Idele Hitchcock Dell has a master’s degree in vocal performance and a doctorate in organ performance. She organized community choruses and drama groups in Waycross, Valdosta, and Elberton, and served for seven years as director of the Athens Choral Society. She launched the summer shows for ACS. Lyric League has afforded her the opportunity to work with her dearest friends and to sing for the joy of it. Dell is also a composer and arranger and is organist at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Athens. She is wife to Nelson, mother to Rick, Heidi, and Hilary and “Dede” to Madeleine and Jackson Bryant and Evan Cashwell.
Nelson Hitchcock Hitch met Dell when she asked him to audition for a production of Carousel in the summer of 1962. He has taught speech, drama, gifted students, and computer literacy from grade two through college. Hitch is an actor and director, with a master’s degree in voice. With a career behind him of many opportunities to teach, perform, and direct, he is now happy to support his wife of 45 years as she continues a career of leadership and creativity.
Bill Hussey was born in a little log cabin print shop on the edge of the frontier. 50 gigabytes later he is the father of four terrific children and grandfather of two adorable grandkids. He has sung with a number of blues and jazz artists and bands, and as "Mr. Pixel" is creating demo DVDs for musicians. He now records the Lyric League performances live on DVD. Bill came into our lives as the new husband of our neighbor Bonnie Semora. He is eager to help and to learn and contribute, and he has the background and skills to do so in a big way. Click on Bill’s picture to hear him as Grandpa Mankin.
Chris Lobsinger has sung since she was a wee tyke. A couple years back one of her sisters said, "Do you realize you hum all the time?" and Chris said, "yea, don’t you?" She’s the lab manager and bacteriologist for the Poultry Research Lab at UGA, which supports the poultry industry worldwide. She also sings with the Athens Choral Society. Chris has been the caretaker for her elders for many years. She is cheerful and funny and loving with a warm, rich, and expressive voice.
Jenni Overbey is the only person I know who has remained thirty for the past twenty years. Jenni is a soloist in the Winder FUMC Chancel Choir and dreams of being ‘Christine’ in The Phantom of the Opera. She rides a motorcycle and is a paralegal with a firm in Lawrenceville. She is a fine character actress. Jenni’s “Adelaide’s Lament” was a real crowd pleaser. Click on Jenni’s picture to hear her duet with husband Tery on “The Alphabet Song.”
Tery Overbey Having cut his teeth on the musical stage with Gilbert & Sullivan (and Dell and Hitch), Tery has become involved with the Winder Barrow Community Theatre. The Lyric League and the Theatre give him opportunities to seek out new roles, explore strange new characters and boldly go where no sane person has gone before. His first love is spending time with his family including wife Jenni, daughter Jami and grand-dog Cocoa (the Chihuahua). Click on Tery’s picture to hear “The Alphabet Song.”
Howard Sligh is a paralegal for the Clarke County Superior Court and a law librarian. Howard also sings with ACS. He was the Sergeant in Pirates of Penzance, Pooh Bah in The Mikado and the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore. Howard is a truly unique individual and a wonderful friend. Audiences adore him. He is also a gentleman of the ‘deepest dye.’ Click on Howard’s picture to hear him sing “Swingin’ on a Star.”
Dotty Gunby and husband Alan are rising stars of Lyric League. Dotty is also Star Teacher for 2007 at Athens Christian School, where she taught American literature for 20 years. She recently retired from 33 years of teaching. A gifted pianist, she was a church musician for 40 years, accompanied touring choirs in college, and taught piano lessons at home. She enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her three children and granddaughter.
Mel Hill is a fellow of the Education Law Consortium and is Robert G. Stephens, Jr. senior fellow in law and government at the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. He has fond memories of shoo fly pie from his high school days in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mel recommends the wet-bottom rather than the dry-bottom variety. Among his memorable musical memories was the time he sang with a chorus at the White House for Richard Nixon and Billy Graham!
Carrie Boyer has been a chorister and soloist since childhood. She played Pitti-Sing in The Mikado and Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore. She is the wife of a "super guy," Dale, mother of Steven and April, and a radiographer. Carrie played the role of Lum in our Columbia, the Gem of the Ozarks.
Leon Jourolmon was a charter member of Lyric League in Elberton, where he and Bonnie raised their son, Leon, and twins Brooke and Meredith. He now has a myriad of grandchildren; all are musical, of course. Leon works for Southeastern Power, and sings in the FUMC choir in Elberton. He was Don Octave in P.D.Q. Bach’s The Stoned Guest, a sailor in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Pish-Tush in The Mikado. Leon has an amazing vocal range and is an experienced musician and barber-shop singer. Click on his picture to hear him sing a duet with Raenelle Stockmeier.
John Huie is a long-time Athenian and new member of Lyric League. He is the outdoorsy type -- loves hiking, kayaking, and playing the fiddle and guitar. John writes for Flagpole and is a member of Bike Athens. He can really sing those low-down notes! Click on John’s picture to hear him sing “Swingin’ on a Star.”
Mabel Federline and husband John were charter members of Lyric League in Elberton. They have two daughters, Allison and Jennifer. Mabel has soloed in the Prince Avenue Baptist Church choir and in major productions for many years, including the role of Laurie in Oklahoma! She has one of the richest, most open voices I've ever heard. She sings with her whole being and lights up the stage. Mabel sang the title role in Columbia, the Gem of the Ozarks. She is a nurse in Athens. Click on her picture to hear her sing “Pretty Good Shape.”
