Show Staff

Farlanda Buchannon HS Choreographer

Staff Bios

Jeremy Alfera: is happy to be in his 20th year directing the award winning show choir ‘Swingers Unlimited’ from Marysville, OH.  Under his direction, the group has earned 56 overall Grand Championships, numerous caption awards, and has been the guest performer at Show Choir Camps of America 8 times.  He also directs two choral ensembles at Otterbein University in Columbus, OH:  Opus One, a pop a cappella/vocal jazz group, and The Otterbein Singers, a choir composed of musical theater majors.  Jeremy is an active music arranger, choreographer, show designer, and guest clinician for show choirs across the country.  In 2015, Jeremy received the FAME Aspire award for 'Best Arranger', and has twice directed the Arizona All-State Show Choir.  He has also proudly served as an accompanist for Show Choir Camps of America for 17 years.  When not obsessively consuming all kinds of music, Jeremy likes to read, run, play video games, find new places to brunch with his husband Mark, and spoil his fat cats Oswin and Rory.

Farlanda Buchanon: Born and raised in Auburn, AL, Farlanda Buchannon found his love for the arts through vast choral experiences and the harmonious melodies of Southern gospel music in church. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Voice. Farlanda travels throughout the United States as a choreographer and vocal clinician for several middle and high school choirs. In addition to his conductor commitments, Farlanda serves as the in-house choreographer for Uniting Voices Chicago. He believes that teaching students from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds through diverse choral literature builds community and facilitates creativity. Outside of Uniting Voices Chicago, Farlanda enjoys traveling and exploring the city of Chicago. He is thrilled at every opportunity to empower students through the fine arts, and is so thankful for all the directors, students, parents, administrators, and communities that support them!

Rachel Snyder: Rachel received her B.S in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, and has taught choir & show choir in both public and private schools for 18 years. She also taught private voice and piano, and ran a Vocal Performance Academy in Martinsburg, WV for 5 years. Rachel also performed on many stages in concert and chamber choirs, as well as landing lead roles in many musicals. In the show choir circuit, she coached her middle school competitive show choir, South Spirit, to win multiple Grand Championships, often out-ranking high school groups. She has won multiple show design awards and was featured as the first Middle School director to receive the State Honors Show Choir award. She also spent 3 years coaching Clover Hill High School’s show choirs, also receiving multiple grand championships and captions with both show choirs. Her mixed group, New Dimensions, won Grand Champion at every competition in VA under her direction. Her greatest victory was inspiring a culture of healthy competition and rallying together the community during the pandemic in order to preserve this art. Rachel is a passionate and tenacious music educator, who now also specializes in freelancing as a show designer, clinician, and competition adjudicator for multiple schools across the country.

Ryan Shapiro: Ryan Shapiro is an alumnus of Manchester High School & is currently the choreographer & technical director for The Show Choirs of Manchester. Ryan has served performing arts departments & local theatres in the region for the past 17 years as a Choreographer, Technical Director, Event Organizer, Stage & Travel Manager, Project Manager & Show Designer. Ryan serves as Master of Ceremonies for corporate and social events throughout the region. Nationally, he has been the Stage Manager for Heart of America Entertainment, assisting in producing world class show choir events across the country. Ryan is passionate about the performing arts & dedicated to showcasing its vital role in the human experience. Providing a performing arts opportunity and showcasing the arts of show choir has long been a passion and ever chased shooting star… he is grateful to work along side Rachel to make this studio a reality and provide the students of Chesterfield and the surrounding region an exciting new experience through the performing arts! We look forward to working with students, teachers and families in becoming apart of the Richmond performing arts community!

Ben Frost: Benjamin Frost is a music educator at Hopkins Road Elementary, and Providence elementary, recently graduating from Randolph-Macon College. He was Bass section leader in his High School Chamber choir for 3 years, also participating in All-State and All-Eastern Choir. During the summer of his junior and senior year, he toured across the east coast with an A Capella group known as the Rock n’ Roll Chorus, performing with legends such as Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, and more. During his collegiate years, Ben was part of numerous Concert/University Choirs, serving as the President of RMC’s Choral Program his senior year. He also spent two years performing in RMC’s Show Choir LUXE under the direction of Adam Pulver. 

