Gotham Leadership Team
Larry Bomback, CEO, Chapter Secretary, Board Chair
Over the past two decades, Larry has honed a robust leadership profile marked by successful fundraising, organizational expansion, and data-driven decision-making, across various nonprofit sectors. With extensive experience managing complex national and international organizations, Larry excels in strategic thinking and uniting diverse stakeholders to achieve institutional goals.
Larry is currently Senior Vice President of Administration & Treasurer at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, one of the top music conservatories in the world. Before this appointment, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at DataArts. Previously, Larry was Director of Finance and Operations at OPERA America, and Operations Manager at the award-winning New York Youth Symphony.
Larry's empathetic approach and industry expertise have made him a sought-after advisor and speaker, serving on boards and committees of national nonprofit arts institutions.
Larry earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with high honors from Haverford College and a Master of Arts in Historical Musicology from the City College of New York. He also holds an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology.
Larry is deeply involved in music as a performer and educator. He sings tenor with 'Round Midnight, a renowned quartet, and has been involved in launching several vocal ensembles, including the Voices of Gotham in 2008.
Larry resides in Philadelphia with his wife, Coren, an architect, their two children, Baylee and Salem, and their rescue puppy, Mare.
Anna Chelak, Artistic Director
Anna has been a member of Sirens of Gotham for the last 10 years and consistently held a variety of artistic and managerial leadership positions. Before being appointed Artistic Director in April 2023, her contributions included a rebranding and Core Values initiative as well as a logo redesign in early 2017 as VP of Marketing, costume and staging design for the chorus's international competition debut and first place win at the 2018 SAI Harmony Classic as Associate Visual Director, and establishing Sirens of Gotham's dual charter with the Hell's Kitchen Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society in the Spring of 2020 as Chapter President. Anna also co-directed the BHS Hell’s Kitchen Chapter SATB ensemble GOTHAM to an 8th place finish at the 2022 BHS International Chorus Contest in Charlotte, NC. Anna currently sings Lead in the SSAA quartet Breakfast for Dinner (M-AD, NED).
Always a fan of the stage, Anna began studying Ukrainian folk dance as a child and went on to perform professionally with multiple ensembles in the tristate area through college. She began studying music and singing more seriously in middle school and was introduced to barbershop music by her high school choir teacher, music educator Patty Danner (Hickory Tree Chorus, Baritone of 2013 Region 15 Champion quartet, Drive!), who organized and encouraged multiple barbershop quartets and a show choir.
Anna grew up in New Jersey and lived in New York City for the last 15 years before recently moving into a new home in Westchester, NY with her partner (and fellow barbershopper) Braden Lynk, along with their two cats Otto and Windsor. She is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and also works as a marketing strategy director at an advertising agency in Manhattan.
Keith Harris, Artistic Director
Keith Harris was appointed Artistic Director of Voices of Gotham in 2023.
As a Metropolitan Opera baritone and top ten Barbershop Harmony Society International quartet finalist, Keith brings a wealth of experience and talent to our chorus.
Keith is a lifelong barbershopper, first joining his home chapter in Wisconsin at age 9. He won his first district at age 16 with Family Ties, won the Collegiate International Quartet Competition in 1997 with Free Fall, and placed top ten at the BHS International in 2010 and 2011 with VOCE. Keith’s early barbershop experience inspired him to become a professional singer and now he has many credits singing across New York City, the US, and even across the world.
Keith has sung eight seasons at the Metropolitan Opera as a principal artist, and ten seasons at Carnegie Hall as a principal soloist. In addition, he has performed as a soloist in Avery Fisher Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the Koch Theater. Domestically, Keith has performed in almost every state in the US with major orchestras and opera companies. Internationally, his opera and recital career have taken him to Tel Aviv, London, France, Italy, and Barbados. He has performed 50 different roles, 35 various master works, and almost 100 recitals at Universities and Concert Halls throughout the US.
He currently lives in NYC with his wife Maire, where he teaches voice lessons and maintains a voice over and jingle studio, in addition to his live performances. Visit www.KeithHarris.net to learn more.
Colleen Christi Willett, CDO, VP Membership
Colleen’s journey to both barbershop and the GOTHAM family of choruses began many years ago, listening and looking up at her father playing ‘60s folk songs on his guitar and instinctively harmonizing with him ever since!
She has a BFA in Musical Theater from Marymount Manhattan College and has a deep love of combining music and theatrical performances on stage, in front of a live audience.
She sang with Melodia Women’s Choir NYC, a premiere treble-voiced 35-person chorus dedicated to singing music composed by and for female voices, for over seventeen years, acting as both the Alto 1 Section Leader and Events Coordinator for a dozen of those years.
Subsequent to joining Sirens of Gotham in mid-2019, she held the positions in the chorus of Membership VP from 2020-2023 and interim President in 2023-2024. She sings both bass and baritone and very much enjoys being bi-sectional! It makes her a better and more knowledgeable barbershopper.
In the winter of 2022, she became the bass of Off The Record quartet, who were honored with BHS M-AD Northern Division Novice Quartet that year.
