About Encore

The dream began to take shape  in September 2001, when the late internationally renowned gerontologist Dr. Gene Cohen, Director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, asked Jeanne Kelly to be part of a study on The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on the Physical Health, Mental Health and Social Functioning  of Older Adults.  The study would necessitate forming two chorales for older adults over 65 years of age to join forces with the Senior Singers' Chorale Jeanne already had up and running at Goodwin House, Alexandria under her older adult program at Levine School of Music Arlington Campus where she was the director.

In 2001, the National Endowment for The Arts , along with the National Institutes of Health and four other federal and nonfederal programs, sponsored landmark research known as The Creativity and Aging Study. The goal of this multisite national study taking place in three major cities across the United States (Washington, New York, and San Francisco) was to examine the impact of participatory art programs conducted by professional artists on the physical health, mental health, and social functioning of older persons. The primary investigator was Gene D. Cohen , M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at the George Washington University. This was the first study of its kind, using an experimental design with a control group over an extended period of time, examining the influence of active engagement in the arts on the overall health of older adults.

The study began in Washington, DC under the artistic direction of Conductor Jeanne Kelly, formerly of the Levine School of Music . The Washington, DC site focused on singing groups that joined together in a large chorale, while the other sites were engaged in a diversity of other art forms. The first results reported from the study were those from evaluating the chorale compared to a control matched in terms of activity level and health status at the start of the study.

JEANNE KELLY'S career of over thirty years has produced a unique blend of experience as a vocal performer, teacher, conductor and music administrator that has prepared her well to serve as the founding President and Executive Director of Encore Creativity for Older Adults.

As a performer, Ms. Kelly made her professional operatic debut with the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center.  She has also performed major roles with the Baltimore Opera, Opera Delaware, Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Annapolis Opera, and the New York City Opera Education Department.  She appeared in the world premiere of Rappaccini's Daughter with the Pennsylvania Opera Theater.

In addition to having maintained a private voice studio in Maryland and Virginia, Ms. Kelly served on the faculties of the Levine School of Music, Washington, DC; Hood College, Frederick, Maryland; and the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Ms. Kelly served as conductor of the Women's Glee Club at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, and the Georgetown University Concert Choir.

JEAN KEISTER KELLOGG returned from Chicago to the Washington, DC area in January of 2008 to be the Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center , currently under construction at the Manassas, VA campus of George Mason University. From 1999-2008, she was Director of Education at Lyric Opera of Chicago, managing programs that served more than 80,000 adults and children annually in the Chicago area. Ms. Kellogg has been a frequent lecturer on opera and arts education, has recorded eight opera commentaries on CD through Lyric Opera of Chicago, and moderated panels of artists for the company's Discovery Series annually. She is the former Acting Executive Director and Dean of the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C., one of the largest community music schools in the country.  From 1986-1989 she was Artistic Administrator of Greater Miami Opera (now Florida Grand Opera ), and has been on the administrative staffs of Chautauqua Opera, Westminster Choir College and Rochester Opera.

Vice President and Director of Business Operations LARRY KELLY has over thirty-five years of management experience with large and small businesses in the private sector, federal government and the U.S. Navy, where he was the program director for a $200M/year revenue generating business.

Larry is a Principal Consultant for Total Systems Technologies Corporation (TSTC), an ISO certified and woman owned small business professional services company providing business and technical analysis, capital planning / portfolio management, audit and compliance reporting, information assistance and project management services. Larry provides capital planning and portfolio management consulting support to  several federal agencies, including components of the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Previously, as a Senior Program Manager and Consultant for SAIC, Larry led consulting teams at the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury.

Encore is most pleased to announce the appointment of Jed Duvall to the Board of Directors.  Jed is a freelance broadcast news correspondent, producer, editor and writer with 34 years experience in network and local television and radio, including foreign and domestic hard news and feature coverage. Duvall worked as Nightline correspondent and Morning News anchor for ABC News in Washington from 1983 to 1991. During his tenure at CBS News from 1967 to 1982, Duvall served as a correspondent in Saigon, Atlanta, and Washington, worked as the "cover story" correspondent on Sunday Morning, and covered the White House during the Carter and Reagan presidencies. He worked as a freelance correspondent for CNN from 1994 to 1995. He began his career as a news director, producer, and reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore.

Encore is most pleased to announce the appointment of Denise Spangler Zechman to the Board of Directors.  Encore Executive Director, Jeanne Kelly, announced the appointment saying, "Denise has a passion for music, for Encore, and the belief that Encore has no limits.  With their help and guidance, Encore will continue to move closer to our vision of providing professional artistic programs to older adults across the United States."

Denise is a retired music teacher, free lance soloist of classical and oratorio literature and choral conductor.  Ms. Zechman taught choral music in grades 5-8 at Norton Middle School in Norton, Ohio.  During her tenure there, she directed 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade choirs and focused on training the “changing voice”.  Her husband’s career moves in health care took her to Birmingham, Al. where she sang under the direction of Dr. Hugh Thomas of Birmingham-Southern College.  In Pittsburgh, Pa. she studied voice with Beatrice Krebs of Carnegie-Mellon University and sang under the direction of Donald Wilkins in the Pittsburgh Oratorio Society.  She was the director of children’s choirs and assistant director of music at the Ingomar United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, Pa and was soprano soloist in Oratorios performed in the area.  15 years ago, her husband, Edwin (Ned) Zechman  became the president/CEO of Children’s National Medical Center and Denise and their 2 children followed.  Ms. Zechman became the Associate Director of Music at Fairfax United Methodist Church where she directed the men’s chorus and helped to administrate the department of music.  Ms. Zechman studied voice with Jeanne Kelly at the Levine School of Music and continued free-lance soloing. In December of 1999, she sang the role of the mother in Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors”.

Denise has her B.S. in Music Education from West Chester University where she studied organ with Dr. Harry Wilkinson and Voice with Ms. Lois Alt.  She received the Earl Jones Choral Conducting Scholarship and studied conducting with Ms. Jane Shepherd.  Denise has lived in Herndon, VA for 15 years with her husband, Ned.  She is the proud mother of Brad Zechman and Maegan Zechman and proud grandmother of grandson, Maxwell.