Echo Women's Choir: Our Directors

Becca Whitla

Becca works as a community music maker and organizer in Toronto.

For Becca, music is a critical, vibrant and healing part of any community. Becca is

co-founder and co-director of the Echo Women's Choir
co-founder of Worldsongs Summer Vocal Camp and teacher for Village Harmony summer singing camps
the music coordinator at the Church of the Holy Trinity where she leads the community's music-making by playing the organ, piano, trumpet, kanjira, and by singing and leading the choir.

She was

the leader of the HERE Union Local 75 choir
Music Coach and Consultant for innovative and ground-breaking theatre company, Theatre Gargantua, winning a Dora award for music in 1997.

In 1998, she and Alan released the CD "Parlour Songs & Heart Songs".

Alan Gasser

Alan is a singer, conductor and music teacher.

He grew up in Ohio, singing in an Anabaptist church where his father was a song leader.

He has explored a broad range of musical styles, including

classical music and opera,
gospel singing,
vocal jazz,
experimental works
and Eastern European folk music.

Alan has worked with the Echo Women's Choir since 1993.

In 1994, he formed the Georgian folk trio Kavkasia with whom he recorded the CD "Songs of the Caucasus". Their second CD, "O Morning Breeze", was released in 2001.

Alan has taught at all levels from Toronto's public schools to its universities and is working for the Royal Conservatory, and on temporary assignment to Common Thread.

Alan is also the founder of Toronto's Georgian folk chorus Darbazi. He has led workshops in London (UK), San Francisco, for the Toronto District School Board, and for Village Harmony in Vermont.