About Us
The mission of Palmetto Youth Choir is to give meaningful voice to singers, providing the opportunity for them to develop and advance their artistic abilities in a safe and positive learning environment, inspiring and empowering them to succeed in music and in life.
Our artistic and educational goals are:
Palmetto Youth Choir is open to students in grades K-8 who love to sing. (High Schoolers are invited to join our adult choir, Palmetto Peace Choir!) The choir is divided into groups based on experience and ability. Reading music is not a requirement, but is a welcomed skill. Singers are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances, and to utilize provided tools for regular practice at home. Members learn musicianship, vocal technique and performance skills, and participate in concerts and outreach and community events.
We are an independent, secular community choir, unaffiliated with any school our church. Our repertoire includes an eclectic range of music, such as folk, jazz, world, musical theatre, Americana, pop and traditional choral pieces. Our goal is to choose music that shares universal messages of peace, hope, love and justice! Our nurturing staff ensures a "people first" model, and strive to ensure all singers are treated with kindness and celebrated for their unique talents and abilities.
Our artistic and educational goals are:
- To develop musical literacy and healthy vocal technique
- To learn diverse and quality choral literature
- To share musical messages of peace, hope, love and justice
- To give back to our community through service projects
Palmetto Youth Choir is open to students in grades K-8 who love to sing. (High Schoolers are invited to join our adult choir, Palmetto Peace Choir!) The choir is divided into groups based on experience and ability. Reading music is not a requirement, but is a welcomed skill. Singers are expected to attend all rehearsals and performances, and to utilize provided tools for regular practice at home. Members learn musicianship, vocal technique and performance skills, and participate in concerts and outreach and community events.
We are an independent, secular community choir, unaffiliated with any school our church. Our repertoire includes an eclectic range of music, such as folk, jazz, world, musical theatre, Americana, pop and traditional choral pieces. Our goal is to choose music that shares universal messages of peace, hope, love and justice! Our nurturing staff ensures a "people first" model, and strive to ensure all singers are treated with kindness and celebrated for their unique talents and abilities.
Our Team
Danielle Loveless is the Music Director of the Palmetto Youth Choir. Starting a community youth choir in the Charleston area has been a dream of hers for a decade and she is ecstatic for the opportunity to have finally arrived. Prior to working with PYC Danielle taught elementary, middle, and high school choral and general music in South Carolina, Connecticut, and Colorado. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Gettysburg College and a Master of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Utah. Previous choirs under the direction of Ms. Loveless have competed in choral festivals and received highest marks for their performances. She is a member of the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and has been a presenter at state and regional conferences. As a singer she has performed locally with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Danielle has taught private piano and voice lessons, directed musical theater, and is a student of Taiko Charleston, a Japanese Taiko drumming troupe. In addition to her lifelong love of music, Ms. Loveless is passionate about the outdoors, and she was a founding director of Loblolly Adventures, a nature-based education program in Charleston. Originally from Connecticut and having lived in multiple states (including a year traveling the country in an RV with her family), she now resides in Johns Island with her husband and three young children.
Regina Ruopoli is the Managing & Artistic Director for Palmetto Youth Choir. Regina earned a B.A. in Theatre from Marian University in Indianapolis, where she graduated with honors. She has worked as an actor, singer and voiceover actor for 25+ years, appearing in a wide variety of projects in stage, radio, film and TV. Regina is currently represented by Coastal Talent Agency for voiceover acting. She has taught and directed children's theatre and musical theatre in Indianapolis Public Schools, in Charleston County Schools, Engaging Creative Minds and Charleston Youth Company. She also maintains a private voice studio. Regina has performed a broad range of musical styles, including jazz, blues, folk, Americana, pop, classical and showtunes, and has performed in numerous choirs. She is a singer/songwriter who has been the lead vocalist in multiple bands, performing locally and regionally at various venues, festivals and special events. Regina was voted Best Female Vocalist by readers of Charleston City Paper in 1999, and was a founding member of Jazz Artists of Charleston (now Charleston Jazz.) She has been a core performing member of Taiko Charleston, a Japanese Taiko drumming troupe, for 12 years, where she is also an assistant instructor. Regina has also enjoyed a successful career in marketing, PR, communications and event production, having worked for a wide variety of non-profits, corporations and freelance clients. She resides in Charleston, SC, with her husband and teenage son. They share their home with a little rescue dog, Trudy, who really runs the show. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Regina has called Charleston home since 1992.
Bill Gesin is the Principal Accompanist for Palmetto Youth Choir. He teaches piano at Allegro Charter School of Music and is an adjunct online music instructor for Lighthouse Connections Academy. He also plays piano for The Unitarian Church in Charleston and accompanies for the Taylor Festival Choir in addition to being a freelance accompanist for performances ranging from school and university concerts to musical theater auditions, classes, and productions. He moved to Charleston from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2016. While in Pennsylvania, Mr. Gesin was the music department accompanist and a private piano instructor at California University of Pennsylvania and the assistant organist at Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Together with Chatham Baroque, Pittsburgh's renowned baroque ensemble and Calvary's Ensemble-in-Residence, Calvary performed several large works each year, including Handel's Messiah, Faure's Requiem, Durufle's Requiem, and Bach's St. John Passion. He also sang in the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, known for its innovative programming, and was the accompanist and assistant director of The Three Rivers Choral Society. He has accompanied for festivals conducted by well-known conductors, composers, and arrangers such as Moses Hogan, Dr. Rollo Dilworth, and Dr. Lon Beery. As a middle and high school choir director in the Pittsburgh area, his choirs performed a wide variety of sacred and secular music and consistently earned Superior ratings at adjudication festivals. The choirs grew substantially under his direction, sometimes doubling and tripling in size. Mr. Gesin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music degree in Music Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While at IUP he was the winner of the annual concerto competition and was a featured soloist with the IUP Orchestra in a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. At IUP he was a member of the inaugural class of the Robert E. Cook Honors College, and while at Duquesne he was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society. Mr. Gesin lives in James Island with his husband, Scott, an Infectious Diseases Physician and the Associate Hospital Epidemiologist at MUSC, their two sons, and their two rescue dogs.
