Children’s Chorus Faculty
Ava D'Agostino, Director
Ava D’Agostino, soprano, is a full time teacher and program manager at the Community Music School of Springfield. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music education with a concentration in voice from SUNY Fredonia and a Master’s degree in voice performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has held several choral teaching positions before pursuing her masters. Currently, she is a private voice instructor, program manager/director of the Children’s Chorus of Springfield and program manager/teacher for the Little Notes program at CMSS. Her recent operatic credits include The Fire/Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and the Witch/Mother in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
Kyle Ransom, Instructor
Kyle Ransom is a professional vocalist, conductor, and educator. He obtained the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from California State University, Los Angeles and the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He recently relocated to the Springfield area from Phoenix, Arizona where he performed with the Grammy Award winning Phoenix Chorale and Solis Camerata. Some performance highlights include singing with Game of Thrones: Live Concert Experience and as a soloist with Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. During his time in Phoenix, he taught K-3 General Music at BASIS Goodyear and Advanced Choir and Vocal Lab at Rosie’s House a Music Academy for Children. Currently, Kyle teaches K-5 General Music at Arthur T. Talmadge and Mary Walsh Elementary Schools and maintains an active performance career as a singer with Illuminati Vocal Ensemble, a soloist with All Saints Episcopal Church in South Hadley, and as a soloist with Cultivate Chamber Music.
Sylvie Tardif, Accompanist
Sylvie Tardif is a classically trained pianist and began working as an accompanist at the age of 11. She is a graduate of the University of Montreal and has been teaching piano privately in Florence, MA for decades. In addition to teaching, she has played for ballet classes, been a member of chamber music ensembles, toured with a musical theater vocal group, and accompanied choirs. She continues to accompany soloists (vocalists and instrumentalists), vocal ensembles and works as a substitute musician for churches. She greatly enjoys coaching instrumentalists and vocalists the art of collaborating with a pianist accompanist. In 2019, Sylvie joined CMSS as the Accompanist for the Children’s Chorus of Springfield.