Get to know members of the MasterVoices chorus
Spanning from enthusiastic high school students to seasoned singers with over 30 years of participation, our chorus is a testament to a collective dedication to the sheer joy of musical expression. As part of our commitment to sharing the stories behind the voices, we have undertaken an ongoing project to present spotlight interviews with our talented members. Every quarter, we take pride in featuring four spotlight interviews, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives and passions of these remarkable chorus members.
Demitrio Acot
Member since 2022
TENOR
DEDICATE A GIFT IN HONOR OF DEMITRIO
Demitrio Acot has done both solo and ensemble work as a singer spanning multiple genres including jazz, musical theatre, gospel and choral music. He has appeared in a jazz exchange program called Jazz In Out in La Rochelle, France, at NYC jazz venues such as Small’s, and as a member of the Harlequin Theatre Company in Riverdale. He has also sung with the Christ Church Riverdale Choir for twenty-two years.
After being enthralled by MasterVoices’ production of Lady in the Dark, Demitrio auditioned and joined the chorus for Anyone Can Whistle in 2022 where he had a small part in a scene with Tony award-winner Santino Fontana.
Demitrio, who has a BS in Marketing and Management from NYU, has worked in real estate, finance and construction. In 2018 he became a licensed real estate appraiser and has his own growing company, Right Choice Appraisal Service, a minority-owned business that is a registered fiduciary of the court. He is often called upon to provide unbiased real estate appraisals in legal matters such as estates, divorce, bankruptcies and guardianships. “I like getting to the truth,” Demitrio says, “There will always be opinions and speculation; however, we do the research until the truth uncovers itself. Every appraisal is a puzzle.”
A first-generation Filipino-American, Demitrio was brought up by a single mother from the Philippines “who raised three children and worked tirelessly to give us every chance to achieve the American dream.” He is divorced, has two daughters, two granddaughters, and resides in the apartment where he was raised.
Demitrio says, “I’m a “business guy but I enjoy expressing my creative side through singing” and “It’s a worthwhile thing to be part of bringing life to lesser-known and new works.”
Joan B. HARRIS
Member since 2004
SOPRANO
Dedicate a gift in honor of Joan
Joan grew up in Huntington, Long Island and moved to New York City in 1983 after receiving her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. Joan works for ABC News Radio, writing, interviewing, and editing the material for broadcast. She has also worked on podcasts including Perspective and World News This Week, and her responsibilities include being in charge of the newsroom.
Always involved in music, Joan has studied piano and sung in choruses of different types since elementary school. She was a mentor for Side-By Side students for seven years, and describes it as a great experience. MasterVoices is becoming a family tradition – her daughter, Lindsay Rose, sang with Master Voices for a cycle, and her niece Ali Bernstein is also a singing member. Joan is Vice President of the Singers Council.
Joan’s favorite musical memories include singing the Verdi Requiem with James Levine at Verbier, and the performance of Carmen when mezzo star Ginger Costa-Jackson grabbed Joan’s hand and walked off-stage with her. Joan loves having the opportunity to sing in the smaller semi-choruses over the years.
Joan lives in Manhattan with her daughter and her husband of many years. Joan sums up her time with MasterVoices as “thrilling, fulfilling, collegial, and fun.”
Melania maldonado
Member Since 2023
ALTO
DEDICATE A GIFT IN HONOR OF MELANIA
If Muriel Melania Maldonado added another “m” to her name, it would be “music” (but just call her Melania). “Music is part of my DNA“ says Melania, who won her first vocal competition as a six-year old in first grade in her native country of Ecuador. She began formal training, singing in several choirs in Quito until age 13 when she enrolled in the Instituto Superior De Arte in Cuba, earning BA and MA degrees before returning to Ecuador where she opened a music school for vocal training.
In 2001 Melania moved to Manhattan in time to join a Latin American Music Festival and to perform as a soloist in Town Hall. Within a year she had her own school for vocal training: “MelaniaMusic” near Times Square. Students are a veritable United Nations, coming from China, Turkey, Japan, Columbia and Peru. Alumni sing opera, show tunes, and folk melodies, having had preparation for auditions at the school.
Melania also worked with the New York City Department of Education, arranging for the teaching of music theory, voice, piano, acting and dance. Melania joined MasterVoices after seeing “Grapes of Wrath” which she called “amazing.”
ROBERT REICHSTEIN
member since 2005
BARITONE
Bob grew up in a musical family in Chicago where his father was a cantor. At Amherst College, he studied music, sang in choruses as well as a cappella groups, and performed in musicals. Bob received his M.D. from the Chicago Medical School, followed by a residency, chief residency, and fellowship in internal medicine and cardiology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He had a stellar career of forty years with his solo private practice of cardiology in Manhattan, and retired in 2025. Bob is an adoring husband, father of three sons, and grandfather of three.
Going to Verbier with the chorus and singing the Verdi Requiem with James Levine was a very special time for Bob. His most memorable musical experience with MasterVoices was performing in the semi-chorus for Lady in the Dark, which included both acting and dancing. “It was exhilarating performing the same production three times and sensing the growth that developed over time,” Bob recalls.
Bob is very appreciative of how much singing in the chorus has enriched his life, and as a way of giving back, joined the MasterVoices Board of Directors.
Interested in joining the chorus?