Dr. Joy Hirokawa conducts Mosaic Youth Chorus in song

Our Team

Leadership

Dr. Joy Hirokawa

Artistic & Executive Director

Dr. Joy Hirokawa is the Founding Artistic/Executive Director of the Mosaic Youth Chorus. Driven by a desire to give youth opportunities to use their voices for the greater good, MYC was founded to fulfill that goal in 2023. MYC has quickly developed a reputation for impactful programming, artistic performances, and engagement with the community. With 30 years of experience founding and leading youth choirs, Dr. Hirokawa has led ensembles that performed locally, nationally, and internationally to great acclaim, and appeared at numerous ACDA, NAfME, and PMEA conferences. A frequent guest conductor and clinician, Dr. Hirokawa earned a BMEd and MM in Choral conducting from Temple University, and a DMA in Music Education from Boston University. Following 20 years of teaching at all levels in the public schools, Dr. Hirokawa led the music education program at Moravian University for ten years and taught as an adjunct instructor at Temple University and Lafayette College. Dr. Hirokawa served as the ACDA National Repertoire and Resources Chair for Children and Community Youth Choirs from 2019 – 2025. 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.

Artistic and Executive Director of Mosaic Youth Chorus, Dr. Joy Hirokawa

Andrea Berntsen

Collaborative Pianist

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 sixty years and currently resides in Allentown, PA where she continues working as a church musician in addition to freelancing as a keyboard accompanist.

MYC Collaborative Pianist, Andrea Berntsen

Board of Directors

Janice Lee

Co-President

Lynne Nemeth

Co-President

Shari Dunham, PhD

Secretary

Wendy Lee

Treasurer

Colette Henry

Parent Representative

Elizabeth Massa

At Large

“Dr. Hirokawa does an AMAZING job balancing education, social issues and extremely high performance quality. Now more than ever our kids need a positive, safe, accepting and welcoming place to come and be themselves. “

— Current Parent