About the Irving Chorale

The love of music was instilled in Madge at an early age by her beloved piano teachers, Mrs. Charlotte Willis of Irving and the late Dr. J. Wilgus Eberly of Denton.  After college, she switched to a career in real estate law, holding a variety of positions over the next 30 years.  Madge is currently sharing her knowledge of management, finance and law with the Board. In exchange, her soul is regularly replenished through rehearsing, traveling and performing with the Irving Chorale.

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Donna is a licensed, practicing attorney bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the Board of the Irving Chorale. After 12 years as an assistant attorney general in the child support division, Donna recently joined the Methodist Justice Ministry in Ft Worth. Donna has been a member of the Irving Chorale for over 30 years and has served on its Board of Directors consistently for the past 15 years. Donna has held the positions of Member-At-Large, Treasurer, Past President, and President. She is honored to again service as President to guide the Irving Chorale through this next year.

Terri will lead the Irving Chorale during the 2023-2024 season.

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A native Texan and proud Irvingite, Terri’s love of music began early – her mother went into labor with her while at Fair Park Music Hall seeing Showboat and the rest is history. 

She lifted her voice with friends and family in the Jr. & Sr. Choirs at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and while at Nimitz High School, Terri was a cast member in Oklahoma and a couple of community theater shows – Brigadoon and Knickerbocker Holidays.

Terri knew nothing matched the shared experience of performer and audience in a live show. 

During her tenure with IC, she has served as Librarian, Record Secretary, Fundraising Coordinator, Vice President, and current President-Elect, as well as Most Likely to Tell a Dirty Joke in Mixed Company!

Her joy as an IC performer brought Terri to audiences in England, Scotland, Wales, Austria, Canada, Italy and Prague.

“Music can create laughter and tears from thin air.  Is any artform more of a blessing?”

Cynthia has enjoyed being a member of Irving Chorale for five years and is currently serving as its recording secretary. 

Jennifer Markley is a graphic designer with 34 years of experience. She is a graduate of Dallas College (Brookhaven Campus) with an associate degree in Advertising and the University of North Texas with a B. F. A. in Advertising. She has worked for boutique design firms as well as freelance projects for identity systems and book design. She worked for Sally Beauty for 26 years in a variety of roles providing print & digital support. She currently provides creative services for a variety of profit and non-profit organizations. Jennifer’s first exposure to music and singing was with her mother (piano and vocals). In addition to singing with the Irving Chorale, she also sings with her church choir.

For many of the years since 1988, Lita Strubhar has been a member of Irving Chorale. Always an Alto and serving in various board positions, Lita has in the past also functioned as the group's Managing Director. "Music has been part of my life since I was a child. Throughout junior high and high school I sang in both my church choir and school choirs. But, that wasn't the end. I sang one year in college at Texas Woman's University and for one year in Mesquite Civic Chorus. Then, I moved back to Irving and joined Irving Chorale. Singing lifts my spirits and hearing the harmonies and stories of the music can make my heart swell. The friendships formed through music are wonderful. Even though I have had to "lay out" of a few seasons of the Irving Chorale due to work travel, I always come back."

Patty’s love of music began at an early age. She sang in her church’s Children’s Choir, Youth Choir and then the Chancel Choir. She sang in choirs at MacArthur High School and joined the Irving Chorale in its formation under the direction of James Moore. After taking several years off, she rejoined the Chorale for much loved choral music presentation and world travel. She has served on the Board of Directors for about 4 years and help with grant submission for 8 years. Patty’s goal is to assist the Irving Chorale in spreading the love of music throughout the metroplex.

Caryn is an Insurance broker/manager with 51 years experience in all lines of personal and commercial insurance management. She sings at her Church (the Occasional Singers), and sometimes with special groups. She enjoys going to dinner and movies with her family, friends and does some travelling. She also likes the outdoors and will spend time in her kayak when possible. She stays busy at home with her two kitties

A native of Irving, Carol has supported the Chorale in various non-singing roles since 1994. She recently retired from serving the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth for over 30 years, working as the Court's Network Manager. Her goal as Stage Manager is to assist the Chorale members in whatever way needed to allow the singers and musicians to excellently present their music to their audiences. She is active at 1st Baptist Church in Irving, assisting with the Sound team during traditional services and playing in the handbell choir.

Native Irvingite; graduate of Irving High School where I was a member of the a Capella choir; attended UTA. Have sung in church choirs since jr high. Joined the Irving Chorale in the fall of 1990. Have held several offices, but have been the recording secretary for several years. I have traveled to England, Wales, Scotland, Austria, and Toronto, Canada with the Chorale, singing in several magnificent locales. Have been married to Ken Engman since 1999. I have three grown daughters, 3 granddaughters and one grandson and a new baby in April.

Becky Compton was called to the vocation of education at a very early age.  She has worked with the children's music programs at her church in Irving since 1986 at many levels.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from North Texas State University in 1995. Mrs. Compton taught music in Irving ISD and Keller ISD until her retirement in 2020 and at present, she teaches private voice lessons.  She has directed multiple school choirs and has coordinated the 4th Grade District Honor Choir. She was the managing director for the Keller District 5th and 6th-grade choir from conception in 2014 - 2017.  She has worked in many capacities with many children's honor choirs over the years. 

Becky has held the position of the Texas Music Educators Association as the Elementary Region chair from 2010-2020 coordinating music workshops for the teachers in Region 2 and now in Region 30.  Since 1997, she has enjoyed working behind the scenes accomplishing everything from stuffing "goodie bags" to presiding over and facilitating sessions for TMEA conventions and continues to volunteer at the TMEA conventions. In addition, Mrs. Compton has served on the Ways and Means committee and facilitated teams during the Texas Choral Director's Association convention for 2 years.

With her vision for ARTS education, she started her journey to create a non-profit organization that would foster, enrich and nurture the lives of children seeking to continue their personal journey in the ARTS.  Becky looks forward to many more years of service in cultural arts education. 

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Becky is blessed to be married, she has three girls and 5 grandchildren and resides in Southlake, TX. 

Norma DeLeon has been a member of the Irving Chorale for over 13 years. She has served many roles for the Irving Chorale from Member-at-Large to President. Norma has been a resident of the City of Irving since 1989. She loves the variety of music the Irving Chorale sings and performing with guest artists. “I love singing,” Norma says. “I hope the Irving Chorale keeps growing to reach more people in Irving and the DFW community.”

Pam has been a member of Irving Chorale for 7 years now as a 2nd Soprano. She has been singing in the choir at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Irving since 1993. Originally from England, Pam came to the US in 1974 and is now a British/American. "Music has always been a big part of my life, one thing I would love to do is go home to England and sing at my home church of St Marks in Winshill Burton-Upon-Trent. Hopefully one day I will be able to do that."

Robert holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and a Master's degree in Library Science from the University of Kentucky. He has worked in public library technical services and library administration in the North Texas area for thirty-four years. Robert was also a founding member of the Arlington Master Chorale. Since retirement, he works part time as the music librarian for The Orchestra of New Spain, a Baroque chamber ensemble of singers and period instrumentalists in Dallas. He loves travel, singing and participating in his church choir and has had many opportunities to combine all three.

Info coming soon.