Artistic Staff
Richard Cole has served as the Artistic Director for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the second half of the 1997/98 season. He joined the chorus as a singer in 1989 and got actively involved from the beginning by serving on the Board for several years. In addition to the full chorus, Rich also directs The Coastliners, NCMC’s small ensemble. Rich was the Chair for the wildly successful Band and Choral events for the 2014 Gay Games hosted in Cleveland. In 2015, Rich was the recipient of an LGBT Heritage Day award by the City of Cleveland for his contributions to entertainment in the city.
NCMC has flourished under his leadership and guidance. In addition to annual increases in attendance at our concerts and growth in membership, his enthusiasm, energy and creativity have been the driving force responsible for bringing guest artists in to perform with the chorus, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Leslie Jordan, Armistead Maupin and Bernadette Peters.
Rich graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and frequently arranges and/or transcribes pieces of music for the Chorus.
Robert Day began his tenure as NCMC’s Principal Accompanist in the June 2000 “Touching Hearts, Changing Lives” concerts. Since then, he has accompanied the chorus in all concerts, NCMC benefits, at six GALA Chorus Festivals, and on their five CDs.
A native Clevelander, Bob holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Otterbein University, and a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from The Ohio State University. Bob is retired from 30 years of public school teaching in choral music, but still serves as Organist at The Church of the Saviour in Cleveland Heights.
Ron Palka is a full-time librarian as well as an active and versatile musician. He earned his MM at Manhattan School of Music and his MLS from Kent State University.
As an accompanist, he has performed at Carnegie Hall and Severance Hall. He has served as music director for several area churches and has taught privately and as a faculty member of the Oberlin Community Music School. Ron’s performances have taken him as far afield as Brazil, where he was invited to teach and perform.
Recent performances include a June 2018 concert at The Bop Stop with classical saxophonist, Javier Oviedo. He makes his debut with The Cleveland Philharmonic in October with a performance of Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals with long-time piano duo partner, Coren Estrin Mino. The duo has been featured on WCLV’s program, Cleveland Ovations.
Ron can be heard accompanying cellist Catherine Clyatt Schroth on her debut CD entitled “Songs for My Son.”
Gregory Daniels has been the head of the Dance Program at Baldwin Wallace University for 14 years. As a professional dancer, Greg has performed in regional theaters from coast to coast, in national and international tours of Broadway shows and, for nine years in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in NYC. He teaches master classes across the country. His choreographic credits include Anything Goes, starring Tony Award nominated Dee Hoty; the world premiere of a new musical, My Own Song (Flatrock Playhouse, NC), starring Clint Holmes; and Putting it Together (Syracuse Stage), starring Tony Award winners Lillias White and Chuck Cooper. Other shows, to name a few, include Cabaret, Les Miserables, The Secret Garden and Forever Plaid(Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theater), Dreamgirls and Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Cain Park), and the regional premiere of Spring Awakening ,Carrie: the musical and Once (Beck Center for the Arts). Greg also had the rare honor of creating an original number for the World Famous Rockettes at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall for the Commerce Bank WOW Awards. For Baldwin Wallace University, he has choreographed such shows as Rent, La Bohème, Lizzie: The Musical, Follies, A Chorus Line, the academic premiere of Kinky Boots and the first academic production of Spring Awakening that streamed around the world, including an encore weekend because of the demand. Awards include 2012 and 2014 Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Choreographer for the regional premiere of Spring Awakening and Carrie, and 2012 and 2014 Broadwayworld.com Cleveland Award for Best Choreography for Sondheim on Sondheim, Carrie and Les Miserables. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers Union. Please visit gregorydaniels.net
Doug Braun has been part of the NCMC since its beginning. Braun graduated from Oberlin College and received his sign language training at Cleveland State University. Braun earned his Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1991. He provides in-home counseling for Cleveland elders. A ham radio operator for twenty years, he volunteers with the Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
Administrative Staff
Richard Cole has served as the Artistic Director for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the second half of the 1997/98 season. He joined the chorus as a singer in 1989 and got actively involved from the beginning by serving on the Board for several years. In addition to the full chorus, Rich also directs The Coastliners, NCMC’s small ensemble.
Rich was the Chair for the wildly successful Band and Choral events for the 2014 Gay Games hosted in Cleveland. In 2015, Rich was the recipient of an LGBT Heritage Day award by the City of Cleveland for his contributions to entertainment in the city.
NCMC has flourished under his leadership and guidance. In addition to annual increases in attendance at our concerts and growth in membership, his enthusiasm, energy, and creativity have been the driving force responsible for bringing guest artists in to perform with the chorus, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Maureen McGovern, Leslie Jordan, Armistead Maupin and Bernadette Peters.
Rich graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and frequently arranges and/or transcribes pieces of music for the Chorus.
Andrew Zupcsan has served as Business Manager for the North Coast Men’s Chorus since the fall of 2010. Prior to accepting that position he served 5 years on the Board of Directors, including 2 years as Treasurer. He has been actively involved in many aspects of Chorus administration since he joined as a singing member in 2002.
Andrew holds a BS in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Urban Planning from Cleveland State University. He currently works in Operations and Customer Relations for ShredPro, LLC a local secure shredding and information management company. He also serves as President of the Madison High School Alumni Association.
Sherry
Wade Tolleson
Board of Directors
Robert Syto
Shawn Belt lives life with intentions of simplicity, peacefulness, and a deep sense of community. His journey is a testament to his commitment to fostering community, laughter, and humility.
Since 2014, Shawn has found a sense of belonging within the North Coast Men’s Chorus. Initially drawn by the group’s captivating music and vibrant performances, he has discovered a supportive community beyond the stage that welcomed him with open arms. Shawn’s dedication to nurturing relationships has been a guiding force throughout his life, from his time in pastoral leadership to managing local farms, where his sense of community grew exponentially through his experience working with diverse groups such as refugees and Cleveland teenagers, all in support of the Northeast Ohio local food system.
At the core of Shawn’s values lies a belief in the power of imagination and the importance of dreaming creatively to solve problems. He envisions resilient communities and actively works towards realizing this vision in the groups he is part of.
Since 2015, Shawn has been serving as the production manager for Tunnel Vision Hoops, a greenhouse manufacturing company. Here, he combines his expertise in production management with a commitment to supporting agricultural communities. His work ensures that farmers across the U.S. have access to the tools they need to thrive, contributing to the resilience and sustainability of food systems nationwide.
Shawn met his dear partner L.P. in 2010 and has been madly in love ever since. They are lifelong Cleveland-area natives and live with many feline friends that both delight and enrage them. Shawn’s two nieces, sister, and parents are his world and he makes sure that fact is known however possible.
Adam Stobinski is a Senior IT Report / Business Intelligence Developer at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. He enjoys creating meaningful easy to understand information reporting solutions to provide value and insights for improving business decisions and improve patient experiences and outcomes.
When not digging into data to create reporting solutions, Adam is a singing member of the North Coast Men’s Chorus and has been a member since 2015.
Adam has also been a singing member of multiple vocal music groups during his academic career that has had performances at multiple venues around the Midwest including several statewide music educator conferences in both Columbus, OH [OMEA] and Springfield, IL [IMEA].
Joe Hollings has been passionately connected with NCMC for many years as an audience member, friend, advocate, and current board fundraising chair.
He manages a team of extraordinary public relationships and social media professionals at Adcom, a premiere marketing agency in Cleveland where he helps lead positioning, media relations, influencer marketing and social media strategy and execution projects for wide range of clients.
Joe is member of the Cleveland Composers Guild, a pianist, a provider of dog treats and a work-in-progress husband.
Michael Rich has been working in the theater both professionally and non-professionally for over 30 years, performing many duties including Stage Manager, Master Electrician, Lighting Designer, Vari*Lite™ Programmer and Technical Director.
Some credits are: Cassidy: Songs for a New World, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita; Cleveland Opera: Die Fledermaus, Showboat, Il Trovatore, Carousel, The Daughter of the Regiment, Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, The Magic Flute.
Michael has also worked with The Cleveland Ballet, Dancing Wheels, Cleveland Opera on Tour, CIM Opera, The Ohio Ballet, and the Tom Everett Dance Company. Other credits include, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Michael Feinstein, Driving Miss Daisy, Peter Pan, The Phantom of the Opera, Hair, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, Oliver! and West Side Story.