Stephanie Easterling is the Administrative Assistant for Palmetto Youth Choir. She assists us with various administrative tasks as well as at events and rehearsals. Stephanie is a full-time Instructional Coach with a passion for empowering young minds at C.E. Williams Middle School, North Campus, by day, but she also brings her sparkle, harmony, and organization to the PYC as well! She is a proud wife to Tommy, and a blessed mom to Brayden, 14, and Jennie, 10, who is also a talented PYC member! She has called the South (South Carolina and Georgia) her home since 2008, but a piece of her heart still beats to the rhythm of Detroit's Motown sound where she was born and raised!
Harper Teague is an Intern and Summer Camp Teaching Assistant for Palmetto Youth Choir. She is a sophomore at the prestigious and highly acclaimed Charleston County Academic Magnet High School, where she is an honor student. She is the President and Founder of her own creative arts club, The Advocate, at her school. She has been a member of Charleston Youth Company and performed in many musicals, including Shrek Jr. Harper has been studying voice for 8 years with Regina Ruopoli, and has performed many different styles of music, including jazz, blues, Broadway, pop, and rock. She hopes to attend UNC Chapel Hill as a journalism major, and also plans to perform travel Broadway. Harper enjoys learning under the tutelage of the Palmetto Youth Choir leadership team, as well as assisting in rehearsals.
We also love hosting Visiting Artists to share their insights and knowledge with our students! This gives them a broad exposure to different experiences and perspectives.
Some of our guest artists have included the amazing Alva Anderson, who shared with our 2022 summer campers her insight about jazz music, including the joy and fun of scat singing, improvising and "making it swing."
We also had a 2023 camp visit from Madelyn Knight, one of Charleston’s most gifted and celebrated musical theatre artists! Madelyn inspired us all with her mini-performance, and shared some of her favorite warmups and great tips for being more expressive in our singing.
Another favorite guest was the amazing Joe Spiotta, another one of Charleston's most loved musical theatre artists. Joe was a fun and inspiring part of our 2023 holiday party, singing a few of his favorite pieces for us and hosting our karaoke with flair!
Stay tuned for more awesome visiting artists during our choir season!
Some of our guest artists have included the amazing Alva Anderson, who shared with our 2022 summer campers her insight about jazz music, including the joy and fun of scat singing, improvising and "making it swing."
We also had a 2023 camp visit from Madelyn Knight, one of Charleston’s most gifted and celebrated musical theatre artists! Madelyn inspired us all with her mini-performance, and shared some of her favorite warmups and great tips for being more expressive in our singing.
Another favorite guest was the amazing Joe Spiotta, another one of Charleston's most loved musical theatre artists. Joe was a fun and inspiring part of our 2023 holiday party, singing a few of his favorite pieces for us and hosting our karaoke with flair!
Stay tuned for more awesome visiting artists during our choir season!
Kind Words
Choir:
Summer Camp:
- “My kids loved their experience this year! They learned so much about vocal technique and singing with a group. Their confidence grew throughout the year and by the end my oldest was saying she wanted to try out for a solo next year! You all were so organized and communication was great. Thanks for a great year!”
- ”I was so impressed by the caliber of the performance — I thought I would be teary-eyed seeing my kiddo on stage but was so shocked by the professionalism and quality of the performance that no tears were shed — I was too focused on their awesome singing to be a teary-eyed parent!”
- “My daughter has dabbled in a few sports and dance over the last few years but never found her thing. This year I watched her grow and blossom as a singer. She was practicing at home without being prompted, and even recording herself to play it back. It was so exciting to watch her find her thing! Thank you for opening up the world of music to my girl!”
- “What a great first season for PYC! We didn't really know what to expect when our daughter joined, but are thrilled to see the progress all of these kids have made and how comfortable and happy they are on stage. They sound AMAZING!”
- “My child demonstrated exceptional growth musically, she learned to commit and follow through. She has great memories!”
- “Organization and communication have been great. I love the way fun is incorporated into the mix!”
- “Outstanding program with the most amazing staff! Would highly recommend to anyone!”
- “Just so impressed with what you created in your first year. Thanks for providing a secular choir experience!”
- “My child really enjoyed learning to sing with a group! Great choices on who you collaborate with.”
- “Music changed my life as a child, and I have seen it do the same for my child this past year. I wanted to make sure she found that love of music and her place – and she did in the Palmetto Youth Choir.”
Summer Camp:
- ”My child loved her time with you! She learned so much and became so much more confident in her singing! She’s very excited to join the choir!”
- “My daughter loved this so much! She loved the visiting musicians and came home every day sharing her experience with us. Thank you!”
- “We enjoyed the repertoire selections and the thorough, consistent email communication. I liked having all of the information and loved seeing the photos from each day of camp. Our camper had a lot of fun!”
- “It is a very good experience for the kids. They learned to sing three songs as a choir in a week which is amazing. The teachers really put a lot of effort into the kids and were very enthusiastic in teaching.”
- “Just so impressed with what you did in 5 days. A beautiful experience to be part of (for the parents and the children). Thank you!”