About Us

 Each year Uncommon Chord accepts a select number of corporate, private, and broadcast engagements. These opportunities help fund Uncommon Chord outreach and special projects.

Gary Haberman, Music Director
Gary Haberman is active not only as a pianist, but as a composer arranger, orchestrator and producer. As an accomplished pianist and nationally acclaimed synthesist, he has performed with Frank Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Vic Damone, Dihann Caroll, and Sammy Davis Jr. He performed on Liza Minelli’s HBO special presentation “Liza Minelli Live from London” and has appeared on video with legendary jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks. Together with vocalist Patti Dunham, Gary performs and sings in a unique jazz duo format. Gary has also performed on several recordings including the Grammy award winning “Saturday Night Fever” album, “DiscoSymphony,” and “A Fifth of Beethoven.” He has composed, arranged, and produced hundreds of songs for educational publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Scholastic Books .Gary’s film and video composing and producing credits include two NBC movie specials, several independent movie projects, as well as a multitude of mini documentaries, biographical sketches, animated featurettes, pictorial soundscapes, and music videos. He currently is principal conductor & founder of The NJ Holiday Festival Orchestra as well as musical director of Uncommon Chord.

Carolyn Ritter, Soprano I
Carolyn was born and raised in Connecticut and studied at the University of Massachusetts and the Manchester Institute of Science & Technology. She moved to New York City in 2003 and joined Uncommon Chord in 2004. When Carolyn isn’t singing with her friends in Uncommon Chord, she serves as the Senior Associate Director of Communications at the NYU Stern School of Business.

Claire Slemmer, Soprano I
Claire is from Ohio and has been living in New York for 5 years, 3 of which she has been happily singing second soprano with Uncommon Chord. When she’s not singing, Claire is an actress, presentation coach, wedding officiant, and pastoral care volunteer. She is the resident student at Ordinary Mind Zendo.

Eva Nicole, Soprano II
Eva has been acting and singing in New York City for nearly 10 years. She has performed at several venues throughout the city, including Carnegie Hall and Symphony Space.

Nancy Parish, Soprano II
Nancy works as a singer, pianist, organist and teacher. She has sung with Bronx Opera, Village Light Opera, New York Grand Opera, in off-off Broadway choruses, and in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Constitution Hall (Washington, DC), Royal Albert Hall (London) and the Vatican. She has performed as a member of Chorus Angelorum, touring Europe and South America singing liturgical music. Other small group ensemble experience has included the a cappella groups Women Singing and Uptown Sound.

Ellen Capon, Alto I
A life-long New Yorker and Upper West Sider, Ellen has been signing with Uncommon Chord since 2008. A graduate of Brown University (where she sang with Jazz a capella group The Higher Keys) and Columbia Business School, Ellen now works as Director of Branding and Licensing for Madison Square Garden & Radio City Music Hall.

Tiffani Gavin, Alto I
Tiffani is a native of Philadelphia. She studied at Brown University where she sang with Brown’s oldest women’s accapella group,The Chattertocks. Since moving to NY, she has been a theatre producer and manager. Most recently she was the Chief Financial and Operations Officer at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.

Norman Schwab, Tenor I
Norm is a born and bred New Yorker from the UWS. He is currently working as a stagehand building sets for Broadway shows. Norm has been singing with Uncommon Chord since 1999.

Peter Zinman, Tenor II
Peter has been singing with Uncommon Chord since the year 2000. When he is not being begged by his young son to stop singing in the house, he manages Gas Turbine Controls Corporation, an international energy equipment and services company. He also serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of the Men’s Division of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a charitable organization. On rare occasion, he finds time to work at his collection of vintage college freshman rules broadsides.

Dan Stoddard, Bass I
An original “charter” member of Uncommon Chord, Dan also sings with the New York Choral Society, where he has been a member on and off since 1979. When not singing, Dan spends his days at the American Museum of Natural History, where he is Vice President and Chief Investment Officer. Dan loves jazz, and the American songbook classics. He also likes classical music, 60’s rock, and opera.

Henry Hsia, Bass II
Henry is a native and life-long New Yorker who has sung in venues (and showers) across the nation and around the world. His motto as a member of the bass section: “I am always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me!”