Our Board of Directors

Andy Abbott

President

Andy Abbott has felt it to be a privilege, since his first rehearsal with the Carolyn Eynon Singers in October of 2008, to sing with this talented group of people. As a singer, he finds the music enjoyable, inspiring and, yes, often challenging, and finds it rewarding to help create something of beauty with each concert presented to CES audiences.

As a native of Phoenix, he grew up and attended schools here. Music has been part of his life for many years, having played the trumpet in his high school marching band and singing since he was in a teen church choir. He has enjoyed singing with other groups at Pacific Christian College, Glendale Community College, Scottsdale Community College, and Arizona State University, and he also currently sings in the choir at Chaparral Christian Church and the community-based Pitch Pipes Quartet.

The pride and joy of his life are his three grown children — Adam, Andrew, and Angela — all living here in the valley.

As for employment, he is the Assistant Controller for a wholesale distributor in the air conditioning industry, where he has been for 23 years.

Eileen Mager

VP - Operations

This is Cleveland-born concert and recording artist Eileen Mager’s fourth season with CE Singers. She made her debut as a recitalist in Chicago, and has been performing in Arizona for more than 30 years. She has appeared as featured soloist with the Four Seasons Orchestra, the MusicaNova Orchestra, and the Harp Consortium, as well as with many Valley choral groups and at Valley churches. Eileen was the Artistic Director for several Arizona Vivaldi Festivals, and a featured performer in many Festival concerts. She is a recipient of Art Renaissance Initiative’s “Artist of the Decade” Medici Award.

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Sharae Basnight

Secretary

Sarah Costanzo

Treasurer

Recently relocated to AZ, Soprano Sarah Costanzo joined CES in January, 2020. Singing is like breathing for Sarah. Her childhood idol was Shirley Temple. In second grade, she sang “The Candy Man” at her Communion party. By 6th grade, she had auditioned for her first community children’s chorus, the Cleveland Singing Angels, and dedicated herself to them through high school (no football games for Sarah). She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Music from Eastern Michigan University.

Sarah has lived in 6 cities and states across the US, and always makes finding a group to sing with a top priority of her moves. As a result, she has sung with world-famous orchestras; and in an African-American spiritual choir, women’s chorus, contemporary a capella, and church choirs. Some of Sarah’s favorite choral memories are singing at a
Cleveland Browns’ half time, performing “Casey at the Bat” (with Bob Costas as narrator), singing annually at Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, SC; performing the Mozart Requiem in Mexico City and Carnegie Hall; and creating magic in King Moravian’s Lessons and Carols & Easter morning services. Sarah is married to Christopher and has a beloved 10-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Jedi.

Carolyn Eynon

Member at Large

Carolyn, Founding Artistic Director, was the first woman in the choral conducting program to graduate from the University of Michigan, where she studied for her Doctorate in Musical Arts from 1980-82. After 10 years of public high school choral directing in Michigan, Carolyn moved to Arizona, where she created the Arizona Arts Chorale (AAC) in 1995.

During the past 16 years of directing, the AAC performed with Jackson Berkey from Mannheim Steam Roller, Robert Moody, Hermann Michael, James Sedares, Doc Severinsen, and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. During her tenure with the AAC, the Chorale performed at Carnegie Hall with John Rutter and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Several commissions were performed by local and national composers. The Chorale was also invited to sing in Beijing.

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Dennis Eynon

Member at Large

 Dennis met Carolyn in Bloomfield Hills high school where they both sang in the choir. Dennis continued his college education at Central Michigan University earning degrees in Business and communications. He sang through out college and enlisted in the Army during Viet Nam. 

During the Army commitment, Dennis was entertainment director at Ft. Knox, Kentucky where he performed with the Mens Choirs and provided human resource opportunities for the military. Upon leaving the Service, Dennis worked in the Business Theatre industry and eventually entered the residential building career in Michigan. In his retirement, Dennis sings for cabarets, church events, and CES. He is the father of 3 adult daughters, and 2 grandchildren and enjoys golf, yoga, and national and local Jaguar car events. He has served on the CES Board of Directors for 13 years, assisting with Event planning.

Edward James

Member at Large

Edward L. James, III has a Master of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Public Management, Carnegie-Mellon University and a completed the Doctoral of Social Work studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Edward is certified and licensed as a master social worker, in Arizona and Pennsylvania and studied marriage and family therapy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois and Georgetown, Washington DC.

Edward has participated in marriage and family therapy private practice and currently owns and operates Edward L. James, III & Associates, LLC, an organizational and educational consulting firm since 2004. He has a specialization in working in the field of crisis intervention and intimate partner violence. His current specialization is nonprofit management and program development in the field of addiction.

Edward has a clinical and research interest and is a community activist in the area of men’s health, particularly in the black community. He has participated in national conversations incorporating both a grassroots and a broader national public policy perspective. He has been guest speakers at seminars and conferences in an effort to bring men’s health issues to the forefront.