Meet the Artistic Staff

Kristina Sheppard, Artistic Director

Kristina Sheppard is Artistic Director of The Valley Chorale.  In addition, she is the Director of Choirs at Gainesville High School in Prince William County, VA. She holds an M.A. in Teaching from The Colorado College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Music and Psychology from The College of William and Mary. 


Kristina has been an educator for 13 years, working with middle school and high school choirs both in Colorado and Virginia.  In 2025, she served as guest conductor for the Fauquier All-County Middle School Honor Choir. 


In addition to her work in the choral world, Kristina serves as the vocal director for musical productions in partnership with the Gainesville High School theatre program.  


At home, she raises two beautiful children with her amazing husband.

Reese Holahan, Assistant Artistic Director

Reese Holahan is an emerging performer, voice teacher, and researcher currently based in Winchester, VA where he is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy at Shenandoah Conservatory. Originally from Rochester, NY, Reese holds degrees in Voice Performance (BM) and Communication Disorders and Sciences (BS) from SUNY - Fredonia.


Reese’s performance credits span a variety of genres including opera, oratorio, choral, chamber, and musical theatre. His recent performances with Shenandoah Conservatory include Sasha in Moscow Cheryomushki by Dmitri Shostakovich, John F. Kennedy in Caged Birds, Tenor Soloist in Canticle of the Sun by Amy Beech, and Damon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea. 

Sarah Gorman, Collaborative Pianist

Sarah Gorman is the Director of Choirs at Robert E. Aylor Middle School in Frederick County, VA.  She received her B.M. in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2023. 


Sarah’s experience as a collaborative pianist spans over 15 years at the community, collegiate, and professional levels in both New Jersey and Virginia. She is ecstatic to now be making music with The Valley Chorale. 

Alan Cary, Assistant Collaborative Pianist

 Alan Cary currently studies piano performance with Dr. John O'Conor at Shenandoah Conservatory, where in 2023 he won the highly competitive Concerto Competition. 

 

Specializing in classical masterworks, he has participated in numerous music festivals and workshops for promising new performers such as Brevard, Sewanee, and the Eastern Music Festival. 

Executive Leadership

David C. Freese, President and Treasurer
Mr. Freese enjoyed a 30-year career in finance and international development, working in the areas of financial reporting and compliance as well as

treasury operations.  He has also been on the board of the Friends of Samuels Public Library (Front Royal, VA) and the Master Gardeners of the Northern Shenandoah Valley.  A resident of the Shenandoah Valley since 2000, he has sung in choruses all his life and has been associated with The Valley Chorale for 15 years.


Pat Casey, Vice President
Ms. Casey retired to the Shenandoah Valley in 2014 after a successful, 32-year legal career in Washington DC. She was a partner in a major law firm and later a

Senior Vice President and manager of the legal department in a telecommunications company in Washington. Prior to law school, she was a high school English teacher for eight years. She is a member of the Master Gardeners of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and has been singing with The Valley Chorale and its predecessor

organization for some 10 years.
 
Linda Tokarski, Secretary
A retired physical therapist, Ms. Tokarski relocated to Virginia in 2020. She has been singing for more than 40 years in various choruses in New England and the southeastern United States. In addition to her role as Secretary, Ms. Tokarski also organizes the Chorale's social gatherings, where singers become better acquainted with one another and, as a result, sing better together.