Our Director

Harriette Walters
Master 700 Director
Certified International Faculty Member
Region 15 Education Coordinator

Master Director 700 Harriette Walters is the heart and soul of Greater Nassau Chorus (GNC). She has directed the chorus since 1984, guiding them from a small, regional chorus into a powerful, award-winning International Competitor.

Her masterful direction has brought the chorus 11 Regional 1st place finishes and 7 International top-ten finishes. Most recently, Harriette joined an elite group of Sweet Adeline International (SAI) Directors, receiving the coveted title of Master Director 700 as a result of GNC’s stunning performance at the Regional Competition in Albany, NY. With a score of 710 (out of a possible 800) Greater Nassau Chorus secured its place as the Greater New York/New Jersey Region’s representative at the Sweet Adelines International Chorus Competition in Las Vegas in 2015, becoming the first mid-size chorus (31 – 60 members) ever to score over 700 in Competition.

For Harriette, music and barbershop have been her life-long passions. As a singer in the award-winning quartet “a.k.a.” (third place finish SAI Internationals 2014) and as a Director, she brings the finesse and vision of a true artist. Her elegance as a director along with her uncanny ear and musicianship have made her GNC’s very own Leonard Bernstein, who molds and shapes harmonies into a beautiful tapestry of sound.

Under Harriette’s guidance, the members of Greater Nassau Chorus are treated to a Master Class in vocal production and artistic performance on a weekly basis. She helps chorus members to achieve new levels of technical perfection and artistic abandon. Her exacting standards are matched by her wonderful smile as she urges each member to reach for that next level of vocal performance.

Her unique musical talents and leadership skills have brought Harriette well-deserved recognition in the SAI world. In demand both in the United States and abroad, she brings her coaching skills to a wide variety of choruses and quartets. Her leadership abilities have also been honored by Region 15 in 2010 when they established the Harriette Walters Leadership Award. Her many titles include membership on the International SAI Teaching Faculty and Editorial Review Board as well as sitting on the International Education Direction Committee. As if that wasn’t sufficient, she also serves as the Regional Education Coordinator.

For Harriette, it always come back to the music and to her beloved chorus. “This journey is a lifelong passion for me. I look forward to making beautiful music. Helping each chorus member grow and learn, seeing that incredible energy flowing at rehearsal and hearing those ringing chords, it is truly sublime.”