Raenelle Stockmeier Rae loves to sing! She sang for several years with ACS before moving to Statham, where her day job is Assistant City Clerk. She sings with the Georgia Vocal Project, Just Theatre Singers (Christmas) and the Statham First Baptist Choir. She has a happy hubby at home; one black cat –- Scooby. And she would love to tell you about her grandchildren. Rae has a very pretty voice and a high vocal range. Click on her picture to hear her sing a duet, “Tenderly.”
Alan Gunby lives in Winder. He is a retired teacher of Industrial Arts. He met the Hitchcocks when he and his wife Dotty sang in the Winder First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir. His favorite hobby is wood-working. Alan and Dotty add a lot to the good spirit in Lyric League. Click on Alan’s picture to hear him sing with April Boyer.
Tommy Jennings is retired as owner of Barrow Manufacturing and is now President of the Winder Chamber of Commerce. When Tommy isn’t busy running from meeting to meeting, he sings with Lyric League for the joy of it. He is proud of his community and says that land prices, location, quality of the schools, golf courses and the friendliness of the community attract thousands of new residents from Gwinnett, Oglethorpe, and Clarke Co. Spoken like a true C of C President!
Joe Costello was raised in the Young Singers of Callenwolde, and from there went on to sing through high school and college. After getting his Education Degree from UGA, he hasn’t been singing except for the occasional shower gig. Joe has been in 10 shows at the Town & Gown Theatre in Athens, most recently starring in and directing “The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)”. Joe wants the world to know that he recently married the Über-Wonderful Elizabeth and is now the proud stepfather to Kristen and Anna. He currently teaches at the prestigious Walton Alternative Center.
Valerie Gordon As a graduate student at UGA, Valerie studied microbiology and researched Schistosomiasis in Kenya She now works at Cryolife in Kennesaw. She has taken flying lessons, and says that her dog, Finley, rules her life. Valerie’s lovely soprano voice is one of Lyric League’s highly prized assets, along with her sweet spirit and cute personality (full of rascality).
Doug Blair was born in the Midwest and came of age in Tennessee. Until his retirement in 2005 as a federal civil servant, he traveled extensively and lived in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Germany, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Doug moved from Wisconsin to Athens in 2006, where he sings bass in the Holy Cross Lutheran Choir.
Mary Mattocks comes to us via Kansas, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Kings Bay, GA. She recently retired from thirty years in banking. Her husband, Doug, is retired from the Navy submarine service. While a girl, a Lutheran College in Kansas provided her with professional musical training. She sang in church choirs and community choruses while traveling around the country. She recently joined the Holy Cross Lutheran Chancel Choir and loves spending time with her children and eleven grandchildren and riding on the back of hubby Doug’s motorcycle.
Shirley Thornton Dotty and Alan Gunby wanted to share Lyric League with their good friend and fellow choir member, Shirley Thornton. She comes to us from a family of singers. She is cute and funny and a terrific soprano. Click on her picture to see Shirley razzle dazzle Hitch in “That Old Devil Moon.”
April Boyer is the daughter of Carrie and Dale. She has graduated from handing out programs at our concerts to being a rising star. We welcome her to Lyric League. She wowed us with her debut solo in “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy.” Click on her picture to catch her and Alan Gunby singing at our ‘40s show in Statham. April is also quite a fan of William Shakespeare.
Pam Knisley is Shirley Thornton’s daughter. She is Manager of Administrations for Greif Industrial Packaging in Lithonia, where she has been employed for 21 years. A church pianist for 35 years, Pam loves reading, needlework and crafts. She and Eric, her husband of 26 years, welcomed a new son-in-law recently. Their daughter, Courtney, married Keith Epps on April 19.
Leslie Spornberger Jones, Assistant District Attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit (Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties), is an accidental singer whose musical background includes singing in the car, playing cello and violin in school, writing a master's thesis on punk rock lyrics at the University of Oklahoma, and singing in the choir at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Her hobbies include sewing, paper crafting, photography, walking, and spoiling her Catahoula Queen, Lily, who is almost three years old. Leslie is married to Kevin Jones of Danielsville.
John Federline has also soloed in choirs and major productions for many years, including Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado. He is a fine musician, soloist and part-singer. John and Tery team up and make the ladies laugh.
Jan Rubadou, second soprano, is a retired kindergarten teacher. She took piano as a child and sang in church and school chorus. She and her husband, Frank, have a daughter, Deana, a son, Troy, three grandsons and one granddaughter.
Regis Stamey lives in Loganville. She and hubby Gene are retired from the Atlanta Police Department. She sang for many years with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus under Robert Shaw and now enjoys singing and playing the flute for churches and senior groups. She also performs with the Covington-Conyers Community Orchestra, Newton County Community Band, and West Side Winds.
Jeff Banks lives in Winder, where he has sung with the Georgia Vocal Project. Jeff is a fine baritone. You should hear his imitation of Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong!
Karen Knuckles joined us July 2. Her bio will appear shortly
Jane Poole joined the group recently. Her bio will appear soon.