She was honored and humbled to be named Sirens of Gotham’s Region 15 Member of Note in the Fall of 2023.
Colleen is endlessly grateful for barbershop and Gotham’s role in her musical and personal life. When not obsessively singing harmonies, Colleen works in the publishing and music industries, focusing on brand development and promotional marketing. She loves to write and read odd, character-driven fiction, doodle, weight-lift and cook for anyone willing to eat her goodies, from her family to her quartet-mates.
Mika Nagashima, CPO, VP Events
Mika's musical journey began at the age of 4, singing with a local kids' chorus. She continued to pursue her passion through school musical clubs, and participated in “The Music Man” where she discovered her love for barbershop-style music in college.
After moving to New York City, Mika joined Sirens of Gotham in 2019. Currently she sings baritone in Sirens, GOTHAM, and Off The Record quartet. Alongside her singing roles, she takes on the responsibility of “event person”, always seeking new ways to share her love for music.
Believing strongly in music's educational power, Mika hosts workshops "Let's sing Japanese songs!!" at conventions in Washington D.C. and “Story & Music Time for Babies” in NYC. She organized one of the most lively warm-ups like "Let's sing Do-re-mi in 8 languages" in Sirens rehearsals.
Off-stage, Mika works for a custody bank as a foreign currency exchange professional, and before that role, she worked in the financial service industry. Mika enjoys simple pleasures like sharing ice cream with her family and playing with her black cats. Her New Year’s resolution in 2024 is to learn Spanish and return to mixed martial Arts training.
Braden Lynk, CFO, Chapter Treasurer
Braden has enjoyed barbershop singing from an early age after being invited to a Barbershop Harmony Society youth camp in Middle School. He officially joined the Barbershop Harmony Society in 2008 after moving to NYC, joining both the Big Apple Chorus (Manhattan Chapter) and Voices of Gotham (Hell’s Kitchen Chapter) and maintaining dual membership through 2010. He has served on the Hell’s Kitchen executive board for the majority of its existence, including two terms as president. His first term in 2011-2012 saw VoG win their first District Championship and make their first competitive appearance at the BHS International level in Portland. His second term started during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; he led efforts to maintain the chorus for the virtual meeting period through resumption of in-person activities in 2021-2022 in partnership with Sirens of Gotham. He also has spearheaded the chapter’s grant program since taking it over in 2016 and has been a part of securing grant funding from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for the past 10 years.
As a quartetter, Braden is a 3-time Barbershop Harmony Society Mid-Atlantic District Collegiate Quartet champion with Next Stop (twice) and with the Frat Pack, singing bass in both quartets. He also is a 3-time M-AD Northern Division Quartet Champion with Flatiron Four singing bass as well and has finished in top 5 of the M-AD District competition 3-times. He currently sings bass in the quartet B-side.
In his career, Braden is an SVP Group Program Director for a leading global public-relations firm overseeing a portfolio of brands from several of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. A graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, he is also a member of the national music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Kara Scharwath, CMO, VP Marketing
Kara is a marketing and communications leader that brings 15 years of experience to her role as CMO for the Gotham family of choruses. She currently serves as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications for BCW, the third largest communications firm in the world.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Kara's love for the arts and music has been a constant in her life. From a spontaneous rendition of Madonna's "Like A Virgin" at the age of two to becoming a founding member of the Children's Chorus of Sussex County, her musical journey has been rich and fulfilling. Kara's commitment to the arts continued through high school, where she participated in concert choir, band, musical theater, and studied classical ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance.
In 2020, Kara joined Sirens of Gotham, assuming the role of VP of Marketing in 2022 and 2023, and currently serves as lead section manager. Additionally, she lends her voice as the lead in the quartet, Off The Record, which secured the title of Best Novice Quartet at the BHS Northern Division Contest in 2023.
While Kara's professional life is deeply rooted in marketing and communications, she is also an accomplished Ironman triathlete, racing as part of the Wyn Republic Racing Team.
Meredith Rich, COO, Chapter President
Meredith joined Sirens of Gotham after coming across an afterglow in progress. Since 2016 she has served Sirens as Communications Coordinator, Fundraising Chair, Baritone Assistant Section Manager, and most recently as Board President from 2020-2023. As a member of the Hell's Kitchen Board now serving Gotham, Voices of Gotham, and Sirens of Gotham choruses - she is the Chief Operations Officer.
Hailing from Philadelphia, she first fell for 4 part harmony as a toddler after seeing the a capella group The Bobs sing "Psycho Killer" on tv, and never looked back. She sang in the Baldwin B Flats in high school and continued at Franklin & Marshall College, where she was a member of the a cappella group Sweet Ophelia. After college she continued performing professionally in theater companies, and as Betsy Ross for Historic Philadelphia Inc.
Today in New York City Meredith works as a Vice President in technology at a large global bank. Her previous roles have included positions at digital agencies, museums, non-profits, the arts, and also in publishing, where she edited USA Today and The New York Times bestselling fiction. She spends her free time singing with her quartet Breakfast for Dinner, and chasing her rescue dog, Rutabaga.