Meet The Members

Amara Cross

Amara Cross is a Drama and Theatre major at Norfolk State University and is delighted to be singing with the Doorway Singers, starting in 2025! While she is new to this group, Amara has been performing in theatre productions her whole life. Recent credits include The Color Purple at NSU and The Little Mermaid with Virginia Musical Theatre. When she’s not performing, she can be found watching superhero movies, traveling to New York to see a play, or playing with her dogs!

Ava Stevenson

Ava joined Doorway in 2017 as its youngest member to date! She has been singing ever since she could talk and enjoys performing around Hampton Roads. Her first singing gig was at the oceanfront with her older brother Jaron when she was just 14 years old. She is currently studying vocal performance at Old Dominion University. You may have seen her in Hairspray (Brenda) at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach or in her most recent role as Cinderella in Cinderella at Old Dominion University.

Brittany Agrillo

Brittany has been a Doorway member since 2015, but is no stranger to music! Since graduating from the music program at Wake Forest University several years ago, she dived head-first into performing locally. In addition to performing with Doorway, she regularly plays at various venues at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront with Aaron Firestone, and is also a competitive ballroom dancer. You may have seen her in the ensemble of The Wedding Singer (Generic Theater) or as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (LTVB).

Chloe Swenson

Chloe Swenson is a senior at Young Musicians of Virginia, joining the Doorway family for winter of 2025. Chloe also performs in Soli Deo, a local a capella choir, as well as the Concert Choir at her school, where she has also participated in All-District and All-Virginia choirs. Some of her favorite musical theatre credits include The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and an Alabama Lamb in Big Fish. One of her most cherished accomplishments is participating in The Young

Jackie Adonis

Jackie has been part of Doorway since 2019.
She has a B.A. in Drama from the University of Virginia and an M.F.A. in Acting from Regent University. She is an arts educator and an award-winning actor and director. She won an award for “Best Supporting Female Actor” in the Christian Online Film Festival, and she won the Audience Favorite award in the Proteus Festival for directing “Likker Outta Control” at the Zeiders American Dream Theater. She also participated in the Liverpool International Theatre Festival. You may have seen her in School of Rock with Virginia Musical Theatre. Most recently, she served as the Music Director for Hurrah Players’ production of Madagascar, Jr.

Madi Wuornos

Madi joined Doorway in the fall of 2023 at the age of 15! She is a sophomore Honors student at Catholic High School. In the past, she has participated in all the musical productions at St. Matthew’s from years 5 – 8. Credits include Violet Beauregard in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Jane Banks in Mary Poppins, and Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. She also portrayed Madame de la Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast Jr with Rich Theatre. She has recently been cast as Judy in It Happened On Route 66 with her school theatre company. Madi also attended the 2023 District Chorus and enjoys voice lessons, playing piano, volleyball, and basketball.

Odette Pham

Odette was hired in spring of 2024 and is one of the youngest members to join Doorway! Her credits include: Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Old Donation School,) Katie in School of Rock (Virginia Musical Theatre) and Daisy Armstrong in Murder on the Orient Express (LTVB). A dancer since the age of 3, she has performed in numerous ballet/contemporary/modern works and was honored to perform as Village Child and Gypsy Girl in Don Quixote with the American Ballet Theatre. Odette most recently participated in the 2024 District Chorus, where she was a featured soloist. In her free time, she likes to bake, play piano, hang out with friends and surf.

Sarah Schweit

Sarah joined Doorway in the fall of 2022. She graduated with her B.A. in Vocal Music Education from James Madison University in 2017. A year after graduating, she moved to Suffolk from the NoVA area, where she taught choir for 5 years at a local middle school. Currently, Sarah runs her own business, Embellish Music Studios, where she both teaches private voice lessons and rents spaces to other music instructors. Sarah is also involved with theatre, and some of her favorite credits include Portia in Something Rotten (LTVB), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Castaways Repertory), and Penny in Hairspray (Zemfira Stages).

Sophia Stopyra

Sophia joined Doorway for Christmas of 2024. She studied vocal performance at the Governor’s School for the Arts, meanwhile placing first in the Mid-Atlantic Region and second in the nation for Upper High School Classical Voice in the 2022 NATS National Student Auditions. Sophia is also active in the theatre community, where some of her favorite roles include Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Phoebe in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Laetitia in The Old Maid and Thief, and Alcina u/s in Handel’s Alcina.

Taylor Campbell

Taylor Campbell joined Doorway in fall of 2025. After moving around with the Air Force all throughout her childhood, she moved to Norfolk in 2019 and graduated from ODU in 2021 with a B.A. in History. She sang and was in theater all through high school, was part of the ODU Concert Choir, and is currently also a member of the Virginia Symphony Chorus. She works as a preschool teacher and at the Chrysler Museum of Art, and enjoys church activities, game nights, and English Country Dancing.

