Artistic Leadership
Marty Banghart
Conductor/Artistic Direcor
Artistic Director – Martha Banghart provides the force and vision guiding the Deer Creek Chorale. A career Maryland choral educator, Mrs. Banghart has dedicated her energies toward developing the Deer Creek Chorale into an energetic, talented, inter-generational choir dedicated to providing the Choral Art to the greater community. She has invited noted conductors Simon Carrington, Tom Hall, Paul Head, Karen Kennedy, John Guthmiller, Drew Collins, Z. Randall Stoope and Derrick Fox, all of whom have worked with her choirs as guest clinicians. Her choirs have competed internationally in Wales, China, Austria, Italy and Czechoslovakia. Her singers have performed a challenging repertoire in the choral tradition: Carmina Burana, Messiah, Mass in Time of War, Creation, Seasons, Mass of the Children, Glorias by Rutter and Poulenc, Requiems by Rutter, Mozart, Faure, and Brahms, Magnificats by Bach, Pergolesi, and Rutter and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.
Ms. Banghart is an active member of the National Association For Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and Chorus America. She was invited to make her directorial debut at Carnegie Hall in 2018. Her awards include Teacher of the Year, Humanitarian Award, Teacher of Excellence in Maryland and Director of Note. She continues to study voice and vocal pedagogy and has studied Choral Leadership with Dr. Rodney Eichenberger. She has served as a national consultant, adjudicator, guest conductor, soloist and clinician and maintains a private voice and guitar studio.
Greg Arment
Assistant Director
Greg Arment has been active as an educator, church musician, and accompanist in various parts
of Maryland since 2005. A Jarrettsville native and graduate of North Harford High School, his
first professional musical activity was as the organist at St. Paul and Norrisville United
Methodist Churches while he was in high school. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from
Susquehanna University and his Master of Music degree from Anderson University, both in
Music Education.
Greg taught elementary and middle school music in Wicomico and Baltimore counties for nine
years before moving into a Teacher Coach position. While in Wicomico County, he played in pit
orchestras and served as the rehearsal accompanist for the Community Players of Salisbury. He
is also the Director of Music and Organist at Orems United Methodist Church in Middle River.
He lives in Parkville with his wife, Melissa, and daughters, Lena and Eliza.
Julie Culotta
Youth Choir Artistic Director
Julie is an active and engaging choral conductor, clinician, presenter and adjudicator. She founded the Deer Creek Youth Choir in 2016, after receiving her Masters of Music from Georgia State University, where she studied choral conducting with Deanna Joseph. She is also the Music Teacher and Youth Music Minister at St. Joseph Parish in Cockeysville, Maryland.
A Maryland native, Mrs. Culotta’s love for community youth choir began as a young singer with the the Frederick Children’s Chorus under the direction of Mrs. Judy DuBose. Mrs. Culotta received her Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Maryland – College Park. She previously taught choral music at North Harford Middle School in Harford County. Mrs. Culotta served as Artistic Director of the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis (ACCA), an auditioned community youth chorus for young singers age 7-18. Since beginning with ACCA in 2006, she developed the program from one ensemble of 40 singers to over 100 singers in three ensembles. She is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and serves on the Board of the Maryland Choral Educator Association. Mrs. Culotta resides in Lutherville, Maryland with her husband Dave and their 4 children, Adelyn, Cooper, Camden and Grace.
Stacey Scarff
Youth Choir Assistant Director
Stacey Scarff is currently the music director at Highland Presbyterian Church in Street, MD. She spent 17 years teaching chorus for Harford County Public Schools before deciding to resign in order to spend more time with her family. She is a former student of Martha Banghart and was one of the original members of the Deer Creek Chorale. Stacey is very excited to have the opportunity to work with young singers again and is looking forward to making more beautiful music!
Roy L. Belfield, Jr.
Accompanist
Roy L. Belfield, Jr., a native of Petersburg, Virginia, began his undergraduate studies in music at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Master’s degrees in music education and organ performance from Florida State University in Tallahassee, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. As an educator, Dr. Belfield taught students from pre-school to college for twenty-two years. As a church musician, he has served six denominations throughout the country. As an accompanist, Belfield has collaborated with numerous choirs, vocalists, and instrumentalists. As composer and arranger, Dr. Belfield has written works for chorus, voice and piano and organ. Dr. Belfield is currently Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Towson United Methodist Church in Maryland.
Cindy Miller
Youth Choir Accompanist
A Harford County native, Cindy Miller is excited to be part of the Deer Creek Chorale Youth Choir. She earned a dual degree in Music Education and Piano Performance from Lebanon Valley College and later received her Master’s in Music Education with Piano Concentration from Towson University. Cindy currently teaches music at Saint James Academy in Monkton and plays frequently at Saint Margaret Catholic Church in Bel Air. Cindy enjoys spending time with her three children and her husband and is blessed to be able to share the Youth Choir experience with her daughter Clara.