Board of Directors

Scott Miller, President

Scott has more than 25 years of experience with performing arts organizations starting in 1994 with Freeport Players. Having both acted and sung for many shows he now has focused on operating the companies serving as President of Freeport Players, past President of the Greater Freeport Community Chorus, a Board member of the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Freeport and past President of A Company of Girls in Portland Maine. A resident of Freeport, Maine Scott has worked at Acadia Insurance Company of Westbrook, Maine for 25 years and holds several insurance designations.

“It was my pleasure and honor to be asked to lead such an exceptional group of musicians as those in Una Voce Chamber Choir,” comments Miller. “I look forward to helping bring the excitement of live choral music to the people of Maine.”

Sheldon Bird, Treasurer

Sheldon returned to singing classical choral music in 1987 with Oratorio Chorale of greater Brunswick, Maine. He has sung in Maine’s best choirs steadily ever since. In 1991, he joined Portland Choral Art Society under the baton of Robert Shaw, and sang with CAS’s Singers and Masterworks ensembles under Dr. Robert Russell from 1991 until 2012. He was a charter member in 1998 of the CAS Camerata chamber choir of between twelve and 26 voices. In around 2012, he joined the Vox Nova Chamber Choir under Dr. Shannon Chase. A low bass, he has sung solos, duets and quartets in various performances. He has had lead roles in musicals with Portland Players, Freeport Players, Lincoln County Community Theater and Opera, and Studio Theater of Bath. You can also catch him singing the bass arias in early December at Blue Nightclub’s Barroom Messiah. He is also a bass guitarist, appearing in numerous Maine bands. Most of his career was in IT management for the State of Maine and has served on nonprofit boards including Oratorio Chorale (Treasurer), Choral Art Society, and Down East Montessori School. Sheldon currently lives in Bath.

Fiona Vella, Secretary

Fiona started singing in fourth grade – right here in Maine – and never looked back. Since then, she has not only been a member of a vast array of musical organizations, ranging from contemporary ensemble The Capital Hearings in Washington, D.C. to the acclaimed choral Yale Glee Club, but has also often been integrally involved in their management, operations, strategic planning, and artistic direction. In her day job, Fiona acts as a legal recruiter, helping law firms find and hire new partners; most recently, she assisted a national firm in selecting the right team to open a new Philadelphia office. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University. Upon moving back to Maine in 2018, Fiona was delighted to discover and join Una Voce, and she is now proud and excited to contribute to the behind-the-scenes work of the Board.

James Caton

Jim draws from a wealth of experience in marketing, public relations and event promotion in both the arts and intercollegiate athletics. Currently the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at Bowdoin College, he oversees all aspects of external communications for the Polar Bears’ 31 varsity sports teams, including the management of the Bowdoin Athletics website and social media channels. Before coming to Bowdoin in 2001, he served as Assistant Sports Information Director at Middlebury (Vt.) College. Prior to that he served as the assistant to the Executive Director at the Earlville (N.Y.) Opera House, a non-profit performance venue in Upstate New York for several years. Although he works in collegiate athletics, Jim’s love for the arts is in his DNA, as his wife, mother and grandmother are public school music educators. Jim currently resides in Topsham.

Claire Berkowitz

Claire Berkowitz recently became the President/CEO of Midcoast Maine Community Action in Bath where she partners with the board, staff and key stakeholders to fulfill the agency's mission to empower individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency. Claire worked at the Maine Children’s Alliance for eleven years, serving in the role of Executive Director for over five years. Claire moved to Maine in 1996 and worked at Bowdoin College for 8 years, first as the Assistant Director of Institutional Research and then as the Academic Program Analyst for the Dean for Academic Affairs. Earlier in her career, Claire coordinated an effort to bring supportive housing to her community and directed a teen center and indoor skatepark. After singing in a church choir and community performances at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, Claire joined Vox Nova Chamber Choir in 2011. Claire holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia and a Master’s in psychology from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She lives in Bath with her husband and two college-age daughters. She has served on the board of Tedford Housing, United Way of Mid Coast Maine, and the Bath Youth Skatepark and Teen Center.

Robert Gersh

A current member of UVCC, Robert started choral singing with the Tufts University Chorale in 1984 while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. When the U.S. Navy transferred Robert and his family to Washington, DC in 1997, Robert joined the prestigious Capitol Hill Chorale and sang with them for four seasons. Since moving to Maine in 2004, Robert has sung with the Greater Freeport Community Chorus, the Oratorio Chorale, the New Camerata Singers, Vox Nova Chamber Choir, and now the Una Voce Chamber Choir, which he joined in 2018. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tufts University and a Master of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from Old Dominion University. Following his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2008 after 20-years of active duty service, Robert joined the engineering consulting firm of Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions in Portland where he is currently a Senior Project Manager. Robert is a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) and a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the states of Virginia and Maine. Robert is the father of two adult children and lives with his wife, Susan, in the City of Bath.

Rowan Etzel

Rowan harbors a deep love for modern choral music in all its many forms, fostered by years of sharing joy through song. A native of Connecticut, their foundation in choral music grew through nine years in the Elm City Girls' Choir, with which Rowan toured throughout North America and the world at large and collaborated with numerous professional choirs and orchestras, learning repertoire spanning a vast array of genres. They subsequently sang in the Bowdoin College Chamber Choir while also serving as student conductor, music librarian, and composer for the group. In December 2018 the choir premiered Rowan's composition "Flight," a work written for choir, flute, electric guitar, and piano. Rowan holds degrees in Music and Biology from Bowdoin, where they also served as a leader or founder of numerous clubs and organizations, gaining a wide knowledge base and experience in a variety of fields ranging from volunteer management to student advocacy and event planning. They hope to draw from their diverse passions for music, science, medicine, and the natural world to bring new perspectives to the Una Voce Board and to uphold the magical sense of community and connection that choral music inspires.

Misty Parker

As the Economic Development Manager for the City of Lewiston, Misty plays a lead role in attracting development to the City, with a focus on the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Lewiston and the riverfront. Before becoming Manager, Misty was Lewiston’s Economic Development Specialist for almost four years and was responsible for researching, planning, implementing and promoting a variety of programs and efforts aimed at business attraction and expansion. She also provided support for related community development activities, including grant writing and administration. Misty has been a Town Planner for Wiscasset as well as a Planning and Development Director for Waldoboro. She received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Maine at Machias and her Master’s degree in Resource Management and Conservation from Antioch University of New England.