Corinne Matheson: Corinne Matheson is a current Dance Education major at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. Corinne has been teaching dance since 2017 and has choreographed for musicals and concerts at Manchester Middle School. She is very excited to be jumping back into the show choir world. Corinne graduated from Clover Hill High School where she was a four-year show choir member as well as a dance and vocal captain for “Iridescence”. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her passion for dance with a new group of students.

Sierra Butler: Sierra is native to Midlothian, Va and has always had a passion for dance. Dancing since she was 2, she has grown up through Spotlight Studio of Dance and has made a full circle to become a teacher there in 2013. She was accepted into Appomattox Regional Governors School for the Arts and Technology as a dance major in high school and was involved in Dragonfire, the school’s dance team, for three years. Sierra teaches Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Modern, Pointe, and Tumbling at Spotlight Studio of Dance. She now applies her training to teach the next generation in the dance world and shares her passion of dance with her students.

Taylor-Leigh Adams: A native of Richmond, Taylor-Leigh Adams Lopez grew up with formal training in ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, and hip hop, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. Stemming from her love of dance and chorus, show choir became the highlight of her time at Clover Hill High School, and led her to find a passion for musical theatre. From performing at theme parks, to choreographing for local theatres, and teaching people from ages 2 through 92, Taylor weaves a common thread through all of her movement practices: holding an inclusive space for self-expression that radiates from the inside out. Taylor's artistic quality is informed by her own engagement in social and street dance styles, cultural appreciation, and the JOY of getting to move the body each day. Currently, you can find her coaching fitness and teaching yoga around town, and embracing a new journey of motherhood. She is honored to share her knowledge with the young artists of Protégé Camp this summer!

Stephanie Hall Jones: Stephanie is a 1997 graduate of Clover Hill High School where she was a member of the Mixed Show Choir New Dimensions, one of the original members of the Treble Show Choir Ace of Hearts, now known as Iridescence and the Acropolis Chamber Ensemble.  She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government with a concentration in American Politics. While at UVA, Stephanie became a member of one of the nine historically black fraternities and sororities, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., serving in the role of Step Mistress. Stephanie currently serves as the director of the Youth Choir at Third Street Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church as well as the Musical Director of the Spirit of Praise Praise Team. In her free time, she also enjoys serving as a show choir clinician for Cosby High School’s Mixed and Treble show choirs as well as other schools in the surrounding counties. Stephanie credits her love and passion for the performing arts, especially music, to her late father, John R. Hall, III and feels it is her duty to share this passion in order to strengthen her local communities and develop future generations of artists.

Juan Pineda: (Voice, Acting, Piano, guitar) has been teaching for more than 20 years. He is a Broadway veteran, international artist, and proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. Mr. Pineda is co-founder of the Little Opera Company and Pineda Conservatory and worked at the Union County Performing Arts High School directing shows and teaching musical theatre. He has directed, recorded, and taught voice, acting, and musical theatre throughout New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area. He and his family moved to Richmond, Va several years ago to help take care of his parents. Mr. Pineda is the worship & music director at Powhatan UMC and has continued to teach voice and acting lessons out of his private studio, teaching all ages from amateur to professional. He has also worked with the show choirs at Clover Hill High School and Powhatan High School as a voice teacher, and also at St. Catherines, directing the middle and high school choirs covering a maternity leave. Mr. Pineda has performed in Avery Fischer Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, and at The Broadway Theater, where he played “Thuy” in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon. He has also performed many other roles in productions such as The King & I, L’Elisir d’amore, Cavelleria Rusticana, Babes in Toyland and Turandot to name a few.

Logan Shields: Logan was the assistant director to Rachel during her final year at Clover Hill High School. Logan was in show choir for 4 years, and is now studying pre-law at James Madison University.

Lexi Tragle: Lexi Tragle is a current sophomore and Communication Studies major at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA. Lexi is a member of the LUXE Show Choir at RMC and has been in show choir for a total of 6 years. She has been in choir for 10 years and has been involved in dance for 12 years. Lexi graduated from Clover Hill High School where she was under the direction of Rachel Snyder. She is so excited to be able to immerse herself further into the world of show choir!