membership
Noah Witenoff, President (he/him)

Noah has been a member of Singing Out since 2019 and is excited to serve as President on the choir’s board of directors. Noah has loved singing ever since he was a kid and participated in musical theatre until he was about 13 years old. Since then he has continued to sing exclusively in his car and his shower and now happily with Singing Out. Since joining Singing Out, Noah has found way more than a public place to sing, he has found family and community.

Noah studied International Business at Concordia University before changing directions and going to cooking school and then changing again and becoming a food stylist, which he has now done for over 17 years. His years working alongside some of the country’s top advertising agencies and largest corporations will bring insight to help provide lasting and useful strategies to help Singing Out in the years to come.

Alex McCarthy, Membership (they/them)

Alex McCarthy has been with Singing OUT since 2005. Their passion for singing and music started in grade school where they sang in many school choirs and played the Clarinet in school bands.  They met their partner of 20 years in another Toronto LGBT choir then both moved on to Singing OUT in 2005.  Alex has served on four Singing OUT Board of Directors over the years and has brought their love for community and a passion for choral music as the fundraising and membership Board member. Alex works as a Social Worker in the Addiction and Mental health field. 

Elana du Plessis Badenhorst, Treasurer (she/they)
Elana joined Singing Out in 2023 to find community in Toronto after moving to Canada in 2020. Elana comes from a musical family and has loved singing for as long as she can remember. Since joining Singing Out, Elana has found an incredible sense of belonging and a reignited passion for music. Elana has been looking for the opportunity to serve on a non-profit board for several years, in order to give back to the community and put their financial experience to good use. They are thrilled to play a part in preserving this important space for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community in Toronto.
 
Elana is originally from South Africa where she qualified as a chartered accountant. After 14 years at an international accounting firm, they decided to change their focus to a career that they are incredibly passionate about – sustainability. Elana now works at a medium-sized bank where she reports on environmental, social and governance matters. Elana has a special interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, and is a co-chair of their organization’s Visible and Invisible Disability Advocates employee represented group. Elana will use her financial, governance and sustainability expertise to support the stability and longevity of Singing Out for years to come. 
 
Ronan Davies, Vice President (they/them)
Ronan Davies (they/them) joined Singing Out in 2022 and has been a lifelong lover of music. Growing up in Wales, where singing is basically a national sport, they participated in choirs from a young age and started piano at age four. After moving to Canada, they completed their ARCT in piano in high school and performed in many stage musicals through undergrad. Ronan has also worked for Toronto Public Library for 24 years, where they are currently the Manager of Learning & Community Engagement, as well as being a published author and a freelance editor. They are passionate about trans and queer advocacy in their professional and personal life. When not working, Ronan enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with their animal buds, including a dog (Dascha), cat (Maybe), and horse (Raedin).
Victor Figueroa, Music Collaboration Committee & Venues (he/him)

Victor has been a member of Singing Out since September 2021 and is excited to serve on its board of directors. Victor has been singing as part of the school choir since middle school all the way to University both in Mexico and the US.

Victor studied Educational Sciences at La Salle University in Mexico City and has been working in the Human Resources Technology area for over 15 years in several global organizations and he’s looking forward to bringing some of that experience to the board of directors.

Genevieve MacIntyre, Secretary (she/her)

Genevieve first joined the choir in 2010 and has been around fairly consistently since then! Genevieve currently serves as Secretary for the Board so you can find her typing away during meetings and interrupting everyone to ensure proper process is being followed. When she’s not doing Singing Out stuff, Genevieve is either at her not-for-profit job, behind a sewing machine, on stage at karaoke, or napping with her cat.

Denise Lambert, Member at Large(she/her)

I am 50 years old. I am a single mom with a 19 year old at UofT, and two cats. Fun fact: I got my drivers licence just 7 months ago.  I love music and I love this choir. I hope to be useful in my role and support all the members.

Sam Kochhar, Fundraising (he/him)
Sam (he/him) joined Singing Out in 2023. After just one season with the choir and a fun trip to Halifax for the Unison festival, he saw the amazing community that exists and wanted to give back. So he joined the board and now helps with fundraising. Sam loves to sing and is a big fan of pop, RnB and the musical theatre genres, which Singing Out does plenty of.
 
Sam works in Digital Strategy for his day job, where he creates cool new digital banking experiences used by 1 in 5 Canadians. Academically, he has an engineering and business background. He is originally from India, lived in the US (Minneapolis and Madison) for 7 years, and has been in Canada since 2018. He is a U of T grad and calls Toronto home now. When it is nice out, you can find him exploring new cafes and taking walks in his neighbourhood of Old Toronto/St. Lawrence.
 
Sam also loves to travel and see friends and family around the world. Ask him what his most recent trip was and tell him about your travel adventures/recommendations.
 
Mairi Badcock, Marketing (she/her)
When Mairi joined Singing Out in January 2024, she expected to find community and connection through music. What she did not expect was to find what felt like the missing puzzle piece of her life! However, after only one term with the choir, it was clear that she had found just that, and now Mairi is absolutely thrilled to be serving on Singing Out’s Board of Directors.

A lifelong music-maker, Mairi has been singing and playing various instruments for much of her life. While she has experience performing at competitions and festivals across Canada, Mairi took a 10-year break from any structured choral setting while studying Film & Television Production and Creative Writing. She is excited to now be back in the musical saddle with the most wonderful choir in the country!

As a Board Member, Mairi wants to bring her experience working behind the scenes to Signing Out’s day-to-day operations, as well as to the production and planning of our many concerts. She hopes to encourage open channels of communication between all members and staff and to support Singing Out’s commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. If you ever see Mairi at a rehearsal, ask her about her two pet cats – she’ll be more than happy to talk your ear off!