A little about me...
Virginia Hart Pike has been living in New York City for over twenty years as a working artist and educator.
Virginia has composed many original songs which have been heard in multiple venues throughout NYC including the NYMF Festival, Joe's Pub, Times of Refreshing Christian Center (TORCC-NY), The King's College, and NYU. Her choral works have been performed at The King’s College, TORCC-NY, the Jubilee Chorus and Orchestra concerts (various NYC venues), Christ Church, St. George’s Episcopal Church, and by a dance company she co-founded in 2006 called Skylight Dance Theater. Her modern dance work, Daughters, which included her six-movement song cycle for women’s choir, First and Fairest, was performed to sold-out houses at The Salvation Army’s Theater 315 in Times Square, New York City, featuring soprano soloist Judith Blazer and conducted by choirmaster Kamel Boutros.
As a pianist and keyboard player, Virginia has played on Broadway in James Joyce’s the Dead and Amazing Grace, the Musical, for which she served as music assistant throughout the show's development process. She has musically directed many concerts and readings at various venues, including 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, The New York Theater Barn, and the NYMF festival, as well as readings of musicals by Charles Strouse. At The King’s College, Virginia produced and musically directed the musicals Carousel; [Title of Show]; Songs for a New World; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Floyd Collins, Ordinary Days, and the NYC premiere of A Pound in Your Pocket, the first musical written by famed writing team, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (of Bye, Bye Birdie fame). Other regional and NYC musical directing credits include Christmas is Coming Uptown (at Medgar Evers, dir. by Ben Harney), A Wonderful Life (Theater Virginia), The Lively Lad (NYSAF Festival), and The Night Governess (The McCarter Theater). She worked for seven years as the music assistant for famed Broadway composer Charles Strouse (Annie; Bye, Bye Birdie), musically directing readings of his works.
Virginia is the founding artistic director of REGA Arts, a Christian musical theater company whose mission is to train artists in their craft, help prepare them spiritually for the industry, and develop new work for the commercial theater industry. She recently conceived, produced, co-wrote (book/music/lyrics), and musically directed a REGA Arts "Showcasical" called Value Point, which is becoming a musical-in-development through REGA Arts. She is also writing and developing a second musical with REGA, Ivy Walls, to be previewed as a reading this Spring.
Virginia has also served as co-author, co-composer/lyricist, and leading performer in multiple musicals produced at Times of Refreshing Christian Centre, NY (torcc.org), the most recent being The Fury of His Love, co-written with Dr. Robyn Kassas, and Nathan Kassas. She played a detective who is also a survivor of Satanic Ritual Abuse. She has several musicals she's writing currently in progress including Ivy Walls, Value Point, and City of Dreams (with Dr. Robyn Kassas and Nathan Kassas).
As an educator, Virginia Pike has worked with children of all ages as well as adults. She served at the King's College as the Lecturer in Musical Theater for twelve years, teaching voice, musical theater studio, and musical theater survey. Virginia is a voice teacher and musical theater audition coach for children and adults of all ages. One of her students, Walter Russell III, recently won a Grammy award for his leading role in the Metropolitan Opera's Fire Shut Up in My Bones, by Terence Blanchard. She has prepared many students to acquire leading roles on Broadway for shows including MJ, the Musical; The Lion King; The Radio City Christmas Spectacular; Anastasia; and Amelie.
Virginia has served as Choirmaster and Musical Director for The King’s College, The Jubilee Chorus, Christ Church of New York, and St. George’s Episcopal Church and Grace Church of Greenwich. She is honored to serve as the musical director at Times of Refreshing Christian Center (TORCC-NY) under the leadership of Associate Pastor Nathan Kassas, as well as pastors Dr. Robyn Kassas and Dr. Tony Kassas. One of the founding members of TORCC-NY, she also serves as president of the church's board of directors.
Virginia holds a M.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in Musical Theater Writing, where she was mentored by acclaimed opera composer Ricky Ian Gordon. She also holds a B.S. from Duke University in Mathematics and Music.
