ARTISTIC TEAM
Brittney May
Musical Conductor &
Artistic Director
Brittney May is thrilled to be joining the Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus as Artistic Director. She comes to TTCC from Reno, Nevada. She is on the music faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she currently teaches voice and directs the UNR Concert Choir and Symphonic Choir. Brittney has directed choral and instrumental ensembles of varied ages and sizes for 15 years, spurred on by a passion for working with young professionals, students, and beginners. Before coming to Reno, Brittney taught k-6 general music, band, and choir in Tucson, Arizona for four years. Brittney May graduated from Wartburg College (Waverly, IA) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 2011. She earned her Masters in Music Education from UNR in 2015.In her free time, Brittney loves enjoying the outdoors by spending time on the lake, hiking, camping, and skiing. In addition, she loves exploring the ever-expanding food and entertainment scene of the greater Reno-Tahoe area. She has one sweet miniature poodle named Leo that she shares with her partner Taylor.
Brittney May
Musical Conductor/
Artistic Director
Sandra Davis
Accompanist
Sandra Carlson Davis began studying the piano formally at age 7 and accompanied many school musicals and choirs. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Santa Barbara, obtaining a BA in Psychology. In the meantime, she played with the Santa Rosa Summer Repertory Company as a rehearsal accompanist and in a traveling ensemble performance troupe. Upon moving to the Truckee area in 1984, she has continued to accompany church and school choirs, musicals and soloists. She has been a worship leader at Calvary Chapel Truckee since 1991 and accompanist for TTCC since Fall 2006.
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David Nelson
Composer, Musician, Tenor
David Wendell Nelson was on the music faculty at Cerritos College in Los Angeles for over 25 years. Now
retired, he devotes his time to composition and performance. After completing a Ph.D. in Music
Theory/Composition at the University of California Santa Barbara in 1980, David worked in a variety of
institutions, ranging from the secondary level to college and university. Over the last 45 years, Dr.
Nelson has composed numerous works, including symphonies, tone poems, choral pieces, chamber
music, music for film, popular music, incidental music for plays, eBooks, and computer-generated music.
Recently he completed a two-hour Requiem for full orchestra and chorus, as well as three musicals,
Haight, L.A. Vida, and The Fitzsimmons Diary. Over the years Dr. Nelson has received commissions from
The University of California at Riverside, the University of Alaska at Juneau, Cerritos College, Truckee Tahoe Community Chorus, and the Sonoma Valley Chorale. In the fall of 2018 Dr. Nelson’s program symphony Little Bighorn was performed by the Reno Pops Orchestras to critical acclaim. In May 2019 TTCC premiered The Truckee Historical Revue, with narration written and music composed by David Nelson.
Todd Tanis
Youth Chorus Director
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Todd Tanis grew up in Shelburne, Vermont and moved to California in 1993 after graduating from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Optical Engineering. He sings baritone and directs the Truckee Tahoe Youth Chorus. He is a musician, artist, and teacher of piano and voice. Todd also works with the Truckee Community Theater, both behind the scenes and on stage, as he designs and builds sets and acts in many of their productions. Over the years, he has performed at many churches, community theaters, and senior communities. Todd has been coaching alpine ski racing for the last 20 years and also coached boys gymnastics for 18 years. Todd enjoys mountain biking, trail running, and figure skating.
Past Conductors
Chris Nelson, Founding Conductor & Artistic Director
2002 – 2012
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Tom Acord, Conductor
2010 - 2014
Susan Horst, Conductor & Artistic Director
2007 – 2021
