OWNER & DIRECTOR

Rachel received her B.S in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College, and has taught choir & show choir in both public and private schools for 18 years. She also taught private voice and piano, and ran a Vocal Performance Academy in Martinsburg, WV for 5 years.

Rachel also performed on many stages in concert and chamber choirs, as well as landing lead roles in many musicals.

In the show choir circuit, she coached her middle school competitive show choir, South Spirit, to win multiple Grand Championships, often out-ranking high school groups. She has won multiple show design awards and was featured as the first Middle School director to receive the State Honors Show Choir award. She also spent 3 years coaching Clover Hill High School’s show choirs, also receiving multiple grand championships and captions with both show choirs. Her mixed group, New Dimensions, won Grand Champion at every competition in VA under her direction. Her greatest victory was inspiring a culture of healthy competition and rallying together the community during the pandemic in order to preserve this art.

Rachel is a passionate and tenacious music educator, who now also specializes in freelancing as a show designer, clinician, and competition adjudicator for multiple schools across the country.

This studio has been a lifelong dream of hers and she is extremely excited to bring it to fruition with her partner Ryan.

OWNER & CHOREOGRAPHER

Ryan Shapiro is an alumnus of Manchester High School & is currently the choreographer & technical director for The Show Choirs of Manchester. Ryan has served performing arts departments & local theatres in the region for the past 17 years as a Choreographer, Technical Director, Event Organizer, Stage & Travel Manager, Project Manager & Show Designer. Ryan serves as Master of Ceremonies for corporate and social events throughout the region. Nationally, he has been the Stage Manager for Heart of America Entertainment, assisting in producing world class show choir events across the country.

Ryan is passionate about the performing arts & dedicated to showcasing its vital role in the human experience. Providing a performing arts opportunity and showcasing the arts of show choir has long been a passion and ever chased shooting star… he is grateful to work along side Rachel to make this studio a reality and provide the students of Chesterfield and the surrounding region an exciting new experience through the performing arts! We look forward to working with students, teachers and families in becoming apart of the Richmond performing arts community!

DIRECTOR: ECHO CHAMBER

Nicole Dudley is a recent graduate of James Madison University, where she earned her B.M. in Music Education. While at JMU, she served as President of the ACDA chapter for two years, Choral Representative for the Collegiate VMEA chapter, and Choral Librarian. She won the 2024 JMU ACDA Choral Conducting Competition, conducting the JMU Chorale and Festival Choir at ChoralFest. Her final performance with the JMU Choral Area was at Carnegie Hall with the JMU Carnegie Hall Collective. Nicole has also choreographed for JMU choirs and elementary, middle, and high schools across Virginia. Outside the School of Music, she welcomed new students as a member of the JMU Orientation team and worked at Explore More Discovery Museum!

Nicole’s love for show choir began in high school, where she was a dance captain in each of Midlothian High School’s show choirs. As a proud Midlothian native, she returned home to student teach in Chesterfield County. Her incredible placements included Cosby High School—where she worked with their choral ensembles, including award-winning show choirs Rhapsody and Spotlight during their 2025 competition season—and Midlothian Middle School during their Spring Concert season. Finishing her undergraduate journey on the stage where she had her first chorus concert was a full-circle moment.

Nicole is passionate about team building and creating community in and outside the music classroom. Her love of performing was fostered and grown in a children & community choir,where she even made lifelong friendships. She is thrilled to be joining The Show Choir Studio team to help young singers find their voice and build community with one another!

Benjamin Frost is a music educator who has spent the past 3 years teaching at Hopkins Road Elementary and Providence Elementary, graduating from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland,VA. He was Bass section leader in his High School Chamber choir for 3 years, also participating in NJ All-State and All-Eastern Choir. During the summer of his junior and senior year, he toured across the east coast with an A Capella group known as the Rock n’ Roll Chorus based out for New Jersey, performing with rock legends such as Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, and more. During his collegiate years, Ben was part of numerous Concert/University Choirs, serving as the President of R-MC’s Choral Program his senior year. He also spent two years performing in R-MC’s Show Choir LUXE. Ben has spent the previous two summers directing the elementary group for The Show Choir Studio, with numerous cameos across their winter/spring shows and is eagerly excited to begin directing Sound Wave!