complex social justice questions through intentional and thoughtful musical programming.

Andrea Berntsen is Collaborative Pianist for the Mosaic Youth Chorus. Ms. Berntsen started playing piano at age of three and became a professional accompanist at the age of thirteen. She earned a BM in Piano Performance from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and an MM in Piano and Organ Performance from the Yale University School of Music, New Haven, Connecticut. Ms. Berntsen has been an active church organist and choir director for close to fifty years and currently resides in Allentown, PA where she continues working as a church musician in addition to freelancing as a keyboard accompanist.