Beverly Taylor

Beverly is a founding member of The Doorway Singers. After receiving her B.A. and J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 1984, Beverly moved to Virginia Beach and has been practicing law and performing in the area ever since. She is also a founding member of the musical group Celtica and currently performs with them on vocals, keyboard, hammered dulcimer, and penny whistle. You may also have seen her solo acts at other local events such as the Neptune Festival, Harborfest, the Portsmouth Seawall Festival, and First Night Williamsburg.

Carissa Robertson

Holly Romanelli

Holly Romanelli is ecstatic to join Doorway in 2025 as a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she received her B.F.A. in Voice Performance with a certificate in Italian Studies. Holly got her start in classical and performing arts at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk. She is grateful for her opportunities in Pittsburgh with the Aspinwall Presbyterian Church and roles at CMU, including Ruggiero in Alcina and Frasquita in scenes from Carmen. She looks forward to being back with family and singing in the Hampton Roads area where she grew up.

Jess Alonso

Jess Alonso joined Doorway Singers in fall of 2025. By day, she is a social worker with expertise in foster care. Her past performances include 21 Chump Street at LTN and Panties In A Twist, the all-female sketch comedy show. Jess can also be seen performing with The Dinner Detective in Virginia Beach. She currently serves on the Diversity Council at Push Comedy Theater, providing scholarships and showcasing the talents of diverse communities. Aside from singing, her passions include playing the flute and creating visual art through mediums such as sculpting and painting.

Kat Sinclair Fenter

Kat joined Doorway Singers in 2020. She completed her B.S. in Biotechnology at James Madison University with a minor in Theater, and her Ph.D. in Microbiology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has always loved music and theater, most recently appearing as Tammy in Escape to Margaritaville at LTVB. Other performances include Nickie in Sweet Charity at LTN, the premiere of Trophy Wife (Susan Shapiro) and Chess at Generic Theater, Guys and Dolls at both LTVB and PCT, and The Melody Lingers On, Parade, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Jewish Family Theater in Richmond. She currently teaches Biology at CNU, TCC, and VWU. In her free time, she is the choir director at Beth Chaverim and a singer in Dimensional Riffs, a nerd rock band that performs at regional sci-fi conventions.

Leanna Caplan

Leanna was excited to join the Doorway Singers in fall of 2022 after returning home to the Hampton Roads area! She completed her B.A. at James Madison University and her M.A. in Music Therapy and Counseling at Drexel University. Leanna has been singing for the majority of her life, including 5 seasons with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus. She also enjoys dancing and has attended regional and national swing dancing conventions. She currently works as a licensed professional counselor and board-certified music therapist. She is also a certified yoga teacher.

Marisa Eagle

Marisa is excited to be joining Doorway Singers for the winter 2024 season! She grew up singing with her dad in church and used to perform on the Spirit of Norfolk as a singing server. Nowadays, Marisa manages payroll for a nonprofit company, but can still be found leading worship at her church or hanging out with her husband and preteen boys.

Sarah Fagan

Originally from Upstate, NY, Sarah and her family moved to Hampton Roads in 2015 and have fallen in love with beach life! Sarah holds a B.A. in Music Education from Susquehanna University, and an M.A. in Education from Elmira College. She has been teaching music in the public schools for over twenty years, maintains a private music studio, and regularly sings for churches in the area. Throughout her career she has performed in both vocal and instrumental ensembles, as well as in multiple musicals. Her favorite roles include wife to Peter, and mom to adult sons, Chris and Eric.

Tara Pandiscia

Tara joined Doorway Singers in 2023. She has been singing and dancing most of her life and has performed locally with several theatres including Generic, Little Theatre of Virginia Beach, and The Z. When she’s not singing (and sometimes when she is) you can find her working as a physical therapist at Restorative Therapy Co in Virginia Beach, walking or SUPing at the beach, or hanging out with her husband and their two very spoiled cats.

Dai Poole

Dai joined The Doorway Singers in the fall of 2023. Although this is his first time singing with the group, he is no stranger to quartets. In 2011, he and three of his closest friends competed on Simon Cowell’s The X Factor USA. Out of hundreds of thousands who auditioned, the group finished in the top 32 acts. Since then, Dai has been focused on more theatre and film work including a starring role in Little Theatre of Virginia Beach’s production of Superior Donuts in 2020. However, he is excited to return to his first love, music, with such an esteemed and talented group of musicians.

Dan McGary

Dan has been a Doorway member since 2010. He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Journalism from Regent University in 2012 and since then has worked with many theatre companies in the area in various capacities. Dan has also worked with several Virginia Beach and Newport News high schools in their creative arts departments, and now works as the Office Manager at Virginia Musical Theatre in Virginia Beach. Writing and composing are his passions, and much of his work can be displayed through his own creative company, coLABoration Theatre. https://www.facebook.com/coLABTheatre

Jacar McNeil

Jacar McNeil joined Doorway in fall of 2025. He was last seen working with Little Theater of Norfolk in Choir Boy, A Soulful Christmas with UPAC, and Escape to Margaritaville at Little Theater of Virginia Beach. Jacar works as a Graphic Designer when not performing and his work can be found @jacr.design on instagram. He would like to thank Doorway Singers for giving him the opportunity to perform regularly again!

