Cary Community Choir’s Board of Directors is comprised of many different choir members and community members. Each play an instrumental role in our success. Let’s get to know them. Read about their roles on the board, how they became board members, and what encouragement they give to potential new board members.
Candace Blackley, President
Candace Blackley is Cary Community Choir’s (CCC) board President. She lives in Apex and is a
member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary. Candace has been a member of the choir
for 11 years. She was a member of the choir under its first director Charles Gatwood from
about 1980 until 1983. Raising two children and working full-time kept her out of the choir
until 2013 when she re-joined the choir under Director David Mellnik.
When Candace was planning to retire, she wanted to put her organizational skills and love of
music to good use. That’s when she decided to become a board member.
Her favorite song in Messiah is “He Shall Feed my Flock,” which is a solo number. She sang
that piece as a soloist with her high school choir (Sanderson High School in Raleigh) when they
performed Messiah in 1969, so it is very special to her.
When asked who she would recruit to sing with Cary Community Choir, famous or otherwise,
Candace picked Josh Groban.
She says, “Josh Groban would be my number one choice because of his beautiful voice and versatility.”
Candace’s most memorable experience with the CCC was when a number of CCC singers
combined with singers from around the US to form a mass choir sponsored by the
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY). They performed the entire Messiah at
Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2017. (PS… CCC has been invited to Carnegie Hall again for a
May 2022 performance. We’ll be singing music that CCC’s director, Pepper Choplin, composed
and he will direct it. Check out our webpage for more information.)
Sharing their talents and being a part of a group of like-minded people who love music is what Candace includes as reasons to become a committee or board member with CCC.
Candace Blackley
“I love being a part of this “One Hit Wonder” choir!”
Elizabeth Kiser Norris, Vice President
Elizabeth lives in Cary and is a private music teacher. She sings alto and has been a member of
CCC for 5 years. Elizabeth currently serves as Vice President.
Elizabeth joined the board because she wanted to help organize and promote this long-
standing musical tradition in Cary.
When asked if she has a favorite, Elizabeth replied, “I especially love the ‘Amen’ chorus at the end of Messiah because of its intricate harmonies. It is also the most difficult to sing!”
Elizabeth’s participation in Messiah is a family affair. Her two adult children from Cary sing
with us. She would love to recruit her daughter in Charlotte and other son in Cary.
“It’s a very special gift to sing with family.”
Elizabeth Kiser Norris
Elizabeth’s most memorable experience with CCC was the farewell performance with long-
time conductor and her friend, David Mellnik.
Elizabeth describes Messiah as beautiful and challenging. She notes that CCC members are
welcoming and very helpful towards new singers as they learn and rehearse with us. Elizabeth
encourages new singers to come sing with us!!
James B Wetterau, Treasurer
Jim lives in Garner, NC, and is a member of Shepherds Church (Formerly called Colonial
Baptist).
He has been a member of CCC for 7 years, sings second tenor and is the Treasurer on the
board of directors. After singing with the chorus for a couple of years, Jim was encouraged to
join the board by chorus member Sue McGee. Jim has always appreciated the music we bring
to the community each year at the Christmas season. He thought he’d give back and serve on
the board. He knew that with only one annual performance, the time commitment would not
be excessive or extensive.
Jim loves all of Handel’s Messiah, but he especially likes “For Unto Us a Child is Born.”
Jim says he’d love to recruit anyone who is a tenor since we always need more of them.
Jim notes his most memorable time with CCC is 2019, the first with our new director, Pepper
Choplin.
“While it is both a privilege and a pleasure to sing Messiah each year with this volunteer choir, it is even more of a joy to work together with the board to make decisions needed to bring this annual event to life. It is a rewarding experience, without too much of a time commitment, and the results are more than worth it when 150 plus singers raise their voices together in this glorious music of Handel’s Messiah.”
Jim Wetterau
Jim tells a story of prior Messiah performances, “Before moving to NC over twenty years ago, I sang Handel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society of NY every Christmas for almost 20 years. The performances were held in Carnegie Hall which was built for the Oratorio Society Concerts. The CCC concerts may not be held in Carnegie Hall, but singing the Christmas portion of Messiah along with the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus and the ‘Amen Chorus’ to a local audience is still a thrill every year.”
Donna H Riddel, Secretary
Donna lives in Apex and has been singing soprano with Cary Community Choir for 10 years.
About 7 years in, she answered the call for volunteers to be on the Board of Directors. She
currently serves as Secretary.
Donna loves when we sing “Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain.” She says, “It’s powerful and I
love the way the parts intertwine.”
When asked if she could recruit anyone, famous or otherwise, to sing with CCC, Donna chose
Josh Groban. “Great range, great voice, and… well… Josh Groban!” was her reasoning.
