Chorus America Appoints Christopher Eanes as President and CEO

Chorus America, the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field, has appointed Christopher Eanes as its next president and CEO, effective November 1. He succeeds Catherine Dehoney, who has served as president and CEO since 2015 and will transition out of her role on October 31, 2024. 

Eanes will guide Chorus America in fulfilling its mission to strengthen singing communities with the advocacy, connections, and resources they need to be a vital part of society. He will work closely with Chorus America’s Board of Directors and staff to sustain and grow the organization’s programs, services, and strategic partnerships, and will be a leading advocate for Chorus America’s membership and the broader choral field.

“Christopher Eanes brings a distinctive set of diverse experiences in the choral world as he assumes the position of President and CEO of Chorus America,” said board chair Anton Armstrong. “These include his lived experiences as a singer, conductor, visionary entrepreneur, arts administrator and Executive Director. Yet what was so clear throughout our conversations with Chris was his sense of servant leadership and true love of the work and mission of Chorus America.  I look forward to many fruitful years of growth for the organization and service to the wider choral community under his leadership.”

Over his twenty-five-year career, Eanes has embraced every role within the choral community—singer, teacher, conductor, administrator, and board member—working with youth, professional, and community organizations. Since 2019, he has served as the executive director of the Cathedral Choral Society, the symphonic choir-in-residence at Washington National Cathedral. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded its programming to celebrate emerging and traditionally marginalized voices, attracting over 10,000 patrons annually and reaching audiences in 22 countries. 

Previously, Eanes spent a decade as the artistic director and CEO of the Cincinnati Boychoir, balancing international travel and world-class collaborations with accessible local performances and the social development of more than 100 boys each year. He is the founder of Collegium Cincinnati, a professional choral-orchestral ensemble specializing in historically informed performance, and the co-founder, with his wife, KellyAnn Nelson, of the Young Professionals Choral Collective. He began his career teaching high school choir in New Jersey and earned his doctorate in choral music from the University of Southern California.

“Since I was first introduced to Chorus America in 2005, I have benefitted directly from the contributions the organization has made to the choral field,” said Eanes. “It is an understatement to say that I am honored and excited to now join Chorus America as president and CEO, entrusted with building on the substantial work that Catherine Dehoney, the staff, and the board have already done.

“My vision for the choral field is one of inclusion and collective action. I have seen firsthand how a chorus can make substantial and tangible positive impact on communities, neighborhoods, and in the lives of individuals, and I aim to be a champion of all singing communities that are doing this work. I also believe we have work to do as a sector to let the world know the power of our artform. Chorus America has an important role to play in the choral field, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”

The eight-member search committee included both board and staff representation. Led by board member Brian Newhouse, committee members included board chair Anton Armstrong; board members Rollo Dillworth, Mary Tuuk Kuras, Steven Neiffer, and Dianne Peterson; and staff representatives Anne Erps and Kim Theodore Sidey.  

“The Chorus America search committee fielded 65 applications from across North and South America, as well as Europe,” said Newhouse. “It was a widely diverse group of applicants, and their deep experience and passion for the choral artform made this an extremely competitive search. Christopher Eanes stood out for his vision for choral music today as a life-changing, community-building force in our society, and a compelling new role that Chorus America can play to bring even more value to our members—those now in the fold, and those we seek to welcome and serve.”

About Chorus America

Chorus America is the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field. We support and serve choral conductors, administrators, board members, and singers with tools, training, peer networking, and access so that choruses are better able to contribute to their communities. Our membership includes more than 6,000 choruses, individuals, businesses, and organizations that are part of the choral field. 

Chorus America is governed by a diverse board of accomplished leaders from the U.S. and Canada, and the executive staff is headquartered in Washington DC. Learn more at chorusamerica.org.

Full press release for download.

Christopher Eanes headshot for download. Photo credit: Erin Haar.