Leadership Team

Our president, Tessa Bercic, helms the ship from an administrative perspective and helps empower our management team to provide the best opportunities to our members. She supports the chorus with a soft-spoken passion, a wealth of administrative and leadership expertise, and a great love of the craft.

Tessa sings with the tenor section, and has been singing in choir and barbershop since 2017, joining Vocal FX in 2021.

She enjoys the wholesome vibes of singing with the chorus, as well as the beautiful chords and harmonies that come with the craft.

As Vice President, Brandon Couch is responsible for overseeing chorus membership admin, helping to coordinate our participation in events, and otherwise supporting the rest of the management team to reach our goals.

Brandon has been singing barbershop as a bass since 2010 after being brought into his first chorus at Hutt International Boys' School, and has been with Vocal FX since 2014.

He deeply loves the sense of community he has discovered with barbershop, and values the sense of support, inspiration, and encouragement that Vocal FX has to offer.

Duncan Moore, our secretary and performance leader, has been a steadfast and reliable member of Vocal FX for twenty years.

Among some of the earliest people to join the chorus, and having consistently devoted his time to the group since then, Duncan has proven enormously helpful with his consistent desire to help the chorus both artistically and administratively.

His responsibilities as secretary see him taking minutes for leadership meetings, leading the administration of our AGMs, and holding responsibility for several key documents and processes for the group. As a performance assistant on the artistic team, he offers his on-stage presence and significant experience as a performer to help ensure Vocal FX shines not just as singers, but as artists in general, when we take to the stage. Beyond this, he also regularly volunteers for the crucial mahi that ensures our events and rehearsals run smoothly.

Duncan sings in the bass section, and he loves singing for the sense of connection, the opportunity to meet new people, and the presence to the world around you.

Our treasurer, Logan Beasley, is responsible for all things financial.

Having originally joined Vocal FX in the bass section in 2022, Logan was a natural fit for the role given his significant experience with financial work, and has diligently aided the chorus in ensuring our accounts are balanced, fees collected, and payments made.

Even in times when his other significant mahi keeps him from being able to join us on the risers, Logan has generously continued to offer his support to ensure nothing falls behind.

Our two community representatives are Sophie Weir and Daniela Butterfield.
 

Daniela

Daniela joined Vocal FX in 2022, singing in the lead section. After having grown up playing multiple instruments, she was eventually persuaded to give the chorus a go - she hasn't looked back since.

Daniela proved her reliability, focus, and desire to support the chorus even before joining the management team officially, having arranged fundraising events such as a quiz night that saw great success, and having regularly offered to support the various important tasks associated with events that are vital to a successful evening.

Since joining the management team, she has continued to demonstrate this focus and passion, eagerly looking for opportunities for the chorus to contribute to the broader community, and for ways to support our members financially.

Daniela loves the feeling in music where everyone is in the same moment together, and loves generating harmonies and amplified overtones that make the music magical!
 

Sophie

Sophie leapt into Vocal FX with both feet and has gone above and beyond to support the group as a performer and as a leader.

She has been singing barbershop for ten years, originally starting at Kapiti College. As a member of the tenor section, she also took up the role of a soloist during our participation at the World Choir Games.

As a community representative, Sophie has eagerly engaged with the tasks of event management, social media, fundraising, and offering a friendly face to help our members interface with the management team.

She loves a good yarn and is passionate about keeping the social spaces of barbershop thriving, and is very enthusiastic about the way barbershop offers a way to fall more deeply in love with music and singing.

Our invaluable director, Charlotte Murray has been guiding and leading Vocal FX for 21 years since our establishment in 2003. She holds the chorus very close to her heart and clearly demonstrates our values each and every week as she takes us through rehearsal.

Her mum, Shona, was a music teacher and choral director, meaning Charlotte grew up with music and began singing at a very young age. In high school, she was inspired by the international quartet Second Edition to learn the barbershop craft.

She values the way singing allows us to build connections, express ourselves through the music, and nourish the soul.

