Tanya Drlik
Tanya has been a second soprano in the Chorale since 2012. She is currently president of the board and served previously as the secretary. Tanya sang in the Oakland Symphony Chorus for more than 30 years and currently sings with the Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE) and the church choir at All Souls Episcopal in Berkeley. When she’s not singing, she takes bicycle rides, reads out loud with friends and family, enjoys making things with her hands, especially knitting, sewing, paper crafts, & creating exotic meals and baked goods. She also loves working to make her garden ever more drought tolerant.

Nan Ayers
Nan joined the Chorale in 2023 and in 2024 joined the board where she now serves as Vice President.  Nan sings first tenor in the chorale. Previously a member of the Lucy Kinchen Chorale and the Oakland Symphony Chorus, Nan has been singing all her life.  When not singing, she teaches pilates, yoga, natural movement, and is a trauma release exercise provider.  Also a knitter and ukulele strummer.

Amelia Grounds
This is Amelia’s second term of office on the Contra Costa Chorale; she now serves as Secretary/Treasurer. In her last term she served as Secretary and Vice President. She has sung Soprano, I or II as needed, since joining the Chorale in 2015. Outside of the Chorale she is a librarian, writer, and book person. For the last twenty years she has worked to preserve, collect and contextualize books and archives in institutional collections. She is especially interested in the materiality and history of book making from manuscripts through to contemporary artists’ books and concrete poetry.

Achi Ben Shalom
Achi Ben Shalom, a board member and bass II in the chorale, has been a dedicated member since 2020. With several decades of experience, he previously taught classroom music in K-8 schools. Additionally, he has performed with the Oakland Symphony Chorus. In his retirement, he continues to enrich the musical landscape by creating and directing senior choruses in retirement homes, leading folk bands, and composing choral arrangements. 

Barbara Berry
Barbara joined the Chorale in 1985 (approximately) and sings Second Soprano. She has served on the board twice before. Early singing experience was primarily informal and involved sitting in friends’ living rooms and singing together to the accompaniment of acoustic guitars. She previously sang with the Oakland Symphony Chorus for several years, concurrently with the Contra Costa Chorale. When not singing she spends her time working as a speech pathologist, cooking, reading, tending a native plant garden, and entertaining her border collie.

Jessica Frasure
Jessica serves on the Chorale board and as a member of the Promotions Committee. She joined the Chorale as a second alto in 2025 to heal from grief with music and community, returning to a love of choral singing that hadn’t been expressed for nearly 30 years. Jessica is a devoted aunt and Godmother and, despite not being one, can usually be found doing grandmotherly activities like vegetable gardening, baking, quilting, and random craft-making.

Cynthia Mulligan
Cynthia serves on the Chorale board and as part of Technology Outreach Committee, managing content for the Chorale’s Facebook page. She joined the Chorale in 2004 to sing the Mozart Requiem, a lifelong favorite. She has been singing in the Chorale’s first alto section (occasionally swinging to second soprano) ever since. In the past, she sang with several vocal groups at California State University Hayward, where she majored in music. When not singing, Cynthia enjoys photography, live theater including our own local Contra Costa Civic Theater, early music, mystery novels, and British TV.

Susan Russell
Susan joined the Chorale Board in 2025. She is the chair of the Community Connections Committee and serves on the Promotions Committee. Although Susan isn’t a Chorale member, she sings with WAVE, the Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble, and Soli Den Gloria. She was the choir section leader at Orinda Community Church for many years. In 1996, Susan founded the Russell Mark Group, one of Silicon Valley’s premier branding and naming agencies. Since retiring as CEO in 2018, she spends much of her time on community service projects. In 2021, she co-founded the Black Wealth Builders Fund, devoted to providing first-time Black homebuyers with down payment assistance. Susan also serves on the board of the YMCA of the East Bay.