Choral Scholars
Our Choral Scholars serve as cantors, soloists, and section leaders with our Sanctuary Choir at the 11:00 am service on Sunday mornings. They are young professional singers who support our choral and congregational singing.
Max Alexander Cook, Tenor
Max Alexander Cook is a tenor in the DC area, originally from Ashland, Virginia. Cook is a current masters student at the University of Maryland in the Maryland Opera Studio. In the coming season, Cook will sing the roles of Belfiore in La finta giardiniera (Mozart), and Fabian and David in If I Were You (Heggie). Cook graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2021, where he earned a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts. During his time at Oberlin, Cook performed with the Oberlin Opera Theater, singing roles like Flute in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Britten), and L’amante in Amelia al ballo (Menotti). He was also a frequent soloist with the Oberlin College Choir.
In 2025, Cook won the North Carolina District of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, and was a qualifier for the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition.
Cook has sung with opera companies like Virginia Opera, Annapolis Opera, Capitol Opera Richmond. In the past two summers, Cook was an Ader Emerging Artist with Charlottesville Opera, and In January, he will join Cedar Rapids as a Young Artist. He has also performed at several summer music festivals like Winter Harbor Music Festival, Aquilon Music Festival, Miami Music Festival, and Opera NEO.
Cook has also appeared as a soloist and ensemble member with the Greater Philadelphia Choral Society, Mercersburg Area Community Chorus, University of Maryland Chorale and Chamber Singers, Rockbridge Choral Society, Oratorio Society of Virginia, Virginia Consort, University of Virginia’s University Singers, and Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale, singing classic canon and contemporary works.
Anissa Clay Zelaya
Anissa Clay Zelaya is a soprano located in Northeastern Virginia. In May 2024, she received her MM from George Mason University studying with Professor Patricia Miller. She portrayed Madame Goldentrill in Mozart’s The Impresario and W.A. Mozart in Steven Stucky’s The Classical Style- An Opera (of sorts) with George Mason Opera. Anissa portrayed Rosalinda in George Mason Opera’s production of Die Fledermaus in 2023. She has performed Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Musetta (La Boheme), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) in a scenes performance with George Mason Opera in Fall 2022.
Anissa has placed in vocal competitions throughout the country. Most recently, Mrs. Clay Zelaya was a semifinalist at the Classical Singer Vocal Competition in Washington D.C. She also at the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Competition in Knoxville, TN as a semifinalist in Category CL-9. Anissa has placed 1st in CL-9(A) at both the Virginia NATS competition and the NATS Mid-Atlantic Regional competition in 2023 and 2024. Anissa also placed 3rd in CL-7A in the Ohio NATS competition.
Sean Link
Sean is a classically trained singer native to the DMV. In 2022 he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Marshall University in Huntington, WV. Sean now resides in the Glenmont neighborhood of Silver Spring and works as a choral scholar for both CCUMC and Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring. He regularly performs with local choruses, particularly the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington and their outreach chamber ensemble, the Rock Creek Singers. He would like to pursue a Master's degree in the future with a focus on opera performance.
Melissa Kornacki (Cregger)
American Mezzo-Soprano, Melissa Kornacki (Cregger), is an internationally recognized artist who has appeared throughout the USA, Middle East and Europe. She grew up in Frederick, Maryland and later furthered her education at Mason Gross School of the Arts - Rutgers University where she studied under tenor, Frederick Urrey and later, Metropolitan Opera star, Faith Esham. She graduated with a Bachelors in Music Education, but her passion was always for the stage.
She debuted as the Alto soloist for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2001 at the Grand Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ and since then has branched out into not only soloist appearances, but chorus and acting as well. Some career highlights include an international debut in 2007 as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and Anita in West Side Story in Dubai, UAE in which her performances were hailed by Gulf News as "Brilliant!"; Chorus appearances with Washington National Opera, Washington Concert Opera and Lyric Opera of Baltimore; a certificate in Voice Over from Edge Studios in Kensington, Maryland; portraying the infamous Julia Child in Lee Hoiby's Bon Appétit with Opera Delaware; and finally getting her Valkyrie wings playing Waltraute in Götterdämmerung with Union Avenue Opera.
Excelling at oratorio she has won a number of accolades on the concert stage including First Prize in the Lyra New York International Vocal Competition (Oratorio Division), debuting at Carnegie Hall in the Lyndon Woodside Competition for the Oratorio Society of New York winning the Leopoldo Damrosch award, and most recently, Second Place in the Professional Oratorio Division for the American Prize.