“It’s a great way to become involved in the choir and get to know some great folks.”
Donna Riddel
Pepper Choplin, Director
Pepper Choplin is the Director of Cary Community Choir and this will be his third
year with us. He lives in Raleigh and is Interim Music Director at St. Andrews
Presbyterian. Pepper tells us that he was led to CCC after doing many concerts of
his own music, he wanted to conduct a masterwork. When he heard of the
conductor opening for CCC, he quickly applied. We are so glad that he “quickly
applied”. Pepper has brought his gifts, talent, and experience to CCC and we are
forever grateful. We have grown tremendously in size and in depth since Pepper
took on the role of conductor. As you may know, Pepper’s career has taken him
across the world conducting and he’s written many amazing pieces. He’s even
written a special piece for Cary Community Choir that we will sing this year to
commemorate our 50th anniversary.
Pepper’s favorite song to sing in Messiah is “And the Glory”. He describes the
song as having so much vibrancy and life in it. He likes the way it appears after the
long sequence of solos. Pepper’s favorite memory of conducting CCC’s Messiah is
when all of the soloists join the choir to sing “Worthy is the Lamb”.
If Pepper could recruit anyone to sing in the choir, he would pick The King Singers,
noting they have some good high tenors.
Pepper in instrumental in helping plan our season. His knowledge, experience,
and contacts provide a fresh opinion/solution. Whether it’s selecting our soloists,
navigating the technical needs for a larger choir, or helping promote the event,
Pepper delivers. Regarding anyone considering joining the board, Pepper says,
“The board works well together. There are many decisions to be made that affect
Pepper Choplin
the direction of the group. That has been doubly true during COVID.”
Benita Budd, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Coordinator
Benita lives in Raleigh and is a member of St. Francis United Methodist Church, Cary. She has
sung alto in the choir since 2005 (with a couple of breaks off and on). Benita currently serves
as the DCINY Coordinator.
Benita decided to join the board of directors after participating in several annual CCC Messiah
events. She was impressed by the dedication of the volunteers who organized and supported
it. Benita says, “I enjoy working with people who love their work!”
“It’s hard to choose a favorite Messiah song. All are glorious and bring me joy, even the most challenging of them. I love ‘And He Shall Purify’ for the strength and intent it conveys through the powerful (and tricky) dynamics of the parts,” Benita says.
When asked who she would like to recruit to CCC, Benita says “Odetta. She’d be an angel and
bring vocal depth and power to CCC.”
Benita enjoys the “Hallelujah” Chorus, especially when the audience stands, sings with us, and
keeps standing, smiling, and clapping after the music ends.
Her encouragement to potential board members is this…
“Board members are knowledgeable, creative, motivated, and fun to work with. You will be engaged in a rewarding, creative endeavor while learning more about music opportunities, your community, and volunteering. Time investment is very manageable, and you also get to sing (with other wonderful singers) in December!”
Benita Budd
“CCC is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. That’s something to celebrate, when you
realize that it is a volunteer organization. The Choir accepts people as they are – you do not
need to be a great singer or a fine musician to sing with the group. You do not even need to
know the music or the story of Handel and his great work, ‘Messiah.’ You simply need to show
up and participate. In the same way, you do not need to be an expert organizer, great
fundraiser, or savvy volunteer to serve on the CCC Board. Somehow, the enthusiasm for what
we are doing, as a board and as a choir, helps us expand our capacities to gift the wider
community with incredibly beautiful music once a year. Singing with the choir is a remarkable
experience; serving on the board adds depth and significance to the generosity and talents of
board members who do the work through the year (and through 50 years!). One sees the
commitment and investments of time and creativity that makes a miracle of four rehearsals
and one glorious performance each December. There is nothing quite like it. Hallelujah!”
Jim Bridges, At Large Member
Jim lives in Cary and is a member of Westwood Baptist Church. He is a bass and has been a
member of Cary Community Choir for 19 years. During Jim’s tenure, he’s held many positions
on the board, including President. Currently Jim is an at large member. Jim took a short break
from the board but has returned because he felt it was time again to give back to the choir and
help lead in its continuing success.
Jim’s favorite song that CCC sings is “Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain” because of the power
and awe that it conveys.
If Jim could recruit anyone to join CCC he notes that, “As a bass, I would choose George Beverly Shea. He had such a powerful voice and it would be amazing to sing next to him. From an overall choral perspective, I would love to hear Pavarotti sing the tenor solos.”
Jim’s most memorable time with CCC was the 40th anniversary concert, mainly because we
performed additional songs that we don’t normally do.