Joseph Brown

Although Joseph just joined Doorway for Christmas of 2022, he has been making music locally for many years and has been a member of many groups including the Smithfield Strings, Peninsula Concert Band, and Virginia Choral Society. He currently plays clarinet with the Tidewater Winds Concert Band and Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble, and sings with the choir at Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk. Joseph graduated from Christopher Newport University with a degree in choral music education, and is currently the chorus teacher at Maury High School.

Richard Merrick

Robert Walters

Robert joined Doorway Singers in the spring of 2023. He graduated with a B.A. in Vocal Performance alongside a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Teach in 2022. He then moved to Newport News after being hired as a stormwater engineer on the peninsula. Robert has been in choir since he was in 3rd grade, taught himself guitar and piano in high school, and even music directed his college a cappella group, TechNotes. He has quickly become involved in the performing arts here in Hampton Roads, making his theatrical debut in The Bridges of Madison County at PCT, as well as being cast in She Loves Me at SLT. He is excited to add Doorway Singers to the list as he loves nothing more than performing.

Stephen Culpepper

Stephen Culpepper joined Doorway in the fall of 2023! He is currently a Junior in the Musical Theatre department at The Governor’s School for the Arts. Recent credits include Footloose (Ensemble) and School of Rock (Lawrence) with Virginia Musical Theatre, Something Rotten with Governor’s School (Francis Flute), All Shook Up with The Hurrah Players (Chad), The Sound of Music with Virginia Opera/Virginia Arts Festival (Friedrich), and Matilda with Virginia Stage Company (Nigel). He has volunteered as the Prop Coordinator at VMT for the past 2 seasons and has developed a passion for the technical aspects of theatre. In his spare time, when he’s not singing and dancing, he likes to sing and dance some more, play the piano, and the accordion!

Andrew Dulce

Andrew joined Doorway for the 2022 Christmas season. He graduated from VCU in 2022 with a B.S. in biochemistry; however, he spent most of his college days singing in church or performing with his a cappella group, The Ramifications. After a brief stint at Disney World, Andrew is back in town and ready to make some music with this talented group! In his spare time, you can find him curled up with a book or baking up a storm in the kitchen.

Bryce Collins

Bryce opened a new artistic door when joining our group in the spring of 2024. Descending from a long line of musicians, Bryce has always been an artist at heart, passionate about the musical and theatrical craft. He has performed in over 30 plays and became involved in the Hampton Roads arts community at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach in 2019. Currently, Bryce is studying at ODU for a BA in History. In his free time, Bryce loves writing, paddle boarding, and serving as a vocalist/guitarist in his church worship band.

Mason Allen

Mason Allen is absolutely thrilled to be joining the Doorway Singers for the Fall/Winter 2025 season! He is currently studying biology at Old Dominion University, but he still finds time to express his creativity in many ways. Mason has performed in several high school theater productions, including Bright Star, Matilda the Musical, and various straight plays.

Matt Kelly

Matt Kelly is incredibly excited to join Doorway Singers for the 2025 Christmas season. He has been singing his whole life, pursuing a degree in music at Oakland University in Michigan, followed by a Masters in Education from Washington State University before coming to Hampton Roads in 2014 following a career in Higher Ed. He has usually sung in choirs, including the Virginia Symphony Chorus and at Freemason Street Baptist Church. When not singing, you can find Matt working on his Lego collection, curled up with a book, or entertaining his chocolate labs.

Mike Lopez

Mike Lopez is a self-taught singer with a love for music and storytelling who joined Doorway in 2025. After spending 10 years in the Marine Corps, Mike returned to pursue creative work, performing in local theater productions such as James and the Giant Peach at LTN (as Centipede) and Ragtime at SLT (as Tateh). Over the years, he has also been part of multiple rock bands across the country, gaining experience and connection through music wherever life has taken him.

Peter Scheible

Peter was roped into Doorway in 2021 and is so glad to have been! Music and singing have been an essential part of Peter’s life since he was a small child listening to Mozart on Baby Einstein. He loves to perform in community theatre productions around Hampton Roads. Peter is currently a graduate student working on his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Old Dominion University.

Robert Cadwallader

Robert started with Doorway in the summer of 2020 and sang until the end of 2022. After taking a season off he has come back more ready than ever to continue doing what he loves! He used to sing Baritone in a barbershop chorus on the West Coast called the Salem Senateaires. Robert is currently working on building his career in the food service business as a manager of a brand new store!

Westley Benson

Westley joined Doorway in 2017 just in time for the holidays! He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University and now keeps himself busy teaching private piano lessons. He is also a resident teaching artist with the Soundscapes program throughout the fall, and works as the Director of Music at Global Outreach Church in Virginia Beach.