Who We Are
The Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society has been bringing beautiful music to Las Vegas since 1963. The Society a 501(c)(3) non-profit community
organization whose purpose is the promotion and performance of quality choral and orchestra masterworks, musical productions, and chamber concerts consistent with a strong community and educational outreach in Southern Nevada. SNMAS is the umbrella organization for two performing groups: the Musical Arts Chorus, a large community chorus, and the Musical Arts Orchestra, comprised of professional instrumentalists. Past performances include Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, and hundreds of other various masterworks. The Society presented the American premier performance of David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus and performed Carol Barnett’s A Bluegrass Mass in Carnegie Hall. They have sung with Andrea Bocelli since 2009 at MGM’s Grand Garden Arena. As part of the Society’s community outreach, various choirs from local school are invited to perform their own segment and with the Musical Arts Chorus and Musical Arts Orchestra. The organization is administered by a Board of Trustees comprised of representatives from the Society’s members and is funded by ticket sales, contract performances, and advertisements in the printed program. Supporters of the Society have included Wynn Resorts, Target stores, Thomas & Mack Company, Klai-Juba Architects, Lochsa Engineering, and the Nevada Arts Council.
Dr. Lisa Elliott, Guest Conductor
Dr. Lisa Elliott has been the Music Director at Grace Presbyterian Church Las Vegas since 2015. She conducts the Chancel Choir as well as the Grace Concert Choir and orchestra regularly in major works such as Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Durufle’s Requiem, Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ, and Mozart’s Vespers.
Dr. Elliott is a featured sacred choral music contributor for the Augsburg Fortress publication Sundays and Seasons 2026, which provides sacred music recommendations for the Revised Common Lectionary.
She founded and directed the Millennium Master Chorale of Central Florida, a large community choir dedicated to the performance of masterworks and other quality choral music. MMC completed its tenth season in 2025.
Dr. Elliott is an accomplished soprano and enjoys singing many styles, including opera, musical theater, and jazz standards. She has performed with various organizations, including Lyric Opera San Diego, Opera Las Vegas, and the Venetian Jazz Trio on the Las Vegas Strip.
Music education is another important focus for Dr. Elliott. She is an adjunct voice professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the director of the Grace Academy of Music Education, and has her own private voice studio. Additionally, Dr. Elliott currently serves as President of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and is a former member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In 2020, she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance at UNLV, having already earned a Master’s degree at San Diego State University in vocal performance, and a Bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. She has also enjoyed studying music abroad. At the American Institute of Music Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, she learned the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. And she studied choral conducting, voice, and bassoon during her semester abroad at Ripon and St. John’s College in York, England.
Inquiries may be directed to lisaelliottsoprano@gmail.com.
Eric Eichorst, Resident Accompanist
Eric Eichorst, has accompanied SNMAS choirs since 2008. He holds a Master’s degree in piano performance from the University of South Dakota (2003). He has performed with the Cherokee City Orchestra and been staff accompanist at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp near Traverse City, Michigan. Eric currently teaches music for CCSD at Wengert Elementary and has received the district’s
Distinguished Educator Award. He can be seen accompanying various school choirs, ensembles, musicals, and soloists throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Eric has always enjoyed electronic media music and contributed compositions to software such as 3D Constructo Combat and Jarts.