Jim sends this message to any prospective board recruits…
“Come out and contribute. It is a small board so your voice will be heard and you can make a difference in maintaining Cary’s longest running tradition.”
Jim Bridges
Nancy H. Canterbury, Sponsorships
Nancy lives in Cary, has been a member of Cary Community Choir for two years and sings
soprano. Nancy is in charge of fundraising for the choir. Since retiring, she had time to
volunteer and wanted to work with an organization that she believed in – like Cary Community
Choir. Her favorite Messiah song that we sing is the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
When asked the question… If you could recruit anyone, famous or otherwise, to sing with CCC
who would you pick? Nancy selected Andrea Bocelli’s son, Matteo.
Nancy fondly remembers her first performance with the CCC as magical. It was also David
Mellnik’s last performance as conductor.
To encourage Cary Community Choir members to become a board or committee member
Nancy says..
“You will get so much more out of it, as much or more than you put in. Also, it is interesting to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes on to produce the Messiah concert.”
Nancy Canterbury
Al Booker, Webmaster
Al lives near downtown Cary with his charming and talented fiancée Elizabeth
Norris (our CCC board vice-president) in an old farmhouse with no two doors,
floors or ceilings quite the same. He only runs into the low hanging light fixtures
occasionally now.
While Al doesn’t have an official board officer title, we could not live without him.
He says the most valuable contribution that he brings to the CCC are his
knowledge of website creation and maintenance and secondarily, audio and video
production. He is responsible for updating and maintaining the CCC website and
has been graciously serving in this capacity for a couple of years now. Al was
invaluable in 2020 when the CCC performed a virtual Messiah concert on-line
when a live concert was not possible due to the pandemic.
Al got interested in the board primarily through vicarious participation through
Elizabeth. When it became apparent that the existing website was in need of a
refresh, Al saw it as something he could do to help a worthy organization. And
the rest is history…..
Al was a light right from the beginning. He took photos of our rehearsals and
performances, and shot some audio too. Let’s just say that he was vigorously
encouraged to participate in the board by several charming and persuasive
existing board members.
Al’s favorite thing about the Messiah performance is its inclusive nature. All are
welcome and the choir meets everyone where they are with regard to their
talent. That said, the resulting performance is a serious and high-quality event.
We asked Al if he sang. He replied, “Rarely, and never in public, mostly out of
consideration to others.”
Some of you might remember that Al’s son Will is a first-class tenor. He soloed for
the CCC several years ago. Al says,
“Unfortunately, he lives too far away to participate, but it is always a thrill for me to hear him sing.”
Al Booker
Gene Block, At Large Board Member
Gene Block lives in Durham and is a member of Christian Assembly Church. He is a
baritone and has been a member of the choir for three years. Gene was a “brave
soul” when he first joined the CCC, because he had never sung Handel’s Messiah
before. However, he has become more comfortable singing each year as the
music becomes more familiar to him. Gene says singing Handel’s Messiah with
choir members from area churches is his most memorable experience since
joining Cary Community Choir. As a message to those who may be thinking about
becoming a board member Gene says,
“It’s very rewarding to help bring to life, with other choir members, the message and music of Messiah.”
Gene Block
Regina Kaiser, Social Media & Communications Lead
Regina lives in Cary and has been with Cary Community Choir for 13+ years. She got involved with the board through a family friend who used to sing and hold a board position with CCC. Believe it or not, Regina does not sing in the choir. She’ll tell you that she can sing, but not well. We have seen her singing in the audience at rehearsals though.
Regina’s voice with CCC is an important one. Originally, she was recruited to help on the communications committee. Over the years other needs arose in different areas and Regina took on some new jobs. Most of you will know her from assisting at the rehearsals and performance, posting social media, and yes – writing these blogs. She does a lot of behind the scenes work. Some examples are creating and distributing programs and flyers, writing press releases, posting our event online, keeping connected with the Town of Cary, and anything related to getting the word out.
“There were a few years when CCC didn’t have a lot of board members. We ran very lean for those years. One year we couldn’t gather a President or Vice President. We just didn’t have enough people on the board. It was a combination of people who had completed their term limit, and not having enough members interested in taking on a board position. We were in a bind. Essentially, CCC was dying. I had already agreed to the Communications position but without a President, we couldn’t be. So, I agreed to do both roles, President and Communications. I fumbled my way through the planning season and the rest of the board helped in every way they could. We all did it together. Thankfully, the following year we had four new board members join and they were (and still are) fantastic!”
“Working together that season brought us closer and kept us together. I learned how important it was to uphold the tradition that Cary Community Choir is. We are the longest running tradition in Cary. And that’s something to hold on to.”
Regina Kaiser