A little about me...
Virginia Hart Pike has been living in New York City for over twenty years as a working artist and educator. She has worked as a musical director, voice teacher, lecturer in musical theatre, actress and composer/lyricist.
Virginia's musical directing career started at the age of seventeen at French Woods Festival, and from there her career took her to Broadway and beyond. She played keyboards 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 famed composer, 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 Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (of Bye, Bye Birdie fame). She also creatively oversaw two student-devised musicals at the school, Crashing Into Silence, and Grasping for Normal. 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.
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. She has also worked with children ages eight through fourteen at the Marymount School's summer Drama Camp, where she's musically directed sixteen shows, including two Disney Jr. pilots, Freaky Friday, and The Descendants. Virginia also musically director seven high school productions with the Marymount School.
Virginia is the founder and artistic director of REGA Arts, a faith-based musical theater company whose mission is to train artists in their craft 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, Walls, to be previewed as a reading this Fall.
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.
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 among them being The Table, and The Fury of His Love, co-written with Dr. Robyn Kassas, and Nathan Kassas.
Virginia also has substantial experience in choral conducting having 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. Virginia also serves as president of the board of directors at TORCC-NY.
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 and musical theatre composer Ricky Ian Gordon. She also holds a B.S. from Duke University in Mathematics and Music.
