Acclaimed Phoenix Chorale acquires new executive director

The Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale has a new executive director. Nicole Belmont is both an accomplished businessperson and singer who comes to the program after attending Chorus America’s Advanced Management Institute for Professional Choruses.

In addition to being a soprano voice herself, Belmont has been working for the choral artform for the past seven years. Before coming to Phoenix, she was helping with a choir in New York called Choral Chameleon. Now, she’s transitioned to working in the choir industry full-time.

“Phoenix Chorale is an organization that really is professional in every way. I would say that it runs itself,” Belmont said of its processes. She was fond of the choir’s work long before taking the job and said that she listened to their work for inspiration in the past.

Now, Belmont feels like she can use her experience both as an accomplished businessperson and experienced singer to build upon the Phoenix Chorale. Coming from working at a choir in New York, she said that she has good perspective on what experimentally works and what might not.

“I was very able to see which things worked, which were experimental in their own right, and which would resonate,” she said. “I think I’m here to listen primarily, and to hear the rhythm of the people’s lives.”