Meet Moll – New Encore Tours International Program Coordinator

Hey there! I’m Moll, and I’m very excited to be joining the Encore Team. I am a recent graduate of Connecticut College where I studied music with a focus on music education. Originally from Freeport, Maine, I have lived in different parts of Connecticut and Oregon and am looking forward to becoming a Bostonian.

I have always loved music and participated in various school and community choirs since elementary school. I also played flute in concert band from fifth grade through college. In my music education program, I learned the basics of a variety of instruments and studied piano and guitar in my spare time.

My high school community choir, Wescustago Youth Chorale

Members of the Connecticut College chamber choir, Camel Heard (our mascot was a camel)

Ultimately, I always come back to singing. I particularly focused on choral education and directing. While in college, I gained experience in both while serving as the music director for a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as well as leading my a cappella group, The ConnChords. Arranging a cappella music became a huge passion of mine, and I was able to work on more than 15 different arrangements for my group. (Check some out, like this arrangement of the Irish Traditional “The Parting Glass,” out on our YouTube channel.)

The ConnChords performing in a fall showcase

While I never had the opportunity to travel internationally with any of my ensembles, I did travel domestically with several choral groups. I found that performing in different venues for new audiences fostered growth both musically and as a community. The varied acoustics and audiences can offer new perspectives on how music is performed. In addition to the performances themselves, traveling can offer the opportunity to do other activities together which really improves group dynamics, something that makes a surprisingly large difference in the performance abilities of an ensemble.

Me and my roommates at the 2014 ACDA All-Eastern Festival in Baltimore, MD

Members of my a cappella group preparing to run a ‘Rugged Maniac’ 5K after performing the National Anthem for the opening ceremonies.

In studying music education, I’ve worked with choir, band, and general music teachers from elementary through high school, as well as with conductors of adult orchestras and choirs. I was also a student member of the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA), through which I attended several conferences and met many talented music educators throughout Connecticut. As a new member of the Encore team, I am looking forward to collaborating with music directors and educators to help them make global exploration a part of their ensemble experience. I share a passion for enrichment through music and hope to continue to learn from those who travel with Encore as I help them achieve their travel goals.

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