Founder & Artistic Director
A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Brian Dean Sousa obtained his Bachelors Degree in Sacred Music and Organ from Westminster Choir College in 2006 and his Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from James Madison University in 2010. Organ teachers have included Raymond Whalon, Ken Cowan, and Diane Meredith Belcher. Conducting teachers have included James Jordan and Patrick Walders. He has sung under the baton of conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Joseph Flummerfelt, Andrew McGill, James Jordan, Anton Armstrong, Jerry Blackstone, and Simon Carrington.
In addition to his local organ performances Mr. Sousa has also performed in Straelen, Germany; Lisboa, Portugal; and Fatima, Portugal. He is in demand not only as an organist and choirmaster but, also as a vocalist. In 2005 he sang tenor in the Festival Choir for the “Royal Christmas Tour”, which featured vocal soloists, Andrea Bocelli, Denyce Graves, and Robin Fullman; who were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. In 2009 he was asked to sing tenor in the choir that was featured in the Virginia performances of “Star Wars” in Concert.
Brian Dean Sousa artisticdirector@musicasacravirginia.org
MISSION
To perform well-crafted sacred choral music from throughout the ages, at the highest level possible.
VISION
To advance the musical talent of our performers and create incredible choral works of artistic mastery that enlightens.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr. John Harvey, President
Mr. Harvey grew up in Richmond, VA where he began singing in church choirs at the age of three and later began studying the trombone at the age of eleven. An alumnus of Interlochen Arts Camp, Mr. Harvey holds degrees in Music Theory and Music Composition from The University of Georgia and Notre Dame. Currently, he lives in Crozet, VA and works as the Manager of Web Engineering for Merkle, Inc. He looks forward to helping Musica Sacra Virginia grow into an internationally renowned arts organization and seeing Charlottesville become a destination of choice for Classical artists.
John Harvey president@musicasacravirginia.org
Mr. Victor Villar, Vice-President
Victor currently serves as vice president on the board of Música Sacra Virginia. Before being named vice president, Victor worked in development for several non-profit organizations and was responsible for donor outreach, marketing, developing multimedia, event planning and tracking donations. He also headed the Information System and Multimedia divisions and played a key role in the continued development of strategic relationships, continuity of operations, risk management and ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly competitive environment.
Prior to working in development, Victor was vice president of Research and Development for several engineering firms and was awarded a patent for his designs of Optical Lens Machinery. He also started several successful engineering and information technology companies. Victor has an MBA and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology along with proficiency in Project Management.
Victor’s shared passion for community service, the arts and multimedia production prompted him accept the offer to join the Música Sacra Virginia board. He enjoys helping with small business development. When he visited with the other members, he was struck by the warmth, talent, and hospitality of the team.
Victor has served as advisor or on the board of multiple non-profit organization and plans to use his experience to help Música Sacra Virginia receive its US federal tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) status.
In his free time Victor enjoys listening to music, visiting museums and historical sites, gardening, cooking, woodworking, winetasting and traveling.
Mr. Thad Lewis, Treasurer
A resident of Charlottesville for 25 years, he came here as an US Army Artillery officer and has continued working here as an Army civilian. He and his wife have four grown children, three of whom have been singing with Brian Sousa in a variety of settings over the past 10 years.
Thad Lewis Treasurer@MusicaSacraVirginia.Org
Ms. Maria Del Mar Villar-Villar, Secretary
Maria del Mar Villar-Villar was born and raised in Charlottesville and has been singing in choir since she was eight years old. She studied videography and communications in college. Since then, she has worked for non-profits in member retention and social media production. Maria has always had a passion for music and is excited to be a part of Musica Sacra Virginia. She hopes to be able to lend her talents and share the beauty of sacred music with those who may not have encountered it before.
Mr. Robert Klein, Board Member
Robert Klein has a diverse background working with military organizations and having a lifetime passion for music. In his early life he played baritone, trombone and started his part time career as a church pianist and organist (which continued wherever he lived). While earning his Bachelors degree in Mathematics at Youngstown State University, he enlisted and completed the Army ROTC program. He served in the Army as a Signal Officer with assignments to Germany, Korea (where he commanded the 293rd Signal Company in Taegu), Arizona, Bosnia, Germany, and Sarajevo, and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In civilian life he used his technical computer expertise working for various military defense companies. Robert expanded his music background by completing music theory courses and singing in the chorus at the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) performing with them in Austria and Ireland. He also sang with the choir at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria, VA, played handbells with the Bells of Blessed Sacrament, and directed their Beginning Bell choir. Recently Robert has sung in various church choirs in Charlottesville, VA and continues to enjoy music.