Mission Statement
Our mission is to foster and share the art of choral music, as well as serve the Brandywine Valley community, through the pursuit of musical excellence in a wide variety of repertoire and performance opportunities.
Conductor, educator, and vocalist Nathan Reiff has been Artistic Director of Brandywine Valley Chorale since 2025. He is also the Director of Choirs at Swarthmore College, teaching courses in conducting, music theory, and musicianship. Since arriving at Swarthmore in 2023, he has invigorated the choral program through collaborative projects with Roderick Williams OBE, nationally-renowned organist Dr. David von Behren, and the choirs of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Previously, Dr. Reiff was Resident Conductor of the Harvard Glee Club and Choral Studies Faculty and interim Head of Choral Studies at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In these positions he regularly conducted and prepared performances in venues including Symphony Hall, Boston’s historic Old South Church, and Sanders Theatre, as well as on tour in the Dominican Republic, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Major projects included the northeastern premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s choral-orchestral cantata Crispus Attucks, recordings of works by Lewis Spratlan, and performances of Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex with Emmanuel Music, Susan Botti’s Cosmosis featuring the Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble and the composer as soloist, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Dr. Reiff embraces the central role of exceptional repertoire in choral music-making and endeavors to create programs and projects that highlight underrepresented pieces and composers. He has prepared premieres and showcase performances of works by Karen Thomas, Brandon Waddles, Rosephanye Powell, Saunder Choi, Melissa Dunphy, Tawnie Olson, Bongani Magatyana, Molly Joyce, and many others. Dr. Reiff’s experience as a founding member and guest conductor of Cambridge Common Voices, the first neurodiverse choral ensemble in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area, and music director of the hospice choir JourneySongs has further driven his commitment to honoring and representing many different lived experiences in the choral rehearsal and performance spaces. Dr. Reiff holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Yale University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, where he prepared choruses for the GRAMMY-nominated recording of Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle, released by Naxos. Linda Young Lorgus retired as the music director and organist at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville, Pennsylvania where she led an active choral and handbell choir program for twelve years. Prior to St. Michael, she was principal organist and handbell director at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. This extensive church and handbell experience led Ms. Lorgus to her current position as editor of handbell and piano/organ church products at J.W. Pepper & Son, the world’s largest sheet music distributor. Ms. Lorgus has been the accompanist for Brandywine Valley Chorale since its inception in 2007. She also plays for several regional high school choral programs, vocal studios, dinner theaters, and music competitions including the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Ashley Vogel is a teacher and soprano soloist in the area. She received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the University of Maryland and her Masters in Music Education from West Chester University. She is currently the high school music teacher at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School after serving 15 years as the choral director at Great Valley High School. She has directed concert choirs, chorales, women’s choirs, men’s choir, chamber choirs, a cappella choirs, musical theater productions, and handbell choirs throughout her years of teaching. In addition to Brandywine Valley Chorale, she has served in numerous leadership roles and as a soloist for Valley Forge Chorale, The Brandywine Singers, and the choirs of both Westminster Presbyterian and Cedarville Methodist Churches. Professionally, Mrs. Vogel performs as a freelance singer throughout the Tri-State area and Southern New Jersey. Most recent engagements include events with the staffed Christ Church Choir (of Christ Church Christiana Hundred in Delaware) featuring renown British composers Sir John Rutter and Dr. Philip Moore. Outside of performing and directing, she and her husband own a recording company and a private voice studio. Mrs. Vogel loves helping students develop their voice to its full potential. It is her hope that she can instill a love of music, in them, as she was awarded as a young singer.
Nathan Reiff · Artistic Director
Linda Lorgus · Collaborative Accompanist
Ashley Vogel · Assistant Director
Our mission is to foster and share the art of choral music, as well as serve the Brandywine Valley community, through the pursuit of musical excellence in a wide variety of repertoire and performance opportunities.