Board of Directors

The members of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra Board of Directors hail from various locales and represent many areas of talent and expertise. We are fortunate to have each of them helping behind the scenes to guide our organization. Below is a bit of background to help you get to know them.

Michael McNamara, President
Michael is originally from Providence, Rhode Island and he and his wife currently live in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was a self taught guitarist until becoming a jazz performance major at Providence College, where he also majored in accounting. After a short stint in the business world, Michael extended his degree to include Music Education, with a concentration in instrumental conducting. He teaches guitar privately, and currently serves as the Ridgefield Middle School Orchestra Director. Many of his current and former students play in the Western Connecticut Youth and Junior Orchestras. Michael has played in many jazz combos and big bands, as well as in two original rock bands. He continues to be an active performer.

Jacqueline Sifford Joyner, Vice President
Bassoonist Jacqueline Sifford Joyner holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Her teachers have included Dan Welcher, Harold Goltzer, and Ryohei Nakagawa. An active free-lance musician, Jackie has performed with a number of ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area and more recently in Fairfield County. In addition, she has extensive experience playing opera, having been engaged by the Sarasota Opera, the Austin Lyric Opera, and the Columbia (South Carolina) Lyric Opera. She has also participated in the Bowdin Music Festival, Music at Gretna Festival in Ohio and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Jackie lives in Ridgefield with her husband and two daughters, both of whom were inaugural members of the Junior Orchestra.

Ken Friedrichsen, Treasurer
Ken has lived in Fairfield County for the majority of his life. Ken and his wife currently reside in Weston with their 3 children (Ryan 14, Elaine 11 & Peter 9) all of whom are musicians.  While Ken is not a musician, he loves music and the balance it brings to life. Ken is employed by the national multifamily development company, Trammell Crow Residential, heading up their New England construction division.  He has been in the construction industry since graduation from college in 1987 and continues to find the work challenging and personally rewarding.

Stacey Mendoza, Secretary
Stacey has lived, with her husband Colin and two children, Hannah and Ruben, in Ridgefield for the past five years, and prior to that had lived in New York City and London.  She has a longstanding career in Sales, Marketing and Business Development and for the past seven years has worked for Jefferson Wells International, part of the Manpower Group of companies.  In this role, she works regularly with C-level executives at Global 1000 companies selling internal audit, accounting and finance, tax, technology services and has established long-standing relationships with decision-makers at all levels.  Some of her clients have included IBM, the NBA, Guardian Life Insurance Company, TIAA-Cref and Con Edison.  Stacey’s eldest child, Hannah, is a sophomore at Ridgefield High School and is in her second year with WCYO.

Hilary Brown
Hilary Brown began studying clarinet in her hometown of Vienna, Virginia and continued her musical studies at the University of Michigan, then Boston University where she received her Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance. After several years as a private clarinet teacher and freelance musician, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Music Education at Western Connecticut State University.  Hilary has studied conducting with Carl St. Clair and Kevin Isaacs, and has performed in ensembles under William Revelli, H. Robert Reynolds, Larry Rachleff, David Hoose, and Fernando Jimenez.  Her clarinet teachers have included John Mohler, Ethan Sloane, and Jo-Ann Sternberg.  She has been a member of the Schubert Club Chorale and the Ridgefield Chorale, and is currently principal clarinetist with the Ives Festival Orchestra.

In 2008, Hilary began working at East Ridge Middle School, where she teaches Music Elements, Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Wind Ensemble.  She resides in Ridgefield with her husband and two sons.

Manette Hutchings
Manette has a BS in accounting from Fordham University and is currently the Controller at The Country Club of New Canaan. She has four children, all of whom have been trained to play the violin and piano. Manette is a member of St. Mary's Parish where she and her sister started and direct a children's choir. She loves music and dancing and has been a dance teacher for the last five years. She is an enthusiastic supporter of all forms of art and sports for young people as these activities open entire new worlds to children. Manette lives in Ridgefield with her husband and children.

Lesley Lambton
Lesley Lambton has a degree in English Literature and has lived in Ridgefield with her husband and two sons since moving to the United States from England in 1995.  She currently works as the Program Director at the Ridgefield Library where she organizes cultural and educational programs.  Lesley was introduced to classical music by her son, Matt, who played viola in the Youth Orchestra for five years and continues to play in college.  Although a relative novice to the world of classical music, Lesley's experiences with the youth orchestra, both in Ridgefield and farther afield, have been some of her most rewarding.

Terry McManus
Terry is a stay-at-home mom who moved to Ridgefield in 2002 with her husband and their two sons, who are members of the WCYO. Terry is an active volunteer in the Ridgefield public schools, local Boy Scouts, and as an open space ranger and master gardener. She has served on a variety of community boards and is currently on the board of the Ridgefield Garden Club and the Ballard Greenhouse Conservation and Trust. Before leaving the workforce to raise her children in 1996, Terry worked for several companies including 11 years at IBM in technical support, product planning, sales and human resources. She studied a number of musical instruments in her youth including French horn and piano.

Joseph Russo
Double Bassist Joe Russo is an alumnus of Juilliard and Yale. Joe has a busy private teaching schedule in the New York/Connecticut area and also freelances in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He is currently the manager and Principal Bass of Orchestra New England based in the New Haven, Connecticut. Joe also performs with the Ridgefield Symphony, the Greenwich Symphony, the Hartford Symphony and the Springfield (MA) Symphony, among other orchestras. Other past activities include performing Principal Bass with the Opera Orchestra of Mexico, New York City Opera Touring Orchestra and various Broadway shows. As a composition student, Joe studied with Robert Starer and Vincent Persichetti (among others) at Juilliard and with Luther Noss at Yale. He has composed numerous chamber and orchestra works. Joe's most recent composition is his Chamber Symphony (2004) which was premiered by Orchestra New England in New Haven on May 1, 2004. Joe has held a number of orchestra administration positions. He was Executive Director of the Norwalk Youth Symphony in 2003 and he has been Development Director of a number of NY and CT orchestras, including Orchestra New England. He has extensive experience in working with Board of Directors and in nonprofit fundraising activities. Joe lives in Weston, Connecticut.

Deb Teitsworth
Deb Teitsworth is a free-lance web designer, creating and maintaining websites for small businesses and non-profit organizations, including the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. She has been actively involved in the Ridgefield public schools, RHS cross country and track, and the Ridgefield ABC program. Before her children were born, Deb was an editor with information provider NewBank, Inc. and a contributing writer for the New York Times Selective Guide to Colleges, now known as the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Deb and her husband have lived in Ridgefield since 1980, raising four children who have all played in various youth bands and orchestras over the years.