About Us
Six Degree Singers is a vibrant community choir of 35 young adult performers dedicated to making quality music and bringing it to the Washington area through performances, volunteer work and musical education. Six Degree Singers has featured in events all around the DC metro area, including the Silver Spring Loy Krathong Thai Festival and the Chesapeake-Potomac Invitational Bonspiel, an annual curling event. As a registered non-profit organization, the Six Degree Singers also participate in outreach activities at various charity events and retirement communities.
Our central mission of building musical appreciation and awareness guides every undertaking. The music we perform and teach is a varied repertoire of genres and time periods including contemporary, renaissance, world, folk, and jazz. We are also committed to giving new and local composers an opportunity to showcase their original works by both performing their works and commissioning original material.
As Six Degree Singers has grown, it has taken on even more ambitious projects including its first CD recording, a joint concert with the Penn State Glee club and, of course, more performances. As young and ambitious as its members, SDS is a newcomer with a strong future ahead.
Rachel Carlson (Music Director) enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber ensemble singer, conductor, and voice teacher residing in the Washington, DC area. Rachel has appeared as a soloist with the Washington Bach Consort, Washington Master Chorale, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Tucson Chamber Artists, Festival Chorus of Madison, Potomac River Chorale, and Washington Revels and as a professional choral singer with Conspirare, Vox Humana, and Spire Chamber Ensemble. In addition, she maintains a private voice studio and founded the Six Degree Singers. Rachel holds Bachelor's degrees in both vocal performance and music education from the University of Maryland, as well as a Master's degree in choral conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Visit www.rachel-carlson.com for more information.
Dusty Francis (Assistant Music Director) is a conductor, bass-baritone and music educator residing in the Washington, DC area. Currently in his second year of studies at the University of Maryland pursuing a master's degree in choral conducting, Francis serves as the director of the University of Maryland Men's Chorus and the director of the Adult Choir of the United Christian Parish in Reston, Virginia. Francis can be heard singing as a member of the University of Maryland Chamber Singers, the Washington Master Chorale and as an occasional member of the Washington National Cathedral's Gentleman of the Choirs. Before moving to Washington, Francis taught at St. Xavier High School and attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education.