Leadership – The Westminster Chorus

Dr. Dan Wessler

Artistic Director

Dr. Dan Wessler

Director

A native of Peoria, IL, Dan Wessler is currently the Artistic Director of The Westminster Chorus. Dan is also the gold medalist bass singer of 2018 quartet champions After Hours and past musical director for The New Tradition Chorus (Northbrook, IL chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society). Dan's quartet is world-renown as one of the most virtuosic to ever cross the competition stage, and they currently hold the record for highest score ever achieved in quartet competition with a 94.7%.

Dan is a sought after clinician and coach in the Barbershop Harmony Society, teaching at Top Guns, Harmony Colleges, and at Harmony University throughout the year. He's also a prolific arranger, creating contestable and general show arrangements for choruses and quartets at all levels and voice/gender classifications. Dan is also a certified Music judge in the Barbershop Harmony Society's Contest & Judging program. Dan currently holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Bradley University, a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Western Illinois University, and has a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder.

David Rakita

Assistant Director

David is the Assistant Director of the Westminster Chorus and has been a member since 2004. He is a professional vocalist and member of SAG-AFTRA who specializes in singing different musical genres. David is also an Auxiliary Roster singer for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, often performing on choral engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Previously, he sang with the ensemble on the soundtrack of John Williams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and with Jacaranda Music’s contemporary music series featuring Philip Glass’ Another Look at Harmony, Part IV.

David has toured internationally with the Westminster Chorus and Roger Wagner Chorale. He has sung on various animations and as a back-up singer for The Rolling Stones, The Doobie Brothers, Holychild, Rozzi Crane, and Lara Johnston. He also served as Tenor Section Leader of All Saints Church Pasadena, St. Cyril’s of Jerusalem, and St. Francis of Assisi. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the USC Chamber Singers and the USC SoCal VoCals.

Will Lagos

Performance Director

Will Lagos is the Performance Director for five-time barbershop chorus champions the Westminster Chorus, as well as a Los Angeles based actor, singer, and arts educator. He trained at the University of Southern California’s School of Theater in the competitive Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program and has a 20 year career as a professional performer. Will is a certified judge in the Performance category for the Barbershop Harmony Society and is a highly sought after coach, working with ensembles such as Central Standard, Parkside Melody, Lemon Squeezy, GQ, The Ladies, The Newfangled Four, and many others. He has also taught courses in performance and coached many quartets at Harmony University at BinG Harmony College.

Will is also a founding member of Public Assembly, a Los Angeles theater company performing new works in repertory every month of the year. Those with a sharp ear will recognize Will’s voice in film scores, international albums, and even at Disneyland and Disney World resorts. He is a faculty member at the California School of the Arts where he teaches vocal arts, musical performance, acting technique, and theater history, and directs musical theater productions