Our Story
“Tom Metzger was directing a large choir in the Vancouver area, and getting frustrated - how could there be so much organizational work! There should be a solution just for choirs.”
In 2003, life-long singer and computer scientist Tom Metzger was directing a large choir in the Vancouver area, and getting frustrated - how could there be so much organizational work! There should be a solution just for choirs.
Finally, in 2009, Tom started Groupanizer to build the software every choir needs. Eleven years later, #choirgenius looks nothing like that humble first version. Hundreds of choirs around the world rely on it to keep the music flowing!
Our mission is to get more of the world singing by making it easy for choir administrators and musical leaders to run a choir. That’s what our choir management platform does – it’s a collection of powerful tools that work together seamlessly to get your whole group growing, thriving and making better music.
You may be wondering, why did we choose to go into this unusual business? Surely there are easier ways to make a buck! Indeed there are, but everyone on the Choir Genius / Groupanizer staff is a singer, dedicated to growing the singing community. Each of us rolls out of bed energized every day to make it happen, because we believe that singing matters.
The Choir Genius Team
Tom Metzger
CEO/CTO
Tom is an entrepreneur, software developer, singer, choral music enthusiast and technical founder of Groupanizer Technologies & Choir Genius. After completing a degree in computer science, he decided to put together his expertise in choral music with his expertise in technology to build the first version of Choir Genius.
Tom’s father, Charlie Metzger, was always involved in musical groups like church choirs and quartets. He instilled in Tom a deep appreciation for the art of ensemble singing. Tom has been singing in semi-professional vocal ensembles since 1988, the most notable of which was “Realtime” which won the barbershop world championship in 2005. Tom has sung in Phoenix Chamber Choir and currently serves on their board.
When he’s not building software or singing, he’s hanging out with his two teenage boys, who both sing in the Vancouver Youth Choir.
Sharlene Kowk
Support and Training, Operations
Sharlene is an experienced Customer Service Manager and QA Analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry. Skilled in Microsoft Word, training delivery, HTML, and teamwork, Sharlene is a strong human resources professional with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) focused in Criminology and Forensics from Simon Fraser University.
Sharlene is a member of two musical groups: A Sweet Adelines International chorus called Peace Arch Chorus; and a mixed SATB chorus, Soundscape. She is a board member and section leader for Peace Arch Chorus, as well as volunteer support staff for Sweet Adelines Region 26. Sharlene is also a board member for Harmony Hollow, an annual family camp weekend for barbershop singers in the pacific northwest.
Jennifer Champagne
Relationship Manager
Jennifer's background is all about customer service. She spent 25 years working as a real estate agent before coming to Groupanizer as our Relationship Manager.
Jennifer has been a singer all her life and has sung in an acapella chorus and quartet for over 30 years. You'll find her traveling, performing, and competing with Lions Gate Chorus and Champagne Quartet.
https://www.lionsgatechorus.ca/
@champagnequartet
Sabrielle McCurdy
Marketing Coordinator
Sabrielle is a marketing and communications professional, specializing in event production, nonprofit management and arts organizations. Sabrielle comes from a musical family, with singer/songwriter parents. You could say that singing is in her blood! In addition to working with Groupanizer, Sabrielle co-owns and operates North Shore Music Together, an early childhood music program. Catch her singing weekly at Canadian Memorial United Church for their live stream services, as well as with Universal Gospel Choir (which she also manages), vocal trio @Diasingers, and in various local theatre productions. Sabrielle is a graduate of both the Musical Theatre Performance and Arts & Entertainment Management programs at Capilano U.
Jordan Behen
Marketing Advisor
Jordan is a marketing consultant with experience working with pre-revenue startups all the way to present-day unicorns.
Jordan's career started in traditional media, first as a newspaper reporter, later in display ad sales, and then commercial production for TV. For the past 16 years, he has been working in online marketing and advertising in various roles, including as Lead Storyteller/Content Manager for Hootsuite! His agency, Narrate Creative is a lean marketing strategy and execution agency specializing in early-stage software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies.