OFFICERS

Connie Roberts is a retired Professor of Music at William Carey University, where she held the Winters Endowed Chair in Music. She earned music degrees at LSU and the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Roberts has performed extensively across the southeast, appearing in

operas, oratorios, and solo recitals. She serves as chair of the Advisory Board of Carey Dinner Theatre and is vice president of the Executive Board of the Hattiesburg Concert Association. Dr.

Roberts is a charter member of the Hattiesburg Community Chorus, better known as the Meistersingers. She thanks her home church, Westminster Presbyterian, for serving as the home

of the Meistersingers’ rehearsals and concerts, as well as many FestivalSouth events.

Cherie Boone is from Laurel, Mississippi. She received her B.S., M.Ed., and post graduate hours in education from Mississippi State University and has served as church choir director and music educator in the Laurel School District. Active in Laurel Little Theatre, she has also served the organization in many capacities. Cherie has been a member of Meistersingers for many years. She chairs the annual Poinsettia Sale fundraiser.

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Sarah Odom, B.M., M.M., sings in the soprano section of the Meistersingers. After spending over thirty years as a classroom teacher in various capacities, she now works as a parent educator/community coordinator with Hattiesburg Public Schools. Ms. Odom is also an adjunct music instructor in music education at William Carey University and enjoys singing, playing piano, and traveling.

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Brian S. Rifkin is a physician with Hattiesburg Clinic Nephrology and Hattiesburg Clinic Dialysis. He received his medical degree from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, N.J. He completed his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the Milton Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., and a fellowship in nephrology at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Brian has enjoyed singing in the bass section of the Meistersingers for several years. 

Althea Jerome is a founding chorus member of Meistersingers. Joining a community choir was a natural step for her, because she has sung since she was a toddler, and she has spent a career teaching music and singing in church choir, musical theatre settings, and choral ensembles. She holds a Master of Music Education Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. During her music education career, she taught music in public schools and music education courses and voice at the university level. In addition, she has served in leadership positions in music and arts education organizations at the local, state, and national levels.

Mississippi native David Pylate moved back home to the Magnolia State in 2015 and joined the Meistersingers in 2016. David has a deep love for music having studied classical piano at the

University of Southern Mississippi with Dana Ragsdale and the University of Alaska with Timothy Smith. Throughout the years, he had the opportunity to perform roles in Broadway musical shows with local community theatres in Anchorage, metro Atlanta, and the Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera. In Georgia, he sang with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Chorus and with

KnightSong, an acapella renaissance ensemble. Currently, David is a founding member of the Petal Arts Council and serves on the board as treasurer. David works with a national hospital accounting firm and enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with his parents.

Jean Claire Bounds is an Adjunct Professor of Music Education at East Central Community College and owns the Newton Studio of Music, teaching both piano and voice lessons. She joined the Meistersingers in 2013 as a first soprano and became an officer the following year. A graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi, she received degrees in both Music Education and Mass Communications. She went on to receive her Master's in Theology from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to performing on numerous stages across the country and internationally, Jean Claire is also an accomplished speaker and writer. A native of Lamar County, Jean Claire currently resides in Newton, MS, with her two sons, Liam and Judson.​​​

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Originally from Scotland, Carolyn McLarnan worked as the Textile Advisor for the British National Health

Service prior to moving to the USA in 1988 when she married Keith McLarnan. Though she trained as a scientist, singing has always been part of her life. Carolyn and her husband joined

Meistersingers in 1996 and has been a faithful member for nearly 30 years. Carolyn is an active member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church choir. She volunteers with several local charitable organizations. In addition to being treasurer for the Meistersingers, she also serves as treasurer for Hattiesburg Concert Association.