Danica A. Buckley
Music Director

Susan Gilleece Reilley
Accompanist

Danica A. Buckley began her career in choral conducting by cajoling high school friends to sing with her in various performances. She then started an English department chorus in 1987 at North Carolina state University (Raleigh), from which she earned an MA in English, while simultaneously studying voice at Meredith College. Also while in North Carolina, she spent a summer studying opera at Brevard Music Center. She moved to Vermont in 1988 to conduct Brigadoon at her alma mater, Norwich University (BA English). She remained in Vermont until 1995, conducting the Northeast Kingdom Chorus, the Mad River Chorale (which she also founded), the Warren United Church Choir, and several musicals in the community and at Green Mountain Valley School. She also sang as a soprano with the Vermont Opera Theater. In 1995 she moved to Pennsylvania to teach at Mercersberg Academy where she taught English and was Assistant Conductor of the choir. From 1996-2001, she taught English and music at Cape Cod Academy, founded the Osterville Community Chorus, and served as soprano soloist and assistant conductor at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. She has also been conductor of the Nantucket Community Music Center Chorus. During several summers, she attended choral conducting seminars at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. She earned her MM in Choral Conducting from Boston Conservatory in 2006. Currently, she is Music Director at First Parish in Brookline and Conductor of the Choral Art Society, a community chorus of the south shore.

Music Director, First Parish in Brookline
(www.firstparishinbrookline.org)
Conductor, The Choral Arts Society
(www.choralartsociety.org)

As an accomplished accompanist, Susan Gilleece Reilley has contributed to successful performances with the Braintree Choral Society for the better part of the last 10 years. In addition to her work with BCS, Susan has performed frequently with the Choral Arts Society and the Bridgewater State College Choir. She has accompanied soloists throughout the South Shore and Boston areas, including soloists with the Bel Canto Opera Company and The Quincy Symphony Orchestra. Her love of musical theatre started at age 15 which allowed her to start her own theatre company, C&G Productions. In addition to her own company, she has directed and performed with numerous companies including The Company Theatre of Norwell and Fiddlehead Theatre of Norwood. In June 2003, Susan performed with composer and singer Edward Milham in a recital of Poulenc's Chanson Gaillardes, Brahms' Gesange, works by Shostakovich and by the composer himself. In May of 2005 she accompanied the District Festival Boys Choir, under the direction of Dr. Richard Bunberry. Recent choral performances include Dvorak's Stabat Mater, Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Ralph Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. Susan studied piano with Marlene Dubois and Robert Brown, Emeritus Conductor of the Quincy Symphony Orchestra. She has served as Musical Director at Foxborough High School and is currently an instructor for the Piano Conservatory Program in the Braintree Public Schools.