About Us
A Brief History
The Arroyo Singers has been a nonprofit organization since 1961, founded by a group of Caltech faculty wives. Today we are comprised of adult women from all walks of life who share a love of singing and good fellowship. We annually present two formal Winter and Spring concerts that feature a wide variety of musical genres, often accompanied by guest instrumentalists.
The Arroyo Singers have always given informal performances in the area as well: at Women’s Clubs, Libraries, Museums, Senior Centers and Retirement Homes. Our membership is drawn from the Pasadena area and surrounding communities.
Kirk Averitt, Music Director
Kirk Averitt is a conductor, vocalist, and music educator. In addition to this work with the Arroyo Singers, Kirk conducts the choirs at California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley in Duarte, and the Chancel Choir at Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist in Arcadia. An active singer in Los Angeles, Kirk performs with Choral Arts Initiative, Westwood Presbyterian Church, C3LA, and Voices of Christmas. In addition to his work as a musician, Kirk is the Managing Director for The Resonance Collective, an arts non-profit in downtown Los Angeles that focuses on the intersection of creative and spiritual practice.
Before moving to Southern California, Kirk served as Director of Choral Music at Beaver Country Day School and The Congregational Church of Weston in Boston, MA, and has worked with choral ensembles around the globe. In 2019, his choir from Beaver Country Day shared a week in residence with ensembles at Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba, and conducted and performed with Viatores Mundi in Bol, Croatia, a choral organization he co-founded in 2019.
Originally from Decatur, AL, Kirk holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelors in Vocal Music Education from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.
Lauralie Pow, Collaborative Pianist
Originally from Michigan, pianist Lauralie Pow moved to Southern California in 2016 after receiving her Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from University of Miami. She has shared the stage with world-class guest artists as Maria Schneider, Dawn Upshaw, and Ben Folds as a member of the Henry Mancini Orchestra.
In Los Angeles, Lauralie has worked as music director for Cupcake Studio’s productions of Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, Mamma Mia. and The Last 5 Years. Lauralie is currently on faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) where she individually coaches students and teaches classes. Lauralie is also on faculty at the California School of the Arts in San Gabriel (CSArts) where she teaches and accompanies vocal and choral classes.
D.M.A. Collaborative Piano, University of Miami – Frost School of Music M.M. Piano Performance Solo, McGill University – Schulich School of Music B.M. Music Theory, Eastman School of Music