Shanelle Woods

Director of Education and Vocal Studies

Shanelle Woods currently serves as Director of Education and Vocal Studies at YPC and has been applying her many talents to the choral group for the past four years. Shanelle joined YPC not only because of their commitment to diversity and artistic excellence, but because she recognized the value in the type of education and additional experiences YPC provides for its choristers.

In addition to helping provide choristers with supplemental academic support programs geared towards life skills, financial literacy, academic subject tutoring, standardized test prep, and college application support, Shanelle also manages YPC’s Vocal Area, leading our choristers through high school or college audition prep, masterclasses, or weekly voice lessons.

Prior to joining the YPC family, Shanelle worked as an adjunct instructor of voice on the voice faculties of Charleston Southern, Claflin, and New York Universities. Recent professional performance credits include the title role in Bizet’s CARMEN, Tituba (THE CRUCIBLE), The Judge in STOMPING GROUNDS, commissioned by The Glimmerglass Festival, and Annie in PORGY AND BESS at Spoleto Festival USA. She performed the role of Jenny Diver in City Lyric Opera’s THREEPENNY OPERA, and sang Alma Stinney in the southeastern premiere of Stinney: An American Execution. In 2022, Ms. Woods collaborated with BARE Opera and National Sawdust, to premiere the song cycle FIRESONGS. Later that year, she debuted with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist , and presented a recital of contemporary, solo voice works at Fordham University entitled, Voices Up: Full Spectrum, aimed at celebrating the works of lesser known, female, and/or BIPOC composers. She was recently admitted to the Vocal Pedagogy program at New York University, where she is completing an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy.