Joel’s choral journey began at age five, singing in his local church children’s choir. He sang with various choirs at church and schools until early adulthood. He also studied piano as a child, joined handbell choirs, and played the oboe for many years in school bands, woodwind trios, and community orchestras. Joel joined the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus in 2009 after moving to the Boston area seeking community and an artistic outlet. The BGMC provided a strong sense of community and artistic achievement that quickly became a core part of his Boston life.

Professionally, Joel has an extensive background in customer service and operations management. He spent twenty-five years working in various segments of the retail industry, including big box stores, eyewear, specialty coffee, outdoor recreation clothing and equipment, as well as affordable luxury apparel. These foundational experiences helped him develop a strong skillset for internal and external customer service, logistics, operations, and dealing with constant change.

Joel joined the BGMC staff as Production Manager in January 2025 after spending sixteen years as a singing member of the chorus. During his time as a member, he was able to experience first-hand the national and global impact of the BGMC as ambassadors for the City of Boston & the USA at multiple GALA festivals and two international tours (to Israel and Turkey in the Middle East and to South Africa).