Pamela Moyer
Board Chair
PAM MOYER serves as the Sopranessence Board of Directors Chair. Before a mid-career change to ministry, she had 30 years of business experience in commercial HVAC and Indoor Air Quality. She has 25 years of church leadership in Northern Virginia, having attended the Leland Seminary in Arlington. Pam’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Pam is now the Senior Minister at The United Baptist Church in Annandale, VA, having previously served Westover Baptist Church in Arlington as Associate Pastor in Communications. She also served 5 years in an Associate Pastor role with creative responsibilities such as Relational Artist, Storyteller, Events Coordinator, and Facilities Director at Convergence Church in Alexandria. Convergence is where she met the founders of Sopranessence and has been both a fan and volunteer ever since.
In her spare time, Pam loves to read non-fiction and poetry, while appreciating the fine arts: museums, theatre, music, and film. She lives in Springfield, Virginia.
Nicole Lamm
President / Artistic Director
NICOLE LAMM, soprano, received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Catholic University of America and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music at Sweet Briar College. She has performed throughout the United States as well as internationally in Italy, France, Canada, and Puerto Rico with companies and summer festivals such as Opera Roanoke, Maryland Opera Society, New York Opera Society, Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Summer Opera Theatre, La Fabbrica and others. Her operatic credits include roles such as Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Mimì (La Bohème), Laurie (The Tender Land), Monica (The Medium), and Rosasharn (The Grapes of Wrath Suite).
Nicole has been in Sopranessence both as a singer and as Co-Artistic Director, now Artistic Director, since its inception in 2015. In her duties as Artistic Director of Sopranessence Nicole is in charge of deciding the themes and titles of each concert as well as choosing the music. She does some of the vocal arrangements as well as choreography and blocking. This is the fun and creative part of the process of putting together a concert. In addition to her roles of singer and Artistic Director, Nicole proudly serves on the Sopranessence Board of Directors – previously as Secretary, now as President.
When Nicole is not performing or directing, she maintains a private voice studio in Alexandria working with students of all ages and backgrounds. Outside of music, Nicole enjoys teaching group fitness classes with a specialty in senior fitness and serving on her HOA board as Secretary.
Bharati Soman
Treasurer, Secretary / Director of Operations
BHARATI SOMAN, soprano, is a performer, teacher and arts administrator. She has been performing with Sopranessence (formerly 7 Sopranos®) since 2009. When the group rebranded in 2015, she became the Co-Artistic Director and has served as the Director of Operations since 2023.
Praised for her “lovely, ornamented soprano” and “silken renderings of Mozart’s legato arias,” Bharati’s opera credits include Mimì (La Bohème), and the title roles in Semele and Madame Butterfly with Pocket Opera, Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow – Livermore Valley Opera), the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro – Cinnabar Theater), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni – Sacramento Opera.
As a concert soloist, Bharati has performed works with Choralis, San Francisco Sinfonietta, the UC Davis Symphony, and given recitals for Oakland Lyric Opera. She is a past winner of the San Francisco Sinfonietta Messiah Competition and the East Bay Opera League Young Artists Scholarship Awards Competition.
As an instructor, Bharati is currently a faculty member of The LoVetri Institute for Somatic VoiceworkTM and maintains a private voice studio in Falls Church, VA. Bharati also works as a teaching artist at Creative Cauldron, and Heard: An Arts Program for Silent Stories.
Outside of work, Bharati is a theatre, orchestra & fencing mom. She is a member of the Mason District Arts Advisory Committee as well as President of the Wolfpack Theatre Boosters of Justice High School. Bharati holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry & Vocal Performance from James Madison University, and a Master of Music and Performer Diploma from Indiana University.
Maggie Ramsey
Board Member / Director of Communications & Outreach
MAGGIE RAMSEY, mezzo-soprano, is an opera singer, voice teacher, and administrative professional based in Alexandria, VA. Most recently, in 2025 she performed the role of Dorothée in The Anonymous Lover with Victorian Lyric Opera Company in Rockville, MD. In 2024, she sang the role of Dame Hannah in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore with VLOC and covered the role with Young Victorian Theatre Company in Baltimore, MD. She also sang in the chorus and sang the role of Charlotte for VLOC’s production of The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein.
In her capacity as an arts administrator, from 2018-2023, Maggie handled publicity for 2–3 performances for Shakespeare Opera Theatre annually, placing advertisements on social media channels, in local publications, and on radio that contributed to $17K+ in sales between 2021 and 2023. She also served as artist liaison, helping to address any questions or concerns artists had while working with the company and ensuring a smooth, collegial experience for all.
Maggie has been a member of Sopranessence since 2018. As Director of Communications and Outreach, in addition to singing with the group she leads publicity and community engagement initiatives, attracting audiences via social media, poster placement, and word-of-mouth promotion. These efforts have led to a 50% increase in concert attendance, and she hopes that will increase in the years to come!
When not singing or composing limericks or other poems to go with Sopranessence’s emails and social media posts, Maggie enjoys going to see performances throughout the area, cooking, mixing cocktails, and taking long walks in Huntley Meadows Park.
Madeleine Baum
Board Member
MADELEINE BAUM (she/her) is a theatre professional living in Rockville, MD. Growing up with opera singer parents, Madeleine learned of the joy, magnetism, and beauty of classical music at an early age, studying piano and viola, and attending her parents’ doctoral performances and community concerts wherever she lived. After the release of the musical Wicked, she decided to pursue a career in Musical Theatre, later graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre Performance.
The dynamic theatre market of Washington DC has provided Ms. Baum not only with opportunities to perform, but also the chance to expand her prowess in other creative areas. Madeleine has extensive experience as a professional costume stitcher and wardrobe coordinator, a choreographer, and as a music director. On stage, she specializes in new musical theatre works and Shakespeare and is a certified dialect coach for Shakespearean Original Pronunciation through Paul Meier Dialect Services.
As she completes her Master of Science degree in Performing Arts Leadership and Management from Shenandoah Conservatory in April 2025, Madeleine’s experiences in this program have prepared her to manage and govern nonprofit organizations. She is qualified to engage in strategic planning, generative governance, stewardship, grant writing, fundraising, and marketing as either a staff or board member. She is excited to bring her understanding of the creative process to administrative operations and help nonprofit organizations thrive in their communities. Madeleine is thrilled to join Sopranessence!
Adrienne D. Neal
Board Member
ADRIENNE D. NEAL enjoys a career as a singer and Human Resources Executive in the Washington, DC area. She was a founding member of 7 Sopranos® in 2007. This ensemble changed its name in 2015 to Sopranessence, and she served as Managing Director from 2015 – 2023. Adrienne has graced numerous stages in the Washington area as a soloist and has worked for various churches in the DC area as a cantor/soloist. She currently enjoys sharing her gifts in the music ministry at Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, a congregation that has nurtured her musicianship. She is also a chorister with the Washington Douglass Chorale.
As a Human Resources professional for over 20 years, Adrienne currently serves as the Vice President of Human Resources at Truth Initiative, a public health nonprofit based in Washington, DC. In this role, Adrienne leads the Human Resources team in equipping the organization’s programs and campaigns with talented and dedicated individuals, working alongside Truth Initiative leaders to develop attractive HR programs that have become a hallmark of the organization’s culture, significantly contributing to employee retention and satisfaction.
Along with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance, Adrienne holds an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources from the Keller Graduate School of Management. She is certified as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practitioner from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. She is also certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a SHRM-certified Professional (SHRM-CP).
Dennis Shannon
Board Member
DENNIS SHANNON was raised in New Jersey and has been in Northern Virginia for almost 50 years. Music has always been a big deal in his house; playing guitar and listening to old rock’n roll songs always makes for a better day. Dennis also collects ‘60s rock concert posters.
An avid fan of musical theatre, Les Miz and the Phantom top the list of his favorite shows. Dennis also enjoys live music. Aside from Sopranessence, his last big show was the Rolling Stones in Havana, Cuba!
Dennis & his wife value travel and are always looking for the next place to go. The most recent places they went were Ethiopia, Eswatini and South Africa, and a wedding in Guatemala.
Dennis had a 40-year career with CBS News as a tech. He worked on a show crew for “The CBS Evening News” for 15 years, then for the next 25 he had a camera and a satellite truck and roamed around America and abroad shooting stories. For 10 years on weekends also he worked on game crews for NFL and NBA games.
Dennis is a member of the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary club and volunteers with the English Empowerment Center as an English language tester. He also works with his wife on her non-profit, Food Uniting Neighbors. He has been retired for almost eight years and is enjoying every minute! He is married to Sarah and raised two terrific kids (Sarah and Brendan) with her.
Dennis is very happy to be working with Sopranessence!
Sarah Shannon
Board Member
SARAH SHANNON was born in Havana, Cuba and spent time in Miami, Florida, Jackson, Mississippi, Marquette, Michigan and Madrid, Spain before moving to Northern Virginia.
Sarah studied Restaurant Management, which led her to a career in food service management, eventually owning her own restaurant. Later, she worked for ARAMark in Virginia and Washington DC before becoming a stay-at-home mom. During that time, she enjoyed organizing others and her children to do activities to pass the time.
In 2009, she became an Office Manager for a lobbyist and joined the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club and the Arlington Moose Lodge. Seeing the food insecurity that exists in our neighborhood, she organized a group of gardeners to create a garden to donate fresh produce to local food pantries (she didn’t know anything about growing vegetables but knew that it had to be done.) Sarah’s work through her nonprofit Food Uniting Neighbors also has a beekeeping component which gives honey away to food kitchens, an initiative which donated 1,977 pounds of fresh produce to First Christian Church in 2024, alone with 4 ½ gallons of honey.
Sarah currently is on seven non-profit boards, is a beekeeper, a native Spanish speaker, and is always looking to right all injustices. She is passionate about travel, talking to strangers, and looking to make our community better than before. She has been a lifelong fan of live theatre, musicals and especially of Sopranessence!
Sarah graduated from Northern Virginia Community College and Northern Michigan University. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband, Dennis, where they raised two children, Sarah and Brendan.