Personnel
Teresa-Marie Gotanco, Artistic Director
Bernie Visto, Accompanist
Teresa-Marie Gotanco
Artistic Director
Born and raised in New Jersey, Teresa-Marie Gotanco is a choir director, music educator, vocal coach, and performer based in Northern New Jersey. In addition to the Artistic Directorship of the Teaneck Community Chorus, she is currently the Program Coordinator of the Paterson Music Project in Paterson, NJ. She directs the beginner choral ensemble and manages staff at events and after school programs.
Prior to her involvement in Paterson, Ms. Gotanco was the Upper School Choral Director at the Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child of Summit, NJ., where she directed two choral ensembles, provided vocal instruction, and directed the Winter Musical. She established seven new course offerings to bolster the choral program.
With a passion for voice science, vocal health, and authentic expression in performance, Ms. Gotanco coached at Barnard College working with students on repertoires from multiple genres including pop, jazz, musical theater, and opera. She has led choirs, taught voice classes, and provided vocal coaching to clients from all walks of life and ages — from beginners to emerging professionals.
Ms. Gotanco has enjoyed an extensive career as an accomplished pianist, serving as accompanist to the Teaneck Community Chorus before her role as Artistic Director. She has appeared across the New York/New Jersey region to play for other choral performances, various churches, and musicals including Once on this Island, Sweeney Todd, Cats and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (for which she also served as Choirmaster and Assistant Musical Director),
Ms. Gotanco is also a professional vocalist. She made her professional singing debut in 2018 as a soprano soloist and chorister with the Princeton Baroque Chorus. In 2019, Ms. Gotanco was featured in a septet at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Mr. John Rutter. She also had the honor of performing at the Apollo Theater in Syros, Greece, during the Festival of the Aegean. While there, she was able to hone her craft as an operatic coloratura soprano, performing iconic pieces such as the famous Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the Doll’s song from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann.
Ms. Gotanco holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Music from Rutgers University.
E-mail: teresa.marie.gotanco@gmail.com
Bernie Visto
Accompanist
Bernie Visto, is a pianist, music director to several plays, flutist, conductor, an all-around musician and an educator.
Mr. Visto was born in Iloilo City Philippines. He graduated from Rosa L. Parks High School in Paterson and received a full academic scholarship in Montclair State University majoring in Management Information Systems. His passion for music and the desire to further his education enabled him to move back home to the Philippines and finished a degree in Bachelor of Music at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City majoring in Piano Performance and Music Education. While in College, Mr. Visto taught high school music at Colegio de San Jose and managed to have a Trio group to play for weddings and other music gigs. He also played piano at church every Sunday and managed a children’s choir and an adult choir. Mr. Visto now is a certified K-12 music teacher at Norman S. Weir (K-8), and a high school piano teacher at his alma mater, Rosa L. Parks High School.
In the community, Mr. Visto, is the music director of the Filipino Diocese choir of Paterson, Alay Awit, serving churches in the Paterson Diocese. Norman S. Weir is his home school and has received a Disney grant to perform a complete musical every year for the next 3 years. Mr. Visto is also a teaching artist for the Paterson Music Project (PMP) who performs regularly in Paterson.