THE STAFF
Dr. Iris S. Levine
Founding Artistic Director
Nationally recognized for her excellence in choral conducting, Iris S. Levine is founder and
artistic director of VOX Femina Los Angeles, L.A.’s premier women’s chorus. Through her
extensive experience with women’s choral literature, and innovative concert programming, Dr.
Levine has charted VOX Femina on an impressive journey, building its prominence in the choral community by way of numerous appearances at ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) conventions, Chorus America conferences, GALA Chorus conferences, and over 300 appearances throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Dr. Levine is faculty emerita at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona where she
recently completed her service as the Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Dr. Levine previously served as Dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences,
Interim Dean of the College of Education and Integrative Studies, and Department Chair and
Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona. As faculty, she conducted the Kellogg Chamber
Singers, taught Beginning Conducting, Choral Conducting and Music Education courses. Dr.
Levine earned her Doctorate in Choral Music from the University of Southern California under
the tutelage of Rod Eichenberger and James Vail, and she holds a Masters degree in Choral
Conducting from Temple University in Philadelphia, where she studied with Alan Harler.
Dr. Levine is an active member of ACDA where she has served the organization in many
leadership roles, including state, regional, and national R&S chairs for Women’s Choruses. She has presented at numerous regional and national conferences.
Dr. Levine is the editor for the Iris S. Levine Treble Choral Series with Pavane Publishing. She
authored the chapter on “Working with the Women’s Community Choir” in the GIA publication:
Conducting Women’s Choirs: Strategies for Success and she is a contributing author in Choral
Reflections: Insights from American Choral Conductor-Teachers. Dr. Levine is highly sought as
guest clinician and adjudicator for choral festivals throughout the country.
Rebecca Wink
Executive Director
Rebecca Wink joins VOX after 13 years of non-profit management experience. Rebecca is a results -oriented leader with a proven ability to advance organizational performance through program and budget management, strategic planning, marketing, developing creative events, and maximizing revenue generation. As Managing Director of the California Dance Institute from 2002 until the fall of 2015, she managed all aspects of administration, budgeting, fundraising, grant writing, strategic planning and event planning for the organization. Prior to working in the non-profit sector, Rebecca was the founder and CEO of Creative Spaces, a Professional Organizing service, specializing in home-office organization. Rebecca has appeared in numerous theatrical productions and film and television roles, and records voice-overs for animated series and features. Rebecca earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Lisa Edwards
Pianist
Following her undergraduate studies in piano performance at University of North Texas, Lisa Edwards earned her Master of Music degree in the Keyboard Collaborative Arts program at the University of Southern California with honors. While at USC, she was awarded the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Scholarship.
Currently, Ms. Edwards is the pianist/music assistant for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, under the direction of Grant Gershon and performs regularly on stage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Her concert credits include performances with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Barbara Symphony. On disc, Lisa can be heard on two Nonesuch recordings of Steve Reich’s music – “You Are” Variations and “Daniel Variations”.
Previous faculty positions include California State University Long Beach, Glendale Community College, and Pasadena Community College. In addition to being the pianist for VOX Femina Los Angeles, Ms. Edwards holds positions with San Marino Community Church, Stephen S. Wise Temple in Bel Air, and Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood. Lisa travels throughout the United States as a vocal/chamber music pianist.
Lori Marie Rios
Associate Conductor
Lori Marie Rios is a highly accomplished conductor, soprano soloist, educator, adjudicator, clinician, and voice teacher. She currently serves as Professor of Music at College of the Canyons, in Valencia, CA. where she directs the Chamber Singers and Voices of the Canyons, teaches voice, and administrates the applied music program. She is also currently an adjunct faculty member at California State University, Fullerton, where she is a mentor teacher in the music education department. Prior to her appointment at COC, she directed the choral program at La Cañada High School/Middle School for 8 years and taught K-8 classroom and choral music.
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Prof. Rios has presented workshops for CCDA, Nevada Choral Directors Association, Rocky Mountain Choral Festival, conducted various Regional and All State honor choirs. She served as the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Bach Festival and is a past president of the California ACDA, where she currently serves on the Regional and National Steering Committees for the association.
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As a Soprano, Ms. Rios made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in 2008 as a soloist in the Mozart Requiem under the baton of Grant Gershon.She holds a Master of Music degree in conducting and vocal performance from the University of Nevada, Reno, where her master teachers were Dr. Bruce Mayhall-Rastrelli and Prof. Don Brinegar, and a Bachelor of Music in choral studies/vocal performance from California State University, Los Angeles.
Joanna Mitchell
Administrative Coordinator
Joanna Mitchell joined VOX in the role of Administrative Coordinator in 2017. Prior to her time with VOX she ran the administration for a small acting school in North Hollywood and worked as a Client Manager for five years in the events industry in London. She worked as an actor and arts educator for many years in both the US and UK, with degrees in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) and Syracuse University, and is a classically trained singer with a diploma in Opera Performance from Birkbeck University. Joanna likes to describe herself as the “duck feet” of the organization – paddling frantically under the surface to keep the organization gliding smoothly along!
Emma Benatar
Education Program Manager
Emma Benatar joins the team at Vox Femina with full intentions of taking over the world through choral music education. An energizing and inspired conductor and music educator, Emma is also the music teacher and assistant to the Interim Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator at the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District, where she is working to build a sustainable music program that not only addresses all state standards but lays the foundation for a lifelong love of music. Prior to joining the team at Vox Femina, Emma served as the lead teacher and teacher trainer, head of curriculum development, and interim director at Colorful Universe Music School in Cupertino, CA. Emma has been performing, teaching voice, and conducting choirs since she began her studies at San Jose State University in 2014, where she pursued her BM in Music Education, with an emphasis in Choral and General Music. She has spent the last two summers both singing roles in and administrating for California Opera Association's Summer Opera Institute. She says she is going to take over the world through choral music education, but really the goal is to transform it.
Chris Fox
Production Coordinator
Chris Fox is an emerging professional in the film industry and entertainment production. She is a graduate of Hollywood’s LA Film School where she now teaches students in pre-production/production responsibility; best practices for assisting directors; on-set protocols, and strategies for best communication when working with technical personnel. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Studies from Cal Poly Pomona and has significant expertise in managing logistics planning and technical aspects of concert production. She joined the VOX staff as Production Manager in 2014 and loves managing and bringing out the best in production crews and multi-media technicians. Her professional experience includes several facets of audio and video production and she dreams of one day running her own film company.
Angelica Rowell
Social Media Coordinator
Angelica Rowell is a singer, actress, writer, and arts educator based in Los Angeles, California. She is adamant about the power art has to change perspectives, and strives to create works that open doors for marginalized peoples while educating others in hopes of creating a more understanding and just world. Angelica has created workshops for youth and adults alike on creating original works that make a statement (“Arts for Activism”) and shedding light on Black musicians who have been erased and overlooked throughout history (“The Evolution of Black Music”). As a creative, Angelica has performed in musicals and operas, including The Industry’s Sweet Land, sung as a featured soloist for the LA Philharmonic’s centennial celebration, debuted various plays with theatre companies across Los Angeles, and wrote on AMC Allblk’s upcoming TV show, SNAP. She is also a member of Los Angeles’ premiere women’s choir, Vox Femina.
In addition to her creative work, Angelica is a member of the arts non-profit Black Light Arts Collective (BLAC) and serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant on the board of Bay Area-based theatre company, Poison Apple. She holds bachelor’s degrees in theatre and classical voice from the University of California, Irvine.
