Betsy Vonk, President
I started singing with Meridian in January of 2023 after a nearly 30 year hiatus from choral singing. Choral singing brings me great joy, challenges me to keep learning, and provides a lovely community of people who are passionate about bringing joy to others through music. When I’m not singing, you will most likely find me quilting or cooking.
Kate McClain, Vice-President
Vicki Connell, Treasurer
I have been blessed to sing in many groups led by excellent choral directors since I was a small child in a small church in a small northwestern Nebraska town. My best friend in childhood had perfect pitch and taught her friends to sing in harmony while riding horses across the open prairies. Those humble beginnings have led to many fun choral adventures with directors and groups who have taught me many interesting lessons.
I moved to Athens in 1981 to spend a year in graduate school (Gifted and Creative Education) and found I could never leave. Athens is filled with wonderful opportunities to hear and sing music! I can’t seem to get enough, as I’ve been singing with as many as five groups at one time in recent years. I often sing tenor (because I can and most groups need more) so it’s been especially fun to explore women’s music with Meridian since 2017.
Ellen Ritchey, Secretary
I started singing with Meridian in September 2022. Having retired earlier that year, I was happy to finally have the time and availability to join the group. I have sung all my life, as both a soloist and a choir member. I love singing with other people, and have had many experiences of awe and wonder as voices unite to create something that none of us could reach alone. I find singing with other women to be uniquely empowering and meaningful. Meridian gives me the opportunity to nourish my soul and send beauty out into the world.
Janet Rodekohr, Librarian
(prior to July 1, 2023 also Publicity)
I’ve been singing since school days in Nebraska and have looked for choirs to join throughout my life, whether they were school, church or community groups. I also sing with the Athens Chamber Singers and have traveled abroad to international music festivals; I’ve also performed at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston with the Friendship Community Choir. I have been a member of Meridian for about ten years. My professional career involved writing news and creating marketing plans for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Since my retirement, I have taken up watercolor. My work has been accepted into several shows and has even won a few awards.
Corinne Wilkinson, Publicity
I joined Meridian in August of 2024, and I like that I have a set time every week to use my voice to make music. Even though I play woodwind instruments pretty frequently, vocal music is something I’m not as familiar with. I like that Meridian is welcoming to all levels of singers and gives me the opportunity to practice good vocal technique in a low-stress setting. My professional life involves teaching music privately, and my fun time is spent contra dancing, leading dances, playing my instruments, and playing video games.
At-Large Members
Linda Dodson
Lisa Kohler
Roberta Merkle
Since I was always in the band in high school and college, I never had the opportunity to sing in chorus. Music has always been a passion for me, and as an adult I started singing in my synagogue choir. About twenty years ago, I decided to sing with the Athens Choral Society, and since then I’ve become a choir geek. I love singing with Meridian Women’s Chorus; I’ve been a member since 2009, through five (!) directors and a pandemic. My other passions are reading, science (I’m a retired biochemist), and Zumba. These keep me young!
Pauline Rakich
Linda Tiller
I have sung in church choirs since my childhood in Iowa. During school and college years, choirs, choral groups, and band shaped my social life and friendships. Throughout my 37 professional years as a teacher and media specialist, I have continued singing in church and community groups, including over 30 years in the Douglas County, GA, area with the West Atlanta Douglas County Singers and the Douglas County Chamber Singers. During those years I was fortunate to have wonderful directors and was able to travel with those groups to sing in the Georgia Capitol, Chateau Elan, several performances with the Army Ground Forces Band in Atlanta, and two performances in Carnegie Hall.
Since moving to the Athens area in 2018 and joining the Meridian Women’s Chorus, I have enjoyed the music, learning new choral techniques, the rehearsals, the performances, and especially the friendships! We sing varied programs and discover cultural bridges that music provides. Singing premier pieces written by local composers, folk songs from other countries, fun songs with kazoos and clickers, and new renditions of old favorites adds to the pleasurable experience that singing always brings.