Our Assistant Director, Matt Barris, sings in the baritone section, but lends his expertise, a well-tuned ear, and his passion for teaching to aid the chorus as a whole. His easygoing nature balanced with his desire to strive for excellence ensures that Vocal FX is a fun place to be, but also a place where singers can make great strides.

Matt has been singing his entire life at church, but found barbershop singing under the tutelage of our director Charlotte at Tawa College in 2013.

He loves the unique, amazing quality of a well-rung barbershop chord, and also values the community element of barbershop and the opportunity to sing a tag with new people!

Our two tenor section leaders are Adeline Giacometti and Robyn Bryant.

Robyn

Robyn first started singing in 2009, and brings and incredible wealth of knowledge about the mechanics and artistry of music at large to the table.

Her bright demeanour, coupled with her enthusiasm for the craft, brings both levity and focus in equal measure. When she leads the chorus through an exercise or is offering advice to the tenor section, her desire to see us at our best is palpable.

Robyn loves the nerdiness and quirks behind barbershop music, and finds something truly special about how barbershop harmonies bring people together.
 

Adeline

Adeline is a former Sweet Adelines member from London City singers, and a former member of Embellished Chorus.

She lends an exceptionally precise and beautiful voice, a kind and considerate manner, and a clear desire to support those around her to ensure our tenor section is giving all they can to those gorgeous, sparkling high notes.

Adeline loves connecting through singing, and is very passionate about striving for musical excellence.

Our two lead section leaders are Tara Mackle and Rachel Roberts.
 

Tara

Tara has been singing barbershop since she was thirteen years old, and is a former member of the Embellished chorus.

With a passion for teaching that comes through in her leadership style, a clear talent and enthusiasm for singing of many styles, and an eagerness to welcome new people and engage with the chorus community, Tara helps to keep the chorus energised and enthusiastic.

She loves the expressiveness of barbershop, and enjoys meeting like-minded people who love to create that classic barbershop sound.
 

Rachel

Rachel has been singing barbershop for thirteen years, and is a hugely invested and passionate member of Vocal FX and the barbershop community at large.

In addition to supporting both the lead and tenor sections of Vocal FX, Rachel has previously supported BHNZ as one of their youth representatives, and can often be found eagerly supporting the barbershop community however she can.

She loves barbershop for the sense of family, the community, and naturally, for the chords!

Our baritone section leader is Myllo McGinn.

Myllo begain their barbershop journey at Burnside High in Christchurch, and studied contemporary composition for two years. This expertise and love of music contributed greatly to Vocal FX even before they stepped into the role of baritone section lead at the start of 2025.

You may see Myllo volunteering to lead theory tutorials before rehearsals, in order to help people who are less familiar with things like sheet music, note values, chords, and such feel a little more comfortable with the technicalities of the craft. If you're feeling a little unsure about how to get started with this kind of thing, Myllo's skill for breaking complex ideas down to an accessible level will be a huge help!

They love the technical aspects of barbershop, especially learning what makes the difference between good singing and great singing.

Our two bass section leaders are Alex Craig and TJ Hernandez.
 

Alex

Alex has been singing barbershop for eight years, having competed during college in the Young Singers in Harmony competition. He also co-directs the Kapiti-based chorus Beachside Harmony.

Alex has a palpable enthusiasm for the craft of barbershop, and is a self-proclaimed "vocal nerd, lover of rhythm, and appreciator of good chords" who has deeply immersed himself in the world of barbershop music. He brings an incredible precision, a powerful voice, and a great love of our chorus and what we can achieve to the time he spends leading us on the risers.

He finds an intrinsic wonder and joy in the barbershop sound that always keeps him coming back for more!
 

 

TJ

TJ has been involved in the barbershop space since he was in Year 9, and has been a member of Vocal FX since 2016.

With a background in music therapy, TJ brings a gentle spirit to his leadership role, seeking to provide a welcoming space for musicians to safely pursue their craft and grow in their capacity as singers and performers. As both a skilled musician and a reliable people-person, he ensures that members of the chorus feel valued and empowered to give their all.

TJ was originally drawn to barbershop for the sound, but found himself staying for the people.