ELKE FIRTH learned to appreciate and love music as a young girl. At the age of 11 she was given her first opportunity to conduct a children’s choir of her peers at an LDS stake conference in former communist East Germany where she was born. Her piano teacher taught her to play the LDS hymns after she barely learned the basics of piano playing. She has thus never shied away from playing the piano and even organ in church. In her early twenties, she started to conduct ward and stake choirs with a passion and interpretation that she considers an innate gift from God. In 2005, after she heard the Sterling Singers perform in concert, she knew she found another home and offered her business skills and savy to organize the choir and keep it running smoothly.  She says that she found the Sterling Singers at just the right time in her life and feels extremely fortunate to be able to continue to share her love of music with many audiences. Having lived 14 years under communist rule, she is also passionate about politics especially in protecting our constitutional rights endowed to us by our creator.  She is the mother of one son and Oma to four beautiful grandchildren, who are the pride and joy of her life. Her philosophy - if you lose yourself in the service of others, you will never be lonely or unhappy!