Frank J. Van Atta joined Commonwealth Youthchoirs in July of 2021 as Co-Artistic Director, leading Keystone State Boychoir. Frank works closely with Co-Artistic Director Dr. Elizabeth Parker to oversee CY’s three programs.
A native of Pittsburgh, community-based choral ensembles were central to Frank’s musical education. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, formerly the Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh, as well as the Junior Mendelssohn Choir. Van Atta earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Organ Performance and Choral Music Education from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance.
Van Atta has taught singers of all ages and experience levels across the Midwest and Northeast. He has presented at conferences for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in the areas of singer engagement, inclusive repertoire, and musical literacy. In addition to his work with CY, Frank concurrently serves as the Director of Middle and Upper School Choirs at Germantown Academy.
Founder Joseph P. Fitzmartin has served as Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) Music Director since its inception in 2001. Joe’s role with KSB combines his long dedication to music education, conducting, composing and arranging. A distinguished composer, he has written and arranged extensively for choirs and orchestras, including A Fantasy of Carols, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Additionally, Joe’s Concert Mass, a major work for symphony orchestra and choir, made its world premiere at Carnegie Hall and has since been performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in Berlin with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, in Nizhny Novgorod Russia, and at the Kimmel Center in Verizon Hall with Philadelphia Sinfonia Association and over 200 singers from KSB and its sister program, Pennsylvania Girlchoir (PG).
A native of Philadelphia and graduate of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Joe has also been choral director for the middle and upper schools at the prestigious William Penn Charter School for the past 25 years where he taught and directed six choirs. Previous positions include organist and choir director at Collenbrook United Church in Drexel Hill for 24 years, organist and choir director at Girard College for ten years, and associate director, composer-in-residence, and accompanist for the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, a post he held for 21 years. He also owned a recording studio for 13 years. He is presently celebrating his fifty-third year as a conductor and music educator.
Pianist Sirapat (Sira) Jittapirom is an active performer and music educator in Philadelphia, PA. Sira has concertized in North America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist and collaborative pianist. She has worked with the Puffin Cultural Forum in New Jersey, the Philadelphia Young Pianists Academy, The Villanova Singers, The Choral Society of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Greater South Jersey Chorus. She has also been involved in a number of opera productions at Temple University as répétiteur and worked with conductors including Eiki Isomura, Joseph Mechavich, and Kensho Watanabe. Her recent engagements include the Wilmington Concert Opera and the Delaware Valley Opera Company.
Sira received a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano and opera coaching from Temple University where she trained with Ching-Yun Hu and Lambert Orkis. She is a staff pianist at Temple University, Drexel University, and the University of Delaware.
Sira joined CY in the Fall of 2021. She toured with the Keystone State Boychoir in Portugal and Morocco in the Summer of 2021, England and Scotland in the Summer of 2022, and Chile in the Winter of 2023/24.
Steven Fisher is a Co-Founder of Keystone State Boychoir and served as Artistic Director for 20 years. A conductor, composer, and music educator, he holds degrees from Shippensburg University and Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music. Steve studied conducting with Alan Harler, composition with Richard Brodhead, arranging with Alice Parker, and piano with Alexander Fiorello.